Books for Cooks

Barbara Burke

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Frothy concoctions great
for whole family to create

"Good Housekeeping Blend It!" (Hearst Books, hardcover, $14.95)

From the frothy Blueberry Blast on the cover to the cherry-topped Banana-Split Shake pictured on the back, "Good Housekeeping Blend It!" is just plain FUN!

It's as vibrantly colorful as a preschool storybook, yet as adult as a bartender's guide. So, dust off your blender and get ready to engage the entire family in making some of the 150 triple-tested recipes provided by one of the country's most trusted sources -- Good Housekeeping.

The first half of the cookbook contains recipes for smoothies, blender breakfasts, coffee drinks, soda fountain treats and frozen cocktails that can be prepared in 10 minutes or less.

What blender cookbook would be complete without a recipe for a classic double-chocolate malted or root beer float? If you feel more adventuresome, try The Elvis (made with banana, peanut butter and honey), Double-Ginger Float or Mango Peach Batido (a Latin American concoction).

The second half of the book contains soups, dips, sauces, salad dressings and quick bread batters with prep time from five to 45 minutes. Recipes include a silky, smooth Butternut-Apple Soup, sweet and tangy Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Dip, five-minute Hollandaise Sauce and quick Japanese Miso Vinaigrette.

Make your morning meal more exciting with a Puffy Apple Pancake or Whole-Grain Waffles. The blender is the perfect appliance for whipping up batters for pancakes, waffles, crepes and popovers -- quickly and with minimum clean up.

Also included in the book are tips for blender safety, food preparation and purchasing a new blender. Each recipe gives preparation time, cooking time (when applicable) and offers a nutritional analysis.

Marinade recipes are missing and there are few menu suggestions, but at $14.95 the full-color cookbook is still a good buy.

Sample recipe: With its glorious brown sugar crust, this rich, eggy French toast casserole is a great company dish. Garnish with a sprinkling of confectioners' sugar and fresh berries.

Overnight Baked French Toast

12 slices firm white bread
6 large eggs
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch salt
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 tablespoon maple syrup

Arrange bread slices in four stacks in 8-inch square baking dish.

In blender, combine eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and blend until mixture is smooth. Slowly pour egg mixture over bread slices; press bread down to absorb egg mixture, spooning mixture over any uncoated bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In small bowl, stir brown sugar, butter and maple syrup until combined. Spread evenly over each stack. Bake until knife inserted 1 inch from center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 310 calories, 13 g total fat, 6 g saturated fat, 180 mg cholesterol, 10 g protein, 37 g carbohydrate, 360 mg sodium.

Rating Scale: Best in its class / Highly recommended / Recommended / Not recommended

Barbara Burke is a Hawaii-Pacific University instructor who teaches and writes about food and nutrition. Contact her at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813; or e-mail her at: features@starbulletin.com