Overview
From tree limb to table, Chef Gèrard Sol’s and Laura Gosalbo delve into the sweet, succulent world of cherries. Encompassing gorgeous photographs and delectable recipes, Crazy About Cherries details everything you might want to know about growing, preparing, or eating this juicy fruit. This informative book fascinates by providing the extensive history, intriguing legends, different growing regions, and health benefits of the cherry. The mouth-watering recipes reveal the cherry's ability to accentuate many meats, wines, cheeses, and, of course, delectable desserts. Far more than an ordinary cookbook, it is a handbook for anyone who has enjoyed at least one of the thousand varieties of cherries.Previously published in Europe, the American edition adds sixteen sumptuous recipes, provided by the Northwest Cherry Growers in North America, and U.S. and metric measurements simplify the cooking process. Crazy About Cherries won the Gourmand World Cookbook Award for Best Single Subject Food Book in 2005 and a Silver Medal from the German Gastronomic Academy in 2007.
Synopsis
Gerard Solis is chef at El Raco in Sant Climent de Llobregat, a restaurant near Barcelona. He also works in several other prestigious restaurants around Spain. In addition to being a chef, Solis promotes special culinary products specific to his region and appears on the cooking show Cuines on TV3. He lives in Barcelona with his wife and daughter.
Laura Gosalbo earned a master's degree in food chemistry from the Chemical Institute of Sarria in Barcelona, followed by a doctorate in chemical sciences and biochemistry from the University of Barcelona. She is the owner of Gastronomia Activa in Barcelona, which promotes the culinary heritage of different countries.
Publishers Weekly
Spanish chef Solís and food expert Gosalbo, with help from the Northwest Cherry Growers, offer up more insight into and recipes for cherries than anyone could seriously require. Gosalbo starts with a voluminous overview, covering the fruit's origin and migration, its botanical makeup and tips for pruning and cultivation. Solís has plenty of ideas for the fruit itself, ranging from the decadent Warm Foie Gras with Cherry Vinegar Reduction to a simple but satisfying Fruit Salad with Cherry Vinaigrette, as well as mad-scientist concoctions like Cherry Ravioli with Cheese Soup, or grilled tuna belly in a cherry jam-like sauce that also contains melons, eggplant and red wine. Other of Solís's dishes require an insane amount of prep time (Ratafia-Cherry Ice Cream calls for alcohol infused with cherries over 40 days outdoors in the sun). The duo lean heavily on the Northwest Cherry Growers for recipes, and they tend to steal the show with practical basics: cherry pie and cobbler, Caesar-Style Cherry Chicken Salad and a tangy Cherry Balsamic Sauce that pairs well with just about anything grilled. Cherry fanatics will certainly want to peruse, but anyone without unfettered access to a cherry orchard probably won't need this volume in their collection. Color photos.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
Spanish chef Solís and food expert Gosalbo, with help from the Northwest Cherry Growers, offer up more insight into and recipes for cherries than anyone could seriously require. Gosalbo starts with a voluminous overview, covering the fruit's origin and migration, its botanical makeup and tips for pruning and cultivation. Solís has plenty of ideas for the fruit itself, ranging from the decadent Warm Foie Gras with Cherry Vinegar Reduction to a simple but satisfying Fruit Salad with Cherry Vinaigrette, as well as mad-scientist concoctions like Cherry Ravioli with Cheese Soup, or grilled tuna belly in a cherry jam-like sauce that also contains melons, eggplant and red wine. Other of Solís's dishes require an insane amount of prep time (Ratafia-Cherry Ice Cream calls for alcohol infused with cherries over 40 days outdoors in the sun). The duo lean heavily on the Northwest Cherry Growers for recipes, and they tend to steal the show with practical basics: cherry pie and cobbler, Caesar-Style Cherry Chicken Salad and a tangy Cherry Balsamic Sauce that pairs well with just about anything grilled. Cherry fanatics will certainly want to peruse, but anyone without unfettered access to a cherry orchard probably won't need this volume in their collection. Color photos.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Library Journal
Solis is the chef of a restaurant in Sant Climent de Llobregat, Spain, an area known for its cherries. Gosalbo is a food chemist who was intrigued with a seasonal "cherries menu" he served, and this book is the result. Originally published in Spain, it includes information on cherry varieties, cultivation, and the like, along with recipes for all courses of a meal. For larger collections.
—Judith Sutton