Wood-Fired Cooking

Karlin has passed down the knowledge of wood-fired cooking for nine years as an instructor at the Ramekins school in Sonoma, Calif., so it is not surprising that her first cookbook is a teacherlike endeavor. It begins with an extensive review of the basics, including a chart that looks at the “appliance characteristics” of a vertical clay top-vented oven, a list of woods and their proper uses (red oak for beef and fish) and a survey of various wood-burning devices including the classic La Caja China Box, a pig roaster on wheels. Next, there is a treatise on “Becoming an Efficient Wood-Fired Cook.” Finally, she challenges her readers with 100 recipes ranging from academic to scholarly. Her specialty includes entrees that include the word “smoky” or involve a plank or a brick. Smoky barbecued oysters, grilled on a campfire grate, are served with an intense vinegar-based sauce. Smoked chicken and herb dumplings uses bacon, as well as smoke, to flavor the bird. And mushroom-rubbed plank-roasted steak employs a water-soaked aromatic board to flavor and keep the meat from drying out. For extra credit, there are several complex choices that seem a tough match for the open fire, such as an apricot tart with lavender crème anglaise. (May)