Alpine Cooking

Starred review from July 1, 2019
This generous cookbook and travelogue will have readers booking trips to the Alps of Italy, France, Austria, and Switzerland. Despite Joe Beef coauthor Erickson’s protestation that “it’s not all about cheese,” the food (organized by country) is hearty: a typical Italian soup contains cabbage, lardons, and fontina, and fondue is discussed at length. Brief “snapshots” highlight locals and their favorite trails, while “travel hacks” offer tips, including one to ski or hike to the Lumen Museum of Mountain Photography in Italy’s South Tyrolean mountains. Dishes include classics, such as schnitzel and an appealing chestnut and mascarpone Mont Blanc tart, as well as quirky flights of fancy invented by cooks in isolated circumstances, such as a corn bread topped with a scattering of ground popcorn kernels and served with a sphere of butter with a cheese core, and crescent rolls of puff pastry around hazelnut filling from a bakery in a “tiny mountain village.” Difficulty is indicated for each, and any special equipment is noted. Fun sidebars include a roundup of scenes from James Bond movies set in the area (where Ian Fleming studied German and fell in love), while a listing of hotels adds a layer of practicality. Erickson’s enthusiasm is contagious, as when she writes, “Mountains are not permanent. They are alive.” Erickson beautifully captures Alpine food and culture in this standout volume.

September 1, 2019

Is it a cookbook, travel guide, regional history, coffee-table book? There's something for everyone is this colorful and browseable book about the cuisine of the Alps. The focus is on the four countries making up the Alpine Arch: Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and France. Though centering on the regional cuisine, Erickson (Joe Beef: Surviving the Apocalypse) provides history, travel tips, experiences, and perspective for each country with enough details for context and travel without overwhelming readers. Recipes are accompanied by background information that can include anything from the history of the dish, a snapshot of the chef or a local lodge owner, to stories about sliding backwards into a snowbank and catching a lift to a lodge on a tractor to try the dish. Recipes, which are often meat focused, are rated from easy to difficult using traditional European ski run ratings. VERDICT A wide variety of readers, and their friends, will enjoy the kaleidoscope of recipes, photos, history, and anecdotes.--Zebulin Evelhoch, Deschutes P.L., OR

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 1, 2019
Part travelogue and part homage, this compendium of recipes spans the Alpine mountain range and its cuisine with lovingly recorded detail. Erickson spent years researching (and eating and skiing), and her dedication results in a full cultural travel profile of the Alps. Breathtaking landscape photos and enriching details are included in equal measure. Though the Alps are often perceived as a luxurious winter playground, Erickson?through the recipes she has selected, in-depth asides, and her stories and tips about skiing and dining there?shows that it's accessible for those seeking rustic beauty and a hearty meal before and after a long day on the slopes. Simple cheese soups, handmade pastas, rich meats, towering tortes, and other delights are varied enough to suit any palate. What the cuisine shares is a creativity shaped by the limits of available ingredients owing to the weather and terrain. Recipes are grouped by country (Italy, Austria, Switzerland, France) and rated with the same system used for Alpine ski runs. A foldout map (not seen) indicates specific generation-long family-owned refugios and locations which inspired the recipes. Ideal for dining chair travelers, those planning or reminiscing about time in the Alps, and any cook who seeks to capture the feel and flavor of this diverse mountain region.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)