Food news antipasto

Jane and I spent the weekend at the American Library Association annual conference in Philadelphia, promoting our Library memberships. Highlights of the trip included seeing several EYB Members who stopped by to say hello, wonderful cocktails at Almanac, and a meal with two absolutely delightful authors Jyoti and Auyon Mukharji, who had a demonstration on the What’s Cooking stage at the ALA conference.

Jyoti trained as a physician in India and practiced medicine for several years, but in 2010 decided she wanted to focus on cooking. She started a cooking school at her home in Kansas City, where she has taught thousands of people how to cook Indian food. Her son, Auyon, is a musician and helped his mother write and design the cookbook, titled Heartland Masala: An Indian Cookbook from an American Kitchen. Jane and I got a sneak peek inside the book, which is gorgeous and well designed. We had dinner with the Mukharjis and other guests at Amma, a South Indian restaurant in the heart of Philadelphia. The meal included crispy fried spicy cauliflower, curries (lamb, goat, and chicken), dosa, a chickpea and yogurt dish, and paneer. It was all delicious.

Heartland Masala will be released this September, and the authors will be touring throughout the US which Jenny has added to our Calendar. We will have additional information about the book when Jenny does a full promotion.

Now on to other news. The Independent has an interview with Letitia Clark where she explains why she wrote an entire book about one fruit. After living in Sardinia for the past seven years, Clark thinks that Italians don’t appreciate lemons as much as they should. She uses lemons in non-traditional ways in her Italian-inspired cooking, such as adding it to pesto for extra zing. Don’t forget to enter our giveaway for the cookbook, For the Love of Lemons.

Food and Wine spoke with Top Chef winner Tristen Epps (who Jenny got to meet during the James Beard Awards weekend), and Epps shared information about one of his favorite ingredients, called green seasoning. He calls it the “lifeblood of marinating meat in the Caribbean.” The seasoning blend, which varies depending on location, includes fresh herbs, aromatics such as onion and garlic, and an acidic component.

This summer is proving to be a scorcher across the US, UK, and most of Europe. That means a cook’s thoughts might turn to cooling items like ice cream. A bevy of ice cream books have been published, and Eater offers a review of three of these: Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream, America’s Most Iconic Ice Creams – Salt & Straw: Classic Flavors and Creative Riffs , and Malai Frozen Desserts – Inspired by South Asian Flavors (on tour again here). EYB Members have gravitated to the last book in the list, which has garnered a five-star review.