87 replies to this topic

[ludja]

Please share cookbooks released this year that you like or have your eye on?

There has been much recent excitement on egullet with the release of Paula Wolfert's new edition of the "The Cooking of Southwest France". The thread has recipes that people have tried.

Two other acquisitions for me so far from books released this year:

A very welcome reprinting of Linda Dannenberg's "Paris, Boulangerie and Patisserie: Recipes from 13 Outstanding French Bakeries" The link is a thread in which people have shared recipes they've made.

A new book from Penelope Casas (author of the great "Tapas" cookbook and many other good ones on the cuisine of Spain): "La Cocina de Mama: The Great Home Cooking of Spain" I haven't made anything from this yet, but I'm eyeing many good almond dessert recipes.

(The links are or have egullet-amazon sponsored links which donate $ to egullet if you purchase the book through the link.)

What else am I missing or that I should add to my birthday wish list?

Edited by ludja, 20 October 2005 - 10:13 AM.

[Corinna Dunne]

Joan Roca of Can Roca restaurant in Spain (Catalunya region) has a new book (in English) on "Sous Vide" which sounds very interesting. I'm not sure if it's out yet.

[helenas]

Not published yet, there are so many interesting books coming out in the next month or so - to name just a few:
Ruhlman's Charcuterie;
Goin's Sunday Suppers at Lucques;
Tapas by Andres;
Vegetable Love by Kafka;
The Herbal Kitchen by Traunfeld;

[jgm]

I'd love it if eGulleters would provide reviews of any new cookbooks they've purchased.

I'm putting my Christmas list together.

[MHarney]

A very welcome reprinting of Linda Dannenberg's "Paris, Boulangerie and Patisserie: Recipes from 13 Outstanding French Bakeries"  The link is a thread in which people have shared recipes they've made.

In the other thread, I noted someone talking about the exorbitant prices of used copies of Paris Boulangerie... prior to its reprinting in March of this year, and thought it might be helpful for those who don't know of it to mention Advanced Book Exchange, a large (10,000+) bookseller collective where you can often find used books at prices much lower than used books through Amazon, B&N, Alibris, Half.com, etc. -- sometimes an order of magnitude cheaper. I've gotten several out-of-print cookbooks through this service, the last one being an almost pristine first edition of From Julia's Kitchen to replace my old charmingly cooking-stained copy, whose binding had unfortunately started to disintegrate at the baguette pages. I got the replacement for something like $17 or $18 with shipping, and its dustjacket was in such perfect condition that I'm reasonably sure the book hadn't been cracked open since it was printed in 1975.

[pam claughton]

My favorite cookbook this year, It's About Time, is from one of my favorite restaurants in Boston, Radius. It is considered one of the top restaurants in the city, the service is exquisite, the food amazing. I've never had a bad meal, and have usually always been wowed, whether it's for martini's and a mussel appetizer at the bar, or a foie gras tasting menu. I took my mother to that, and it was one of our most memorable meals ever. It was the first time she'd had foie gras. She was treated like a queen, and savored every minute. The menu is modern French but an Italian influence sneaks in, especially for the occasional pasta dish, which the chef, Michael Schlow demonstrated at a cooking class I attended on site. It was a simple recipe, and is in the book. He also owns two other restaurants in Boston, an Italian one, Via Matta, and a seafood one, Great Bay. The book is called, It's About Time, Great Recipes for Everyday Life. Some of the recipes are simpler dishes that he cooks at home, others are 'greatest hits' from all three restaurants. A theme of the book is the effect that time has on food, and he believes in many instances that more flavor is coaxed from food when it is cooked longer, at lower temperatures.

I attended a charity dinner the other night, and Radius was one of the featured restaurants, along with No. 9 Park, and Pigalle, all great places. The dishes featured by Radius are also in the cookbook, which prompted me to buy it on the spot, since I was planning to anyway. We had slow roasted Salmon with cabbage, bacon and dill, and the most amazing pork dish which had an exotic sweet spicy flavor from a mix of honey, curry, and other spices. The broccolini served with it had a similar unusual taste, which reminded me of Chinese five spice and orange.

The cookbook explained that the broccolini recipe actually uses an interesting condiment called togarashi, which is made from Thai chiles, orange zest, white and black sesame seeds, fennel seeds, and hemp. It can be found in Asian markets often under the name schichimi togarashi. I actually blogged about it, and posted the pork recipe if you want to read further about it.

Some of the memorable dishes in the cookbook that I've either already had or are just dying to make, include,

Veal Milanese
Basil marinated tomatoes on crunchy eggplant
Steamed Prince Edward Island Mussels, the broth is great with bread
Pappa al Pomodoro
Mango and Spiced vinaigrette using togarashi condiment
Spicy Shrimp Salad
Red Wine Braised Brisket
Orzo Gratin with Black Olives, Tomato Confit, and Goat Cheese
Seared Foie Gras with Hazelnuts and Mango
Loin of Pork "A l'Apicius"...this is the one I've raved about
Brioche with soft-scrambled eggs and caviar


A cookbook I'm looking forward to getting soon is the Julie/Julia one, based on her blog.

:) Pam

Edited by pam claughton, 20 October 2005 - 03:26 PM.

[Junior]

Susur Lee's new book Susur a culinary life is a great new book from a great chef from Toronto.
The book itself is unique much like it's author. The book is divided into 2 parts one that tells the story of his career and the second is 60 recipes. The recipes are interesting and are not the usual mish mash from just the restaurant, they follow the path of his career. French/Chinese with a Canadain slant.

I would also have to agree about the Michael Schlow book. I bought a copy of it and I have enjoy cooking from it as well. I also have a copy of the new Herbfarm book on order.

[Pan]

[...]A cookbook I'm looking forward to getting soon is the Julie/Julia one, based on her blog.

How would the recipes in it be different from Julia Child's?

[pam claughton]

[...]A cookbook I'm looking forward to getting soon is the Julie/Julia one, based on her blog.

How would the recipes in it be different from Julia Child's?

From what I understand the book is about the year she spent making every recipe in Julia Child's cookbook. It's a memoir of how she did...evidently not all the recipes turned out so well, which is half the fun.
There's a thread here on it, I believe. I never followed the blog, but heard about the book, and it sounded like something I'd enjoy reading. Reviews are good too.

[Bubbalicious]

The Food of Love by Anthony Capella
It's not a cook book but a fantastic novel about food... and love. The history of the ingredients and preparation are described just as exquisitely as the romance beween the characters. The storyline is a bit familiar but the care and attention that is taken by the author in describing Italian cuisine is breathtaking.

A friend of mine bought it in an airport to read on the flight over the Pacific and couldn't put it down. Finished it on the flight. Gave it to me and I fell in love. I passed it on and my friend started it in the bath and couldn't get out for hours for fear of putting it down. You must put this on your list and enjoy it when you receive it.

From the Publisher
In Anthony Capella's delicious debut novel, Laura, a twentysomething American, is on her first trip to Italy. She's completely enamored of the art, beauty, and, of course, food that Rome has to offer. Soon she's enamored of the handsome and charming Tommaso, who tells her he's a chef at the famed Templi restaurant and begins to woo her with his gastronomic creations. But Tommaso hasn't been entirely truthful-he's really just a waiter. The master chef behind the tantalizing meals is Tommaso's talented but shy friend Bruno, who loves Laura from afar. Thus begins a classic comedy of errors full of the culinary magic and the sensual atmosphere of Italy. The result is a romantic comedy in the tradition of Cyrano de Bergerac and Roxanne that tempts readers to devour it in one sitting.

BTW I'm a 'just a waiter' in a restaurant and have nothing to do with book publishing.

[Varmint]

I'm certainly biased due to my friendship with the author, but Bill Smith's Seasoned in the South: Recipes from Crook's Corner and from Home is not only a solid book of recipes, but more importantly, it's a great read. Bill Smith is the chef of Chapel Hill, NC's landmark restaurant, Crook's Corner. The recipes in the book make you feel as if Bill were standing beside you, instructing as you go along -- very folksy and filled with humorous and helpful anecdotes. But Smith also fills the book with great stories about the people in his life: his line cooks, the old lady who brings him figs and persimmons, his parents, and even Jimmy Carter (a lover of buttermilk, if you didn't know that!). If you get this book you'll certainly learn to cook a bunch of great dishes (the Green Tabasco Chicken is so simple, but damn, it's great), but you'll also think you made a new friend, a man who cares about food and people and the importance of breaking bread together. That's my kind of cookbook.

[Gifted Gourmet]

There's a thread here on it, I believe.

The Julie/Julia thread is here and it was a marvelous discussion ...

[Gifted Gourmet]

My nomination for 2005 cookbooks would be Simple Pleasures by New York chef Alfred Portale ... contains imaginative and upscale dishes that can be done by the home cook and are replete with Portale's knowledge of both techniques and flavors.

The author has managed to keep his ingredient lists short for simplicity, but he gives every recipe one or more ideas for building flavors ... one example which produces excellent results is fettuccine with preserved tuna capers and olives .. delicious! Buy the book for more ...

[johnjohn]

My nomination for 2005 cookbooks would be Simple Pleasures by New York chef Alfred Portale ...  contains imaginative and upscale dishes that can be done by the home cook and are replete with Portale's knowledge of both techniques and flavors.

The author has managed to keep his ingredient lists short for simplicity, but he gives every recipe one or more ideas for building flavors ... one example which produces excellent results is fettuccine with preserved tuna capers and olives .. delicious! Buy the book for more ...

There is a seafood pasta dish in this book that I made 3 times in a one month period. I think it is one of the best things I have ever made - very easy and so tasty.

[Moopheus]

I haven't had a chance to get more than a brief look at this, but I'm guessing that Damon Lee Fowler's New Southern Baking is going to be a keeper.

[Pweaver1984]

Gifted Gourmet, wasn't the book in question released in 2004? Might be getting muddled up, or that you've been using the book all this year?

[mikeycook]

I am a huge fan of L'Impero in NYC, so I am looking forward to Scott Conant's first book, New Italian Cooking, in just a few days (Tuesday). I put it on my Christmas list, but I am not sure I'll be able to wait.

[jgm]

Gifted Gourmet, wasn't the book in question released in 2004? Might be getting muddled up, or that you've been using the book all this year?

If it's the Portale book you're referring to, according to Amazon, it was released November 1, 2004. In my book, that qualifies as either 2004 or 2005.

While on Amazon, I noticed there's only one review of this book, giving it 2 stars out of 5. That's a much different opinion than the ones expressed on this thread. Perhaps the fans of this book could throw in their 2 cents worth on Amazon. I'm sure Mr. Portale would appreciate it, and it appears he deserves better reviews than that.

I do own the book, but I have not made any of the recipes in it. That gives me an idea for a New Year's resolution: I cannot buy a new cookbook until I've made at least one recipe out of the last one I bought!

[pam claughton]

My nomination for 2005 cookbooks would be Simple Pleasures by New York chef Alfred Portale ...  contains imaginative and upscale dishes that can be done by the home cook and are replete with Portale's knowledge of both techniques and flavors.

The author has managed to keep his ingredient lists short for simplicity, but he gives every recipe one or more ideas for building flavors ... one example which produces excellent results is fettuccine with preserved tuna capers and olives .. delicious! Buy the book for more ...

There is a seafood pasta dish in this book that I made 3 times in a one month period. I think it is one of the best things I have ever made - very easy and so tasty.

Which seafood pasta recipe was it?

[Gifted Gourmet]

Gifted Gourmet, wasn't the book in question released in 2004? Might be getting muddled up, or that you've been using the book all this year?

You are so right, Pweaver! It is from October of 2004 and I thought that it had been released a few months later .. in 2005 .. sorry! I still like the recipes and the thoughts behind them ...

now here is more on the book ...

a simple pleasure like Alfred's Penne with Sweet Sausage, Fontina, Sage and Dandelion Greens is more than a simple pleasure. This dish is delicious, looks great and is totally satisfying to taste buds and stomach alike. The Watermelon, Cherry Tomato, Red Onion and Cucumber Salad immediately caught my eyes: what a beautiful presentation and very tasty too. This salad isn't new to me though. I learned to make a similar salad but with Middle Eastern roots.

Here are two of the recipes from Goodcooking.com' s website: Caramelized Onion Soup with Gruyère and Sage and Pappardelle with Braised Lamb Shank and Fontina ...

While on Amazon, I noticed there's only one review of this book, giving it 2 stars out of 5. That's a much different opinion than the ones expressed on this thread. Perhaps the fans of this book could throw in their 2 cents worth on Amazon. I'm sure Mr. Portale would appreciate it, and it appears he deserves better reviews than that.

Anyone who would draw any sort of valid conclusions from only one review would have to be seriously intellectually challenged .. so I looked for more reviews and found several very positive, upbeat reviews on the book ...

here and

here

and then yet another recipe for Tagliatelle With Squid, Scallops and Shrimp !

[ludja]

So much good information already. It's great to hear people's favorites and to also hear of regional cookbooks that weren't on my radar screen, upcoming books and also books published in England or other countries.

While, it's true that with the books being so recent we may not have been able to cook alot from them yet, it's helpful to know the good candidates out there.

Personally, I will definately be checking out both Fowler's new book on Southern Baking and also Bill Smith's "Seasoned in the South" and am looking forward to browsing some of the others as well.

Edited by ludja, 21 October 2005 - 10:04 AM.

[ludja]

I don't have any of Batali's books, but after following Kevin72's yearlong Italian cooking blog , I plan on checking out Batali's new book: Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Recipes to Cook at Home.. He's had much praise for the book and has cooked many recipes out of it already.

(egullet-Amazon link)

[ASM NY]

Joan Roca of Can Roca restaurant in Spain (Catalunya region) has a new book (in English) on "Sous Vide" which sounds very interesting.  I'm not sure if it's out yet.

Actually it is out, both the English and Spanish versions.

[Christopher Haatuft]

Joan Roca of Can Roca restaurant in Spain (Catalunya region) has a new book (in English) on "Sous Vide" which sounds very interesting.  I'm not sure if it's out yet.

Actually it is out, both the English and Spanish versions.

and from what I can tell, its peeereeetty expensive...am I missing something here?
click click

[kitchenmage]

I'm going to dinner at the Herbfarm in mid-November and will be bringing home a copy of Traunfeld's new book. I'll also get a replacement for his previous one as I've given my first one to my daughter, destroyed the spine of the second one, and gave the free replacement from the publisher to the woman who bought my house and herb garden.

[ludja]

...
A new book from Penelope Casas (author of the great "Tapas" cookbook and many other good ones on the cuisine of Spain): "La Cocina de Mama: The Great Home Cooking of Spain"  I haven't made anything from this yet, but I'm eyeing many good almond dessert recipes.
...

I found a review on MSNBC on some new cooksbooks just released this fall here and it includes a favorable review of the Casas book with some details:

Casas, an expert in Spanish cuisine, presents a simple concept: great Iberian chefs passing along their mothers’ treasured recipes. The result is a nearly flawless compilation of Spanish home cooking that’s at once stripped of pretense and yet relentlessly innovative.

Even the simplest preparations translated into clear, focused flavors. The cazuela de boquerones Mediterraneos — a layered dish of white fish, tomatoes and bread crumbs — was savory without losing its subtle fish flavor. A greens and potato tart, sort of a baked tortilla Española without so much egg, was downright addictive, even if we were skeptical about the inclusion of romaine lettuce.  A Malaga-style white gazpacho was one of the best I’ve ever had, despite taking just 20 minutes to prepare (though several hours to develop flavors).

From reading the article, I also saw that Deborah Madison has a new cookbook: "Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen". I have some of her books from the days of Greens and also enjoyed browsing her last cookbook, “Local Flavors” which focuses on using seasonable produce from your local farmer's market but does not have exclusively vegetarian recipes.

Some other books are also reviewed with mixed accolades:

"Big Fat Cookies" by Elinor Klivans,
“Everyday Italian”, first book by Giada De Laurentiis
“The Gourmet Burger” by London chef Paul Gayler
"Retro Baking: 100 Classic Contest Winners Updated for Today" by Maureen Fischer

[ludja]

The Cook's Book by Jill Norman (Editor) sounds quite interesting. (egullet-amazon link)

This superlative volume is a culinary arts education in itself: what foodie wouldn't want to read Charlie Trotter's tips on preparing fish and shellfish, or Norman Van Aken's take on Latin American cooking? Instructions from world renowned chefs like Paris's Pierre Hermé and Japan's Hisayuki Takeuchi ring with authority, though female chefs are notably absent, save for Sydney's Christine Manfield. This book takes a two-tiered approach by expanding on the basics in chapters on sauces and dressings, flavorings, and poultry and game birds, and exploring specific cuisines in sections on India, Japan, the Middle East and other regions. The book may be best suited to professional chefs; amateurs might not be ready to tackle Ferran Adrià's Potato Foam: 21st Century Tortilla, or Shaun Hill's Roast Woodcock, in which the head is left on, "since the brains are a delicacy... eaten in much the same way as a lollipop."

There is a thread discussing the book here.

[rancho_gordo]

I've purchased a lot so far this year!

The Cook's Book
It's ok. It's too broad and wide. i think at this point I prefer narrow and deep. The Mexican section is fine but very short. The refried bean instructions (in the grains and legumes section) is criminally bad. It makes me wonder about the other stuff. The basics seems fine. I'm on the fence.

Silver Spoon
Mentioned elsewhere. Thin paper, dated "post-modern" design. I'd call it a regret but worth checking out depending on your interest/skill in Italian.

Everyday mexican
Rick Bayless' book is along the quick,healthy meal thing which is of course neausating but he doesn't compromise or at least when he does, he spells it out. I've made three things from the book and all have received raves. But the three things were in his other books in a slightly different form. Kind of looks like Everyday Food magazine.

[ludja]

...
Silver Spoon
Mentioned elsewhere. Thin paper, dated "post-modern" design. I'd call it a regret but worth checking out depending on your interest/skill in Italian.
...

Here's the egullet discussion thread on the cookbook: Silver Spoon

There is, however, one exception: Il Cucchiaio d'Argento, The Silver Spoon, a 55-year-old, hefty 1,264-page cookery book. It's been the most popular recipe book in Italy since 1950 and is the book every bride is given on her wedding day. Now into its eighth edition, it's about to be published in English for the first time

Thanks for mentioning the new Bayless book, I'll have to check it out and see if it is enough of an addition to his others that I already have.

[tan319]

Seems like a good idea to ask about it here, is there a Gabrielle Hamilton ( chef/ owner of Prune restaurant) cookbook coming out soon?
She has a very high profile at the moment, a Bourdain penned Chow magazine piece being the most recent.
Thanks in advance.