Show us your latest cookbook acquisitions!

[liamsaunt]

Here are two I got this week.  I usually go through and put little flags on the recipes I am interested in trying.  I have not had time to look at more than a few pages of the Vietnamese one yet.  I am making a pasta dish from the Half Baked Harvest one for dinner this evening.

 

[blue_dolphin]

My most recent purchases:

The end books are both new releases.  The Magic of Tinned Fish came out last year and Summer Kitchens is from 2020.

Author Kathy Barrow did a Zoom bagel demo (link available here on NowServingLA's event recordings page) and I liked that her recipes make 6 bagels, which seems fairly approachable, and I liked her process of mixing and shaping the dough in the evening followed by an overnight rise in the fridge then boiling and baking in the AM.  

I've enjoyed Eric Kim's writing in various places so I decided to spring for his book.  

[hotsaucerman]

On 4/1/2022 at 3:57 PM, blue_dolphin said:

My most recent purchases:

The end books are both new releases.  The Magic of Tinned Fish came out last year and Summer Kitchens is from 2020.

Author Kathy Barrow did a Zoom bagel demo (link available here on NowServingLA's event recordings page) and I liked that her recipes make 6 bagels, which seems fairly approachable, and I liked her process of mixing and shaping the dough in the evening followed by an overnight rise in the fridge then boiling and baking in the AM.  

I've enjoyed Eric Kim's writing in various places so I decided to spring for his book.  

please report back on both the bagels & schmears and korean american books if possible!

[oferl]

For the chef books collectors, if someone interested, Amazon IT is listing lately interstingly priced used copies of master chef Eckart Witzigman's insanly, truly insanly heavy two parts life long summerizing book, 

mine got in actually new condiiton, maybe returned items when people realized the storage area needed for it.. 
Anyways, in German, did not open it yet, might take several years to review.. For the price and especially shipping, i'm most thankful for the transport services that handled it, i salut you guys..   

 

Edited April 7, 2022 by oferl (log)

[AAQuesada]

Another New to me book - this one a previously owned Michel Richard book bought at Now Serving in LA when I went to get my Pie book signed by Chef Calum 

 

(not sure why certain pictures change orientation when posted??) 

[AAQuesada]

3 hours ago, oferl said:

For the chef books collectors, if someone interested, Amazon IT is listing lately interstingly priced used copies

German is beyond my ken but but I'm definitely interested in any great deals on French or Spanish language books! That looks fantastic 😻

[oferl]

51 minutes ago, AAQuesada said:

German is beyond my ken but but I'm definitely interested in any great deals on French or Spanish language books! That looks fantastic 😻

Actually just checked it now and it's for sure not a "must" book, one part 100% history and vision, other part cooking of several younger chefs that probably trained under him or recreate his classics(?), didn't get it yet.. In the German category i totally love till now Flora that i mentioned, by Nils Henkel, very intelligent cooking and combinations, vegetarian.. Just need more time to make better use and develop inspiration from it etc.. 

Edited April 7, 2022 by oferl (log)

[Vapre]

On 4/4/2022 at 3:56 PM, hotsaucerman said:

please report back on both the bagels & schmears

I’ve spent a couple days with it, she’s a very engaging author and the recipes are very practical for a home cook - bagel recipe is for 6 bagels which fit on a quarter sheet which fits in the fridge, for example. There are recipes for bagels, cream cheese, lox, etc.

[weinoo]

Our laundry room downstairs is also (occasionally) a de facto book exchange; that is, people will drop off books they no longer want, and they're free for the taking.

 

And every once in a while, many books will appear; people emptying out an estate apartment or just cleaning up clutter. So last weekend when I went down to do laundry, there were a hundred or more books, which must have been put there the night before. And there were cook books, wine books, food books, etc. etc.

 

I took a few, including...

 

 

Brought them upstairs, and then found this...

 

 

Signed by both authors!

 

[AAQuesada]

Score!  For me Saveur had the best recipes of any of the food mags and well written long articles. Have you been to Le Cirque?! that's awesome to find a signed copy, wow.

[Paul Bacino]

Salsa Book 

 

[blue_dolphin]

On 4/4/2022 at 12:56 PM, hotsaucerman said:

please report back on both the bagels & schmears and korean american books if possible!

I wanted to cook more from these books before responding but I've done a little so I might as well share my thoughts thus far. 

 

Bagels, Schmears and a Nice Piece of Fish - As @Vapre says, Cathy Barrow is an engaging a writer.  The book is full of family memories, stories and photos which I didn't expect but make it a fun read. 

I've made 2 batches of bagels and have been quite pleased with the results.  The rest of the book would be pretty useful for pulling together a bagel platter or buffet spread even if you decide to buy the bagels instead of making your own.

I reviewed about a dozen bagel recipes from other cookbooks and I believe this one does a good job at distilling the bagel recipe down to the basics, retaining the important use of barley malt and an overnight, refrigerated rise, both of which are key to good flavor.  Most of the other recipes include additional steps (use of sponges or preferments, bulk rises, manual kneading, additional RT rises, Stella Parks uses a tangzhong and mixes her dough in a food processor, Vetri uses bagel boards, etc.) which may or may not add value but this is a solid start and her clear timing schedule makes it easy to have bagels ready when you want.

The first section of the book breaks down the ingredients and process and is followed by recipes for basic New York bagels and several variations, including bagel dogs and a bialy recipe.  It's well worth referring back to that first section the first few times through. The book also includes her tips for freezing - within 4 hrs and reheating plus recipes for bagel chips bagel croutons should any happen to go stale.

The schmears section starts with recipes for making your own cultured cream cheese or making a "master schmear" by adding a little sour cream or creme fraiche and lemon juice to commercial cream cheese and is followed by a number of savory and sweet schmears that range from standard to fairly unique.  I've made the scallion cheese and lox cheese and I'll be trying the one with salt preserved lemon, the hot honey & marcona almond and the dried apricot, coconut and thyme versions. 

The third section has recipes for making home cured or smoked fish and a range of salads/spreads, pickles. That's followed by a sandwich section and a couple of salads that use bagels. 

 

Korean American - There's quite a generous excerpt from the book, including several recipes, available via Amazon's "Look Inside" feature which give a good sense of the book so I won't say too much here. I bought this one because I enjoy Eric Kim's writing so I knew I'd enjoy reading it and that has certainly been the case.  Eric worked on the book with his mom after moving back home to Atlanta during the pandemic. Lots of sweet family and personal stories that revolve around food and plenty of "Korean mom" tips tucked here and there in the recipes. 

The 9 recipes I've cooked from the book make me think of what my Korean friend's kids would eat on their own- that's because I started with simple toasts and easy breakfast dishes, as I usually do when dipping into a new book.  This link should take you to my posts. There are lots of more sophisticated recipes in the book and I look forward to cooking more of them. 

I wouldn't recommend this to someone whose focus is solely on the recipes and gets annoyed by extraneous writing in cookbooks.  The recipes here are well written, interesting, beautifully photographed and as personal as the stories but the writing is the star, for me.

 

Edited April 16, 2022 by blue_dolphin
to add link (log)

[hotsaucerman]

On 4/16/2022 at 9:01 AM, blue_dolphin said:

I wanted to cook more from these books before responding but I've done a little so I might as well share my thoughts thus far. 

 

Bagels, Schmears and a Nice Piece of Fish - As @Vapre says, Cathy Barrow is an engaging a writer.  The book is full of family memories, stories and photos which I didn't expect but make it a fun read. 

I've made 2 batches of bagels and have been quite pleased with the results.  The rest of the book would be pretty useful for pulling together a bagel platter or buffet spread even if you decide to buy the bagels instead of making your own.

I reviewed about a dozen bagel recipes from other cookbooks and I believe this one does a good job at distilling the bagel recipe down to the basics, retaining the important use of barley malt and an overnight, refrigerated rise, both of which are key to good flavor.  Most of the other recipes include additional steps (use of sponges or preferments, bulk rises, manual kneading, additional RT rises, Stella Parks uses a tangzhong and mixes her dough in a food processor, Vetri uses bagel boards, etc.) which may or may not add value but this is a solid start and her clear timing schedule makes it easy to have bagels ready when you want.

The first section of the book breaks down the ingredients and process and is followed by recipes for basic New York bagels and several variations, including bagel dogs and a bialy recipe.  It's well worth referring back to that first section the first few times through. The book also includes her tips for freezing - within 4 hrs and reheating plus recipes for bagel chips bagel croutons should any happen to go stale.

The schmears section starts with recipes for making your own cultured cream cheese or making a "master schmear" by adding a little sour cream or creme fraiche and lemon juice to commercial cream cheese and is followed by a number of savory and sweet schmears that range from standard to fairly unique.  I've made the scallion cheese and lox cheese and I'll be trying the one with salt preserved lemon, the hot honey & marcona almond and the dried apricot, coconut and thyme versions. 

The third section has recipes for making home cured or smoked fish and a range of salads/spreads, pickles. That's followed by a sandwich section and a couple of salads that use bagels. 

 

Korean American - There's quite a generous excerpt from the book, including several recipes, available via Amazon's "Look Inside" feature which give a good sense of the book so I won't say too much here. I bought this one because I enjoy Eric Kim's writing so I knew I'd enjoy reading it and that has certainly been the case.  Eric worked on the book with his mom after moving back home to Atlanta during the pandemic. Lots of sweet family and personal stories that revolve around food and plenty of "Korean mom" tips tucked here and there in the recipes. 

The 9 recipes I've cooked from the book make me think of what my Korean friend's kids would eat on their own- that's because I started with simple toasts and easy breakfast dishes, as I usually do when dipping into a new book.  This link should take you to my posts. There are lots of more sophisticated recipes in the book and I look forward to cooking more of them. 

I wouldn't recommend this to someone whose focus is solely on the recipes and gets annoyed by extraneous writing in cookbooks.  The recipes here are well written, interesting, beautifully photographed and as personal as the stories but the writing is the star, for me.

 

thanks so much for this! very informative

[hsm]

I also bought Cathy's book, blue dolphin! My timing was unfortunate, as it was right before Passover, so I'll have to wait a bit to make those bagels. I see several spreads and salads I look forward to enjoying.

 

I may try her lox spread--my usual is to put cream cheese, supermarket lox, a little salt and pepper, lemon and granulated garlic in my food processor and it reminds me of the one sold at the (non-chain) bagel shop. 

[MaryIsobel]

My daughter took me out for an early Mother's Day celebration as she will be working on Sunday. She bought me this gorgeous preserves cookbook. It is written by the owner of a local winery/cidery/orchard/farm. Lots of unusual recipes for preserves. I'm very much looking forward to having a good look through it and marking some recipes to try.

Edited May 6, 2022 by MaryIsobel (log)

[AAQuesada]

I love that Amazon is now sending me cookbook recommendations in French! I may have a problem 👀😂🤣🤦

 

 

[Anna N]

On 4/16/2022 at 12:01 PM, blue_dolphin said:

I wouldn't recommend this to someone whose focus is solely on the recipes and gets annoyed by extraneous writing in cookbooks.  The recipes here are well written, interesting, beautifully photographed and as personal as the stories but the writing is the star, for me.

Thanks for this recommendation. It’s a perfect book for me. I’m not likely to do much cooking from it but I’m a fan of Korean flavours. His openness about the evolution of food from Korean to Korean American is refreshing. 

[heidih]

52 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Thanks for this recommendation. It’s a perfect book for me. I’m not likely to do much cooking from it but I’m a fan of Korean flavours. His openness about the evolution of food from Korean to Korean American is refreshing. 

And if you enjoy tht one and storytelling you might like Roy Choi's L.A. Son. From Amzon blurb Abounding with both the food and the stories that gave rise to Choi's inspired cooking, L.A. Son takes us through the neighborhoods and streets most tourists never see, from the hidden casinos where gamblers slurp fragrant bowls of pho to Downtown's Jewelry District, where a ten-year-old Choi wolfed down Jewish deli classics between diamond deliveries; from the kitchen of his parents' Korean restaurant and his mother's pungent kimchi to the boulevards of East L.A. and the best taquerias in the country, to, at last, the curbside view from one of his emblematic Kogi taco trucks, where people from all walks of life line up for a revolutionary meal.:

[hotsaucerman]

i'm not sure this is the right spot to ask this (in which case, admins feel free to delete or move) but does anyone have david sterling's yucatan cookbook, and if so, how do you like it?

[Kerala]

I will try to cook at least 5 from this. I think the author used to be a regular here.

[Smithy]

12 minutes ago, Kerala said:

I will try to cook at least 5 from this. I think the author used to be a regular here.

 

I have that book, and have yet to actually cook from it. If you do, please post about it. Maybe it will get me going!

[AAQuesada]

Most of my new cookbooks since posting in this thread!

[Okanagancook]

On 5/18/2022 at 3:18 PM, Smithy said:

 

I have that book, and have yet to actually cook from it. If you do, please post about it. Maybe it will get me going!

I just saw this.  There is a whole extensive thread on this cook…just do a search for the title…sorry don’t know how to give you a link.

[Smithy]

3 minutes ago, Okanagancook said:

I just saw this.  There is a whole extensive thread on this cook…just do a search for the title…sorry don’t know how to give you a link.

 

Thanks! I just found it, over in the India: Cooking forum. Cooking with Camellia Panjabi's "50 Great Curries from India" is the link, in case anyone else is interested.

[Duvel]

Damn enablers …