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Something Old, Something New: Oysters Rockefeller, Walnut Souffle, and Other Classic Recipes Revisited
by
The award-winning, bestselling author of An Everlasting Meal “revitalizes classics and long-forgotten dishes, bringing them into this century with verve and ease” (Bon Appetit) in this “lovely and literary” (Vogue.com) cookbook.
Many dishes that once excited our palates—like oysters Rockefeller, steak Diane, cheese and walnut soufflés—have disappeared from our tables and, i ...more
Many dishes that once excited our palates—like oysters Rockefeller, steak Diane, cheese and walnut soufflés—have disappeared from our tables and, i ...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
August 6th 2019
by Scribner
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Start your review of Something Old, Something New: Oysters Rockefeller, Walnut Souffle, and Other Classic Recipes Revisited

This book rehashes a great many classic, upscale recipes and provides some history of the dishes which was interesting. Most of the recipes are things I wouldn't ever cook and many I wouldn't even want to eat. I like a lot of different foods, but have to admit I'm not adventurous when it comes to some of these offerings. However, it was interesting to read about the various type of dishes - many of which were served up during the 1950s - 1960s as very special treats. I did notice there were a lo
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I am a big fan of Tamar Adler, and regularly consult her previous book, AN EVERLASTING MEAL. Reading Adler's work is like having a witty, worldly, inquisitive, and generous friend--one who is willing to invite you in to her kitchen for a wide-ranging and informative chat and who will then proceed to spoil you with her cooking.
SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW is at once a personal cookbook, with references to Adler’s mother, brother, husband, and son and nods to their contributions and influences; a ...more
SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW is at once a personal cookbook, with references to Adler’s mother, brother, husband, and son and nods to their contributions and influences; a ...more

I love reading Tamar Adler. Her ingredients have personalities, and her recipes are as much an exercise in nostalgia as in nourishment. I’m reminded of the food writing of MFK Fisher or Elizabeth David. She follows in the footsteps of those greats, and carefully acknowledges debts to them, and to other food greats like Frank Stitt, Craig Claiborne, John Thorne and the chefs at Cibreo (and thats only in the first 50 pages.)
Finding myself on page 32 , with no oysters in sight, and a pound of hambu ...more
Finding myself on page 32 , with no oysters in sight, and a pound of hambu ...more

This is an odd "cookbook" - full of rambling, somewhat pretentious, extremely purple prose, in more quantity than actual recipes. And, for recipes that are supposed to be "modernized" and/or "simplified," there sure is a lot of extremely rich (butter, eggs, mayonnaise, animal fats, etc.) or pretty "luxurious" (caviar, pate, oysters ingredients.
If you're SUPER into the history of "fancy" food from days gone by, or if things like caviar pie sound appetizing to you, you'll probably like this book w ...more
If you're SUPER into the history of "fancy" food from days gone by, or if things like caviar pie sound appetizing to you, you'll probably like this book w ...more

Something Old, Something New by Tamar Adler is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in early April.
100 classic, well-sourced, adaptive recipes with an ingenious, reformulating tone. The real text of the original recipe is in italics - Adler filters in with calming, skepticism-easing advice (as well as lifelike, detailed sketches and watercolors) in the event that a recipe and its presentation may be too much for a present-day cook. My favorite recipes include clams casino, green goddess salad, gat ...more
100 classic, well-sourced, adaptive recipes with an ingenious, reformulating tone. The real text of the original recipe is in italics - Adler filters in with calming, skepticism-easing advice (as well as lifelike, detailed sketches and watercolors) in the event that a recipe and its presentation may be too much for a present-day cook. My favorite recipes include clams casino, green goddess salad, gat ...more

There are no photos of the finished recipes in this cook book, which is always a disappointment for me.
The recipes, despite being modernized, still seem difficult and time consuming. While I have never tried to make oysters, or hosted the kind of dinner this book suggests, some of the recipes are intriguing. But I don't think there's anything in this book I would attempt without having ample time and patience. The writing comes across less as telling a story or sharing history and more as wanti ...more
The recipes, despite being modernized, still seem difficult and time consuming. While I have never tried to make oysters, or hosted the kind of dinner this book suggests, some of the recipes are intriguing. But I don't think there's anything in this book I would attempt without having ample time and patience. The writing comes across less as telling a story or sharing history and more as wanti ...more

Tamar Adler’s “An Everlasting Meal” was and is one of my favorite books. I love her writing style and her philosophy of simple cooking. This book fell flat for me, however. The old dishes she reinvents really don’t sound that good to me, even reinvented, and often there are either exotic or too-many ingredients. I was completely with her in the desserts chapter, but the earlier chapters are just too much fuss.

I was really looking forward to receiving this book but I'm not as impressed as (maybe) I should be. I will never make the majority of these dishes the way Ms Adler describes: too much cream, too much sugar and the butter content..! Wow! This needs a warning label: "reading causes angina". Her addition of anecdotes and stories and information was interesting to read but the recipes were nowhere near as healthy ('new') as I originally thought. A big disappointment to me.
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Jul 15, 2018
Nick Klagge
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Shelves:
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read-aloud
I enjoyed reading this out loud with Elise (though reading a recipe aloud is a bit of an odd experience!). While I always appreciate Tamar Adler, though, this book didn't inspire the way that "An Everlasting Meal" did. That's a pretty high bar, though, seeing as how AEM is probably my (and definitely Elise's) favorite cookbook of all time!
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This is a cookbook of sorts and a book about cooking. The author researches and brings back to us classic recipes that seemingly have been forgotten. She tells about them in their prime as well as indices the reader to try them again and bring them back to the table. Well researched, well constructed makes it the perfect book for a foodie!

While the recipes are well-written and many sound good, overall this book was a disappointment. Instead of being witty and sophisticated, the prose just comes off as pretentious and overwrought, which surprised me as that seems odd for a writer known for being practical when it comes to avoiding food waste.

Was hoping to like this since I was so into her 1st book. This one was less original more about old time recipes that frankly, I don't cook in that nineteen forgotten style. I tried the Green Goddess recipe and it came out heavy on the oil, perhaps I didn't emulsify it properly. Would pass on this one. More interesting from a historical view but not a cookbook I'd use often.
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I do love Tamar Adler. While at times verbose, always clever. And the end, when she talks about dessert and drinks, well.... This book made me want to eat clams. I don't even like clams. But Adler makes me think that I might like clams. But I certainly want to make the vin d'orange and the plum cake. So there we are.
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Interesting premise, though harder to read than other books similar to this one. Still, I enjoyed skimming and taking mental notes. Adler is an amazing person and it's a pleasure to read her thoughts.
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Little bit disappointed with this one. I am a terrible cook, so when I follow a recipe, I like having pictures to guide me. I need to know what something is supposed to look like. This book doesn't have that. It had drawings of food.
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3.5
Not a bad book, but not as wonderful as An Everlasting Meal, which is one of the best food lit books ever. ...more
Not a bad book, but not as wonderful as An Everlasting Meal, which is one of the best food lit books ever. ...more

Tamar Adler is the heir to Robert Farrar Capon, minus the spiritual insight. But she has a literary, witty, and keenly observed style like his. I'll read anything she writes.
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I hate to say it, but I was disappointed. I adored Tamar Adler's first book. Like, it's one of my favorites of all time. It changed my life. This, however, lacks the narrative cohesion, point of view, and inspiration of An Everlasting Meal. It reads simply like a cookbook with somewhat rambling and not-particularly-inspired passages connecting each recipe in a stream-of-consciousness style. It's almost more like a diary or a personal recipe collection than a book made with readers in mind.
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I received this book to review for free from netGalley in exchange for an honest review. I thought I would love this book because An Everlasting Meal is one of my favorites. However, this book didn't translate well in the free Kindle proof I received. It was very hard to read. I will look for it again when it comes out in a paper format and see if it is easier to follow then.
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