Skip to main content

Around the Fire






Around the Fire by Greg Denton, Gabrielle Quinonez Denton with Stacy Adimando

Around the Fire is a new cookbook based upon recipes from Ox restaurant in Portland, Oregon.   Chefs Greg and Gabrielle Denton have been recognized globally for their unique cuisine and flair, especially with their Latin American live fire cooking meals.  Stacy Adimando is a food and travel journalist while also engaging in the writing for many news syndicates.  The cookbook is a beautiful hardcover table book that is very visually appealing. 

The authors incorporate some basic recipes alongside some more difficult recipes to challenge anyone from beginner to trained chef.  On page 95 the recipe for Grilled Maple Brined Pork Chops was a very good one indeed.  The brine is made of Maple Syrup Grade B and infuses the pork with a sweetness that balances out the saltiness of the meat when grilled.  The brine allows the flavor of the meat to stay inside while not making the meat dry out too quickly, since pork has a tendency to dry out if cooked too long.  Further along, the salsa for the grilled zucchini and eggplant adds a kick of saltiness with the rather tame flavors of the vegetables. 

Another great feature of the book is the opening section that relays some features of live fire cooking, namely discussing indirect/direct heart, cleaning the grill, types of grills, and what is the best essential grilling tools one would need for the live fire.  As with many cookbooks, some of the recipes called for ingredients that I wouldn’t normally use in the kitchen on a regular basis but also pushed me to think how I could use them.  The good thing about this cookbook is that the recipes span the range from grilled meats and seafood to grilled veggies and even a few desserts are in the mix.  I’m looking forward to firing up the grill again as I hope to use these recipes for the years to come.

Thanks to Blogging for Books for the copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saving Casper

Saving Casper: A Christian and an Atheist Talk about Why We Need to Change the Conversion Conversation by Jim Henderson and Matt Casper http://www.amazon.com/Saving-Casper-Christian-Conversion-Conversation/dp/1414364881 Many readers will quickly know the authors of this book from their previous release Jim and Casper Go to Church.  Jim and Matt’s new book entitled Saving Casper focuses on the way we talk about conversion in the church and the devastating ways we have pushed away atheists and other non-believers by our posture.  Both Jim and Matt traversed the national landscape, meeting in churches and asking hard questions about faith, conversion, and life. The basic premise of the book and travel is laid out here in their words, “Part of what Casper and I are trying to achieve when we speak to a group of Christians is to help people move a little bit on their “judgment meter.”  This capacity, while intellectually and often theologically uncomfortable,...
Post a Comment
Read more

Essential Christian Doctrine

  Essential Christian Doctrine , General Editor John MacArthur Pastor John MacArthur has for years been teaching the Word of God in both pulpit ministry, books, and conferences with an aim to displaying God’s revelation to his listeners in a winsome and foundational manner.  This new book, Essential Christian Doctrine takes an entire life of teaching and preaching and encapsulates the main contours of the Christian faith for its readers.  John in a systematic way highlights the most necessary teachings from Scripture including God’s Word, the Trinity, while also including sections on Man and the Future. One of the most helpful ways the authors bring to light biblical truth and theology is the way in which they group together particular themes.  In the section on the Holy Spirit, instead of a complex discussion of personhood, word pictures of the Holy Spirit are introduced in a discernible and profitable manner.  The metaphors for the Holy Spirit include fir...
Post a Comment
Read more

Wisdom for All

Interpreting the Wisdom Books: An Exegetical Handbook by Edward Custis Among the many wonderful books on the OT wisdom literature, this fine new book helps the reader interpret, exegete, and apply God’s Word to his people in succinct and helpful way.  The book is laid out nicely with bolded words that emphasize necessary themes in the study of the wisdom books and short chapters that get to the point of the biblical books.  This series of exegetical handbooks is a great treasure for students and pastors because it synthesizes much of the academic work on a biblical book into digestable portions helpful  for preaching and teaching. The opening chapter on the wisdom books brings out a helpful grid for understanding wisdom literature.  Custis writes, “Biblical wisdom, in contrast to Israel’s neighbors, reflects “Yahwistic theology” through its regular use of terms like “fear of the Lord,” its affirmation of God’s providence, and its recognition th...
Post a Comment
Read more