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A collection of food memories andstories about food and families, as well as, of course, recipes from Holocaust survivors from aoo over: Poland, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, and Greece.

What are your favorite cookbooks that have been released so far this year? I think 2011 has been a pretty descent year for new releases. Some ones that rise to the top of my 2011 list are: The Sriracha Cookbook, Randy Clemons Grilled Cheese, Please, Laura Werlin The Buster Holmes Restaurant Cookbook, Buster Holmes The Big Texas Steakhouse Cookbook, Helen Thompson and Janice Shay Plenty: Vibrant Recipes from London's Ottolenghi, Yotam Ottolenghi Those are some of the early winners for me. What about you? I'm going to write a post for the website. Any book suggestions?

I recently discovered two books by Chef Yotam Ottolenghi though an Amazon suggestion. A brief look at the books show some promise. I was wondering if anyone else on eGullet is familiar with his books or have dined at his restaurants. Plenty Ottolenghi

I have an idea for a cookbook, probably like many others but would like any information on how people have had theirs published. I am based in Ontario canada and would like any info from people who have dealt with publishers, what they require, who is the best etc.. Thank-you for your help

Now that the first printing of Modernist Cuisine is done, shipped and for the most part delivered into the purchaser's hands, I am curious where all the copies actually ended up going? While I am fairly certain Fat Guy would like to think MC and eGullet readers are one in the same, it likely would not be a stretch to believe the majority actually do read or participate in these threads. My curiousity about the first 6,000 copies of MC is as follows: How many of the 50 United States have readers with copies? In the 10 Canadian provinces and three territories how widely distributed are they? Do most buyers live in a metro area or a non-urban area? How many are working professionals, advanced amateurs or simply interested in food? What well-known chefs or restaurant owners bought a copy for themselves? How many copies of MC are ending up in Great Britain/Ireland? How many were bought by people on the European continent, even without the announced translated versions? How many will end up in Australia and Asia? What about Africa and the Middle East? Are there buyers in Mexico, Central America and South America?

[Moderator note: The original Cooking with "Modernist Cuisine" topic became too large for our servers to handle efficiently, so we've divided it up; the preceding part of this discussion is here: Cooking with "Modernist Cuisine" (Part 1)] Simple 72 hr at 145 f brisket sous vide using best bets for slightly flaky texture. Phenomenal.

[Moderator note: The original "Modernist Cuisine" by Myhrvold, Young & Bilet topic became too large for our servers to handle efficiently, so we've divided it up; the preceding part of this discussion is here: "Modernist Cuisine" by Myhrvold, Young & Bilet (Part 2)] Since I've received mine I've had little time until this weekend to actually read through it in depth. I've been starting with the history in volume 1, which I find fascinating as I love history. I even looked up some of the original recipe books it references and downloaded them to my kindle through gutenberg as it is a wonderful addition to the whole and its history. Second to that I started sifting tbrough the equipment. Then yesterday I drove three hours north to share the volumes with my family. I don't think their mouths ever closed after seeing them for the first time. We each grabbed a volume, from my 16 year olde nephew to my 70 year olde father and for five straight hours we were consumed and shared with eachother ideas and "finds". In my family cooking and meals are a big part of us "coming together"...this truly added to a family moment for us. Now I've got to find a weekend to bring my 16 year olde nephew down to Massachusetts to cook with me. He wants to get into spherification and I want to experiment with the fish paper. I have a crazy idea to use the paper for and can't wait to start experimenting. ...after that I think the mac and cheese, since everyone has been talking about that on here I can't wait to try it as it brings back fond childhood memories for me.

The eminent cookbook author Bernard Clayton Jr. passed away recently. From the NY Times' obituary, Clayton's Complete Book of Breads was probably one of the first "bread" books I owned. It's practically encyclopedic. As are his Complete Book of Pastry and Complete Book of Soups and Stews. Well, at least encyclopedic for their respective times. Maybe not the first books I turn to now for technique, but always good for an inspiration or two. Do you have any of his books on your shelves?

Cristina Ferrare's Big Bowl of Love with interviews in her home kitchen (lovely kitchen, and very practical) has been on every local news program this morning. I just watched the third I have seen today - this one on ABC Channel 7 - and the enthusiasm of the interviewer was catching. I just ordered the book, mostly because of the descriptions of some of the recipes on a segment on another station. I also have had her book "Family Entertaining" for many years. Amazon does not yet have the "Look inside" feature for this book but it is probably in the near future. I certainly enjoyed the few cooking segments I saw her present on Oprah, although I rarely watch the show, I did tune in for a few because I like Christina's attitude.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/food/sc-food-0325-tea-20110329,0,1717613.story this review and article appeared in March 31, 2011 Sun-Sentinel paper in Broward county, Florida

I'm getting rather taken with growing my own veg. Upped growing space this year. I eat out in maybe one 2 or 3 star place a year, and I'm always loathed to forgo my meat and fish to try the increasing number of vegetarian tasting menus. But I do like to try my hand at cooking that kind of thing. I have Essential Cuisine by Michel Bras. I've just ordered a second hand copy of Charlie Trotter's Vegetables book. Any other good sources of the kind of vegetable focused dish one might find in these kind of establishments? Thanks

What websites allow you to put personal cookbook collections online? I know about Eat Your Books and Gobbeldybook. Are there others? Favorites?

Dear all, Almost two years ago you all discussed the release of the first edition of Pastry In Europe. Time flies and we already released the third edition: Pastry In Europe 2011. I'm wondering who's already has a copy or ordered one and what you think about it? Somebody any comments on the 2010 or 2009 edition. Looking forward to hear your comments. Thanks a lot, Joost van Roosmalen Pastry In Europe

Im a big fan of America's test kitchen, and have most of their books (aside from the fact that they reprint many recipes through several books and dont tell you about that ) some time ago they had a "Meat" cookbook which I dont own but would like to look at, probably from the library. I can recall the exact name does this ring any bells? its not the grilling and BBQ book sometimes they are hard to track down: under Chris Kimball? America's test kitchen? Cooks illustrated? hopefully this will ring a bell here. thanks

It looks like MC is sold out. Some sellers say no more copies until July. Obviously, the demand has caught people by surprise for this $500 set of books. So, here's the (hypothetical) question. How high would you go to get a copy in your hands in the next few days? THIS IS A HYPOTHETICAL QUESTION people. I don't have any to sell. How crazy are the foodies here? And, not only do I want to know high high you'd go, but what you'd sacrifice to get one? Sell you car? Sell you iPhone? Sell your mother? Eat Ramen for a year?

I've made two recipes out of this book, the red beans and rice and BBQ shrimp (which aren't really BBQ'd). I would defined make both again. Sorry but no pictures Can't wait to try more..

My GF is lactose intolerant and drinks Lactaid brand milk and enjoys goat cheese. I don't care much for the Lactaid and was thinking about using goat milk to replace cow milk in some dishes. Coming up is a fish chowder dinner and I'd like to try goat milk in the chowder. How might goat milk work in such a dish? Any suggestions on cooking with, or substituting, goat milk? Thanks!

It's been a year and a half since we spent a week in San Sebastian wandering the streets and eating way too many pintxos and i'm looking for a good cook/recipe book on the classics and some of the more modern ones hitting the fancier bars. Most of these were simple things, like raw salmon on mayo on toast or anchovies on toast with roast red pepper, etc. I know this seems quite simple (and it is!) but still looking for a good guide to get started. Any suggestions? Amazon has a couple but the reviews and pictures don't give me a good sense of what is in them. thanks

Quay (http://www.quay.com.au/) is considered one of the best restaurants in Australia and in the world. This book is even better. The layout and photographs are impressive. All dishes are interesting and personal. The recipes are detailed and well written. The dessert section is on par with the rest (the "guava snow egg" is stunning). Better if I stop here with the superlatives. If you love the Alinea and the Noma books, then consider this a blind buy, it's on par with those 2 books. On amazon.co.uk it costs 20£, a total bargain. Teo

Martin Bosley is the chef of his eponymous restaurant in New Zealand: http://www.martin-bosley.com/ I've never been to New Zealand, so unfortunately I don't have first hand experience on his food, but I read great comments, so when I heard he published his new book based on restaurant recipes (he published another book a couple of years ago, but more for the homecook), I bought it. This is the press release, with some images of the pages: http://www.randomhouse.co.nz/data/media/documents/press%20releases/Nov_2010/Martin%20Bosley_Media%20Release.pdf The book is divided in 2 sections: the first one is for Brasserie Flipp (the place where he worked before the new restaurant), the second one is for the eponymous restaurant, for a total of about 300 pages. I still haven't tried any recipe, but till now I'm really satisfied. There are many interesting ideas, recipes are detailed and well written, and the photographs are high quality. Even "simple" dishes, that could sound trivial to someone, are well thought and inspiring: for example there are a ton of fish tartares, each one with creative pairings. They put a lot of efforts also about the dessert sections. And I like the attitude of chef Bosley: his photo is not polished, and he included the photos of each person of his staff. You can buy the book directly from the restaurant. It costs 90 NZ$ plus shipping (I spent 60 NZ$ for shipping to Italy). A bit expensive, but if you are interested in books of high end restaurants, this is a good add to your collection. Teo

I would be interested to buy some Peruvian cookbooks, like the series named Nuestros Grandes Chef published by El Comercio, or some books published by the University of San Martin de Porres. I wrote to both editors, but never received any answer. Is there any forum user living in Peru and willing to help me? Of course I would pay something for the help. Thanks in advance. Teo

Even with all the attention being lavished on Modernist Cuisine, I find it hard to believe no one has been cooking from Ideas in Food! The first preparation I made from it was red wine vinegar; before reading the book, I'd been reluctant to use cider vinegar as the starter (even though it's the easiest vinegar to find with a live mother), but they convinced me to stop being such a purist about it. I've been regularly feeding my red wine vinegar over the past few weeks, it's thriving, and I love the flavour. I've used it in everything from vinaigrette to Sauerbraten. Last night I made the macaroni and cheese recipe. The version in Modernist Cuisine calls for sodium citrate and carrageenan; the version in Ideas in Food just calls for evaporated milk, which already has disodium phosphate and carrageenan in it. I think this is a really elegant solution if you don't want to spring for the specialty chemicals. Better still, the recipe worked like a charm, and was fast and delicious. I'm looking forward to playing with different kinds of cheese, but I think it's safe to say I'll be keeping a can of evaporated milk handy at all times from now on. Edit: Society-friendly Amazon link.

[Moderator note: The original "Modernist Cuisine" by Myhrvold, Young & Bilet topic became too large for our servers to handle efficiently, so we've divided it up; the preceding part of this discussion is here: "Modernist Cuisine" by Myhrvold, Young & Bilet (Part 1)] I wouldn't pay much attention to the Amazon estimated shipping dates. It is unclear to me that they have any real basis. All of the books in the first printing will ship from China to in the US, Canada or Europe in the next 3 weeks, and a few thousand are currently somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. So far about 2/3 of the first printing has been pre-ordered. So everybody currently on order ought to get books from these shipments. A second printing is being ordered. You'd think that traveling thousands of miles by boat would be the majority of their journey. But that isn't really the case. So far they have had several snafus in getting the books out. Some distributors shipped books to the wrong distribution center. Some decided to ship books by train from Seattle to various places in the middle of the country. Some shipped to one distribution center, then decided that the books were too heavy for the equipment at that center, so they proceeded to ship them by truck to another distribution center. One distributor seems to have lost track of 150 books - hopefully this is just a computer error. It is frustrating, and I am trying to get it all fixed for future shipments. As as result, the first batch of books has been in the US since early February but took another 3 weeks or so to reach customers. I'm sorry about that, but there is not much I can do. In principle the remainder of the books ought to reach customers in March, but I suspect that it will take until some point in April due to various silly delays in the book distribution system.

A few years ago, for the most part, I stopped buying tomatoes "out of season." In other words, I quit buying tomatoes if they weren't grown locally during Mother Nature's natural growth cycle. While I am sure that the Producer's and Marketing Teams will tell us that tomatoes harvested in January are at the "peak of their flavor," is a tomato picked weeks in advance in preparation for a 3,000 mile journey really compare to the flavor of a local tomato in season? Sure, I tried the "tomatoes on the vine," the "salad" tomatoes, the "hydroponic" tomatoes and the "organic" tomatoes and while some of them had passable flavor, they never compared to the local tomatoes I buy in August. (I may buy a Roma tomato or two in December to slice and add to salad, but that's it). Right now we still have the remnants of last week's snow and a new dusting is expected tonight. Fresh, local tomatoes won't show up in our markets for at least 4 months around the end of June and the crop will last through mid-September. I gladly cook with quality canned tomatoes during the dormant months. (Just last week I made a delicious braised veal dish with canned San Marzano tomatoes). It begs the question; have you ever found a tomato "out of season" that compares to a fresh, local tomato "in season?"

Folks, we appear to be approaching a momentous date in publishing history. Of cookbooks. At least that's what I've heard. Yes, the greatest cookbook series ever is going to be in a bunch of food crazy people's hands very shortly. Actually, it appears to be in some people's hands already . Now, trust me, I'm as crazy as the rest of 'em...and anxiously awaiting my copy from Amazon (and don't tell my wife, please). But, and here's the big but, there have been some cookbook series released in the past that I think are pretty damn good. Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volumes 1 & 2 were no slouches, and were pretty groundbreaking, if I recall correctly. Jacques Pepin's The Art of Cooking Volumes 1 & 2 have a place on my shelf. As does Time Life's 23-volume Foods of the World set. However, for my money, the greatest cookbook series ever published (up until next month, that is) is still Time Life's The Good Cook series. A 28-volume series whose chief consultant was the great Richard Olney, the scope and breadth of the work is simply amazing, in my opinion. Great photos, great writing and great educational technique are all there. Now, that's just my opinion, and I'm wondering what everyone else thinks about this.