Books
SMACKDOWN – Maggie Beer vs. Stephanie Alexander
26 Jan 2008 12:05 AM
May
be it’s just me, but has any other Australian foodie wondered who’d
win in a no-rules bare knuckle fight between the heavy weights in
Aussie cooking, Maggie Beer and Stephanie Alexander? I know I have.
I’d throw Margaret Fullerton in her better years in for spice, but
that’s just getting off topic, she can last the distance obviously,
but her style is more float like a butterfly than Maggie and
Stephanie’s overwhelmingly meaty punches.
Ever since Stephanie “slow and steady” Alexander released the first edition of “The Cooks Companion”, everyone’s been waiting for Maggie “the verjuice vixen” Beer to throw a dirty left hook and bring out her own heavy weight cookbook. Maggie came into her own in the last round with “Maggie’s Harvest”. A damn fine effort and both gals have just about knocked each other out but this one is going to come down to points.
The Weigh-in:
Round 1 – The random page:
This round is conducted in two sections, first, TCC is opened to a random page and the recipes for that section are assessed. Maggie’s Harvest is then searched for recipes in the index for that ingredient and compared for quality and originality, then the same, with the names reversed.
The Cooks Companion: Sausages
Maggie’s Harvest: Preserves and Pickles
Round 2 - General Content:
Stephanie’s book is cheaper and the physical book itself is a lower quality but I think this sacrifice is more than justified. To make her book in the same way Maggie did, she would have to have produced at least two volumes at at least $125 each. Both of these factors would have made the book un-economical and turned off many buyers. The Cook’s Companion truly lives up to it’s name providing a recipe for practically everything you will find in the suburban supermarket with hundreds of others for specalised ingredients, let alone the basics section which I use quite often. It really is a quick reference section for all of the basics, the simple master recipes for stock, muffins, pancakes; as well as definitions for methods and of ingredients that are in most people’s pantry but aren’t always truly understood, such as leaf gelatin.
Round 3 - Summary Findings
First off, I have to say, Maggie’s Harvest is an amazing book, her stories alone, especially the one with her and Stephanie Alexander alone in an out of the way farm house in rural France are priceless, if not suggestive, and her recipes are extraordinary. The production values of her book are un-known in the Australian market. She sacrifices no expense (because you’re the one that has to sacrifice the cost) in the book. The cover is bound in a front to back embroidery, the typeface is clear and well spaced on paper that will stand up to a very good amount of splashing in the kitchen.
Ever since Stephanie “slow and steady” Alexander released the first edition of “The Cooks Companion”, everyone’s been waiting for Maggie “the verjuice vixen” Beer to throw a dirty left hook and bring out her own heavy weight cookbook. Maggie came into her own in the last round with “Maggie’s Harvest”. A damn fine effort and both gals have just about knocked each other out but this one is going to come down to points.
It has to be said that these are very different fighters, they have
their own unique sensibilities and style and the battle will be
tough but with out further a due, here’s the
fight!
The Weigh-in:
| The Cook’s
Companion |
Maggie’s
Harvest |
|
| Total Numbered
Pages |
1126 |
716 |
| Overall
Thickness |
700mm |
65mm |
| Weight |
2.494kg |
2.555kg |
| Price |
Found on sale for
<$80 |
First release price,
$125 |
| Quality of Book in
itself |
Solid, a true all-round
work horse that will always deliver |
Well polished but
possibly relying on her refined good looks |
| Coordination (Contents,
layout and index) |
Utilitarian
alphabetical with a tightly packed and often cross-referenced
index. Looses points with some noticeable omissions from the
index |
Seasoned (Summer,
Autumn, etc) content. Clear easy to use index, but lacking in the
cross-referencing of method, ingredient, style et al that is found
in TCC |
| Recent
Wins |
Stephanie has been a
stalwart of the industry, and a pioneer in Australia. Full
commendations to her persevering effort at all levels of the
industry. She may have run further back in the pack recently, but
her presence is still felt by all. |
Maggie started slow but
gallantly with Pheasant Farm and the associated restaurant. She
slowed, focusing on her strengths then shot out with Cook and the
Chef, winning acclaim, syndication and valuable marketing for her
strong brand. |
Round 1 – The random page:
This round is conducted in two sections, first, TCC is opened to a random page and the recipes for that section are assessed. Maggie’s Harvest is then searched for recipes in the index for that ingredient and compared for quality and originality, then the same, with the names reversed.
The Cooks Companion: Sausages
| The Cook’s
Companion |
Maggie’s
Harvest |
|
| Pages |
9 |
4 |
| Recipes |
9 |
2 |
| Most Original
Recipe |
Crépettes and
chestnuts |
Steve’s Sausages in
Grape Must |
| Best Sounding
Recipe |
Bratwurst in
beer |
Chicken and Tarragon
Sausages with Cumquats |
| Quality of introductory
material |
Brilliant encyclopedic
knowledge as with the vast majority of everything with it’s own
section in this book |
Anecdotal, but with
good substance and can be used as a great resource for
inspiration |
Maggie’s Harvest: Preserves and Pickles
| The Cook’s
Companion |
Maggie’s
Harvest |
|
| Pages |
36 |
5 |
| Recipes |
36 |
3 |
| Most Original
Recipe |
Pickled Sardines with
Chili |
Pickled Figs, Farm
Follies Style |
| Best Sounding
Recipe |
As
above |
As
above |
| Quality of introductory
material |
Again, brilliant
encyclopedic knowledge within each section, and here, the side
recipes prove their worth |
A narrative effort
again from Maggie, but she does leave you with the overwhelming
feeling she’s only given you her best |
Round 2 - General Content:
Stephanie’s book is cheaper and the physical book itself is a lower quality but I think this sacrifice is more than justified. To make her book in the same way Maggie did, she would have to have produced at least two volumes at at least $125 each. Both of these factors would have made the book un-economical and turned off many buyers. The Cook’s Companion truly lives up to it’s name providing a recipe for practically everything you will find in the suburban supermarket with hundreds of others for specalised ingredients, let alone the basics section which I use quite often. It really is a quick reference section for all of the basics, the simple master recipes for stock, muffins, pancakes; as well as definitions for methods and of ingredients that are in most people’s pantry but aren’t always truly understood, such as leaf gelatin.
Round 3 - Summary Findings
First off, I have to say, Maggie’s Harvest is an amazing book, her stories alone, especially the one with her and Stephanie Alexander alone in an out of the way farm house in rural France are priceless, if not suggestive, and her recipes are extraordinary. The production values of her book are un-known in the Australian market. She sacrifices no expense (because you’re the one that has to sacrifice the cost) in the book. The cover is bound in a front to back embroidery, the typeface is clear and well spaced on paper that will stand up to a very good amount of splashing in the kitchen.
The Winner: Stephanie Alexander’s The Cook’s Companion
TCC is the first cookbook you should buy. It might be intimidating
with out pictures, but with all honesty it will give the foundation
a potential cook should have and the solid backup an experienced
cook can fall back on. Maggie’s Harvest however, is as I said
earlier, a different contender. It’s not trying to be the
encyclopedia that The Cook’s Companion is, but at the same time,
the books compliment each other very well. There is little overlap,
except where required as a fundamental for more complicated recipes
where someone may not have acquired TCC first. Maggie’s recipes are
well written and clear so any cook with a modicum of confidence
should be able to manage. Stephanie’s can be a bit more technical,
but those recipes are balanced with the simple ones people can
attempt first to build their confidence.
|