Alice B. Tolkas - The American Elizabeth Daivd

Alice B. Tolkas (pictured above on the right) as the title suggests was in the same league of food writing as Elizabeth David. She was born in San Francisco and spent many of her school years here and in Seattle. She moved to Paris in the early nineteen hundreds and met her long time lover the famous writer Gertrude Stein. Both, hosted a salon hosting many American writers. She remained much in the background of Stein and became her secretary, critic and cook. They were famous lesbian lovers until Steins death in 1945.

After the death of her partner, Toklas began to write her own literary memoir of sorts. This would soon become titled The Alice B Tolkas cookbook. It was and still is considered one of the most famous and classic titles in food writing. She would include in it, many recipes from her travels throughout Europe. Some off which included a recipe for an elaborately decorated poached salmon dish cooked for the famous artist Picasso. Many old and elaborate dishes and some which i find are quite unusually in there methods. Think wild grouse washed and marinated in milk, Singapore ice cream and the famous "hash fudge."

It is a product of her 25 years together with Gertrude and the many recipes she collected entertaining there many famous European artists and musical composers.

It is one of those books which i find quite intriguing and a true curious delight. I have always had a secret fascination for old period cookbooks. She may have only written one or two books but she really is, i think in the same league as Elizabeth David. I really do recommend any young or otherwise mature cook, chef or avid food writer to be transported to this curious period of history and food, in Europe. Seen through the eyes of Alice B. Tolkas.

Food for Plenty

When i get a day off from  a long, tiring and busy period of work I constantly enter some form of book shop, no matter were i am in the city. When I hit the cookery or food section, I enter an almost mental trance. I escape into my own little world and when i pick up the first cookbook which catches my intuitive eye, it is hard to distract me or pull me out of the shop. I like many other obsessive cooks, have a dangerous and often expensive love for cookbooks or food writer novels. There will be certain times in the year, were I will almost buy at least one book every time i get a day or two off. Although, it is the really intriguing, memorable and well written books, which i will browse over, each time i go into any book shop and often decide after a couple of times flicking through it to finally buy it. I have a couple of her books at home in Ireland that i had bought while i was training in university. The Gastro pub cook book and  Crazy water, pickled lemons. She writes in a way that you never bore of her and you always at some point pick her books off the shelf and continually browse over them. When i was training i used a few of her recipes for a Moroccan and Spanish themed gourmet night. Her influences are wide and culturally varied, which makes her an always instant hit.

I was so proud to find out that she is actually from Londonderry in Northern Ireland. A county just beside my home wilderness of Donegal. Luckily, she was influenced by a family of cooks/bakers from a very early age. Watching her mother and grandmother bake wheaten bread in the family kitchen.  She was making her own little sweets and cakes by six and organising little candlelight dinners by 16. Much to the bewilderment of her unadventurous 16 year old guests. Being influenced at a young age by pictures of jugs of flower waters and trunks, as she so describes, bursting with figs and pomegranates in Arabian Nights books. While, studying English at Oxford, she would spend rainy afternoons, scouring the city for rare and unusual middle eastern or Indian ingredients. These culturally diverse expeditions must of had a huge influence on the style and variety of cooking and recipes, she documented and wrote about in her books. A latest product of which i just bought recently is Food for Plenty.

Before i knew much about her, i kind of figured and just assumed she must be of Moroccan or middle Eastern decent but not so.

Her latest book, is quite possibly one of her most varied and extensive yet. It is literally a true reflection of the many influence's she has had or experienced over the years.

She documents not just one but eight other recipes for roast chicken, each one of a different cuisine. Think Corfu, Greece or American style buttermilk roast. Other recipes include, simple platters of seasonal and fresh vegetable crudities, sushi, Moroccan seven vegetable cous cous and Vietnamese sweet potato curry. Like many proud Irish or Northern Irish expatriates she doesn't forget her family roots either, placing a few of granny millers cherished recipes into the culinary kaleidoscope too.

Its modern day relevance is shown through, sections on which unsustainable fish to avoid. Other chapters inform the reader and keen cook on the sections of cow/beef and pig/pork you can use. Pulses, grains vegetables. The list is almost endless.

This cookbook and its author are sure to be a winner, will stick around for quite some time and i sure will be at my side for quite some time.