CWN Book Reviews -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 8/30/2003
Last Visited: 8/30/2003
by William Rubel.
...
Rubel, an expert on cooking with fire, has assembled 100 recipes from the simple to the more complex, all of which can be cooked either indoors with a fireplace or outdoors with a campfire.
I say "with" instead of "on" because Rubel illustrates how the fire can be used in a variety of ways - buried in ash, cooked next to the fire, hanging over the fire - among others.
...
Rubel quotes Frederick Douglass on his hunger for ash cakes, then provides a period recipe for these tasty basic necessities - flour, salt, water are the basic ingredients, but Rubel also includes varieties using chestnut flour, cornmeal, masa harina, and seminola flour.
Other recipes that pertain to the 1860s period include roasted onions or peppers, grilled fish, roasted chicken, porridge, pot roast, baked beans and bread pudding.For more experienced chefs, Rubel has a variety of items that will please a variety of tastes, such as steamed custard, Indian chai, mulled wine, baked garlic and rittata.
Rubel also includes a valuable reference section that is a must read before attempting to work with fire."All About the Fireplace" discusses safely measures, firewood, embers, ash and other associated information.He covers different methods of using the fireplace/campfire, special techniques needed for some foods, equipment, and includes a list of suppliers as well as a bibliography of works consulted.