The fattest cookbooks of the decade (and the skinniest)

My first foray into Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” had me standing before my stove in wonderment.

Quartered mushrooms that had been sweated lent the heavy cream a light taupe tint. In a Zen-like trance, I swirled the cream, which formed folds like the skirt of a luxurious silk wedding gown.

This wonder was destined for a swoon-worthy vegetable dish, Concombres aux Champignons et á la Crème, a recipe that requires a full cup of whipping cream.

I conjured those concombres (that’s cucumbers) this morning after reading a dispatch from the Washington-based Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. It seems that “MtAoFC” has won yet another accolade: one of the five unhealthiest cookbooks of the decade.

It’s no wonder, really. In Chapter Eight, the vegetable section, Mrs. Child notes: "The French are interested in vegetables as food rather than as purely nutrient objects valuable for their vitamins and minerals."

So guess who the physicians group gathered together in the unhealthy company of Mrs. Child? Miz Deen, please step up to the podium. And Mr. Flay, your award awaits you.

Here’s the complete list of most healthy and unhealthy cookbooks of the decade. Without a whit of nutritional testing or consultation with the physicians group, I’ve taken the liberty of adding another cookbook to the healthy section.

I lunched yesterday with Bobbie Williamson in her Norfolk home. Her recently-published cookbook, “Bobbie’s Organic Planet,” is full of healthy recipes from around the globe. (I’ll have a full report on it in Wednesday’s edition of The Pilot.) As a sort of dessert to this post, I’ve included her recipe for balsamic vinaigrette, the very vinaigrette that she served on our wonderful luncheon salads.

So, here’s the list:

Five Worst Cookbooks: “Paula Deen’s Kitchen Classics,” “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” 13th edition, “Grilling for Life,” by Bobby Flay, “Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book: Celebrating the Promise,” “Bones: Recipes, History, and Lore,” by Jennifer McLagan.

Five Best Cookbooks: “The Kind Diet,” by Alicia Silverstone, “Skinny Bitch in the Kitch: Kick-Ass Recipes for Hungry Girls Who Want to Stop Cooking Crap (and Start Looking Hot!),” by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, “The Conscious Cook,” by Tal Ronnen, “The Engine 2 Diet,” by Rip Esselstyn, “Cooking the Whole Foods Way,” by Christina Pirello . . . and my addition, “Bobbie’s Organic Planet: How to Buy Local and Cook Global,” by Bobbie Williamson of Norfolk.

And here’s Bobbie’s Balsamic Vinaigrette recipe:

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon beet sugar 1 tablespoon minced garlic 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Sea salt Freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together balsamic vinegar, sugar and garlic in a small bowl. Add olive oil in drops, and continue whisking until well blended. Add seasoning to taste. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to one week.

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