THE NEW IRISH TABLE: 75 Contemporary Recipes

Johnson (The Irish Heritage Cookbook) returns once more to her roots and food heritage, this time presenting a volume that showcases the best of the new Irish cuisine and chefs. Based on many time-honored dishes and ingredients, recipes have been updated for the modern palate and more health-conscious diet without losing any of the wonderful flavor of the traditional elements. From the historic mainstay, the potato, used with rosemary and sea salt in the simple yet tasty Accordion Potatoes, and the more time-consuming Blue Cheese Potato Cake with its Eastern Europe influence to the robust Braised Lamb Shanks with Roasted Garden Vegetables, the recipes displays the best foods Ireland has to offer. Traditional dishes include versions of Boxty, the old favorite of both Irish and English alike, Sticky Toffee Pudding, and Black Pudding. Interspersed are wonderful full-color photos that demonstrate the finished dishes, encompass Ireland's green fields and rugged scenery and illustrate the anecdotes and explanations that round out the book. Among these are fascinating insights into Irish Cheese and Wine, Irish Stout and the Kinsale International Gourmet Festival—all of which wonderfully add color and background to this beautifully designed book. (Feb.)