Review by Booklist Review
In very few places will you, all at once, encounter so many James Beard Award-winning chefs and so many food professionals who are committed to making dreams come true. In this book, for which editor Moushabeck and the publisher are donating a portion of proceeds to the ACLU in support of immigrants' rights, more than 70 gourmet talents contribute 75 dishes from their native countries, covering a medley of cuisines from every continent but Antarctica. There are lots of recognizable names: Daniel Boulud (who contributes Lyonnaise salad with lardons), Australia's Curtis Stone (Pavlova with coconut cream and tropical fruits), Cronut inventor Dominique Ansel (mini-madeleines), and Jamaica's Ziggy Marley (coconut dream fish). Each profile-recipe features a straightforward bio and photo of the recipe's inventor, an in my own words introduction about the dish and its origins, and an exquisite color photograph. Directions are written in narrative style, with ingredients posted on the side. A great collection that benefits from the incredible accomplishments of its contributors, and its excellent cause.--Jacobs, Barbara Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In her introduction, Moushabeck (Soup for Syria) references "these troubling times of anti-immigrant rhetoric" and counters that rhetoric by extolling the culinary gifts 42 million American immigrants have given the country, which are the inspiration for this excellent collection of recipes provided by immigrants and their descendants. Each recipe includes a personal, often touching headnote and brief bio. The diversity of recipes is staggering: Armenian yogurt soup, roasted whole fish from Senegal with a bracing spice rub, colorful Singapore stir-fry. Some are innovative twists on classics; others are tried-and-true favorites. Author and blogger Nadia Hassani combines her German and Tunisian heritage by braiding challah dough around a rhubarb filling. Chef Reem Assil discovered muhammara while visiting her father's family in Syria. Ivan Garcia's pozole is eaten in Mexico to celebrate Mother's Day, birthdays, and "sometimes a divorce." Moushabeck strikes a balance between big-name chefs (Michelin-starred chef and humanitarian José Andrés checks in with his wife's gazpacho) and figures such as Tunde Wey, who emigrated from Nigeria at 16 and runs a dinner series exploring race. Wey's contribution is a recipe for smoky jollof rice, made with turmeric, coriander, and chili pepper. Affection for these dishes is palpable: writer Samantha Seneviratne says that her cashew semolina cake from Sri Lanka is so fragrant that it "doubles as aromatherapy" while baking. This is an outstanding melting pot of recipes. (Dec.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
