The Best Cookbooks List

COOKBOOK REVIEW: La Tartine Gourmande

 

La Tartine Gourmande: Recipes for an Inspired Life  by Beatrice Peltre

If it were possible to capture the glint of sun through a dewdrop on a grape, Beatrice could do it. Her new cookbook, which she also styled and did all the photography for, is an artistic tableau of exquisite food presented with all its freshness and appeal intact. La Tartine Gourmande is not only beautiful, but the recipes are healthy and light and interesting.

It is rare that I find cookbooks that I literally want to cook through each and every recipe, and this is one of those rare finds. This morning I tried Oeufs en Cocotte and it was delightful, the baked egg pairing perfectly with leeks, spinach, smoked salmon and cumin. I can't wait to try her tartines, sandwiches and soups. And I plan to make her Lavender Isle Flottantes this weekend. I have followed Beatrice's blog for a long while and now feel as if I have come full circle sitting here with her new cookbook in front of me. Her beautiful eye for detail and her inspired combinations of ingredients always make me want to cook what she has made.

Bravo Beatrice. This is one of the most beautiful cookbooks I have ever seen.You really have achieved what you set out to do: provide us with recipes for an inspired life.

La Tartine Gourmande: Recipes for an Inspired Life by Beatrice Peltre, Roost Books, 2011

COOKBOOK REVIEW: The Art of Cooking Morels

 by Ruth Mossok Johnston

This is a love story. A story of entwined lovers who share a passion for beauty, art and food. Ruth, who wrote the cookbook, and her love, David, who illustrated it. It is also, most obviously, a story of Ruth's love for morels and the recipes she has created to celebrate them.

The Art of Cooking Morels impacted me so strongly that I have placed it high up on a shelf of its own, as a treasured text to be pulled down often and paged through for the sheer enjoyment of the exquisite art and the inspired recipes. This is not a normal cookbook. It is an experience. A piece of art. A good read. Bravo to The University of Michigan Press for pushing it out into the cookbook world for those of us who so yearn to be drawn back to a connection with the miracle and beauty of food and place.

Morels are of the earth, earthy. They have a smell and texture that defy explanation.

Yes, they are not easily found in every grocery store. Could the treasure hunt to find them be part of their mythic allure? Fresh morels may be hard to find, but take heart. Here is where the everyday home cook can easily order them fresh or dried:

Fresh imported morels by mail.

Dried morels.

Now, go out and buy The Art of Cooking Morels. Order your morels if you can't find them locally. If they are dried, Ruth tells you how to easily reconstitute them. They are so delightful to cook with that you will wonder why you never tried them before.

And treasure this gem of a cookbook. If there were a museum of cookbooks, you would find this one under glass.

The Art of Cooking Morels , by Ruth Mossok Johnston with illustrations by David McCall Johnston.

 

 

COOKBOOK REVIEW: Artisan Bread In Five Minutes A Day

 

Artisan Bread In Five Minutes  by Jeff Hertzberg, M.D. and Zoe Francois

Most of you know how crazy I am about great bread and making bread. I love a chewy crisp crust, a slight sourdough taste. I also love biscuits, soft and tender. Popovers, cheesy and hot. Baguettes are my constant quest.

So it was with delight that I spotted the title of this book as it promised a new way of enjoying making bread. The authors found a way to separate the work of making bread so that when you are ready to bake your loaf it only takes five minutes prep time before popping it in the oven. Brilliant.

"First, mix the ingredients from our recipe into a container all at once, and then let them sit for two hours. Now you are ready to shape and bake the bread, or you can refrigerate the dough and use it over the next couple of weeks. Yes, weeks! When you want fresh-baked crusty bread, take a piece of the dough from the container and shape it into a loaf."

I love these guys. Their "secret" and the special recipe for it will liberate home bakers everywhere and have them firing up their home ovens for their daily bread. Especially in testing economic times, making bread at home is an economical and totally satifying way of coping with keeping good nutritious food on the table.

After you make their master recipe, you are ready to create all sorts of loaves, pizzas, big soft pretzels, ciabatta, pannetone, and breakfast breads. I made the Roasted Red Pepper Fougasse and it was perfect.

If you love bread, go get this book. It is a must-have for a happy kitchen and it makes a wonderful gift for your foodie friends. I have mine marked up so that I have fresh loaves for the next couple of months. How happy am I?!

Artisan Bread In Five Minutes , St. Martin's Press, 2011.

COOKBOOK REVIEW: Big Vegan

 

  

Big Vegan: More than 350 Recipes, No Meat/No Dairy All Delicious by Robin Asbell

It has taken me a long while to get around to writing a review of this new cookbook because I have been cooking from it! There are just so many recipes that are tempting that I have been integrating them into my daily cooking and thoroughly enjoying them.

And you literally could cook all of them and take a year to do it! This is a big, big 544 page book that weighs over three pounds---an everything book---a go-to book along the lines of the Joy Of Cooking---only it is all vegetarian and plant based.

"I believe that the best way to convince people to eat their veggies is to seduce, to tempt with an alluring plate that delights the senses. I hope you will agree that Big Vegan does that and more." --- Robin Asbell

What I love about the recipes are that they are NOT bland lentil soup and cashew meatloaf kind of vegetarian recipes, the kind that send me running when I see them on the menu in a vegetarian restaurant. These are vibrant, delicious, robust, gourmet vegetarian recipes that are as beautiful to look at as they are delicious to eat. 

I made the Spanish Chickpea Fritters with Romesco Sauce and it was to die for. Simply wonderful. I also made the Wild Rice and Blueberry Salad which was filled with jewel like colors and deep flavors. And the Savory Eggplant Walnut Strudels were so good I plan to make them to pass around with cocktails during the holidays.

In addition to the recipes there is a large section devoted to explaining what vegan eating means and what pantry staples you will need to have on hand, an ingredient glossary and a resources page. Along the way the dialog is friendly and filled with tips and tricks for bringing out the best from your non-meat non-dairy ingredients.

This is the first book I have come across in this genre that is exciting. It sparks the imagination, reads beautifully, inspires me in that it makes it so easy to eat "healthy", and it excites me because I keep reaching for it and immediately finding something I really want to cook.

So besides being a great vegan cookbook, it is undeniably a great cookbook for anyone in love with food and cooking.

I am taking the liberty of sharing with you a recipe from Big Vegan for a yummy quick dessert I know you will enjoy!

Ginger Mango Rice Pudding

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup short grain brown rice

2 cups water

1 1/2 cups coconut milk

1/2 cup palm or brown sugar

3 oz. dried mangoes, chopped

1/2 cup crystallized ginger, chopped

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 pinch salt

1 tablespoon cornstarch

 Method:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the rice and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, then cover tightly and cook for 40 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of the coconut milk, the sugar, mangoes, ginger, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Cover and cook until most of the liquids are absorbed, about 10 minutes.

2. In a cup, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup coconut milk with the cornstarch. Stir into the pot of rice and keep stirring until it is thick, about 5 minutes or more. Transfer the rice pudding to a serving bowl or individual bowls and let it cool, or refrigerate if desired, before serving.

Big Vegan: More than 350 Recipes, No Meat/No Dairy All Delicious by Robin Asbell

 

COOKBOOK REVIEW: Moorish Fusion Cuisine

Moorish Fusion Cuisine by Zouhair Zairi was being talked about a lot on FaceBook, so intrigued, I asked for a review copy. I received a stunning large coffee table size book that is so attractive and so interesting that it would make a great holiday gift.

Yet beyond the visual impact, this book fascinates me for additional reasons. It weaves a rags to riches tale of a young boy from Morroco who arrived in New York with little money

It also appeals to me in that it celebrates the cuisine of the Moors while coloring that rich tapestry with shades of classic French and down-home American cuisine. So each recipe is truly a fusion of styles and techniques.

Some of the recipes I have earmarked to try are his Honey and Ginger Coated Swordfish, Lavender Crusted Tuna, Sweet Tomato Jam, Orange Blossom Vinaigrette, and his Scallops Crudo with Fennel Slaw---all Moorish fusion cuisine, all light and fresh, all calling me to the kitchen.

I especially appreciated the Basics section at the back. So I will share with you his recipe located there for making at home one of my favorite condiments!

Harissa

Printable Recipe

Yield: about 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

12 to 14 dried chilis

4 garlic cloves, mince

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt to taste

Method:

1. Split the dried chilis open and remove the seeds. Soak the chilis in warm water for 30 minutes.

2. Squeeze the water from the chilis. Place them in a blender with garlic, cumin and olive oil. Puree until smooth and season with salt.

3. Transfer to a Mason Jar and cover with a layer of olive oil. Harissa can keep for up to 6 months.

Moorish Fusion Cuisine: Conquering the New World by Zouhair Zairi, October 2011.

COOKBOOK REVIEW: The Mozza Cookbook

 

The Mozza Cookbook: Recipes from Los Angeles's Favorite Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria by Nancy Silverton

This luscious big cookbook is brimming with tempting photographs of food and from the Mozza Restaurant in LA. It benefits tremendously from the input of Nancy's fellow investors, Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich who put their deep footprints on the restaurant and added a sense of gravitas to the recipes and tone of the cookbook.

That said, Nancy's lively discussion brings the book to life. Her recipes are thoroughly described, detailed and easy to follow. What I like the best and what I think makes this cookbook stand out from the others is that it focuses on simply put together dishes that you can get on the table in a hurry and still get maximum flavor and visual pleasure from.

Her restaurant and pizza bar in Los Angeles provide the material for her book. After an introduction to how the restaurant came into being, about her team, her menus and ingredients, we are able to dive into recipes using mozzarella, ones for antipasti, pizza, pasta, main courses and desserts. 

I have turned back the corners of so many pages already of recipes I would like to try: homemade ricotta; currant and pine nut relish; peperonata with ricotta crostoni; tricolore with parmigiano reggiano and anchovy dressing; little gem lettuce with dates, red onion and gorgonzola dolce; any or all of the pizzas; spicy pickled peppers; and strawberry and fig jam crostate with meyer lemon panna cotta and saba. Among others!

I hope she doesn't mind, but I am going to share with you a recipe from the book. I hope you enjoy it!!

Rosemary Olive Oil Cakes

(bake in muffin tins or "teacake molds sold in a pan at cookware shops") Makes about 32 cakes

Ingredients:

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil

3 extra large eggs

grated zest of one orange

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary needles

unflavored cooking spray or olive oil

Method:

1. Sift flour, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder together in a large bowl. 

2. Combine the milk, olive oil, and eggs in a separate bowl, whisking to break up the eggs.

3. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and gradually pour the wet ingredients into the well, using a whisk to draw the dry ingredients from the edges into the center. Continue adding the wet ingredients and whisking the batter until the wet and dry ingredients are incorporated and the batter is smooth. Refrigerate until ready to bake. Stir in orange and rosemary just before baking.

4. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Generously grease a tray of teacake molds . Place the prepared molds in the oven and preheat the oven and the molds to 350 degrees.

5. Remove the molds and fill each mold with the cake batter flush with the rim. Place the molds on a baking sheet and bake the cakes until they are browned, firm to the touch, and  toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

6. Remove the cakes from the oven and cool, about 5 minutes. Then loosen onto a plate. To bake another batch of cakes, you don't need to wash the pan. Spray it again generously with cooking spray, preheat it before adding more batter. Serve cakes warm with ice cream.

 

 

 

COOKBOOK REVIEW: Beaten, Seared, and Sauced

Beaten, Seared, and Sauced: On Becoming a Chef at the Culinary Institute of America by Jonathan Dixon.

I love reading anything that has to do with food. History. Reference. Cookbooks. Love stories. Culinary travel. Memoirs. 

This memoir is written by Jonathan Dixon, a man who entered The Culinary Institute of America and decided to write about his experience there.

But this memoir in some ways became self-indulgent the more I read. To its credit, it did pull me into his plight at finding his true passion in life at an older age, but so did I and I am euphoric that I found it at all. Some people never do. So lucky us. Instead, it becomes evident that he is still operating under a cloud of regret. That regret and tone prevail throughout his story right to the end.

I was sad when I finished. Not because the story ended, but because for the first time in a very very long while I read a food book that did not bring me pleasure or even insight. I am rarely critical. I normally love everything, as most of you know! But this tale only provided a feeling that I had just passed through a storm and was glad to be out of it. Left with a bit of a confusing ending, I am still at sea and wishing I had been brought into the dock. 

I am sorry if I have offended anyone. This is just my opinion.

 

 

 

COOKBOOK REVIEW: Tart Love

When I heard Holly Herrick had a new cookbook coming out in October about making tarts, I asked for an advance copy to review. I don't have a hard copy, but I do have a full cookbook in pdf format in front of me that I have already marked up and started baking from.

Tart Love: Sassy, Savory, and Sweet has already stolen a place on the top shelf in my kitchen where I keep my favorites. I have laminated the outside covers so that it holds up until I get my hard copy!

You know how I love baking and sweet little things, but I have been spending time in her chapter on Savory Pies and Pot Pies---mainly because of memories of my grandmother Mimi's scrumptious little chicken pot pies. She used to order old hens from the Amish country so that her chicken stock was strong and flavorful. Her crust was flaky, her pies in demand.

Holly describes her recipe for chicken pot pie this way. It is quite different from my grandmother Mimi's, but it turned out to be equally beguiling:

 "Maybe it's because of the fronds that flutter in the late summer winds like deep green lace from the stalks of the perennial fragrant herb we call fennel, that it strikes me as a particularly delicate thing to be used with extreme care. The entire herb is used in these light, beautifully fragrant pot pies.

A whole chicken is gently poached with the stalks to lend to the stock its signature anise kiss."

Where Mimi's was hearty, bold and creamy, Holly's is an elevated chicken pot pie that echoes anise by the use of both fennel and Pernod. 

This chapter holds four substantial recipes for main course pot pies: Shepherd's Pie, Pot Roast Pot Pies, Braised Pork Shank-Fresh Fig-and Sweet Potato Pot Pies, and the Chicken and Fresh Corn Pot Pie. 

Holly amplifies the marriage of her southern roots with her culinary training in France to produce recipes that take the best from both worlds. There's a decadent Lavender Buttermilk Tart---a little bit Provence, a little bit Charleston. There's a Tuna Nicoise Tart as well as several tarts using sweet potatoes. Technique sometimes French, ingredients sometimes southern. The combination is sublime and works for American cooks who can easily find the ingredients she uses.

And why this book is especially good is that it devotes time to teaching how to perfect crust, which after all is the essence of a good tart. When I find a good crust recipe I save it with stars. I have flaky crust recipes that are great. Cookie crust recipes I use for fruit tarts. Savory crust recipes for fish and meat. Holly provides us with lengthy descriptions and hand holding so that her tart crusts come out just perfect and are totally dependable. They are also flavorful, something a lot of crusts miss out on.

You can pre-order Tart Love on Amazon now and it will be in book stores as of October 1, 2011. This is a reference book you will want to own. It is a must have book if you have tart love.

Tart Love: Sassy, Savory, and Sweet by Hollry Herrick. 

COOKBOOK REVIEW: Not Your Mother's Fondue

I was all over this book when I saw the title. It was sitting on the publisher's table at a foodie event amidst the stacks of the rest of their cookbook list. I grazed it with my eyes and entered the contest to win it. Win it I did!

Not Your Mother's Fondue by Hallie Harron turns out to be a refreshing take on what is one of my favorite traditional dishes.

I would have loved to have been one of Hallie's tasters and testers as she put together her cookbook. As most of you know, I am a cheese lover. Hallie's cheese fondue chapter has 22 mouth watering renditions using cheese. Raclette Fondue (love Raclette!). Winey Vacherin Fondue (love Vacherin!). Cucumber Fromage Blanc Fondue. Goat Cheese and Basil Fondue. 

The Getting Saucy chapter harbors other intriguing recipes. Sweet and Sour Asian Fondue (yes!). Puttanesca Fondue. Bloody Mary Fondue. Irish Pub Fondue. 

I'm not really sure what the Bourguignon Style chapter means. Does it mean you dip things other than bread in the fondues here? I think so. But I am so intrigued with the sound of the recipes it doesn't matter that I am a bit confused. How can you resist trying Shrimp in Spicy Garlic Beer Fondue? Seriously.

Shades of Shabu-Shabu chapter hold equally mysterious fondues. How about Fall Cider Fondue. Coq au Vin Fondue?

When you get to the dessert fondues you want to just put the cookbook down, run for the ingredients, and make one of them. Caramel Rum Fondue had me dreaming of dipping little cubes of cupcake into it. The ultimate for me? Liquid Lemon Curd Fondue. Oh, yes!

Obviously the author and I share a love of similar flavor combinations in addition to a love of fondue. I have mine. Now go get yours! I'm going to leave you with a recipe from the cookbook, hope you enjoy!!!

Recipe for White Chocolate Marzipan Fondue

Printable Recipe

Dippers: Coconut macaroons, panettone, strawberries, sponge cake cubes

Ingredients:

1 pound white chocolate, chopped

2 ounces almond paste, chopped

1/2 cup half-and-half

1/4 cup almond flavored liqueur

1 teaspoon almond extract

Method:

1. Place the chocolate, almond paste, half-and-half, liqueur, and almond extract in a large fondue pot.

2. Cook for about 15 minutes over low heat to melt the chocolate and bring the mixture to a simmer. When the mixture is smooth and simmering, turn off the heat. The fondue will be thin. If desired, cool to room temperature. The fondue will thicken as it stands and cools. Serve either warm as a thin fondue glaze or cooled as a thicker dip.

Not Your Mother's Fondue by Hallie Harron from The Harvard Common Press, 2010.

COOKBOOK REVIEW: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams At Home

 

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home by Jeni Britton Bauer

This is my new Bible for making ice cream. I live on the East Coast and can't get to a Jeni's ice cream store, but I can as of this month buy Jeni's amazing cookbook for making her inspired artisinal ice creams at home. She even suggests using the exact ice cream maker I have, making it even more encouraging.

You see, I have a lot of ice cream recipe books. I have old ones. I have retro ones. I have almost every one I could find. I also have hand-written notes from my grandmother for her favorite homemade icy concoctions. They all go to the bottom shelf for now. The only other one I am keeping close at hand is David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop, also a great reference for anything frozen.

This is by far the one that offers flavors an adult would crave. This is by far the easiest to follow, makes the most sense, and is the most exciting. I was turning the corners of pages to bookmark ice cream recipes I wanted to try when I realized I was bookmarking every page. Can you tell I love it?!

Think of making Sweet Basil & Honeyed Pine Nut ice cream, Pineapple Piment d'Espelette, Goat Cheese Ice Cream with Cognac Figs, or Cucumber Honeydew Cayenne Frozen Yogurt, Sour Beer Sorbets, Star Anise Ice Cream with Candied Fennel Seeds, or Riesling Poached Pear Sorbet. I plan on starting at the front and making each and every single one. 

Those of you that follow this blog know how much I love macarons. There is a whole section on how to make your own Macaron Ice Cream Sandwiches!

And what about that old fashioned favorite of mine, Baked Alaska? Jeni offers us a guided tour on how to easily make a Baked Alaska Pie. If the results are as good as the pictures look, I am going to be very very happy!

This is a heart-felt book, one written with thoughtful care, attention to detail, compassion for the uninitiated, encouragement for the timid. Jeni speaks about ice cream the way a sommelier speaks of wine. "Fudge like texture and a pleasingly dry finish" ....."cardamom, with notes of citrus and pine, adds a blunt floral perfume."

But there is more. Recipes for "Swanky Cocktails" using the ice cream or sorbets, Vino Santo Sauce, rainbow colored terrines, and the story of how Jeni came to this place in her life running throughout the book, so by the end you feel as if you have taken the journey with her. Bravo Jeni. A truly valuable and entertaining anthem to making creative artisanal ice creams at home. I am so happy to have this new cookbook!

Such a fun video to watch of them making Jeni's ice cream! Click below to watch!

Good Time from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams on Vimeo.