NPR: The Cookbook Controversy Reaches Letterman!

The Cookbook Controversy Reaches Letterman!

This will become a pan of brownies.

The cookbook conflict hit the late night TV.

Last night Jerry Seinfeld defended his wife against a woman he called a wacko.

Here's a quickie rundown: There are two cookbooks out, one written by the Seinfeld's wife, titled Deceptively Delicious and one titled The Sneaky Chef, by Missy Chase Lapine, former publisher of Eating Well magazine. The latter's came out first, and there are some striking similarities between the two -- leading to charges of puree plagiarism!

Both are full of recipes that hide vegetables in kids food--like spinach in brownies.
Both have a brownie recipe that will make you gag, or at least that made the BPP staff gag.
I made them ( see disgusting picture above) and received comments like "I will never eat brownies again."

Vegetable, meet batter.

However, overall Mrs. Seinfeld's book has some tasty recipes. I don't know if they are hers or not, but the mac-and-cheese with hidden cauliflower was good. Her book is also easier to follow than Ms. Lapine's. However, Ms. Lapine's is much, much more nutrition-conscious.

Longtime food critic Mimi Sheraton thinks they both stink on basic principle.

I think: Veggies in pasta and meatloaf, that's OK, but in the words of Chris Crocker,
leave brownies alone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not exactly a hit at BPP HQ.

Alison Stewart

10:35 AM ET | 10-31-2007 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

Hey, wait! My soon-to-be-released cookbook, which I wrote TWO YEARS AGO, includes my famous recipe for Creamed Spinach with Chocolate Chips. You're not fooling anyone, Ms. Seinfeld and Ms. Lapine. You'll be hearing from my attorneys!

Sent by Tony Camas | 1:38 PM ET | 10-31-2007

This recipe does violence to the very notion of a brownie. But the persimmon Fiestaware complements them nicely. Visually, at least.

This is unrelated, but I also want to add that I love it when Luke succumbs to his inner deejay and tells us what music is playing. This morning, ten minutes after silently wondering "what is this with the awesome Superfreak sample?" I was on my way to work, blasting Kingdom Come from my iPod. If you guys could strike a deal with iTunes you would stand to make a lot of money off of me.

Sent by Maura | 7:25 PM ET | 10-31-2007

Ms. Seinfeld has a NEW book out; it???s called, ???The Joy of Cooking with Cinnimon.??? Early readings show that the recipes are similar to well-known cookbook, ???The Joy of Cooking,??? except that cinnimon has been added to every recipe. Jerry Seinfeld has already scheduled for Letterman next week.

Let???s take a quick look at the William Morris agent who brought Jessica Seinfeld to Harper Collins. Her name is Jennifer Rudolph Walsh. Name sound familiar? Probably not. But, she is also the agent of Kaavya Viswanathan who is the Harvard sophomore who was proved to have plagiarised her best selling book.

Sent by Tanya | 12:50 AM ET | 11-02-2007

Jennifer Rudolph Walsh is a lightning rod for plaigerists. Watch. Nancy Pelopsi's next. I have it on good authority she's poison for a writer's career.

Sent by Ralli | 11:20 PM ET | 12-04-2007

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