Recipe for a Boston chef: take one chaotic upbringing, add several crazy adrenaline-fueled teenage escapades, a pinch of caution, and a spoonful of insecurity. Stir in heaps of fierce determination and on-the-job learning.  Work all ingredients together 24/7 for about eight to ten years, then bake in a hot, hot oven until it all flames out, or…. it all comes together and you produce James Beard Award winner and local chef and entrepreneur Barbara Lynch.

There are lots of memoirs written by chefs and restaurant workers of all stripes, and our Bibliobites group has certainly gone down that path before. Our October title, Out of Line, fits within the genre, but unapologetically breaks the mold as well.  Ms. Lynch’s path to prominence in her chosen field is unique, and there was plenty to discuss, beginning with her early life in South Boston. Ms. Lynch grew up in Southie in an era when Southie was the  stereotypical clannish enclave with which many of us are familiar. As the second youngest of seven being raised by a single mom in a housing project, she had little supervision and used her freedom in many risky ways.  Some of her exploits were pretty shocking, like the time she and some friends briefly stole an MBTA bus.  Somehow, she managed to stay out of jail long enough to discover a passion for cooking in a high school home ec class.  We were all impressed by the teacher who mentored her and gave her life direction.

Needless to say, Ms. Lynch’s path to prominence in her field wasn’t a traditional one.  As one person commented, “she became successful despite it all.” She learned to cook in restaurants by doing, and by taking on challenges that most wouldn’t dare to try; for instance, talking her way into a job on a dinner-cruise ship where she had to feed 150 people by herself.  It was hard for us to wrap our minds around the idea that she would do this with no training and minimal experience, and even more amazingly, pull it off.  We thought that maybe “she had innate ability,” and it was true that “she had a lot of help” from friends and mentors.  Still, her ability to learn fast and work incredibly hard were impressive.  Since she never went to culinary school, she learned by observation, by doing, and by reading books, which was also remarkable, “how did she learn all that from books??”  Hey, books rule!

In addition to being a highly regarded chef, Ms. Lynch is also a successful entrepreneur, with seven restaurants of various types, all located in downtown Boston. We admired her business acumen (again, learned on the job!), and the fact that “she treated her employees well.” For us suburban types, it’s worth noting that Ms. Lynch has bought a Gloucester landmark called The Rudder, which is set to open soon.

We admired Ms. Lynch’s overwhelming honesty about her life; her personality absolutely leaps off the page. “She’s very intense, like a lot of chefs.” “She is her own society…doesn’t care what others think.” “She had to act a certain way in order to survive and be safe.” A few in our group just plain didn’t like her, though they appreciated her accomplishments. Some disliked her writing; it was “too stream of consciousness” and “scattered.” The author admittedly has ADHD, so perhaps it’s not a surprise that sometimes she “jumped around” in her telling.  And, a few people conceded that memoir isn’t their favorite genre, anyway!

Ms. Lynch writes beautifully about food, and of course mentions numerous dishes she created in her restaurants, so we paired the memoir with her one cookbook, Stir.  This was published in 2009 and contains several of her signature recipes from her first restaurant, No. 9 Park.  Many of these recipes are fairly time-consuming projects (suitable for a rainy or snowy weekend!), but a few people took on the challenge.  The book itself is beautiful, with an extra-large format and art-level photography, all on heavy, glossy paper. Definitely a coffee table-worthy tome! In the kitchen, though, opinions varied. One person was unimpressed; there was “nothing new” and it was “fancied-up basics…no spices…she relies on technique and extremely high quality ingredients.” But, poulet au pain was at least “super easy,” while spinach amandine was “like a light creamed spinach….it was fine.” Roasted winter squash with maple syrup and sage cream was enhanced by the sage cream, a nice, and slightly different, treatment.  On the other hand, another cook who already “loves her (the author’s) food” enjoyed being able to make some of Ms. Lynch’s iconic dishes. Taleggio stuffed prosciutto-wrapped chicken (with fish fillets subbing for the chicken) was “so good” with its creamy cheese and tarragon accent. Lamb stew with sweet potatoes and barley was “the best…a keeper!”  This stew was “pretty easy” though expensive; it had several different spices, so there was “a lot going on!” Pork chops with caramelized apples, celery, and spiced walnuts were “delicious;” and “I felt chef-y….it was fun; simple, easy.” The quick celery salad atop the chops was a fresh, welcome twist. And speaking of salads, B&G coleslaw was a winner; the lemon and Dijon mustard-accented dressing, “…. is now my go-to for coleslaw!” Sounds like a keeper.

One person turned to the dessert section and made homemade apple butter tart, which we happily sampled at our meeting. This was yummy with lots of sweet and tart apple flavor from sliced apples and apple butter, but our cook mentioned that the recipe’s timing was off (it needed significantly more than called for), and the instruction to cover the tart in the oven with another baking sheet proved problematic; the top “wouldn’t cook!” And the kitchen torch, used to caramelize the apples, “made a mess.”  At least a mess is better than a fire!

One of our conclusions about Stir was that recipes, techniques, and ideas that were revelatory in 2009 are pedestrian today. For instance, the idea of using super-fresh, local ingredients is a given now in restaurants and at farm stands, but 13 years ago that wasn’t so common.  Some recipes that were new and exciting then (like the author’s signature gnocchi) can now be found in any decent mid-range restaurant. Still, there’s much that’s fun to peruse, and I personally plan to try out those gnocchi, as well as her iconic Bolognese sauce, sometime this winter when I need a diversion.

When we voted, the cookbook averaged out to a 2.5, and the memoir a 3.5 (out of a possible 5).  Both scores disguise the fact that most votes were strongly on one end or the other, so your results may vary!

We will next meet on Friday, December 9 at 11 AM in the Fireplace Room, please note that this is a combined November/December meeting.  We’ll be discussing Dorie Greenspan’s latest, Baking With Dorie. Copies are available at the main circulation desk or via curbside pickup.  Hope to see you there!

What is it about French food that perpetually fascinates?  Is it that European cultural savoir-faire, or the elegance we typically associate with France?  Is it the food itself: not too challenging for most palates, often rich with butter and cheese; and accented with wine and herbs like tarragon or chives?  Is it the vibrant personalities associated with some of its proponents, like Julia Child and Jacques Pépin?  Perhaps all of the above?  Whatever the lure, since Julia Child published Mastering the Art of French Cooking in the early 1960s, there’s been a near constant parade of French cookbooks.  Though Americans have often been derided for their love of quick and easy cooking (and their dependence on takeout), this enduring appeal of classic French cuisine tells a somewhat different story.  This month our Bibliobites group took on la cuisine française with NY Times writer and author Melissa Clark’s latest, Dinner in French.

Though Ms. Clark states in her introduction that her food is a merging of France and Brooklyn, there’s a lot more of the former than the latter.  There are twists on many iconic French dishes, but overall they are pretty firmly rooted in tradition.  Interestingly, despite the general fascination with French food, most in our group aren’t all that familiar with it, nor have we made many classic French dishes.  As always, the way out of ignorance is knowledge, so how did it go in the kitchen?

As you might expect from a French cookbook, there’s a chapter devoted to eggs, and one to cheese.  Three people were intrigued by savory gruyère bread with ham.  This loaf made an excellent, cheesy snack or hors d’oeuvre, and it was also “great with a fried egg on top.”  The recipe came together easily, and it also freezes well.  The idea of a savory loaf was new to many of us, but it’s a keeper! Twice-baked cheese soufflés were a riff on the classic; with its multiple components it took “a lot of time.”  However it was tasty, “….not super-light, more like a cross between a souffle and a quiche.”  And speaking of the iconic quiche, sweet potato and bacon quiche with parsley turned out to be a good combination that “grew on me.”  It aged nicely, too.

Vegetables and salads went to France, as well: classic salade niçoise was delicious despite our cook’s avoidance of the called-for olives and anchovies, “I did like it!”  Shaved zucchini and melon salad with mint and almonds was an easy and refreshing accompaniment to many main dishes; but asparagus almondine was “too much work for asparagus!”  We made a couple of heartier veggies, too: roasted cauliflower with brown butter, raisins, and capers was a lovely combination with its raisins and capers.  The brown butter added rich, savory notes.  Sautéed cabbage with gruyère and jalapenos was a meal in itself, with hearty browned cabbage and plenty of cheese on top.  The jalapenos added welcome heat.

Main dishes were of course on tap: roasted tarragon chicken with crispy mushrooms was “really good” with “nice tarragon flavor.”  Our cook added some potatoes to the roasting pan for a more complete, mostly hands-off meal.  Two people tried beef daube with carrots and honey vinegar; depending on who made it, it was either “moist” or “too dry!”  With a full bottle of red wine as the liquid, it had “a lot of flavor” and was “intense– very rich.”  It might be too much of everything; it was “not a keeper.”  But, roasted tarragon shrimp and onions was definitely a keeper, “…my favorite!  Absolutely delicious!”  Hake with herb butter en papillote was another good choice; with copious amounts of butter it was “very rich.”  The fish and spinach stayed moist and tender inside their parchment packets.  Almost-vegetarian lentil stew with garlic sausage and goat cheese was comforting and hearty with its salty, garlicky notes.  Though it certainly wouldn’t win any prizes in the looks department (notably, there was no photo of the finished dish), it was a tasty stew that improved in the fridge.  A keeper!  Pissaladière with tomato, olives, and anchovies was another mostly vegetarian hit.  This Provençal take on pizza features caramelized onions which provided rich, savory flavor.  The yeast dough was enriched with olive oil, which made it easy to work with.  It was a bit of a production to make all the components, but “we really liked it;”  even better, “it looked just like the photo!”

Despite several successes, on the whole, this title wasn’t a huge hit.  A couple of people thought the recipes involved way too much work for a weeknight; and we questioned whether most people would really want to dive into them on your average Tuesday night.  And much of what we tried contained fair amounts of butter and/or cheese– something you might not want in your regular weeknight rotation.  We also thought it  interesting that (in a “family dinner” book) many of the recipes were scaled for 6-8 servings rather than 4-6, though it was true that most made excellent leftovers.  We did appreciate that the author gave detailed instructions on how to prep or make ahead either a whole dish or some of its components.   Though Ms. Clark clearly loves France and French food, she failed to win any converts within our group (well, maybe one person!).  As a result, our voting averaged out to a not-very-impressive 2.25 out of a possible 5.  C’est la vie!

Our next meeting will be on Friday, June 24 at 11 AM.  We’ll meet in hybrid format; please register for either in-person or remote attendance.  Since warmer days are here, we’ll be cooking (assembling?) our way through two summery titles: The Complete Salad Cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen, and Food52 Mighty Salads by the editors of Food52.  Choose one or both; copies are available at the main circulation desk or via curbside pickup.  See you on the 24th!

It was an exciting day for our Bibliobites group: in March we were able to meet in person for the first time in two years!  The conversation was fast and furious as we caught up with each other and discussed our adventures with Vietnamese Food Any Day by Andrea Nguyen.  This month’s title was chosen to connect with the library’s 2022 One Book title, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Vietnamese-American author Ocean Vuong.  Most of us are somewhat familiar with Viet food via the many restaurants in Lowell, and the flavors are similar to other Southeast Asian and Chinese cuisines; but for most (if not all) of us, cooking Vietnamese at home was a new experience.  Author Nguyen goes out of her way to demystify ingredients and provide easy-to-find substitutions, and to illustrate commonalities with other dishes more frequently found in the US– so how did it play out for us in the kitchen?

Because of its long history of colonial occupation, Vietnamese cuisine draws on a rich and diverse blend  of influences, including French, Chinese, and American.  Roasted cauliflower wings were an “addictive” mashup of east and west, with crunchy batter-coated baked florets and a savory, spicy sauce for dipping.  Charred brussels sprouts with coconut were “so good– the best!”  Though the sprouts are not a typical Vietnamese vegetable, the “sweet tang” of coconut water, along with fish sauce, brought east and west together deliciously.  Ubiquitous zucchini became a “yummy…very easy” side dish in easy soy-sauce glazed zucchini.  Two readily available ingredients (soy sauce and chile garlic sauce) were all it took to create a memorable, quick to prepare dish.  Baby kale stir-fried with garlic sounded enticing but was a bit tough and bitter, though this may have been the fault of the vegetable itself and not the recipe, “it wasn’t horrible.”  And blistered green beans with bacon, while a very tasty stir-fry, was “a lot of work for green beans…I won’t bother with it again.”

As always, we made lots of main dishes.  Char siu chicken had a complex, slightly sweet marinade; the resulting grilled chicken was flavorful, moist, and “super-easy.”  Two people tried ginger-garlic fish parcels.  The fish was steamed en papillote; it was “pretty good…very easy,” though the flavors were “a bit muted.”  Shrimp in coconut caramel sauce featured a luscious photo that our cook couldn’t resist; but the finished dish was “not very coconutty,” and the sauce took too long to reduce enough to coat the shrimp.  The overall result– “meh!”  Spicy sweet pomegranate tofu made good use of pomegranate molasses, which some of us had bought (and still had lurking in the back of the fridge)  when we reviewed a Middle Eastern cookbook last year.  The tart, fruity syrup perfectly  complemented the tofu and made a nicely sticky glaze, though one person thought it was a bit too tart.  Unfortunately, the flavors in this dish faded appreciably in the fridge, and the lovely magenta color turned an unappealing grayish brown.

Since March is still mostly winter in these parts, we made some soups and stews, too: beef stew with star anise and lemongrass was “really good” with “a lot of flavor,” and like many stews, was even better the next day.  Chicken, lemongrass, and sweet potato curry was an Indian/Viet mashup, as it used the familiar Indian curry blend (according to the author, in Vietnam Indian curry is preferred over Thai).  This was “good” but both people who made it wished it was more lemony; perhaps the lemongrass was overshadowed by the two tablespoons of curry powder!  It made a large potful and also aged well.  Wontons in gingery broth “looked just like the photo” and were “light and tasty.”  The author gives options for both vegetarian and meaty wonton fillings; either way this recipe is “a project,” but a delicious one!  Pho is one of the most iconic Vietnamese dishes (Ms. Nguyen has written an entire book on the subject), and smoked turkey pho did not disappoint.  This was a savory, warming combination of heady broth, smoky/salty turkey, and rice noodles complemented by mint and chile.  Though a simplified version of the classic, it was still relatively time-consuming; and worth every minute.

There are only a few desserts in this book, but one of them called to multiple people: no-churn vietnamese coffee ice cream.  This way of making ice cream has been well-publicized on the internet; it’s typically a combination of sweetened condensed milk and whipped cream. No ice cream maker is required, yet the result was smooth, creamy, and loaded with coffee flavor.  There’s also a variation including chocolate chips.  Talk about gilding the lily!  Definitely a keeper.

This title is a solid and enjoyable introduction to Vietnamese cooking.  The author provides plenty of general information and tips for us newbies.  There’s also a chapter on ingredients, where you might find them, and substitutions.  We liked Ms. Nguyen’s no-nonsense, use-what-you-can-find attitude, and her embrace of newfangled cooking tools like the multicooker (Instant Pot).  The photos in the book are top-notch, though we wished for a few more.  And the type could have been a wee bit larger– but these are small complaints!  Voting reflected our good vibes: we averaged out to a 3.8 (out of a possible 5).  If you want to cook more Vietnamese, check out Ms. Nguyen’s other titles.  She’s also on YouTube, and has a website, https://www.vietworldkitchen.com/.  And if you just want to sample Vietnamese cuisine, there are several restaurants nearby in Lowell, which has a significant Vietnamese and Cambodian population.  Easy to get your pho fix anytime!

For our next meeting on April 29th at 11 AM, we’ll be simplifying a bit with blogger Tieghen Gerard’s Half-Baked Harvest Super Simple.  Copies are available at the main circulation desk or via curbside pickup.  We will meet in hybrid format; please register for either in-person or remote attendance.  See you there!