BACON NATION by Peter Kaminsky and Marie Rama, can be read as a cookbook or a manifesto, the culinary version of Robert Bly's 'oeIron John.' Bacon is the double-down option for meat lovers. It is fatty. It is salty. It is wrong in every way, but it feels so right. It is, the authors argue, a national treasure: 'oeTo our way of thinking, bacon is the equal of pricey Périgord truffles, sybaritic Spanish saffron and conspicuously consumed Caspian caviar.' They go on to make a persuasive case in recipes that respect their prime ingredient and use it inventively. Their opening bid '" bacon slices twisted and cooked into crisp spirals, so they can be used as savory swizzle sticks for bloody marys.

This is brilliant. The only question is, why did it take so long? Kaminsky and Rama don't just throw bacon at the wall to see if it sticks. They proceed judiciously, deploying it as flavor punctuation here, a condiment there and sometimes as a powerful equal partner, its role in their recipe for tournedos of beef wrapped in bacon and sage leaves. Bacon isn't subtle, but it can be used discreetly. The bacon broth in their poached halibut recipe, for example, is an enveloping flavor atmosphere. Sometimes, in fact, the authors show too much delicacy. Their bacon, brisket and beer chili, a-hoppin' and a-poppin' with herbs and spices, is superior chili but a little shy in one department. It needs '" can it be? '" more bacon.

- The New York Times Book Review.