edited by Beate Block and Maggie DeWolf, Mountainair press, ISBN 092952618X, $25 (€ 29).
It is somewhat unusual to review a cookbook in CERN Courier, but then this is a somewhat unusual cookbook. A collection of recipes assembled by the wife of a physicist at the Aspen Center for Physics, the book is as much a glimpse into the mindset of physics as it is a book about cooking.
The introductory pages deal with Aspen, but you’d have had to have been there to get the most out of it. The recipes begin with sections devoted to extraordinary chefs. There you’ll learn how to make risk-free mayonnaise, and why it’s best to whip egg whites in copper bowls. You’ll also learn some of the culinary secrets of Fermilab’s famed Chez Leon. One of the extraordinary chefs is Tita Alvarez Johnson, who founded the restaurant and gives it a memorable atmosphere to this day.
The rest of the book is divided into chapters sorted by region. Contributors are often mentioned by name, occasionally along with tasters. This makes for interesting, if slightly voyeuristic, reading. Here physicists will find the recipes of colleagues, their wives and even mothers-in-law. The presence of fondue Chinois betrays a CERN influence, and at least one Aspen visitor must have been to a La Thuille meeting, since the Aosta valley speciality “la Grolla” makes an appearance. In these chapters, you can even learn that at least one delegate to CERN Council has a soft spot for chocolate (a Belgian, of course).
The final section, “Drinks and amusements”, is definitely by physicists for physicists. There you’ll find a learned treatise on “Interparticle forces in multiphase colloid systems” – or how to resurrect coagulated sauce béarnaise. The thermodynamics of the perfect Martini are also covered here.
A chef once told me that to review a cookbook properly, you have to make all of the recipes. After spotting mysterious ingredients, such as powder steam and others still more exotic, this reviewer shied away from that approach and chose instead to dip into the book simply for the pleasure of it. Making the recipes will follow, starting with those from Chez Leon. Although the book may tell you how to make Tita’s recipes, unfortunately it doesn’t give her recipe for creating a memorable atmosphere – that you will have to discover for yourself.
All proceeds from Chaos in the Kitchen = Symmetry at the Table go to the Aspen Center for Physics. Ordering information is available from The Aspen Center for Physics, 700 West Gillespie St, Aspen, Colorado 81611, USA, or order by email.
