The Rustic Table: Simple Fare from the World's Kitchens – An Essential Cookbook with 200+ Hearty International Recipes

by Constance Snow

Countries all over the world have their own kind of"rustic" food -- simple, thrifty, hearty, unpretentious, and full of flavor. Earthy and tantalizing, rustic is the kind of food that memories are made of, passed down through generations of grandmothers and aunts to daughters and sons.In The Rustic Table , IACP Award-winning author Constance Snow re-creates flavors from more than twenty-five different countries with more than 200 recipes for starters, sides, entrées, and desserts. For breakfast, try West African Spice Doughnuts, Vietnamese "Happy Pancakes," or Swiss Fruit and Mixed-Grain Porridge. Lunch and dinner possibilities include light entrées like Asian-Style Noodle Salad with Spicy Sesame Dressing and French Vegetable Soup with Basil and Garlic, as well as hearty dishes such as Korean Grilled Beef, Native American Planked Salmon, and Greek Lamb and Bulgur Meatballs with Cucumber Yogurt Dip. And there's no dessert like a truly rustic Creole Praline Bread Pudding with Warm Whiskey Sauce, Thai Sticky Coconut Rice with Mango and Mint, or Shaker Lemon Pie. The Rustic Table is a real taste of really easy rustic food. This is a cookbook for home cooks who enjoy using ingredients as close to nature as possible and who want to prepare food with ingredients that are easy to find and recipes that involve just a few quick steps.

Genres: Cookbooks

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rustic fare. While it normally calls up medievalesque imagery of peasants in mud-stained clothing and kerchiefs, rustic fare is what we all crave when the world weighs too heavy and the slings and arrows of life hit a little too close for comfort.

From the basics of bean soup to biscuits to pancakes (and more), "The Rustic Table" states that it's simple fare from the world, but as I read it, I couldn't help but feel that despite its multicultural roots, it felt distinctly American. The great cultural melting pot that we have become as a nation has lead to the sharing of many different ingredients which have led to some dishes that bear no resemblance on their country of origin.

Which is fine by me. :) This is a fine book if you want to dabble your toes in non-specific ethnic cuisine that still simple but good enough for Sunday dinner.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have this new reading obsession! I've always loved cooking, eating, looking through cookbooks but I have recently taken to reading cookbooks from cover to cover! Who knew there could be so many interesting stories hidden within a book full of recipes. I particularly like this one because it is real food - something someone really cooked in their home. It has everyday ingredients and everyday stories.

[Jacob Jones-Goldstein · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nicely done cookbook. Lovely presentation. The recipes are just ok though.