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Cookbooks 2014


teonzo

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To my embarrassment I have admit that I purchased the ebook, but haven't even downloaded it. Will do so tonight!

Oh my goodness. Do download it and let us know what you think.

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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Oh my goodness. Do download it and let us know what you think.

I downloaded it as ordered to do :)

The first chapter I read in detail, the rest I just glanced through, so my impressions are mainly based on that first part, though the rest of the book appeared to uphold the same standards.

As with all McLagan's books, it is both very well researched and written with many facts, anecdotes and personal experiences interspersing the recipes. The photography is great, it manages to make raw produce look appetizing — which asks much more craftsmanship than making plated dishes look good.

The first chapter is about bitter greens, and provides a number of different recipes for endives, chicory, dandelions and radicchio (it is the right time of the year for a number of those,and i actually still have some chicory in my garden!). Some of the recipes are the old and trusted familiars (Belgian endives with ham), some are new but sound doable, even for a family with kids (chicory with anchovy dressing) whereas others seem outright adventurous (a chicory & blood orange combination). For the crew here, the difficulty level should not be an issue at all, and a multitude of recipes lend themselves for elaboration.

Yesterday we made as a variant on a one of the recipes chicory with a warm gorgonzola sauce, which the adults liked and the facial expression of the kids were more or less kept in check while eating (at times to be considered a major success!).

The only peeve I have with Bitter is that it appears to be rather US/American centered (surprisingly, as written by an Aussie living in Canada!). Some of the 'hard to find', 'uncommon' and 'new on the market here' produce was prepared way back then by my mom, who is far from an adventurous cook.

That being said, the second chapter starts of with a number of beer based recipes and I am very much looking forward to having a very close look at them tonight. All in all I can heartily recommend Bitter by McLagan, especially at the rather modest price piont.

Edited by fvandrog (log)
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Now that that's out of the way — did anybody have a look at "Plenty More" by Ottolenghi?

 

Not much of a look but I looked at a copy yesterday.  Made me wonder what's different from all his other books.  Same soft cover and lots of pretty pictures.

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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I downloaded it as ordered to do :)The first chapter I read in detail, the rest I just glanced through, so my impressions are mainly based on that first part, though the rest of the book appeared to uphold the same standards.As with all McLagan's books, it is both very well researched and written with many facts, anecdotes and personal experiences interspersing the recipes. The photography is great, it manages to make raw produce look appetizing — which asks much more craftsmanship than making plated dishes look good.The first chapter is about bitter greens, and provides a number of different recipes for endives, chicory, dandelions and radicchio (it is the right time of the year for a number of those,and i actually still have some chicory in my garden!). Some of the recipes are the old and trusted familiars (Belgian endives with ham), some are new but sound doable, even for a family with kids (chicory with anchovy dressing) whereas others seem outright adventurous (a chicory & blood orange combination). For the crew here, the difficulty level should not be an issue at all, and a multitude of recipes lend themselves for elaboration.Yesterday we made as a variant on a one of the recipes chicory with a warm gorgonzola sauce, which the adults liked and the facial expression of the kids were more or less kept in check while eating (at times to be considered a major success!).The only peeve I have with Bitter is that it appears to be rather US/American centered (surprisingly, as written by an Aussie living in Canada!). Some of the 'hard to find', 'uncommon' and 'new on the market here' produce was prepared way back then by my mom, who is far from an adventurous cook.That being said, the second chapter starts of with a number of beer based recipes and I am very much looking forward to having a very close look at them tonight. All in all I can heartily recommend Bitter by McLagan, especially at the rather modest price piont.

You are a good sport. Thanks so much for this in-depth look at the first chapter. I hope the other chapters live up to this promise. Thank you.

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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  • 2 months later...

Cal Peternell's Twelve Recipes (2014).  I would be ashamed to know my kids bought bread (though they probably do).  An interesting read but antithetical to my culinary principles.  Kind of a joke as far as I'm concerned.

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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