For those of you too young to know about James Beard, he was a food writer, cooking teacher, and television food personality who in many ways legitimized American food. He wrote many wonderful books, including this week's Cook the Book, Beard on Food. Who was James Beard and why should everyone passionate about food know about him? Here's Mark Bittman from the book's introduction: Other people gave your recipes, sometimes detailed (Julia Child), sometimes spare and functional (Craig Claiborne). James Beard gave you logic, emotion, history, and consideration. He gave you confidence, and he let you relax. In a time when serious cooking meant French cooking. Beard was quintessentially American, a westerner whose mother ran a boarding house, a man...
Continue reading »
