cover image The Art of Accompaniment: Making Condiments

The Art of Accompaniment: Making Condiments

Jeffree Sapp Brooks. North Point Press, $15.95 (237pp) ISBN 978-0-86547-346-1

In this piquant collectionBrooks's first, and one of the first in North Point's new line of cookbookscondiments are championed for the time they save in the kitchen and the savor they bring to almost any dish. The recipes and serving suggestions for over 170 vinegars, dressings, pickles, chutneys, relishes, sauces, marinades, jellies, preserves and butters bear the author out. Brooks, a San Francisco Bay Area food consultant and writer, draws widely from ethnic and international sources: tsukemono (Japanese cabbage pickle); salachat chatzilim (Israeli eggplant relish); harissa (Moroccan hot sauce); and skordalia (Greek garlic sauce). While traditional condiments put in appearances, most recipes are more adventurous (chive pesto with asiago and toasted pumpkin seeds; blueberry amontillado sauce for game). Brooks's sensibility will appeal to cooks with sophisticated tastes, but simple preparation methods put most recipes within reach of novices. Interesting facts (Cleopatra liked pickles) spice culinary advice. Illustrations not seen by PW. (Oct.)