The Magic of Fire: Hearth Cooking: One Hundred Recipes for the Fireplace or Campfire by William Rubel

2003 James Beard Award Nominee

The open hearth is where American colonials baked their beans, English families took their tea, French country families prepared their pot au feu, and Italian mothers stirred their polenta. THE MAGIC OF FIRE explores both the techniques of hearth cooking and the poetry of hearth and flame through the ages. The recipe collection offers a fascinating glimpse into the past with authentic renditions of Brisket Baked under Ashes, Pot Roast, String-Roasted Turkey, Stockfish Stew, Chocolat Ancienne, and Tarte Tatin. With its evocative and erudite narrative and extraordinary paintings by master realist Ian Everard, THE MAGIC OF FIRE is the definitive work on open-hearth cooking.

The first book to cover the complete range of open-hearth cooking techniques, including ash baking, ember roasting, hearthside grilling, string- and spit-roasting, and hearthside Dutch oven baking.

Features 100 extraordinary illustrations of food and fire by master realist Ian Everard. Many of the recipes require no special equipment. Simply open the book, light a fire, and cook.

"Definitive book on cooking." --Paula Wolfert, author of Mediterranean Grains and Greens, The Cooking of Southwest France

"THE MAGIC OF FIRE is the most thoughtful and thorough study of hearth cooking I know of. His book is full of practical information (the section All about the Fireplace is a masterpiece), unconventional recipes, and fascinating historical references that link his modern perspective to this primitive art. It will inspire professionals as well as serious home cooks to recover the taste that only hearth cooking can deliver. " --Paul Bertolli, chef and owner, Oliveto Cafe & Restaurant, author of Chez Panisse Cooking

"There is something fundamental about cooking over an open fire. I love the flames, I love the smells, and of course, I love the taste. William Rubel's THE MAGIC OF FIRE, is an indispensable guide to this lost art." --Alice Waters, chef and owner, Chez Panisse

"THE MAGIC OF FIRE is a fabulous book! It's about flames and ashes; tripods and spider pots; campfires, hearths, and fireplaces. It's about ember-roasted vegetables, flatbreads, stews, steamed puddings, salt cod‚ deeply fundamental foods that will make you see the possibilities of your fireplace in a new light. Passion, experience, and good writing have met in a book that's good reading, with instructions that are clear as a bell."--Deborah Madison