It’s now fifty years or so since I started growing my own fruit and vegetables so as to have the freshest, best quality ingredients for my home cooking and making my own wine and beer. But I was always asking myself why things were done in a certain way: what was the science behind what was going on? I’ve always loved science for its own sake, but I believe such knowledge enhances appreciation. That’s why, when today’s new interest in vineyard geology took off, I put together my own book on that subject, and it’s why I’m enlightened by the books I list here.
I wrote...
Vineyards, Rocks, and Soils: The Wine Lover's Guide to Geology
Twenty years old and still the Bible for me. It’s all here. I used to wonder why we did things in the kitchen in a certain way, but now I know. The author doesn’t flinch from the hard science and, besides explaining so many things, that enables him to explode a number of common kitchen myths (searing meat doesn’t seal in the juices) and provide lots of practical advice for the home kitchen.
Other supposedly food and science books have come and gone, but McGee remains my go-to source.
An updated twentieth-anniversary edition of the classic culinary reference features ninety percent new material and provides a wealth of kitchen tips, food-preparation techniques, folklore, literary anecdotes, and health information, in a volume that features particular coverage of trends from the p
I love the look and feel of this book. It’s a class act. The author (a disciple, incidentally, of Harold McGee) deconstructs a variety of popular foodstuffs and recipes so that with this new knowledge, even the amateur cook can strive for perfection. Well, strive. Perfection’s a long way off for me, but this glorious book inspires me to try.
Until now, home cooking has remained radically out of touch with the technological developments that characterize the rest of modern life. This is the book to prove that science can dramatically improve the way we eat. Having spent years refining his analytical and imaginative approach at the Fat Duck restaurant, Heston Blumenthal is uniquely qualified to bring the benefits of science to the domestic kitchen. Both time-saving and energy-efficient, his methods unlock the alchemical potential of flavor and taste.
The first part of the book maps the new techniques in fifteen sections, including: taste and flavor; stocks and infusing; brining,…
Andrew Jefford is one of the most intelligent, insightful, and engaging wine writers on the planet. And he writes beautifully. All aspects of the wine world come within his incisive but fair scrutiny, and, for me, this collection of short articles from Decanter magazine is a joy to keep dipping into.
"An entrancing companion for wine lovers. Celebratory, discerning writing with all the variety and unexpectedness of the wines explored." - Michele Roberts, author and Emeritus Professor of Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia
"This book is about feeling, tasting and describing the beauty of wine, as well as understanding the intensity of emotion that wine can engender." - Decanter Magazine
"So precise and dancing, so chiselled and so free, as complex and delicious as your favourite bottle of wine, you will enjoy the world of wine differently after reading through Jefford's words." - Pascaline Lepeltier on Instagram
"A…
I thought I knew a fair bit about whisky until I read this book. The science is here–and how often do you see that in a book on spirits?–but as a means to an end: to make whisky more individual, more expressive of place. The bulk of the world's whisky is manufactured in anonymous, large plants such that the 'handmade' products of relatively small distilleries, epitomized in Scotland and Kentucky/Tennessee in the U.S.A., are cherished by enthusiasts.
Yet even with these, the major ingredients–cereals of different kinds, barley in the case of Scotch–are almost always grown and processed far away and bought on the commodities market. It doesn’t have to be like this. Revelatory and joyful are the author’s explorations and stories of trips to distilleries in the U.S. and the British Isles to chew the fat with like-minded pioneers.
Look at the back label of a bottle of wine and you may well see a reference to its terroir, the total local environment of the vineyard that grew the grapes, from its soil to the climate. Winemakers universally accept that where a grape is grown influences its chemistry, which in turn changes the flavor of the wine. A detailed system has codified the idea that place matters to wine. So why don't we feel the same way about whiskey?
In this book, the master distiller Rob Arnold reveals how innovative whiskey producers are recapturing a sense of place to…
I treasure this account of a wide-eyed American youth, over forty years ago now, visiting Europe for the first time and stumbling across beer that wasn’t American. Unlike what he had assumed all beer was like, this European beer (well, some of it) had character, pedigree, and flavor.
Even as a European, I continue to be stimulated by the author’s enthusiastic account of the unchanging classics he discovered and his pilgrimages to their wonderful breweries. He also realized that beer‒proper beer‒could hold its own on any dinner table. It was all a revelation to him; it changed his life, and it continues to inspire me.
Winner of the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ Award for Best Cookbook in the Wine, Beer or Spirits category.
Garrett Oliver, award-winning Brewmaster and Vice President of Production of the Brooklyn Brewery, recognized by Gourmet Magazine as a “passionate epicure and talented alchemist”, reveals the full spectrum of flavors contained in the more than 50 distinct styles of beer from around the world.
Most importantly, he shows how beer, which is far more versatile than wine, intensifies flavors when it’s appropriately paired with foods to create a dining experience most people have never imagined. Garrett, along with photographer Denton Tillman,…
In the book, I explain vineyard geology and how it works. If you have an interest in wine, you’ll have noticed that these days, there’s an unprecedented interest in a link with vineyard geology – the rocks and soils where the grapevines grow. The connection is almost venerated; some even consider soil central to how a wine tastes. It’s become almost de rigeur to at least mention the geology in vineyard descriptions – though not necessarily correctly.
Geology can be difficult to grasp, with enigmatic concepts and a formidable terminology. Even the names of rocks can carry an air of mystery. So, wholly in the context of wine, I explain things from basic principles, exploring the meanings of geological words and the stories behind them.
Tourists and local residents of St. Augustine will enjoy reading about the secret wonders of their ancient city that are right under their noses. Of course, that includes a few stray corpses and ghosts!
Secret St. Augustine: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure
It is no wonder the ancient city of St. Augustine is steeped in secrets.
St. Johns, the oldest continuously occupied county in America, celebrated its 450th birthday on September 4, 2015. More like a European enclave than an urban landscape, it is a place of cannon fire, street parties, historical reenactments, concerts, and more. From admiring replicas of fine art at Ripley’s Believe or Not, to hunting haunts in restaurants and museums, to eating ice cream from a recipe originated by World War II bombardiers, St. Augustine has it all from beaches, gourmet dining, festivals, and attractions.
