Absolutely Tofu 1

In one of the great understatements of the century, instructor Myra Kornfeld allows that tofu is "simply begging to be flavored." In fact, my dog Sagen--who ordinarily finds cooking videos rather interesting--upon seeing those milky-looking soy curd blocks onscreen immediately returned to licking his privates. Yet, right before my incredulous eyes Kornfeld and fellow culinary artist Kate Farell took plain, unvarnished soy and transformed it into gorgeous, mouth-watering dishes. Home chefs will find much to appreciate in the seven exquisite (I swear I'm not exaggerating) recipes demonstrated in this opening volume of a two-tape series; check it out: orange cilantro baked tofu, thai kebabs, sweet ginger tofu triangles, black bean sweet potato casserole, spring salad with cashews, provencal pasta cake, and, to top it off, a creamy lemon poppyseed cheesecake. For trivia buffs, there's a little trip to the tofu factory at the end of the tape to learn how soy beans are turned into that incredibly bland looking and tasting (until you try these recipes!) concoction known as tofu. I'm ready to go shopping right now and may even stop into the local Soys ‘R Us for a little pick-me-up on the way. Recommended. Aud: J, H, P. (R. Pitman)