‘The New Doubleday Cookbook’ and ‘Fancy Pantry’ : Books Offer Tips to the Cooking Novice and the Special Occasion Chef

The New Doubleday Cookbook by Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna (Doubleday: $16.95, 965 pages, illustrated)

A newlywed or anyone who wants to cook will need “The New Doubleday Cookbook.” It’s that comprehensive: 4,000 recipes, including a full range of all-American favorites that everyone is going ga-ga over, such as chocolate chip cookies and macaroni and cheese. The recipes contain cholesterol, sodium and calorie counts; they tell you how to use food processor, microwave and other appliances and they are keyed for economy. With these tools, you’re on your way.

Co-author Jean Anderson, who worked on the original book in 1975, is a home economist and dietitian. She is also author of 12 other cookbooks. Her associate, Elaine Hanna, also a dietitian, was the former food editor of Ladies’ Home Journal and a teacher of nutrition at New York Hospital at Cornell Medical Center. The credentials are impeccable, the product top-notch.

The basic changes from the Doubleday Cookbook of 1975 and the New Doubleday Cookbook are necessary updates. “People cook and eat differently today than they did in 1975,” said Anderson. Mixes and packaged foods so prevalent 10 years ago are less frequently used today. The advent of the microwave oven has also highlighted the need for a book that included methods of cooking with microwave. The food processor, a “souped-up blender with an expensive price tag” 10 years ago, also needed to be addressed in the everyday scheme of cooking.

New Information Provided

Information about produce as well as the introduction of new foods such as tofu to the market required updating. Sophisticated cooks who have traveled required an expanded repertoire of recipes, so samplings of tapas of Spain, the mezze of the Middle East (appetizers both) replaced worn and weary dips and dunks, thus adding new recipes to old, established favorites.

If you recognize a similarity to “The Joy of Cooking,” the intent is not coincidental. “Of course, we are in direct competition with ‘Joy of Cooking,’ ” said Anderson.

So what you get is a complete primer on fundamentals of cooking, marketing and storing such ingredients as flours, types of milk, fats and other ingredients. There is glossary of common cooking terms and a dictionary of food additives, food-processor metal-blade chopping guide, a step-by-step cutting guide, charts on cooking and roasting meats, poultry, fish, plus a drink and bar guide and dozens of other useful guides--135 in all.

TURKEY CUTLETS IN DIJON CREAM

2 pounds turkey cutlets, cut 1/4 inch thick and pounded thin as for scaloppine

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 cup flour

8 tablespoons butter or margarine, about

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

6 tablespoons dry white wine

2 cups whipping cream

2 tablespoons minced parsley

Cut turkey into pieces about 4x2-inches. Season to taste both sides of each piece with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour. Heat 4 tablespoons butter in large heavy skillet over moderately high heat until bread cube will sizzle. Lightly brown cutlets, a few at a time, 1 to 2 minutes on side, using tongs to turn and adding more butter as needed. Drain on paper towels and keep warm at back of stove.

Combine mustard and wine, mix into skillet drippings, and simmer, uncovered, 1 to 2 minutes until reduced to about 1/4 cup. Whisk in cream and boil slowly, stirring often until thickened slightly, about consistency of thin white sauce. Return turkey to skillet and heat 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, over low heat. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. Makes 6 servings.

Fancy Pantry by Helen Witty (Workman Publishing: $19.95 cloth; $11.95 paper, 351 pages, illustrated).

Helen Witty knows how to reach the growing number of special-occasion cooks whose ideas for entertaining are inspired by gourmet foods found commercially.

For these specialty cooks, she has worked out recipes that resemble or are on the money of the originals, such as escoffier’s condiment of sweet peppers, Dr. Kitchener’s hot stuff, Wimpy’s hamburger relish, plus such generic foods as olive oil flavored with fresh herbs, smoked chicken, praline powder for desserts, fudge sauce, Melba sauce, banana catsup, balsamic mustard, bay leaves in bouquet garnis, arrowroot biscuits, Armagnac syrup for desserts and more than 200 more. These “put-by elegant edibles,” as Witty wittily puts it, make wonderful gifts from the kitchen as well as help the fancy cook with her own fancy cooking.

Did you admire marinated goat cheese and wondered what herbs and oils were used? Witty has a recipe for you. Did you ever wonder how candied cherries are made? The recipe is in the book. If you want to make Melba toast and croutons, seeded bread sticks and caraway rusks, you will find the recipes in the book.

All the recipes indicate season availability, yield and storage information, which, for such items is essential.

There are many recipes for fancy confections you have seen that have been beautifully wrapped but costly, which you can prepare at a fraction of the cost. One of these is a recipe for fudge sauce, which Witty gives with variations. A spiced nut recipe is another.

Here they are:

HOT FUDGE SAUCE

1 cup evaporated milk or light cream

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 ounces (4 squares) unsweetened chocolate

2 ounces (2 squares) semisweet chocolate

2 to 3 teaspoons vanilla, to taste

Measure evaporated milk, sugar, salt, corn syrup, butter and chocolates into top of double boiler (or use heat-proof bowl that can be set into saucepan of simmering water).

Set pan over simmering water in double boiler base and heat contents, stirring occasionally, until butter and chocolate have melted. Stir sauce thoroughly and continue to cook until smooth and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

If lumps appear, strain sauce, then cool 5 minutes. Stir in vanilla extract. Scrape sauce into storage jar or jars, cool completely, then cover and store in refrigerator. If desired, prepare freezer storage for all or part of sauce, freeze it, covered airtight, in suitable container. Glass is preferable to plastic, allowing 1/2 inch of head space.

To serve sauce, thaw unopened if frozen, or let come to room temperature. To warm sauce, set jar in container of hot water and stir occasionally until warm enough to flow smoothly when is spooned over ice cream.

Variations:

Fudge Sauce With Amaretto

Replace vanilla with amaretto liqueur, adding about 2 tablespoons or amount desired.

Chocolate Peppermint Fudge Sauce

Replace vanilla with small amount of peppermint extract. Start with 1/2 teaspoon, taste and add more only if needed.

Mocha Fudge Sauce

While basic sauce is still hot, stir in 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of freeze-dried coffee crystals, either regular or dark-roast. If desired, flavor only part of sauce, 2 teaspoons of crystals to cup. If you have coffee powder instead of crystals, reduce measurement about one-third.

SUGARED AND SPICED NUTS

1 egg white

1 tablespoon water

1 pound pecan or walnut halves, or 1/2 pound of each

2/3 cup superfine sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

Preheat oven to 250 degrees with 1 shelf in lower third and 1 in upper third of oven. Whisk egg white and water until foamy. Stir in nuts and mix well. Pour into sieve and drain 3 minutes.

Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and coriander in paper bag. Gather at neck and shake bag to mix spices. Add drained nuts and shake bag vigorously to coat with sugar and spices.

Spread nuts on 2 baking sheets, making sure nuts do not touch. Bake 15 minutes, then stir. Spread out again. Lower oven temperature to 225 and continue to bake, stirring occasionally, until well dried and crisp, about 1 1/4 hours longer. At midpoint, switch shelf positions of two pans. Turn off oven and let nuts cool with oven door open. Store completely cooled nuts airtight. Makes about 1 1/2 pounds.