B O O K R E V I E W BY K A R E N M I LLE R
Share: Delicious Boards for Social Dining By Theo A. Michaels Ryland Peters & Small $28
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iven the past eight months, a cookbook focused on sharing seems irrelevant. Michaels’ recipes are designed to be visually appealing, and meant to be presented on one huge platter, and shared by a group - casual socialization at its very best (remember when?). But what if we made his recipes and adapted them to accommodate social distancing restrictions? We deserve good food, and sharing it with others gives us pleasure; this certainly is the author’s outlook. With a few adjustments, this can easily be done; even local bars have prepared their signature cocktails for take out so you can have the experience at home. And because Michaels’ focus is the social aspect, he sees nothing wrong with picking up any of the elements you need to make feeding people easier. Michaels gives strong suggestions
for building charcuterie boards (think outside the box for “boards“) and there is a delicious recipe for “Ouzo-Cured Salmon” (p. 28) which can easily be sliced and served in small jars with all the usual garnishes, and some of his “Fennel Seed & Sea Salt Pita Chips” (p. 35). Salads of any kind (see “Vietnamese Charred Squid Noodle Salad” on p. 80) work wonderfully in Chinese take out boxes. Try “Spiced Butternut Pies” on p. 37 - perfect for individual hand-held eating, and no utensils required. The idea of a beautiful long platter of “Spicy Chicken Shawarma” (p. 40) spread out casually, and scattered with crispy flatbread, cucumbers, tomatoes and onions, begs to be dug into, but you can make personal platters instead. The desserts are meant to be layered and messy when cut into, but prepare the
components of the “Baked Figs in Almond Liquor with Yogurt Whip and Fresh Thyme” (p. 149) in a small Mason jar and no one will complain! Check out your cupboards, local kitchen supply store, or dollar store, for inventive individual size serving containers, and use the beautiful pictures in the cookbook as motivation. Be resourceful and be social! Karen is a lawyer by trade, who claims to have been on the “know where your food comes from” bandwagon sooner than most, and now focuses on foraging her daily food from local growers.
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