Dig into Reading this Summer at SBPL




Be prepared for the dark and mysterious this summer as the 2013 Summer Reading theme is all about what’s underground.

Programs and events reflect the theme for an added dimension of learning and fun for adults, teens, tweens, and children.



Topics include gardening, jewelry, archeology, and spelunking. Participants of all ages can look forward to parties and prize drawings.



To learn more about upcoming programs and how you and your family can participate, please visit http://www.sbpl.info, read The Compass newsletter, or call the Library Information Desk at 732-329-4000, ext. 7286.

It's (truly) All Good

It’s  (truly)  All Good

I’ve been trying to find cookbooks that support the bounty of fresh, organic produce I’ve been getting from my CSA, Dogwood Farms (read – use up before it overtakes my fridge.)  Here are several I picked up at the Library.

The first one that caught my eye was appropriately called The Farm by Ian Knauer.  This one had lots of recipes for seasonal produce but what really stood out to me in this cookbook were the number of recipes that included bacon!  Truth be told,  I like bacon as well as the next person, but lately it has been so overused that chef Michael Symon recently tweeted:  “Bacon:  the duct tape of food.”  It’s almost like cheating – add bacon, and everything tastes great!

Besides the bacon, many of these recipes called for more cheese, meat and fat than I was comfortable with.  I was looking for recipes that were fresh and healthful, not just good tasting, and where the produce itself takes center stage.  Next.

Another promising candidate was Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison.  Here was a book that read almost like a primer for the professional cook.   In fact, its subtitle is “Cooking and Gardening with Twelve Families from the Edible Plant Kingdom with Over 300 Deliciously Simple Recipes.”  Each chapter contained its own little lesson about the growth habit of the vegetable, who its botanical cousins were and what flavors paired well with it.  The recipes were interesting but were often of the side dish variety, again, not quite what I was looking for. (I am soooo picky.)

Enter Gwyneth Paltrow’s new offering It’s All Good, and its recipes are exactly what I want to be making this summer.  Yes, it veers off into the realm of fervent veganism, as well as being gluten free, but you can look at this in two ways:  it might expand your culinary horizons, OR, you could just re-adapt the recipes back so that you use flour with gluten, regular sugars, add meats and cheeses, whatever, if you like.  (Cheating?  Well, nobody's perfect!  Except maybe Gwyneth...)

One thing I loved about this book is that the salad dressings are all phenomenal, plus they're different enough from one another that you could vary the salad ingredients and enjoy lots of different tastes to keep you happy all season.

If you are looking for a healthful, fresh way to cook that is also gourmet delicious, and truly easy, It's All Good is your book.  Great example, this refreshing peach basil summer smoothie combination that I bet you haven’t had before.  Wonderful for breakfast, I poured out two glasses full, but after one taste, I decided not to share and drank them both!  (Full disclosure:  I did make another batch for my husband, but it wasn’t quite as good, as the peach wasn’t as sweet and ripe.  So if you don’t have a giant luscious peach like I did, use two smaller ones, and decrease the lime to ½ a lime if they’re not dead ripe and sweet.)

Crazy Delicious Peach/Cucumber/Basil Lime Smoothie

1 large ripe peach, pitted, not peeled

1 cucumber, peeled

1/3 cup of fresh basil

1 lime, peel and pith removed

1 cup or so ice cubes

Coarsely chop up the first four ingredients, and add them to your blender in order.  Add  ice cubes.  Blend away.  Be amazed.

(If I hadn’t scarfed down the whole thing immediately, the glasses would have looked so pretty decorated with a peach slice and a basil leaf…!)

Can’t wait to see what I get this week from the farm!

Diane Whitman

@whitlibrarian

Gwyneth Fan

If you want to see what a CSA is about, check out their website:  dogwoodfarmsnj.com.

Sea Salt Magic

Sea salt caramel whipped cream...doesn’t that description make you want to go right out and eat some NOW?  (Me? Guilty!) The addition of salt - specifically large, flaky sea salt, totally elevates the flavor of the caramel whipped cream to something so beyond delicious, it's almost magical.

In our Library now!  Come in and check it out.

We're all familiar with the great combo of cake/berries/whipped cream which is strawberry shortcake, but  Caramel Fleur de Sel Whipped Cream takes this dessert to another level entirely - and guess what? It's easy, people!

Cheat and make this today with a yellow cake mix and it will be (almost) as good.  Make this now with strawberries and yellow cake, in July with blueberries and chocolate cake (love that), and in August with peaches, raspberries and white cake with a little addition of almond extract...(yum, can't wait for peaches - I love summer!).

Go for the strawberry version and scatter in some blueberries to make it colorfully Fourth of July festive.



This recipe hails from the fun book Relish by Daphne Oz from the daytime food talk show “The Chew”. Though not technically a cook book, more a lifestyle book, this recipe is a keeper.

I've changed up the directions so that each person adds salt on top of their own serving to taste: some may prefer more or less (and children none at all). Use Maldon sea salt or French fleur de sel if any way possible - it makes all the difference. (Am I being a salt snob? Yes, I admit it, but it really does...!)

(Notes: Caramel is simple, but can be tricky if you don’t watch it carefully once it starts to change color, so be vigilant. Also, sugar burns are intense – be careful not to get any on your skin.)

I couldn’t resist sharing this photo of our Strawberry Cake with Caramel Fleur de Sel Whipped Cream which my granddaughter frosted and decorated herself for my daughter’s birthday.

Devon's design.

Caramel Fleur de Sel Whipped Cream Frosting, adapted from Relish, by Daphne Oz

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons water

2 cups heavy cream, divided as follows: 3/4 cup heavy cream for the caramel, 1 1/4 cups for whipping

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Maldon sea salt (or other large flake sea salt such as French Fleur de Sel) for sprinkling on each serving to taste
Cake
Berries

Mix the sugar and water in a heavy medium saucepan set over medium high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Cook without stirring until the syrup turns medium amber, if you are using a candy thermometer, to about 355 or 360 degrees. Remove from heat and carefully whisk in 3/4 cup ONLY of the heavy cream, then the butter and kosher salt.

Pour the caramel into a small bowl and refrigerate (or freeze if you’re in a hurry – about 30 minutes) until cooled and thickened. (Can be prepared ahead to this point.)

Place the remaining cream in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add the cooled caramel and beat until stiff. Decorate your cake with cream and berries. Have each person add salt to taste.

Be proclaimed the Wizard of Dessert Alchemy.

Diane Whitman
Twitter @whitlibrarian
Reference Librarian,
Powerless in the Face of Awesome Desserts

More Good Movies You Might Have Missed...

by Jill Eisner, Sr. Librarian
SBPL Information Services

Hi Everyone,

Her are a few more titles from our collection that you might enjoy.   Let me know what you think!

Jill

Jane Eyre

Based on the novel by Charlotte Bronte. Directed by Cary Fukunaga. Starring Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell, Sally Hawkins, Simon McBurney, Valentina Cervi, and Judi Dench.  When orphaned governess Jane Eyre arrives at imposing Thornfield Hall, she's intrigued by her brooding, wealthy employer, Rochester. His dark moods and the strange occurrences in the house lead her to discover a terrible secret that he had hoped to hide from her forever.

2011. In English, rated PG-13. Drama.

Farewell My Queen

Directed by Benoit Jacquot. Starring Xavier Beauvois, Noemie Lvovsky, Virginie Ledoyen, Diane Kruger, Lea Seydoux.  Sidonie, who serves as reader to Marie Antoinette and displays a singular romantic devotion to the queen, witnesses the final days of the French Revolution from inside the walls of the Palace of Versailles. The film is seen from Sidonie's point of view, and the story takes place over the course of four days.  
2012. In French with English subtitles, rated R.  Drama.

Hyde Park on Hudson

Based on the play by Richard Nelson. Directed by Roger Michell. Starring Bill Murray, Laura Linney, Olivia Williams, Samuel West, Olivia Colman.  With Great Britain facing war with Germany, President Franklin D. Roosevelt invites the King and Queen of England to his home in upstate New York, while engaging in an affair with a distant cousin. 
2012. In English, Rated R. Drama/Biography.

Free Digital Magazines @ SBPL

South Brunswick Public Library with The Libraries of Middlesex Automation Consortium (LMXAC),  now provide free digital magazines through Zinio. These are  full color, interactive digital magazines for your enjoyment. Browse from your library's collection of popular titles with no waiting, no holds, no checkout periods, and no limit to the number of magazines you can download. 

Choose from over popular 130 titles.

·                     Current Issues — New issues are released simultaneously with the print edition many are available before they arrive at your library and are ready for immediate download.

·                     Easy browsing — Browse your library's collection of titles one at a time, search for your favorite magazines by title or use the convenient category feature to find new magazines which meet your interests.

·                     Manage your collection — Using the personal account you will create, you will have the opportunity to checkout the magazines  and read them instantly on your computer (both PC and Mac) or access the content on a portable media device. (Note: viewing options, including the ability to download or view the content while online, may differ based on the device and/or magazine publisher)

·                     No limits — Check out as many issues as you want and keep them in your account as long as you wish.

You can find this great new service our our webpage www.sbpl.info. Feel free to contact us online or call us at 732-329-4000 x 7286 if you have any questions. You can also sign up for an introductory class, Zinio Magazines Collection on Wednesday, June 26 at 10am.  Register online for that date on our Event Calendar.

More Good Movies You Might Have Missed...

by Jill Eisner
Information Services

Hi Everyone,

Here's a selection of films from our collection that I recently enjoyed.  Let me know what you think!

Jill

This is 40

Written and directed by Judd Apatow. Starring Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Maude Apatow, Iris Apatow, Jason Segel, Megan Fox, John Lithgow, Albert Brooks, and Melissa McCarthy.  2012, rated R.  Comedy.

This Is 40 is a candid and heartwarming comedy about the challenges and rewards of marriage and parenthood in the modern age. After years of marriage, Pete and Debbie are approaching a milestone meltdown. As they try to balance romance, careers, parents and children, they must also figure out how to enjoy the rest of their lives. 

Jill's note--Be forewarned, this movie is quite raunchy but extremely hilarious! 

Love Crime

Directed by Alain Corneau. Starring Ludivine Sagnier, Kristin Scott Thomas.
2010, not rated.  Mystery/Thriller. In French with English subtitles.

Within the sterile offices of a powerful multinational corporation, two women come to a face-off. Isabelle is a young executive under the orders of Christine, a powerful woman she absolutely idolizes. Confident of her control over Isabelle, Christine leads her into a confusing, perverse game of seduction and domination. A dangerous game that goes too far, to the point of no return. 

This Must Be the Place

Directed by  Paolo Sorrentino, starring Frances Mcdormand, Sean Penn and Judd Hirsch.
2011, rated R.  Comedy/Drama

An interesting departure for Sean Penn.  With the character of Cheyenne in This Must Be the Place, Penn proves there's no role he can't master. Cheyenne, a bored, retired rock star, learns that his father is close to death, and travels to New York to reconcile with him, only to arrive too late. He embarks on a quest to find his father's nemesis and persecutor, an ex-Nazi war criminal taking refuge in the U.S.