Show us your latest cookbook acquisitions!

[TdeV]

On 4/7/2022 at 9:52 AM, AAQuesada said:

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??) 

 

Sorry to be so late replying.

 

Could you possibly say more about the Apple Pie Duck?

[ElsieD]

 

 

@DuvelPeople on this forum are notorious enablers.  It's one of the reasons I have so many " toys".

[AAQuesada]

31 minutes ago, TdeV said:

Sorry to be so late replying.

 

Could you possibly say more about the Apple Pie Duck?

I't is basically a roast duck with apple sauce to over simplify. I haven't made it and on first blush I thought 'that sounds weird' but as I looked closer the combination sounds lovely. He rubs the duck with a salt, sugar, cinnamon cure  to marry the flavors of the sauce. Looks great for fall / winter I can post a picture of the whole thing if you'd like. With that picture I was mostly trying to give a flavor of his creativity 

[TdeV]

Thanks, AAQ. I've found a copy on Thriftbooks for $4 (which is now on its way to me). ElsieD and Duvel are so correct -- enablers all!

 

 

Edited October 13, 2022 by TdeV
Adding up more enablers! (log)

[AAQuesada]

I'll be curious what your thoughts are when you receive it! Some recipes are definitely dated but there are a remarkable amount that sparkle with creativity still or are at least worth tweaking to modernize. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

On 10/13/2022 at 3:29 PM, Duvel said:

Damn enablers …

 

 

I'm reading my way through Beyond the Great Wall, thanks to inter library loan.  Interesting read but the library decided not to buy a copy and I doubt I will either for myself.  For one thing it is heavy!

 

But the book brings back pleasant memories of the blog @chefmd shared with us when her son and daughter in law were married.

 

[Anna N]

On 11/6/2022 at 8:46 PM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Unable to believe that anyone could look quite like this I had to do a little investigating and found this:

 

Who knew they were publishing cookbooks with photographs back then?

[Anna N]

Over here @Smithyasked me to comment on Kathryne Taylor’s Love Real Food. It is not a new acquisition, but since I did not want to take the thread off topic I decided instead to post here. 
I am not at all sure why I have this book. Perhaps it was one of those irresistible Kindle bargains at $.99. That is quite unfair to the book because I am sure that it is very competently written and has an audience that leans into it, but that audience is not me.

 

To begin with it is a bit too preachy. And extraordinary amounts of ink are spent on introductory matter. Right off the bat I am losing interest.
 

 I can get past one or two recipes that call for kale and/or quinoa but this could be sponsored by a consortium of kale and quinoa growers. Add to kale and quinoa, beans and lentils and I know this book was a mistake for me. 

 

Then there is the breakfast chapter. Out of 24 recipes only 8 are what I consider savoury and of those 2 contain kale! 
 

The Burst Cherry Tomato, Basil, and Goat Cheese Scrambled Egg Toasts and the Spicy Breakfast Fajitas with Fried Eggs and Guacamole sound good provided we drop that guac.

 

As you might guess the salad chapter relies very heavily on kale, and if that’s not bad enough throws in a whole bunch of grains, including quinoa. I personally have never met a salad that was improved by the inclusion, of either of these things. . On the plus side the four salad dressings look interesting. I don’t do popcorn or guac or hummus so bypass those.  

 

Just when I think I might be rescued by the soup chapter, the dreaded chickpea shows up along with the kale and all kinds of beans.  And who the hell puts beans in tomato soup?  The Roasted Cauliflower Soup appears to have escaped any of these unfortunate additions.  
 

In the happy hour chapter, the Fresh Sesame Soba Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce pass muster although a shrimp or two would not go amiss. (Must remember this is vegetarian fare!) Not much wrong with the salsa recipes or even the Pineapple Pico de Gallo. The Roasted Strawberry, Basil, and Goat Cheese Crostini looks interesting. I don’t do popcorn, guac, or hummus.

 

The cocktails in this chapter are not too far off the beaten track. After all nothing seems off the beaten track if you have seen @Shelby’s dill pickle vodka. 
 

The let’s feast  chapter relies so heavily on kale, quinoa, chickpeas, and eggplant I would , quickly starve to death if I were relying on it for a meal. The.Heirloom Tomato Pesto Pizza doesn’t sound too bad but it’s quickly followed by the Crispy Kale Pizza with Marinara Sauce. Eeew. 
 

Not much in the Sweets chapter poses a problem. Not a trace of kale or quinoa or eggplant. In fact, these sound rather good: Bourbon Maple Candied Pecans. But you can easily get tripped up. This sounds innocent enough: German Chocolate Cake until you discover that iit has a medjool date and pecan frosting. 
 

The last recipe chapter, Extras, contains mostly fairly standard stuff except of course, for the use of cashews to replace dairy in some sauces. 
 

So there you have it. Nothing whatsoever wrong with the book. It is just in the wrong hands. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

[Smithy]

26 minutes ago, Anna N said:

On the plus side the four salad dressings look interesting. I don’t do popcorn or guac or hummus so bypass those.  

 

This combination of sentences really takes me aback. I'm guessing that the items in question are unrelated, and that there isn't actually a popcorn salad or popcorn salad dressing. If I'm wrong, please illuminate me on that combination!

 

This paragraph made me laugh (regarding what isn't in the Sweets section), then scratch my head:

 

27 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Not much in the Sweets chapter poses a problem. Not a trace of kale or quinoa or eggplant. In fact, these sound rather good: Bourbon Maple Candied Pecans. But you can easily get tripped up. This sounds innocent enough: German Chocolate Cake until you discover that iit has a medjool date and pecan frosting. 

 

German chocolate cake, check. Medjool dates and pecans, check. Those items combined? Nah, I don't think so.

 

So while I personally like chickpeas and eggplant (together or separately) I don't think this would be a book for me either. Many thanks for the review and the giggles!

[Anna N]

@Smithy

To be honest, it was a bit of a challenge. I knew I was not being fair to the book for a start.  
 

I see where the sentence is a bit dicey. I did my very best to proofread. I was afraid that I would lose everything at some point and I had put a lot of work into it.
 

There was a recipe for Olive Oil and Black Pepper Popcorn, one for Best-Ever Guacamole with Toasted Pepitas and Chipotle Sauce and one for-Green Goddess Hummus following the salsas. 
 

I hope there is someone who loves the book and is prepared to defend it!  

[Smithy]

@Anna N, I appreciate your efforts, and realize that my "huh" emoji might not be an adequate response. Thanks for your thoughtful efforts at describing the book. Although I do not share your dislike of chickpeas, hummus, eggplant or guacamole, I am (like you) baffled by some of the flavor combinations you describe. Maybe if someone else comes along to defend the book I'll gain a different point of view. 

[blue_dolphin]

Thanks for taking time to pull together an amusing and entertaining review, @Anna N.  Even though it seems rather ill-suited to your preferences, you kept your sense of humor and gave us a good sense of the book!

[ElsieD]

I got this book for Christmas and as is not what I expected,  I am taking this back to Indigo tomorrow and am exchanging it for???????

I dunno.

 

I made a brown pork stew the other day that just about blew us away, it was that good.  This makes me think I might like a Caribbean cookbook.  Any suggestions?  Or maybe another small batch baking book?  Ot Yossy Arefi's Snacking Cakes perhaps?  !s there a book for small batch yeast breads? 

 

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Edited January 4, 2023 by ElsieD (log)

[lindag]

Recipe fir the stew?

[Darienne]

Don't Worry, Just Cook: Delicious, Timeless Recipes For Comfort Bonnie Stern and Anna Rupert.   If I were going to buy a cookbook, I might well buy this one.  

[JoNorvelleWalker]

18 minutes ago, Darienne said:

Don't Worry, Just Cook: Delicious, Timeless Recipes For Comfort Bonnie Stern and Anna Rupert.   If I were going to buy a cookbook, I might well buy this one.  

 

I wasn't that taken with it.  I did not see anything that I would actually cook.  Though there were a number of dishes I might enjoy if someone served them to me.

 

[ElsieD]

1 hour ago, lindag said:

Recipe fir the stew?

Check your PM

[Paul Bacino]

Lorena Garcia's New Taco Classics

[Smithy]

2 bucks at the library book sale. How could I pass it up?

 

 

 

I like cookbooks from good newspapers. This one has the added cachet of promising Callifornia treats, and although I moved away from the state decades ago I still fall for the mystique. The jacket says the recipes come from restaurants, contests, and skilled home chefs, and have all been tested in the LATimes' test kitchen. The book was published in 1981 and updated 1990. 

 

Some recipes I'm very unlikely to try but there are already several that look appealing: a Tunisian tuna salad with eggplant (I know some of you will shudder at that); a chef's salad with creamy mustard dressing that incorporates bacon drippings; Steak Picado (attributed to Sal Ramos, who cooked it for food workers at the wholesale produce market in Los Angeles). Broccoli Chantilly.

 

No, I don't need any more cookbooks! But for two bucks, how could I go wrong?

 

 

Edited to add: it has several persimmon recipes. Boy, I could have used it back when we had access to overgown and neglected persimmon trees!

 

Edited January 7, 2023 by Smithy
Added persimmon recipe comment; corrected misspelled word (log)

[blue_dolphin]

6 minutes ago, Smithy said:

No, I don't need any more cookbooks! But for two bucks, how could I go wrong?

You have not gone wrong. I've had that one since it came out. Some recipes are surely dated now but still lots of old LAT food section favorites. 

[heidih]

Yes that was a greaat food section in its heyday. Including our @russ parsons and so many like the late J Gold (Counter Intelligence) and some great focus on local home cooks. My favorite issue which is tucked away somewhere includes the female cook at Cirque de Soleil. Super interesting. Love those bargain finds. Enjoy. 

[Anna N]

 

A Kindle version of this. It has a forward by Steve Sando (Rancho Gordo). I am never going to attempt a cassoulet nor even hope for an invitation to share one. But while searching for something else, I accidentally ran across this book and could not resist. 

[Katie Meadow]

6 hours ago, Anna N said:

 

A Kindle version of this. It has a forward by Steve Sando (Rancho Gordo). I am never going to attempt a cassoulet nor even hope for an invitation to share one. But while searching for something else, I accidentally ran across this book and could not resist. 

I don't see me making one either, not in the rest of this life time, and I like beans! Actually I did make cassoulet once, a zillion years ago. The duck confit alone was exhausting. 

[Anna N]

7 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

I don't see me making one either, not in the rest of this life time, and I like beans! Actually I did make cassoulet once, a zillion years ago. The duck confit alone was exhausting. 

According to the author, speaking from her temporary home in the Southwest of France, you can either make everything from scratch or traipse from supplier to supplier and collect everything from the vessel you need to cook it in all the way through to the plates to serve it on.  If you choose the already prepared method, then the most strenuous thing seems to be soaking the beans and sticking  cloves into an onion. Or you can simply pop in to almost any restaurant and do take-out by putting a small deposit on the cassole. 
(The book was published in 2015 but the author is writing about the way things were in the late 80s!)