Sour
The Magical Element That Will Transform Your Cooking
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- USD 15.99
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- USD 15.99
Publisher Description
SUNDAY TIMES FOOD BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019
DAILY MAIL FOOD BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019
A THE TIMES FOOD BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019
A FINANCIAL TIMES FOOD BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019
A GUARDIAN FOOD BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019
A BBC RADIO 4 FOOD PROGRAMME BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019
From cheese to vinegar, throughout the centuries we have deliberately let – and even encouraged – food to go sour to enhance its flavour. Now, sour foods have never been more fashionable, with the spotlight falling on foodstuffs as disparate as Belgian sour beer and Korean kimchi. But what is it that makes sourness such an enticing, complex element of the eating experience? And what are the best ways to harness sour flavours in your own kitchen?
Sour offers a series of invitations to the modern cook, to learn the life-enhancing skills behind the everyday transformations that hold the key to this most enduring taste. Award-winning food writer Mark Diacono sets out to demystify the sour world, and explore why everyone's extolling the virtues of kombucha and fermenting for their digestive health. By grappling with gooseberries and turning his hand to sourdough, experimenting with ultra-cool shrub cocktails, and making his own yoghurt, kefir and pickles, Mark tells the story of what makes things sour, and offers recipes that maximise the transformative power of this amazing taste. From sumac-roasted duck and kombucha mayonnaise to roasted plums with labneh and cherry sour cream clafoutis, it is time to let a little (or a lot) of sour into your life.
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In this clever outing, British author Diacono (A Year at Otter Farm) posits that as "our wild affair with sugar" wanes, our love of sourness grows, then offers lip-puckering suggestions. Diacono devotes a sizeable chunk to narrative instructions for making yogurt, vinegar, and sourdough bread. One catchall chapter, titled "Small Things," features focaccia topped with gooseberries and sage as well as classic hollandaise sauce and pickled quince; the remaining four cover main courses; sides, salads, and soups; desserts; and beverages. Diacono employs a chatty yet authoritative throughoutvoice as he suggests an artful meshing of flavors: a salad of halloumi cheese, mango, and arugula with spicy tamarind dressing is, for instance, "a fine tumble" of textures. Desserts include buttermilk pudding with roasted rhubarb and sour lemon-drop candies. Rounding out this collection are bracing vinegar-based cocktails called shrubs (one with lime, ginger, cider vinegar) and a drink that originated at Brooklyn's Bushwick Country Club called a pickleback (a shot of whiskey followed by a shot of pickle juice), which the author admits is a "total non-recipe; more of a suggestion, like Wear a hat when it's sunny.' " This quirky collection of solid recipes will entice home cooks.
