Show us your latest cookbook acquisitions!

[C. sapidus]

That book does sound interesting.

 

Re sourcing ingredients, I appreciate when cookbook authors list the proper ingredients as well as reasonable substitutes. Bonus points if they describe how much of a compromise the substitute ingredients represent.

[SLB]

@weinoo, I look forward to comparing notes.

[Katie Meadow]

Just found a used copy, very cheap, of Steven Satterfield's Root to Leaf. His restaurant, Miller Union, is a favorite of mine in Atlanta. I haven't been there in several years; too long a trip from Decatur and probably not the best place for toddler twins, although I'm sure they would be very accommodating. It's a splurge meal. The book is, as you might guess, vegetable forward. It is arranged by vegetable and season .Plenty of the recipes are vegetarian, but not all.  I know, seasonal arrangement can be a little annoying. The recipes look great and mostly simple. The typeface, unfortunately, is much like the one in "Snacking Cakes." Thin sans serif, small and not black enough. Yes, that seems to be a problem for me, but not just for me. Designers: get real. It's a cookbook!  

[Alex]

1 hour ago, Katie Meadow said:

Designers: get real. It's a cookbook!  

 

No kidding. Just yesterday I picked up a copy of David Chang and Priya Krishna's Cooking at Home (from the library), and a startling number of pages have white type (albeit large) on a mustard-yellow background. Grrrr.

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

Ever-Green Vietnamese Tips: Baked Bao Filling & Shaping - YouTube

 

Andrea Nguyen has posted some You Tube material in connection with her new cookbook 'Ever Green Vietnamese'.

I posted this one as it's a recipe I've made many times from 'Asian Dumplings'.

It's nice to see someone not yelling and waving their arms about and making silly tasting faces.

 

[heidih]

Agreed - nice video. She is a good teacher. I will give the book a look.

[Anna N]

Not exactly my acquisition but @Kerry Bealfound herself in a discount bookstore today and picked up a copy of Lateral Cooking by Niki Segnit. She is of the opinion this might be the second copy that she has acquired!
 

I did a quick search here and this book does not seem to have attracted anyone's attention. And yet it sounds as if it has a philosophy similar to Grist, Ruffage and the two "Everlasting" meal books. Anyone own this? Opinions?

[Shelby]

 

 

I've pre-ordered:

 

Tin to Table: Fancy, Snacky Recipes for Tin-thusiasts and A-fish-ionados by Anna Hezel 

 

It's supposed to be here April 25th.  I really don't know what came over me except I've been reading the tinned fish subject here.  Now I'm going to have to spend more money and stock up on tinned fish.

Edited April 20 by Shelby (log)

[blue_dolphin]

48 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Not exactly my acquisition but @Kerry Bealfound herself in a discount bookstore today and picked up a copy of Lateral Cooking by Niki Segnit. She is of the opinion this might be the second copy that she has acquired!
 

I did a quick search here and this book does not seem to have attracted anyone's attention. And yet it sounds as if it has a philosophy similar to Grist, Ruffage and the two "Everlasting" meal books. Anyone own this? Opinions?

 

I borrowed it from the library.  I remember that I enjoyed the author's writing but never put it to use. Maybe I should give it another look. 

 

1 minute ago, Shelby said:

 

 

I've pre-ordered:

 

Tin to Table: Fancy, Snacky Recipes for Tin-thusiasts and A-fish-ionados by Anna Hezel 

 

It's supposed to be here April 25th.  I really don't know what came over me except I've been reading the tinned fish subject here.  Now I'm going to have to spend more money and stock up on tinned fish.

 

Can't wait to hear what you think!

[Kim Shook]

Jessica's Boston friend brought this to us as a thank you for hosting her (which was very sweet as she staying in a hotel and we fed her once - she and Jessica did lots of things, though):

I've looked through it and found many, many recipes that sound great and that I want to try.  I love the Sterns.  They were actually my intro into the world of food writing and food focused travel.  Before them it never occurred to me, as much as I loved eating in restaurants, to research the "food scene" of places that I was traveling to.  I think I discovered "Square Meals" first and that led me to "Roadfood".  Along with David Rosengarten, they uplift and appreciate classic American cooking.  I love that attitude.  I think that I'll be cooking from this a lot.  

[rotuts]

@Kim Shook 

 

Ive been to Durgin Park several times 

 

even before 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scollay_Square

 

got turned into Government Center 

 

@ DP    there were long tables and sometimes long waits

 

prime rib that was really prime was the center piece 

 

then a NE apple dessert ( made there )   crisp , pandowdy etc

 

or   

 

Indian Pudding     which was delicouus

 

hope the book has a reasonable Rx for the Indian pudding 

 

 

[Anna N]

On 4/20/2023 at 5:21 PM, blue_dolphin said:

I borrowed it from the library.  I remember that I enjoyed the author's writing but never put it to use. Maybe I should give it another look. 

I downloaded a Kindle sample which seems to be a very extensive chunk of the book and have to say from my point of view it is the least friendly cookbook I can ever remember seeing.

This review captures the essence of the book. 

[Kim Shook]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

@Kim Shook 

 

Ive been to Durgin Park several times 

 

even before 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scollay_Square

 

got turned into Government Center 

 

@ DP    there were long tables and sometimes long waits

 

prime rib that was really prime was the center piece 

 

then a NE apple dessert ( made there )   crisp , pandowdy etc

 

or   

 

Indian Pudding     which was delicouus

 

hope the book has a reasonable Rx for the Indian pudding 

 

 

Good Lord!  I can't imagine I'll be making this very often!

[rotuts]

when done right , there is nothing like it

 

you do have to like dark molasses 

 

if not done right ,  

 

if not , its a gooey mess.

 

think dark molasses cornmeal steamed pudding

 

 

 

 

[Smithy]

23 hours ago, Anna N said:

I downloaded a Kindle sample which seems to be a very extensive chunk of the book and have to say from my point of view it is the least friendly cookbook I can ever remember seeing.

This review captures the essence of the book. 

 

Interesting that with all the caveats they gave it 4 stars. From what you say, and what that review says, this one doesn't tempt me.

[Anna N]

17 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

Interesting that with all the caveats they gave it 4 stars. From what you say, and what that review says, this one doesn't tempt me.

I cannot tell you how disappointed I was. I didn't even think it a good read. But at least I got enough of a sample that I did not want to spend money on it!

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

I picked up my copy of 'Ruffage' from the library yesterday and like that it's a cookbook focusing on vegetables. Reminds me of the approach of 'Deep Run Roots'.

So far I like what I've read and look forward to when the garden starts cranking out produce.

 

[SLB]

I have given "Ruffage" as a gift a few times -- I really like Abra Behrens -- and then I finally checked it out of the library a few weeks ago.

 

I'm planning to buy it.  I think it's just great.  

[weinoo]

 

I got gifted this book whilst here in Provincetown.  Classic, hard-to-find original editions.  Great drawings and photos abound.

[blue_dolphin]

Acquisitions over the last few months to feed my addiction. 

 

I bought The Big Book of King Cake (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) after listening to an episode of Evan Kleiman's Good Food podcast/radio show that included an interview with author Matt Haines about this book, which came out in 2021 and the more recent children's storybook, The Little Book of King Cake (eG-friendly Amazon.com link).  You can listen to the interview at this link.

This isn't a cookbook - just one recipe, I think - and big enough to be a coffee table book so it would be a nice gift for someone who's a fan of this culture. It arrived just before Mardi Gras and I've enjoyed dipping into it to read a section and look at the photos. And Amazon's "Look Inside" feature offers enough of a sample to read about a few of the classic New Orleans bakery king cakes.  

 

The next two, Parsi and Masa are both 2022 releases.  There's a topic on cooking from Parsi here: Cooking from "Parsi: From Persia to Bombay: Recipes & Tales from the Ancient Culture".  Gabrielle Hamilton's Prune came out in 2014.  I borrowed it from the library a few times but hadn't pulled the trigger to buy it.  All three of these were on Now Serving's "shopworn" list and offered at a discount. 

 

Pulp is the only 2023 book that I had on my pre-order list.  Its focus is on fruits, specifically those grown in the US midwest  and it joins Ruffage (vegetables) and Grist (grains & legumes) in Abra Berens' trilogy of cookbooks.  For each fruit, she offers several prep methods (raw, roasted, grilled, poached, stewed, baked, preserved) with both a sweet and savory recipe for each method. Instead of condiments, as in Ruffage and Grist, there's a "Baker's Toolkit" up front with recipes for breads, batters, doughs, crusts, toppings, etc. that are used later in the book.  I'm looking forward to playing with this one as the fruits come into season. 

 

Chef/restauranteur Peter Hoffman's memoir, What's Good?: A Memoir in Fourteen Ingredients came out in 2021, over a decade after his restaurant, Savoy, closed in 2011.   I think there's a recipe or two in each ingredient chapter but this is essentially a memoir rather than a cookbook.  Looks like it will be fun to read a chapter or so at a time.  

 

Next up is the smallest book, James Read's Of Cabbages & Kimchi: A Practical Guide to the World of Fermented Food and I admit to buying it almost entirely because I was captivated by Marija Tiurina's fanciful illustrations. These photos of the dust jacket will give you an idea of them: 

 

 

The author is former journalist turned founder of Kim Kong Kimchi in the UK.  After an introduction, there are chapters for sauerkraut, kimchi, soy sauce, hot sauce, vinegar, kefir, kvass, tepache & ginger beer, kombucha and yogurt.  Each chapter begins with some entertainingly written background info, followed by recipes for making each ferment, troubleshooting and recipes for using the finished products. 

No photos, just the drawings.  The print is relatively small.  I don't find this problematic but I know others may.  Here's an inside photo to give a sense of the print size:

 

Here’s a link to an author interview that I enjoyed. 

I ordered this book from Blackwell's.  Amazon has a kindle version in the UK but not in the US or Canada at this time. 

 

 

And the last book in my shelfie is Gordon Shepherd's Neurogastronomy: How the Brain Creates Flavor and Why It Matters is another oldie, from 2011, for a little science-y reading.  
 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 26 by blue_dolphin
To add link (log)

[Anna N]

I mentioned in another thread that Niki Signit had released a plant-led version of her well-known Flavour Thesaurus. I can't really show you my Kindle copy but can link to this edited excerpt from it. 
Here.

[Kim Shook]

I checked Prune out of the library and I'm glad I did.  I certainly wouldn't want to own it.  I found the  "cutesy" fantasy that we were seeing her private instruction to her staff complete with "handwritten" notes and admonishments extremely irritating.  The pages are even designed to look like they are torn out of a loose leaf notebook.  Definitely not for me.  

[Anna N]

2 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

I checked Prune out of the library and I'm glad I did.  I certainly wouldn't want to own it.  I found the  "cutesy" fantasy that we were seeing her private instruction to her staff complete with "handwritten" notes and admonishments extremely irritating.  The pages are even designed to look like they are torn out of a loose leaf notebook.  Definitely not for me.  

That's too bad. I have the Kindle edition. It does contain the handwritten notes but otherwise looks perfectLy normal. I can see how some of her admonishments could become annoying but I found them quite revealing of her personality. I only meant to look at the format to comment but found myself drawn right in and spending considerable time  rereading  it! 

[Katie Meadow]

4 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

I checked Prune out of the library and I'm glad I did.  I certainly wouldn't want to own it.  I found the  "cutesy" fantasy that we were seeing her private instruction to her staff complete with "handwritten" notes and admonishments extremely irritating.  The pages are even designed to look like they are torn out of a loose leaf notebook.  Definitely not for me.  

Yes, the book is gimmicky and over-designed, but some of the recipes are really good. GH is a crank and a fussbudget but I love her anyway.  Maybe you would like her memoir "Blood Bones and Butter." It's entertaining and well written. And as a lover of saltines you really should try her fried saltines; they are a gateway drug, although I'm not sure into what!  You can find Fried Saltines with Cheddar and Onion on line in a flash. Saltines morph in 30 seconds into flaky pastry. It's a miracle! 

[Anna N]

8 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

GH is a crank and a fussbudget but I love her anyway.  Maybe

And when one of her "signature" dishes consists of nothing more than radishes, butter and salt (for which guests will be charged a premium price), you begin to understand the need for the admonishments to the staff. Such simple ingredients must be perfect and perfectly presented. 
I am reminded of Alice Waters perfect peach.