The Passionate Cook: The very best of Karen Barnaby
 

We're all looking forward to the publication of Karen's The Low-carb Gourmet by Rodale this fall, but let's not forget that her latest cookbook was launched just a few weeks ago. :read: The Passionate Cook isn't low-carb per se, but it does have many low-carb recipes (especially the fish, meat and vegetable sections) and others that could be easily modified. On this thread, people can post their experiences with the recipes, including carb counts and LC modifications. Should be fun! :)

Here's a tantalizing sample recipe from the publisher's website (Whitecap Books): Tea-Scented Fresh Goat Cheese . A great, naturally LC recipe. Those of us in BC can use Saltspring's wonderful chevres and, of course, fabulous teas from T Tearoom or Silk Road in Victoria. Cooks from other places will have their own sources of delicious, natural foods like these. Karen suggests you can do the same thing using coarsely ground coffee beans instead of tea. Never would've thought of that!

It's a beautiful book and one that embodies Karen's creative and philosophical approach to food, using fresh and local ingredients and incorporating techniques and tastes from around the world. I highly recommend it! So far I've just been reading it (something I tend to do more often than actually cook :blush: ) -- but it does make for great reading, and I'm sure it inspires my day-to-day cooking and also gets me thinking about the next dinner party.

I for one would love to try that Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce but can't figure out how to make a syrup with Splenda. Karen suggests adding xanthan gum to thicken it so I'm looking forward to trying that.

Sunpines,

I nearly drove myself mad trying to track down a copy of The Passionate Cook yesterday (having seen your comments about on another thread) - unfortunately, it's not available through Amazon UK and although I tried several bookshops in my area, they were unable to help.

However, I finally found somewhere this morning that can order it for me from the US, so I'm a very happy bunny :D

It'll be a few weeks before it's delivered, but after that, I shall definitely take part in this thread with regard to posting my experiences etc :)



[ Funnily enough though, I am able to obtain Karen's new low carb book through Amazon UK - I have it on pre-order for when it's published in October :thup: ]

Demi, I think it's hard to get overseas because it's only being published in Canada.

The Low-Carb Gourmet has Rodale - an American publisher - and in Canada it's being released by HarperCollins.

Karen

Moral of story: check for ISBN 1-55285-525-2
 

Glad you avoided going mad, Demi :eek: , and that you finally found someone who'd ship to you in the UK. Maybe you could share it here for anyone else who's interested?

Whitecap, the publisher, e-mailed me the following:

We do ship to individuals directly, but you may also purchase/special order our books at your local retailer. Drop shipments to the UK can be done, but are subject to freight charges, as are national orders.
WHiTECAP BOOKS LTD.

Phone: 1-888-870-3442 extension 239
Fax: 1-888-661-6630
e-mail: [email]customerservice at whitecap dot ca[/email]

Also checked amazon.ca . You won't find it if you search for The Passionate Cook :( but if you search for "barnaby, karen" it will come up, but for some reason as The Best of Karen Barnaby: Gourmet Recipes from a Restaurant Chef . Same picture, same ISBN: 1552855252 . AAARGH!

http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/AS...7875705-9324869

amazon.ca does have a good rate on it right now.

Chapters Indigo has it indexed correctly! :yay: but they've got the wrong photo http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/item....92AE709ECB24417

These two may just ship to Canadian addresses.

Good idea Sunpines :thup:, so here's the info:


For those who may be interested in buying this book in the UK, it can be ordered via Blackwell's Online Book Service.

Type in Karen Barnaby in the 'Search for' box, and it will bring it up as The Best of Karen Barnaby: Gourmet Recipes from a Restaurant Chef (ISBN 1552855252).

I sent an email to Whitecap about the errors on the websites. Thanks for pointing them out. :)

Karen

Hi Karen. I just bought your new book, The Passionate Cook, and it looks wonderful. I am wondering though how you square this new book with your low carb lifestyle. I am not on a LC diet and never will be but I just find it strange that you publish a book like this one-I mean you don't make oe eat these recipes anymore right? I just find it takes a little bit away from the joy of the recipes knowing that the creator doesn't enjoy them herself

I am a huge fan and I know tis sounds negative. I 'd just like to hear your thoughts on what I said. Thans!

The Passionate Cook is a compilation of all of my best recipes from my previous five cookbooks. Although I've been low-carbing for five years, I'm still a restaurant chef and cooking teacher and many people know me as just that.

Just because *I* don't eat many of the dishes doesn't mean that many of my fans won't. Many don't give a hoot about the joys of low-carbing and are happy to get my "greatest hits" all in one volume.
Why? If you want to eat in a certain way, how I eat shouldn't have any bearing on your happiness. :)

Karen

Creamed Spinach with Garam Masala p. 199
 

Tried this recipe for dinner--spinach, cream, cream cheese, shallots and some spices. Scaled it down to two servings. Used most of a bag of baby spinach (about 350g) , just reached in with my kitchen scissors to chop it up. And didn't make my own Garam Masala, used Galloway's instead (for non-Vancouverites, Galloway's is a local spice-and-dry-goods store run by a South Asian family, so they know their Garam Masala).

I'm a spinach fan and always looking for new ways to cook it. This is wonderful! I was surprised by how far a little garam masala went. It complemented lamb chops and sauteed mushrooms really nicely.

Pepper & cilantro marinated chicken with sweet/sour dipping sauce (pp. 166-67)
 

The chicken was great (though I had skinless chicken breasts unfortunately--a bit too low fat for me right now ;) ). Made an "unreasonable facsimile" of the dipping sauce, though it tasted delicious anyway. Used 3/8 cup Brown Sugar Twin and 3/8C Splenda (Karen's synergistic sweeteners idea) instead of 1-1/2C sugar. However, couldn't figure out how to use xanthan gum to thicken, so it was watery.

Karen, would you be able to help me with thickening? Do I have to boil the xanthan gum/water mixture? Sorry to be so thick here.... :D

Also, can you recommend a hot chili paste? I used some Thai red curry paste from the fridge--only 1 tsp. as opposed to 1T, and it turned out VERY hot (which I like but I think it might've been too much).

Anyway, if this is something that's coming up in your LC cookbook, I can wait, but if not, I'd sure appreciate some guidance.

ALSO--bought some BC greenhouse HOT peppers at Costco the other day. They're called "piropeppers" (long and cone-shaped). :cool: Now I don't know what to do with them. Any ideas???? There's a whole plastic box--1 pound. They looked so pretty...other than that I don't know what came over me!

thanks for any guidance, Karen. :)

Still waiting for my book to arrive *sigh*

The spinach dish sounds wonderful Anny - just the sort of thing I like :yum:

LOL Anny, the hot pepper quandry sounds like one of mine. I just bought some garlic "sprouts" last night. They are long cylindrical green/white tubes that smell of garlic. Sort of like a chive but thicker or a green onion without the bulb end. Anyway, the Asian clerk said she uses them in stir fries - I was hoping to be able to put em in salads, raw... or as a veggie by themselves. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Hi, Jean. I've seen those at the Moss St. market in Victoria and never knew what to do with them either so never picked them up. :) Have you tried nibbling on them to see how they'd be raw? Maybe a bit like chives, especially garlic chives? I put chives in blue cheese dip and they really zing it up, so that might be a thought. Also Demi posted a link to a fresh local foods site in the UK that might cover that sort of thing.

Meanwhile my peppers are still sitting on the counter, taking up valuable space. Moral here--think first, shop later???? ;)

Here you go!

Thai Sweet and Sour Chile Dipping Sauce
Makes 1 1/2 cups

1 Tbsp. Splenda
1 Tbsp. Sugar Twin
1 cup water
1 red bell pepper, stem removed but with the seeds and core left in
1-3 fresh Thai chili peppers, to taste
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tsp. sea salt
4 Tbsp. lemon or lime juice
3 Tbsp. fish sauce
1/2 - 1 tsp. xanthan gum

Combine the sweeteners and water. Stir to dissolve.

Roughly chop the pepper and chilies. Combine with the garlic, salt and 1/4 of the sweetened water in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. The pepper seeds will remain whole. Add to the rest of the sweetened water along with the lime juice and fish sauce and pulse a few times to combine. Add 1/2 tsp. of xanthan gum and blend until thickened. You may need a little more gum. Keeps for 1 week, covered and refrigerated. Effective Carbohydrates per Serving (1 Tbsp.): 0.75

This is a gooood chili sauce. It's Vietnamese and available in any Chinese/Southeast Asian grocery store. It's called Tuong Ot Toi. There's also a rooster on the label to help with identification. :)




Karen

You're brilliant, Karen. :agree: I really look forward to trying this! Love the visuals for the chili sauce (especially like the rooster :) ). Could I use a teaspoon or so to replace the fresh Thai chili peppers?

thank you!

Yep!

But I would use a Tablespoon! :devil:

Karen

I absolutely adore this sauce and have found a multitude of ways to use it. Mix some in may to make a spicy dipping sauce or add a teaspoon full to a veggie soup to perk it up.

I love The Passionate Cook and though I haven't cooked anything out of it to the letter, I've been using it as inspiration when I'm wondering what to do with chicken or fish and also a reference for cooking times.

Hi, Marlaine!



Will this work in June too??? ;) Oh, I see--is it mayo??? That's a great idea. :)

cheers!

Hi Anny...

Arghhhhhhhhh.......How I hate typos but they happen to me all of the time. It's just that the brain works faster than the fingers...and...this Mac keyboard requires a very light touch and sometimes I just get too light!

To answer your question.....Yes, it works in May AND June as well as all of the days of the week ending in "Y".

Marlaine

Chicken Breasts with Far Eastern Spices
 

Hi again, Karen. Thanks again for the modified Thai Sweet and Sour Chile Dipping Sauce recipe. It worked like a charm and was delicious. I was brave and used 1T chili sauce, too! :)

I'm making your Chicken Breasts with Far Eastern Spices from p. 164. I started out grinding whole coriander in a mortar and pestle but have had second thoughts because it's going to form a coating and that might be too intense, so for now i'm going to back off and just use regular ground coriander. What do you say for the future?

Also any ideas on what to do with this stuff I've already ground up? It smells really good. :help:

Fry it and build a cauli-rice dish on it. Or fry it and add some garlic and chopped tomato. Toss in some cooked green beans and heat through. :yum:

Karen

thanks, Karen. I would never've thought of that, and I've never tried the Cauli-flied rice before. :)

BTW the chicken breasts were/are really good (i made lots). i estimated about 2.5g ECC/serving--might've been a bit more if I'd had scallions around, instead I used some onion tops and one tiny Walla Walla from the garden.

:eek:

What!? You don't know what you've been missing! Get a caulliflower today!
That has a nice ring to it. :)

Karen

Definately a two thumbs up dish. You'll be asking for it by name!

Karen & Marlaine,

You're both right--thanks for the nudge! I tried it this evening, with the smushed coriander and a bag of frozen shrimp. Delicious! Where would we be without cauliflower, and without Karen's ideas for pushing the cauliflower-envelope? :agree:

BTW, saw that Costco is carrying your book, Karen--that must be great news for sales! :thup:

The U.S. Amazon site does have it - although they list as having only three in stock. I'll be in Montreal in a couple of weeks, so I'm going to try to pick it up then.

As far as which Amazon sites have it vs. which don't, I've successfully ordered from the U.S., Canada and French Amazon sites, and had them all delivered to the U.S. I don't think you're limited to ordering from your country's site.

I'm really looking forward to the release of the Low Carb Gourmet, and I'm envious of those of you who have access to Saltspring Island chevre!! (Yes, I've been lucky enough to have it, in Vancouver.)

I used to work for the owner of the Saltspring Island Cheese Company when I lived in Toronto. He owned a take-out and catering company and there was nothing else quite like it in Toronto in the mid '80's. The place just rocked! I loved it there and worked with him for 5 years.

He decided to throw in the towel when the recession hit and moved to Saltspring. An absolutely wonderful man and absolutely wonderful cheese. The truffle chevre in cauliflower puree is enough to make you scream!

Karen

Karen,

What a great connection you have with Saltspring!
Groan. Be still, my yearning tastebuds! We do, of course, have access to many incredible cheeses here, but I always remember the things that aren't readily available to us. We had a regional cheese tasting course when we were in Vancouver in 2001, and as I recall all of them were really top notch.

We've had some in other places, including Ontario and a couple of places in the Maritimes, but we look forward to making it back to Vancouver before too long.

Can you believe it, two and half months after I ordered it, my copy of The Passionate Cook has finally arrived!

Have had a quick flick through, and it looks wonderful - plan to read it more fully as part of my bedtime reading later :)