Book - Feeding Hannibal - A Connoisseur's Cookbook
When incredible people get together amazing things can happen. If you need proof to back up this statement then pick up Feeding Hannibal - A Connoisseur's Cookbook from Titan Books. It's a rare occurrence to see a pop culture site review a cookbook but this is no ordinary collection of recipes, this is proof that genius walks amongst us.
I've long admired the work of Janice Poon on the Hannibal television show. Making top quality food for a cannibal that can take your attention away from a star the class of Mads Mikkelsen is no easy task but being able to share your secrets with the world in a way that anyone can follow is a gift and so is the book. From the foreword by Mads, detailing his first experience of Janice at work, through the easy to follow recipes, to the history of each meal and how certain techniques were used in the show, to the afterword by chef Jose Andres, Feeding Hannibal - A Connoisseur's Cookbook is just stunning. The tie in elements to the show, the background of each dish and ingredient, original sketches by Janice from Bryan Fuller's twisted mind and how each dish represented something for Hannibal is worth the cover price alone.
However the recipes work and, after cooking a few, you feel like the king of a kitchen. I haven't been a chef for six years, my love of the trade I spent two decades in is zero and, whilst family and friends have still bought me recipe books, chef knives and the like over the years, I have never once felt like cooking anything for anyone. These recipes though took me back to why I loved the show in the first place, it's artistic. The way Bryan Fuller wrote to the incredible cast, bringing the stories to life, was full of a vibrancy you couldn't help but fall in love with and the food on show was like viewing a Van Gogh or a Monet for the first time. I was dazzled by the creativity and by the levels of artistic genius put into each creation by Janice and I wanted to be a part of that, to see if I could love cooking again.
Turns out I can.
I made four meals, following the recipes like an avid student would follow his master and, whilst I don't declare every meal looked Janice would have presented it for the screen, I can say the level of pride I had in my work come the end was a buzz I hadn't felt in quarter of a century. The finished product, the journey of every meal I cooked made me question why I had given up on my chosen profession, I had created dishes like I did when back in college trying for a higher grade and a top job at the end.
If you loved the show then the history of the meals and the artistic journey from script to screen makes this book a must own.
If you have the ability to read a recipe and turn on an oven then this book is a must own.
If you just like books that are high in quality of both manufacture and content then this book is a must own.
If you have the ability to read a recipe and turn on an oven then this book is a must own.
If you just like books that are high in quality of both manufacture and content then this book is a must own.
You'll never have as much fun cooking.
Image - TitanBooks.
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