The epicure's book of steak and beef dishes

The cooking and eating of beef is a part and parcel of our social life and, as such, is filled with customs and traditions that stretch back in time. A fascinating account of these and the history of cattle breeding all over the world gives the background to the present-day world. There follows information on cutting, preparing, carving, and cooking processes. The body of the book is taken up by detailed and varied recipes representing the best in national cuisines all over the world. Where relevant, line drawings are used to demonstrate step-by-step methods, and advice is given on presentation and freezing. The final section presents 22 menus for all occasions, the main dish being one of the recipes given earlier in the book, and the hors d'oeuvres, cheeses, desserts, and wines being specially chosen to complement each other and, thus, to provide a fully rounded and truly epicurean meal. Many of the recipes are illustrated in full colour, and over 200 line drawings show the cook how the more difficult cooking stages are best done. The book contains 200 choice recipes and will add a new depth to the culinary knowledge of every epicure cook. The author, Marguerite Patten (1915-2015), was an English home economist, food writer and broadcaster. During WWII, she worked for the Ministry of Food suggesting nourishing and inventive recipes using the rationed food that was available. She broadcast her ideas and advice to the nation on a BBC radio program called the Kitchen Front. She was one of the earliest TV 'celebrity chefs', presenting her first television cookery program on the BBC in 1947. She has since sold 17 million copies of her 170 books, and continued to contribute to TV and radio food programs into her late nineties. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1991 for "services to the Art of Cookery" and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours.