The Best Cookbooks List

COOKBOOK REVIEW: Flavored Butters

Flavored Butters: How to Make Them, Shape Them, and Use Them as Spreads, Toppings, and Sauces (50 Series)

     Goat's milk butter! I make my own butter, because I love the taste and I love to add in crunchy fleur de sel. But I never thought of making goat's milk butter---and I think it is a wonderful idea.

     From the very first few pages of this new cookbook, I was inspired. The photography just reeled me in. On page 11 there was a shot of butter that had been made in a classic French mold, making me want to run to find one. Page 16, there was a picture of how to "roll" butter. Page 45, a photograph so beguiling I could taste the page: caviar butter on a bagel. And the photo on page 63 of green-tea sesame butter was so beautiful I could smell the page. This is the first time I have reviewed the photography in a cookbook, but I am so impressed by the styling and thoughtfulness of the photos done by the author of the book. Not only is she superb at creating intriguing recipes, but she is superb as a food photographer.

     Lucy Vaserfirer created this little cookbook gem. Within the 90 or so pages you will find a wealth of inspiration. Take for instance, the port butter recipe. What a great way to charm someone on Valentine's day. Her picture is of a juicy steak with a heart shaped portion of ruby-colored port butter melting on the top. And because I recently posted a recipe on my blog about making maple flavored homemade butter, I was drawn to Lucy's rendition, which took the idea to a higher level by adding cinnamon and brandied raisins.

     Her salted caramel butter recipe is destined for my popcorn this weekend, and her gorgonzola chive butter on a bulky sandwich. Run out and buy this cookbook. You're going to love using it.

COOKBOOK REVIEW: My Provence by Laurent Gras

     Last night, at the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) Award Ceremony in San Francisco, the Judges’ Award went to Chef Laurent Gras for his ground-breaking new ebook: My Provence. Congratulations to Chef Laurent Gras for winning this prestigous award!

     Why is the ebook/cookbook groundbreaking? It is a cookbook designed for the tablet or iPad, although I bought mine and viewed it on my computer and you can view it on your smart phone. It also introduces a new business model. You pay $4.99 in three installments that are charged to your credit card every four months, and receive recipes in every installment delivered to you digitally in the form of an ebook. It uses multi-media, including words, photographs and video.

   This is how it works. If you want to buy it, you log on to the Alta Editions web site, put in your payment information, and then you are taken to your ebook. If you are on a tablet, flip through the pages. If you are on a computer, click through. 

    When you first open the cover and are brought to the title page, there is a small video embeded for you to watch Chef Gras introduce himself. 

    Is this the future of cookbooks? Undoubtedly, as there will be great convenience and lower price points for the consumer to be able to cook from their iPad propped up on their kitchen counter. For those who prefer a cookbook in hand, especially if it is a joy to read as well as cook from, print books will be preferred. 

     Having lived on the Riviera for over 11 years, and with a cookbook of my own coming out in August (Cuisine Nicoise: Sun-Kissed Cooking from the French Riviera, Gibbs Smith), I was very interested in seeing another cookbook that also embraced cooking on the Riviera---as Chef Gras was brought up there, in Antibes.

     I chose to write my cookbook about the style of cooking found on the Riviera and emanating from Nice. It's called cuisine Nicoise. Chef Gras casts a wider net to include all of Provencal cooking, from his childhood home in Antibes westward to Toulon and deep into Provence, where his family owned property.

     In My Provence, he brings together an interesting mix of family recipes, along with elegant, restaurant level recipes from his professional career. Each recipe has a long headnote explaining the food and its origin and is accompanied with a photograph to show how it should look on the plate.

    At the very end of the ebook there is an index of short instructional videos, which I would have loved to have seen embedded within the recipes they describe rather than having to click to the end of the book to view them. My only other aside is that some recipes seemed out of place for a cookbook about Provencal cuisine: Chicken Milanese with Pickled Cucumber, Riesling-Poached Pears. Having said that, I was delighted with the breadth and types of recipes and with Chef Gras' openess to including recipes that are a culmination of his entire cooking life, including the time he spent cooking in Italy. We are a sum of our cooking environment and experience, and that shines through in this ebook cookbook.  

     The first recipe I am going to try is Chef Gras' Olive Oil Cake. Judging by the photo, it looks divine.

      My Provence by Laurent Gras can be viewed and purchased on: AltaEditions.com

 

 

 

COOKBOOK REVIEW: Salad For Dinner

  Salad for Dinner by Jeanne Kelley

    The word salad has been undergoing a transformation in the past year or so. Rather than being presented as a side, or an afterthought, salads are taking the stage as the main dish---and I have to say I like that idea.

     When I lived in England and France, lunch was often a salad. In English pubs they do smashing salad plates where they pile together an assortment of salads. In France, the cruditee plate is a favorite of mine for lunch, again, a piling on of assorted vegetable salads on a plate. Although I don't remember having one for dinner when eating out in those countries, they were quite normal for lunch. Here in America, we already have an appreciation for enjoying a large salad for dinner in a restaurant or at home.

    Jeanne Kelley is extending the salad as a main course idea in her new book, Salad for Dinner. 

     This is an organized book, which makes it easy to learn from. Recipes for salads are divided into salads made from vegetables, salads with meat, salads with chicken, and salads with fish. Before you get to the recipes, there are complete instructions on how to clean greens, how to forage for salad, and how to grow greens for salads. And there is a lot to learn. I had never heard of mizuna, tatsoi, puntarelle, or miner's lettuce. And many ingredients in the recipes are ones that I have never come accross, so it was fascinating to read through this cookbook.

    Once I dug in and tried a few recipes, I was very content. The roasted acorn squash and brussels sprouts salad was superb and beautiful to look at with deep yellows, greens and deep reds---and it was absolutely delicious. 

    It's the flavor combinations Jeanne blends together that are so compelling. Beets and Blood Oranges and Goat Cheese and Almonds. Smoked Turkey and Port Figs and Blue Cheese and Whole Wheat Croutons. Mixed Greens with Farro and Bacon and Dates and Walnuts and Pears and Parmesan. See what I mean? Crunch and silk and salt and sweet all on one plate.

    She really won me over when she didn't leave us hanging at the end of the cookbook full of salads. She gave us a desset to finish with, a luscious chocolate cream pie. This was her reasoning:

    "I wanted to include one fantastic sweet in this book because, when you eat salad for lunch or dinner, shouldn't you be rewarded with dessert?"

    Exactly! 

 Salad for Dinner by Jeanne Kelley (Rizzoli, 2012)

 

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: 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.