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Rating: 
Summary: Oh Oysters, come and have a walk with us!
Review: Although he quibbled about some oyster details, my father-in-law loved this book . It's a must-have for an oyster man.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost 200 oyster recipes
Review: Don't miss Joan Reardon's OLYSTERS: A CULINARY CELEBRATION either: it may lack some of the colorful photos of competing slimmer competitors on the topic; but what is lacking in color is more than made up for in practical applications: almost 200 oyster recipes, to be specific. Reardon is a culinary historian with a doctorate in English and a culinary certificate from the School of Culinary Arts at Kendall College: her guide is bursting with oyster flavor and a wide range of dishes from salads to entrees. Yes, there is a color identification section which chooses clear photos of North America's most distinctive oysters, but it's the recipes which are the meat of her cookbook, here.
Rating:
Summary: Every Major Food Deserves Such an Outstanding Treatment
Review: Every important foodstuff deserves a book like this.The author, Joan Reardon, has both literary and culinary credentials of the first water. She has a doctorate in English literature, has graduated from a major culinary school, and was an associate of M. F. K. Fisher, and is a biographer of that writer. She is also a chronicler of Poetry by American women. Oysters deserve no less a scribe. A small reward for these academic credentials is that unlike many other writers, the author gives the correct translation of the French term 'hors d'oeuvres'. I feel I am in the hands of someone whose opinion I can trust. At the very least, this book is a classic single topic cookbook similar to recent books done on duck, salmon, potatoes and eggs, the kind I find eminently useful in one's permanent culinary library. The chapters cover all the usual topics, these being: Appetizers
Soups
Salads & Vegetables
Breads and Pastries
Oyster Entrees
Oysters and Entrees The book ends with a glossary of oyster species, pests, preservatives, sources, and terminology. The book succeeds better than many other single subject cookbooks in that many general guidelines are given to each chapter. But these introductions don't stop at simply informing you of interesting culinary tidbits. Each is an essay celebrating its topic in a way I have rarely seen outside some early writings by Elizabeth David and Paula Wolfert. The paean to bread ranges from Chaucer to the Chinese. Some of the culinary suggestions in the bread chapter I have never seen, even in books specializing in sandwiches. Each chapter is also leavened with appropriate quotes from everyone from Julius Caesar to Shakespeare to M. F. K. Fisher. In many hands, this feature may have no more impact than some badly done drawings or photographs. But Reardon makes them work. Most dishes are provided a pairing with an alcoholic beverage. Suggestions are not limited to wine. They include sake, tequila, beer, and other notable potables. The central section of color photographs provides a gallery of oyster species with their geographical source. This book is a joy to read and a delightful culinary resource. There are books at this price which offer half as many recipes and none of the literary delights. Very highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect
Review: This book is amazing in what it has to say, and how it says it. I enjoyed this book, and would recomend it to anyone who likes oysters.
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