Guest Review of The Pollan Family Table by Michael J. Fox
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Michael J. Fox Photo Credit: John Kernick
Michael J. Fox Photo Credit: Mark Seliger
In the interest of full disclosure, you should know that the
authors of The Pollan Family Table are my wife, Tracy Pollan; her
sisters Lori and Dana; and my mother-in-law, Corky. My
brother-in-law, Michael Pollan, the Carl Sagan of food, wrote the
foreword. Spoiler alert: my review is a rave.
How could it not be? Notwithstanding the fact that I’d like to
keep my place at that eponymous table—one that I’ve had the
privilege to hold for some twenty-five years—I can honestly and
enthusiastically report that this collection of recipes,
reflections, and gorgeous color photographs is a thoughtfully
conceived, beautifully realized, invaluable asset to any family
making dinner plans. Moreover, it’s a paean to those moments,
however brief or infrequent they may be, when we gather the
people we love and share a meal.
So much can get in the way of preparing and convening for a
regular family dinner. But this book offers solutions to those
problems with simple recipes that cater to any taste or occasion,
running the gamut from soup (Creamless Broccoli Soup with Whole
Roasted Garlic and Frizzled Leeks) to nuts (Key Lime Pie with
Walnut Oatmeal Crust).
And there is something in this book you will love, no matter
your appetite or dietary restrictions. Even non-vegetarians will
rejoice at what I believe to be the most perfect veggie burger on
the planet, the Supreme Cri Quinoa Vegetable Burger. Seafood
lovers are well served here, too, with favorite recipes like
Smoky Sautéed Shrimp. And just looking at the Citrus-Roasted
Chicken with Grand Marnier triggers a Proustian flashback,
bringing to mind not only the aroma and juicy, subtle flavor but
also a cascade of memories, conversations, plans hatched, jokes
and stories told and retold at family get-togethers. The familiar
food and setting provide a continuum. Proust describes it as
“Time regained.” Marty McFly might excl, “You built a time
machine . . . out of a beef tenderloin?”
Every family’s story develops around its own table. You share
the moments, both seminal and trivial, that over time become your
life. For us, it’s a banquette in the breakfast nook of our New
York apartment. In the chaotic process of raising four children,
we have put in so much time around our own table—not only with
meals but also with homework and art projects and games of
Clue—that Tracy and I have had to reupholster the bench seats at
least half a dozen times.
But the definitive PFT is the trestle table in the dining room
of Corky and Stephen’s Connecticut home. As the family
multiplied, there became less and less space for new spouses and
their offspring and weekend guests, boyfriends, girlfriends, etc.
Corky says that she and Stephen “were determined the family
tradition would continue, with everyone able to sit together,
rather than relegating the youngest to ‘the kids’ table.’ So ours
became the ever-lengthening table.” When the table grew too large
for the room, Corky and Stephen extended the house, knocking out
a wall in the dining room to provide extra space for another
half-dozen happy cousins.
So, yes, this is a book of delicious recipes, complete with
pantry and market lists and tips on essential utensils and
homespun advice; but what makes it compelling on the human level
is its insistence that the family meal is not a thing of the
past. The Pollan Family Table reassures that best intentions can
be put into action and the results can enrich your family’s life
in ways that are both harmonious and y. Corky, Lori, Tracy,
and Dana share what they know so you can share with those you
love. As I said, full disclosure: you knew it was going to be a
rave because, after all . . . this is what my life tastes like.