cover image Red, Hot and Green

Red, Hot and Green

Janet Hazen, Chronicle Books. Chronicle Books, $14.95 (120pp) ISBN 978-0-8118-1052-4

Stoking the fires with ingredients she advanced in Hot, Hotter, Hottest, Hazen again finds inspiration internationally, although this time without meat. Fat, however, is something to watch here. Chinese Vegetable Eggrolls with Mustard Sauce, Triple-Mustard Mushroom Fritters and Potato-Horseradish Croquettes call for deep-frying or frying in abundant oil. Tofu stars in two recipes, while an unusual ingredient, a full seven-ounce jar of marshmallow cream, adds texture and a load of sugar to each of three desserts: Frozen Ginger-Peach Yogurt with Cinnamon, Frozen White Chocolate Mousse with Black Pepper and Frozen Chocolate Silk with Ancho Chilies. Hazen marries novel tastes with zeal, as in Horseradish-Sesame Rice Balls with Cucumber; Ginger-Glazed Yam Cakes with Raisins and Walnuts; and Caramelized Shallot, Fig and Ginger Conserve. Recipes are rated by heat quotient from a mild 1 (Mustard-Glazed Pumpkin Wedges) to an incendiary 10+ (Angelic Beans with Sauce of the Devil). The latter blazes with two anchos, one chipotle, three red jalapenos and 16 (yes, 16) habaneros. (May)