The Meat Club Cookbook

December 12, 2005
Although cutesy vintage fabric trimmings illustrate the pages of this cookbook written by three young women, don't call it a "girls' guide to meat"—because it's much more than a guidebook for women who need to cook for their meat-eating guys. Dina, Fuller and DePalma are carnivorous and proud of it, and give chicken Caesar salads and other chick-fare a run for their money with enthusiastic, in-depth information on beef, pork and lamb. The authors share advice on finding and building a relationship with a butcher, explain how to buy meat and unveil 60 classic recipes. Busty Burgers, Beef 'n' Beer Stew, Easy-Bake Spareribs, and Lamb Chops and Turnip Mash are just a sampling of the offerings; many recipes begin with anecdotes like "Every summer, Kristina attends a family picnic" or "Vanessa's Korean aunt, Janette, is the inspiration for this dish." Indeed, there's a friendly feel to this work, which brims with kitsch. It looks like a 1950s sewing catalogue of sorts (cuts of beef, for example, are shown via a lovely image of a pink embroidered cow wearing green, ankle-tie pumps, divided into chuck, rib, short loin, etc.). A spiral binding adds to the book's utility.