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Just finished reading the 2nd book in a series by Penny Vincenzi, Something Dangerous. After reading No Angel (see below) I couldn’t wait to start the 2nd book. A friend said to me that she liked #2 better than the first one, and I think I agree. It carries on the saga of this gentrified family in the publishing business in WWII era England. There are wartime injuries, even deaths as the family spreads out some (France and America), but it’s still about the London-based core family group that get themselves into trouble at several junctures. Loved this one. Do read them in order, though.

I forgot to tell you about another adorable book I read in between – Homer’s Odyssey. No, not that Homer, but Homer, the blind cat. It’s a charming, funny, sweet, riveting book that any animal lover should read. We haven’t owned cats for decades, but I enjoy reading about them even if I don’t have one. Homer was a tiny kitten when found, with a dangerous eye infection. The vet who saved him had to remove his eyes, so the little kitten never knew sight. He’s adopted by a patient gal who is a writer already, and I can imagine that little Homer almost wrote the book himself. He’s very brave, willing to take risks – she almost loses him once. If you love animals, you’ve got to read this. I found it at Costco, but it’s also cheap at Amazon in paperback.

The Baker’s Daughter: A Novel by Sarah McCoy. A really really interesting story. About WWII but told from the side of loyal German Hitler-loving citizens. The kind of local people who could be your neighbors, who were very nationalistic and truly believed Hitler was leading them to a better future. I’ve never read anything with a German perspective. The book isn’t political. In a way it’s a type of chick lit (which is why I didn’t suggest my DH read it) as it’s got a moderate amount of romance in it. The entire book is enveloped in the story of the family, who live in Garmisch (a place I’ve visited twice), who own a bakery. Mostly it’s about one of the bakery owner’s daughters. One daughter goes to a Lebensborn camp (women who participated in a maternity breeding program to strengthen Aryan blood). The other daughter stays at home to help at the bakery. She meets a “nice” Nazi man and sort of dates him. But there are several twists and turns in this book. The at-home-in-the-bakery daughter decides to hide a young Jewish boy. Most of the story takes place from 1943-46 and includes liberation. Family members disappear and many questions arise about it. You watch how the daughter turns against Hitler toward the end. She emigrates to the United States, but there are numerous loose ends that take many more chapters to resolve including several characters who are part of the Texas story. A very good book.

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin – by Erik Larson (hard copy) – wow, what a book. In all the literary fiction I’ve read about Nazi Germany, I’d never read that much about what it was like living in Berlin leading up to Hitler’s demonic rampages. This biography is about America’s ambassador to Germany from 1933-37, William Dodd. An academician, Dodd was probably unsuited to the job, yet he brought a kind of humility and clarity to the unrest. Accompanied by his wife and two adult children, they assimilated into the gay life of diplomacy. Dodd was not liked by his counterparts at home, yet he had the ear and appointment specifically because of Roosevelt, but only after 5 other career diplomats turned down the job. Dodd took his position very seriously, hoping that he’d make time to write a book he had worked on for much of his life (a detailed history of the American South). With no internet, no commercial jets and little but old fashioned typewriters or often written by  hand, communiques sailed back and forth in diplomatic pouches. Dodd originally was lenient with Hitler, wanting to believe the hype Hitler broadcast. In time, though, he came to realize that Hitler had an insidious master plan. Dodd’s vivacious and beautiful daughter dated all manner of diplomats, Nazis and Russians, and very few Americans. She leaned left. Very far left, to the point of socialism. She had affairs – very inappropriate ones (says me), which undermined her father’s role (yet he seemed oblivious). This book is a real picture of the day to day life back then, well written, well researched and riveting. The Ambassador never did finish his book. But this book – well, everyone should read it. Erik Larson is the famous author of The Devil in the White City.

The Song of the Lark – by Willa Cather (on my Kindle) – what a joy to read. I’ve been a big fan of Cather’s writing most of my adult life, although I’ve not read all of her books. She had such a gift of words – such an ability to write a liquid picture – a conjurer of time and place that just doesn’t happen anymore in today’s writing world. The story revolves around a young girl (yes, it’s a coming of age novel) the daughter of a minister in the Midwest who has a musical gift. Her mentors help her to go to Chicago to study. Thea, the heroine here, is a very serious and studious young woman and not given to joy in life. She struggles with loneliness, yet seems to have no ability to reach out of her box to find friends or companionship. As with any young person who moves to a new place for work or study, there is that soulful pull from “home.” Does she give in? I’m not telling. A very good read.

No Angel – by Penny Vincenzi (hard copy from the library) – when two friends of mine recommended this book I knew I needed to read it. It’s not new (2004), but it is part of a trilogy by this English author. And I just refused to pay the very high Kindle price so that’s why I visited my local library and found it on the shelf. Vincenzi writes about the day-to-day lives of English gentry, and since I’m addicted to Downton Abbey these days, it sounded like a natural to read this book. It chronicles the lives of this particular family including marriages, births, affairs and chicanery, with their lovely home as the surround, the life style of the then-rich-and-famous, formal dinners. See? Downton Abbey. The difference is that there’s not much in this book about the servants, the below-stairs family. It takes place during the same pre-WWI era (1910′s). Prominent in the story is the book publishing business the family maintains (and with difficulty during the war years run by the two women left at home). Now I need to find the next in the series. If you enjoy family sagas, this one is a gem.

Other books waiting on my Kindle include: Parrot & Olivier (Peter Carey); A Week in December (Sebastian Faulks); Cleopatra: A Life (Stacy Schiff); A Scattered Life (Karen McQuestion).

IN THE POWDER ROOM: Our guest half-bath has a little table with a pile of books that I change every now and then. They’re books that might pique someone’s interest even if for a very short read. The Greatest Stories Never Told; and Sara Midda’s South of France; and The Trouble with Poetry (Billy Collins).

Tasting Spoons

My blog's namesake - small engraved sterling silver tea spoons that I use to taste as I'm cooking.

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Posted in Fish, on September 30th, 2008.

Bouillabaisse

My DH Dave and I both l-o-v-e- fish stews. They come in a variety of names and styles – fish stew of course, fish soup, or cioppino (Italian) or the French style of Bouillabaisse. They’re all quite similar – a tomato-based stock with a variety of fish contained within. It can be whatever kind of fish you can find from your local purveyors. It’s easy, actually. I don’t know why I don’t make it more often – likely because it’s about 15 miles to our local market that offers really good, fresh fish.

Ann has her own recipe – it’s a combination of about 3 different recipes she’s used over the years. I wanted to take a picture of it that night. But, you see, I was too embarrassed to ask Ann if I could take a photo of the soup before we sat down to dinner. It’s okay to get away with that kind of behavior when I’m at home, in my own kitchen, but not very polite if you’re at somebody else’s house. Plus, I didn’t know if she’s give me the recipe (I thought she would, but one never knows!).

Ann & Harry used to be in a gourmet group we had some years ago. I was the ringleader – the one who tried to set up the dates, decided on the menus (all of them) and mailed out the recipes for everyone to make and bring. We met for a number of years, probably about 5 or so. I finally got weary of doing all of the menu planning by myself, and asked if somebody else would help. There were no takers, so the group kind of fizzled out.

Anyway, Ann made this delicious bouillabaisse for dinner our first night in Coeur d’Alene. It, with a really tasty green salad made with some pumpkin seed oil she’d brought back from a trip to Germany a few months ago (which was really interesting – I liked it a lot), and some warm baguettes, and we were in for a treat. Ann had made the stock the day before, so the flavors had had time to meld. With halibut, cod, scallops and shrimp (oh yes, some clams too), it was good enough to lick the bowl. So the next morning Ann nicely said she’d give me the recipe and let me snap a photo of the leftovers. Here’s to the right is a photo of our friends who have been so gracious to let us stay with them for a couple of nights. Thanks again, Ann & Harry, for the wonderful visit!
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Bouillabaisse a la Ann

Recipe: from my friend Ann H.
Servings: 6

SOFFRITTO:
1 cup sweet onions
1/2 cup celery — chopped
4 whole garlic cloves — chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil — maybe more
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads — or more to taste SOUP:
1 cup dry white wine
1 whole bay leaf
1 tablespoon dried basil — or 2 T. fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 dash white pepper — ground
16 ounces stewed tomatoes — chopped
32 ounces diced tomatoes — canned
10 ounces clams, canned — juice only, reserve the clam, or 8-oz clam juice
FISH:
10 ounces halibut fillet — cut in 1″ cubes
10 ounces cod fillet — cut in 1″ cubes
1/4 pound sea scallops — cut in half
4 large shrimp — peeled, deveined, with tails
ROUILLE:
3 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk — at room temperature
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
3/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons red bell pepper — coarsely chopped
6 small baguette slices

1. SOFFRITTO: Saute onions, celery and garlic in olive oil for about 10 minutes until onions are tender. Then add 1/2 tsp. sugar and saffron.
2. Add the white wine to the pan and the bay leaf, basil,thyme, oregano and pepper. Add tomatoes with juices, clam juice. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes,stirring frequently. Preferably make this one day ahead of serving. Reheat and taste for seasoning. If desired, you may add about a cup of water
3. SOUP: When ready to serve, heat to a simmer, add the halibut first, allow to simmer for about one minute, then add the cod and cook for another minute. Then add the scallops and shrimp. If you stir, do it gently so you don’t break up the tender fish. Add clams and serve.
4. ROUILLE: Peel garlic and crush in a garlic press or mash and mince with a chef’s knife. Sprinkle garlic with the salt and mash in a mortar and pestle until garlic becomes a puree. Place egg yolk, lemon juice, garlic paste, pepper and saffron in a bowl of the food processor. Process and scrape down sides of bowl. Repeat. With motor running, very slowly pour in olive oil. Process until mixture has thickened. Adjust sauce to taste with additional lemon juice and/or salt. Mix in red bell pepper (or you may substitute pimiento peppers). Spread thickly on toasted crouton slices and place on top of hot soup.
Per Serving: 641 Calories; 36g Fat (52.7% calories from fat); 40g Protein; 34g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 115mg Cholesterol; 517mg Sodium.

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  1. Bouillabaisse Ann says...

    said on October 1st, 2008:

    Wow! How wonderful to see our dear friends, Carolyn and Dave, in Idaho! Not only are we included in their road trip stops, but we also are included in the Tasting Spoons Blog! You know, Carolyn, I am in awe of your culinary skills and writings, so to have my recipe printed in your blog has my head in a cloud!
    Come back soon..you waited 10 years..by then I will have another recipe for you!

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