Is There a Nutmeg in The House?

by Elizabeth David

Overview

This anthology of Elizabeth David's work, originally published in hardback in 2000, is a direct sequel to An Omelette and a Glass of Wine. It again contains a selection of her journalistic and occasional work from four decades. Much of it she had chosen herself for reprinting in this more accessible form. In addition there is a considerable amount of unpublished material found in her own files, or contributed by friends to whom she had given recipes, or to whom she had sent letters, either with notes in answer to queries or giving details of current research. None of the material here appears in any of her other nine books. The emphasis throughout is on the practical aspects of cooking and eating, and the book contains over 150 recipes. These stem from many different countries, but they all have Elizabeth David's unmistakable personal touch – a Mediterranean tomato consommé or a typically English raspberry ice cream. Little-known articles on her many and varied likes and dislikes complete a unique picture of what for so long made her the most influential cookery writer in the English language. Her work is always immensely readable, elegant and witty, and she has a wonderful ability to share her sense of season and place, her passionate interest in food, its history, its myriad styles and its role in society. There is much here to enjoy both for dedicated Elizabeth David fans and for those who are new to her writing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781910690208
Publisher:	Grub Street
Publication date:	05/05/2016
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	604,568
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

Table of Contents

Introduction Jill Norman ix

Kitchens and their Cooks 1

Elizabeth David's 'Dream' Kitchen 7

How Publishers like to have their Cake and Eat it 12

Scoff Gaffe 15

Stocks and Soups

The Oxo Story 17

Taking Stock 23

The Making of Broths and Stocks 27

Recipes 31

Yogurt 37

Salads and First Courses

Summer Greenery 39

Leaf Salads 45

Crudités 48

Recipes 49

Vegetables

Garlic Presses are Utterly Useless 51

Tians 53

Le Rouge et le Noir 57

Erbaggi Mantovani: Vegetables of Mantua 60

Home Cooking 67

The Great English Aphrodisiac 70

Recipes 74

Herbs and Spices

The Besprinkling of a Rosemary Branch 84

Herbs, Fresh and Dried 87

Green Pepper Berries 88

Is there a Nutmeg in the House? 93

Recipes 95

Relishes of the Renaissance 97

Italian Fruit Mustards 102

A True Gentlewoman's Delight 108

Eggs

Quiche Lorraine 117

Hand-made Mayonnaise 122

Poached Eggs 127

Recipes 129

One William Verral 132

Pasta and Rice

Edible Maccheroni 136

Do not Despair over Rice 142

How Versatile is Risotto? 148

Recipes 149

Letter to George Elliot 151

Mistress Margaret Dods 152

Fish

Kedgeree 157

Recipes 158

Two Cooks 163

Letter to Jack Andrews and John Flint 168

Meat

Christmas in France 168

Untraditional Christmas Food 171

Recipes 176

John Nott 187

Poultry and Game

What to do with the Bird? 198

Recipes 201

Alexis Soyer 209

Perfumed Toothpicks and Table-hopping Birds 214

Bread and Pizza

The Baking of an English Loaf 217

Recipes 227

Variations of Pizza 232

Banketting Stuffe 237

Desserts

Caramel Desserts 242

Crème brûlée 247

In Pescod Time … I went to gather

Strawberries 252

Recipes 256

Ice Creams and Sorbets

Hunt the Ice Cream 265

Making Ice Cream 272

Ice Cream Recipes 275

Pomegranates Pink 285

Sorbet Recipes 288

The Madeira Era 293

Letter to Gerald Asher 299

Epilogue 302

Bibliography 308

Index 310

Editorial Reviews

"This posthumous collection of essays reminds us not only what an intelligent writer she was – one of the finest ever composers of long sentences – but also how sharp in every sense. This book is a taste of lemon after a diet of sugarplums."

The New Statesman - Bee Wilson

This posthumous collection of essays reminds us not only what an intelligent writer she was – one of the finest ever composers of long sentences – but also how sharp in every sense. This book is a taste of lemon after a diet of sugarplums.

Bee Wilson - The New Statesman