Low-Carb Gourmet

Sushi without rice, pizza without dough and bread pudding without bread? Barnaby provides recipes for all the gourmet treats that low-carb dieters crave. Though starch-lovers might find the To-Frites chewy and unsatisfying, they're not bad as long as they're thought of as fried spiced tofu and not as French fries. Many of the recipes are like this: great on their own, but a poor substitute for whatever they might be trying to be. The ones that stand out are those that could be found in the protein section of any carb-laden cookbook: Salmon Steaks with Ginger Butter, Slow-Roasted Spice-Cured Pork Shoulder, Winter Vegetable Soup. Barnaby does include multiple recipes for vegetables reborn in a low-carb world: rutabagas, kohlrabi, chayote, daikon, cauliflower and kale find their niche in butter and cream sauces, or disguised as rice, mashed potatoes and pasta. The low-carb eater will welcome the salad and vegetable sections as defense against the idea that low-carb diets are all about steaks and bacon. Snacks are also strong, with delicious Five-spice Sesame Walnuts and scary but familiar Crispy Chicken Skin. The dessert section includes a discussion of possible artificial sweeteners, Splenda being the most recommended. Many of the desserts are surprisingly tasty. With Splenda and almond meal in place of flour, the New York Cheesecake is as good as a more traditional cake. The growing number of low-carb dieters seeking to cook food that even their carb-chowing friends will appreciate will welcome this book, but, as many of the recipes are high in fat and odd for the traditional palate, it is unlikely to lure people to the diet.