Cooking Bold and Fearless was originally published by the folks at Sunset Magazine back in 1957. My copy dates from 1961 and was one in the stack of books I picked up back in December at a Portland thrift store (which one it was escapes me right at the moment). I bought it because of the cover, all those colors and that grandiose title made me think that it might contain some good stuff (or at the very least, some highly entertaining kitsch). All the recipes in the book come from the magazine's column "Chefs of the West," in which they regularly published recipes and short articles penned by home cooks and backyard grill masters from up and down the West Coast. (Does anyone know if this column is still included in the magazine? It's been years since I've had my hands on a copy of Sunset, so I have no idea. My guess would be no, though).
The recipes range from the frighteningly retro to the interestingly timeless. The most intriguing thing about this book is that all the contributors seem to be men. I guess Sunset assumed that only those of the male persuasion would be interested in cooking boldly and without fear.
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