Friday, November 9, 2012

THOMAS JEFFERSON'S CREME BRULEE : HOW A FOUNDING FATHER AND HIS SLAVE JAMES HEMINGS INTRODUCED FRENCH CUISINE TO AMERICA
by Thomas J. Craughwell

Thomas Jefferson was, in today's parlance, a true foodie. He loved fine cuisine and fresh produce. Jefferson collected tons of recipes and over 150 of them are still in existence. At Monticello, he had fruit,vegetable and herb gardens that fed his family. He was constantly experimenting with different kinds of plants from Europe and Mexico. Jefferson always dreamt of making wine but the European vines died in the Virginia soil.
In 1784, Jefferson was invited to become a commerce commissioner in France. How perfect! At this time, France was changing its methods of cooking to sauces and stocks which brings out the flavor of food and was heartily embraced by King Louis XIV. For Jefferson, it was an ideal assignment. He would be away for five years. Jefferson took one of his slaves, nineteen-year-old James Hemings (brother to Sally) to master the art of French cooking. James would apprentice under French chefs and when they returned from Paris, Jefferson would set him free.
This book is a real gem. Just reading about the crops grown on plantations, Jefferson's fastidiousness of what was planted, the history of food both in the United States and in France is fascinating. There's also plenty of other kinds of history: slavery, the French Revolution, George Washington's government, the relationship between Jefferson, Madison, and Hamilton, how women managed the households, etc.
It's a rather slim tome at 166 pages but then there's an Appendix with sections on how Jefferson learned about wine and how to cultivate it; what his principal diet consisted of; African cuisine that was served at Monticello. Following this part are recipes written by Hemings and Jefferson. Of course, they are written in the original manuscripts (photocopied for this book) and you really cannot discern the text. No matter. It's enough to know what the two men brought back with them to America: Champagne, macaroni and cheese, french fries, and of course, creme brulee.
A fun and informative read.
Recommended.
LAST TRAIN TO PARADISE: HENRY FLAGLER AND THE SPECTACULAR RISE AND FALL OF THE RAILROAD THAT CROSSED AN OCEAN
by Les Standiford

If it hadn't been for Henry Morrison Flagler, Florida might never have been the glittering resort that millions of people flock to every year. All of the famous hotels: Ponce de Leon, Royal Palm, The Breakers were his ideas. Flagler, basically, built the state and Miami (the area was originally called Fort Dallas) was incorporated in 1896). The town council wanted to name the city after Flagler but
he convinced them to use the Native American one instead.
Flagler was quite an entrepreneur. He and John D. Rockefeller created Standard Oil though Flagler was the genius behind it. With the amount of money that he amassed, he could have retired early, but he was driven and continued onward. His next, biggest challenge was having a railroad crossing 153 miles of open ocean from Key West to the mainland of Florida. Engineers considered it to be impossible. But it was built and remained standing for twenty-two years.
Last Train to Paradise is a great story of a very enterprising man. Flagler was a visionary who made his dreams come true.
The writing is terrific and the details of what went into building this incredible railway is quite astonishing. (It took seven years.)
A great read.
Recommended.
THE LONE ASSASSIN : THE EPIC TRUE STORY OF THE MAN WHO ALMOST KILLED HITLER
by Helmut Ortner

It's really too bad that Georg Elser's target was foiled on November 8, 1939. The man that should have been killed that day was Adolf Hitler. Instead, eight innocent victims died from a bomb blast.
Elser was a master carpenter who prided himself in doing high quality work. He was not interested in politics yet he understood that conditions for the working class had deteriorated under the Nazi regime and were only becoming worse. The only way to change it would be to eliminate the leadership: Hitler, Goering, and Goebbels. So, using his skills Elser began to assemble his explosive device. For
thirty-three nights, he worked on building the bomb in the Munich Beer Hall where Hitler was going to appear and give a speech.
The Lone Assassin is a tremendous book that keeps you riveted. Author, Helmut Ortner, sets the scene by writing about Georg Elser's life, what kind of a man he was, what drove him, what he believed in. Though he was uneducated, he was smart enough to realize what was happening to his country under National Socialism and he knew that he had to take justice into his own hands.
Recommended.