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And the nominee is? Food books as holiday gifts


Gifted Gourmet

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i'm very interested in this pat conroy book- i've read articles he's written for gourmet (and southern living, i think)

THE PAT CONROY COOKBOOK is more than just that. It's a virtual Ode To Joy. Read it; cook from it. You will eat better than you ever have in your life, and will know more about Pat Conroy, perhaps, than he would ever tell you.

-- Anne Rivers Siddons, author of Colony, Fox’s Earth, Homeplace, Islands

If Anne Rivers Siddons thinks so highly of it, and of him, then I will definitely buy it! Ode to Joy is a testimonial to my own life's motto! :wink:

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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Would I be redundant if I recommended "PX This" by Abbe Diaz again? Perhaps it doesn't exactly fit the "food book" category, but it certainly has food-lovers' appeal.

It is #1 on my list of holiday gifts. Specifically because it is not strictly food-related but will appeal to a broader range of people who simply love dining out. It is an invaluable look at the science of restaurant management, and side-splittingly funny as well. I have worked in the food industry and have been an avid restaurant diner for decades and found this book vey interesting. My 17 year old niece is enjoying it now and suddenly wants to work in the restaurant business.

Plus, I can say I "know" the author personally and what's better than that! LOL!

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I can't remember if it's in the book or if it was a remark she made at a luncheon but she made a brilliant observation that if you ask a southerner to describe the best meal they ever had, it will without fail be one that was homemade and had around a family dinner table. If you ask someone from the North, they will name some four star restaurant.

You're welcome - She will love Queen of the Turtle Derby and totally relate to it. Julia Reed splits her time between NYC and New Orleans so it will read like deja vu.

Edited by ruthcooks (log)

Ruth Dondanville aka "ruthcooks"

“Are you making a statement, or are you making dinner?” Mario Batali

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Most people I know aren't so big into cooking, so I haven't given a lot of food related books. But anyone who likes to go to farmer's markets gets a copy of Elizabeth Schneider's Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini so they can figure out what to do with all that weird stuff they bring home. My mom got that one last year.

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Earlier today I got a call from a friend looking for advice on what fruits she should pair in a tart. As soon as I hung up, I decided to give her a copy of Culinary Artistry as a Chanukah gift.

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

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If anyone I know is reading this and wishes to buy me a cookbook :raz: , then I would like Elisabeth Luard's Sacred Food, about food used in religious and ceremonial meals from all around the world. It is thoroughly researched and well written with pictures that illustrate a variety of cultures.

Also, Luard's The Old World Kitchen is a perennial favorite and a welcomed change from so many chef-driven cookbooks today.

Wai Chu

New York City

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Michael Rhulman's Making of a Chef and Soul of a Chef are wonderful for those people who love to cook and think it would be fun to be a professional chef. What a couple of great books to make you happy that you do it as a hobby.

I agree with the Bouchon/Les Halles books. They are two different approaches to the same ends. More importantly, they are honest archives of some of the most succulent dishes ever prepared using natural ingredients.

For the really dedicated/possessed home gourmand I would recommend any one of The French Laundry, Larousse Gastronomique, Nobu, or Charlie Trotter. Most of these dishes are day or two events of prep and organization. With a little time and luck, your foodie's confidence will be boosted through the roof when they serve up their creation to the delight of everyone in attendance.

What Einstein Told his Cook is a great beginner food chemistry book for the budding "creator", however, McGee (as it's known) On Food & Cooking is the bible. If your favorite foody doesn't become insufferable after studying McGee, I'll come over to you house and eat your snow tires.

:laugh:

Homer: Are you saying you're never going to eat any animal again? What about bacon?

Lisa: No.

Homer: Ham?

Lisa: No.

Homer: Pork chops?

Lisa: Dad, those all come from the same animal.

Homer: Heh heh heh. Ooh, yeah, right, Lisa. A wonderful, magical animal. (The Simpsons)

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I just got my mom a signed copy of Bouchon (even as I drooled at the thought of Per Se, which was a couple of floors above Borders where the book signing took place)! *excited*

I had a chance to flip through it whilst Thomas Keller was speaking - the book itself is massive, and filled with glossy pictures. It is in fact so big that I'm not sure I'd be happy manuevering around it myself - just a thought, in case anyone else has tiny manhattan sized kitchens. The recipes look great though - simple, but with the kind of attention to detail Keller's known for.

Now onto my dad - would anyone happen to know of a good salad book?

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I just got my mom a signed copy of Bouchon (even as I drooled at the thought of Per Se, which was a couple of floors above Borders where the book signing took place)! *excited*

We're doing the same thing for MsMelkor's stepmom. We may have to get another copy of the book for ourselves. It really is a nice book.

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Now onto my dad - would anyone happen to know of a good salad book?

Donna Rodnitzky's Main Course Salads

shows how to transform a salad from simple side dish or meal opener to delicious entree by complementing it with well-chosen portions of fruit, cheese, poultry, meat, seafood, rice, or pasta. Each of her more than 125 creations ... staples like Salad Nicoise and Shrimp and Pasta Salad, along with yummy inventions like Tuscan Bean and Tuna Salad and vegetarian delights such as Orange-Infused Grain Salad.

Keith Huffman: The Gourmet's Vinaigrettes and Salads Cookbook: Superb Nouvelle Salads and Vinaigrettes for Lunch and Dinner

Herbal Salads: A Fresh from the Garden Cookbook (Fresh-from-the-Garden Cookbook Series) by: Ruth Bass

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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The Whole Beast by Fergus Henderson.

Bouchon by Thomas Keller with Michael Ruhlman

The French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller and Michael Ruhlman (if they don't already own it)

Tru Cookbook by Rick Tramonto (yes, I'm serious)

The Babbo Cookbook by Mario Batali (again, if they don't already own it.

For beginner cooks, I actually whole heartedly recommend the Donna Hay books. Great photography, relatively easy recipes, high success rate, and high repeat rate.

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I got Nigella Lawson's latest book, Feast, for a relative who follows her shows. I've done a number of her recipes and find them a little bit hit or miss, but this book seems pretty good for gift purposes. It's for a bunch of holidays throughout the year, so if you give it for Christmas there will not be a feeling that it's arriving too late.

I gritted my teeth and stood in line to get the book signed at one of NL's appearance. I have to say, she is adorable. She was personalizing the books with any kind of message you wanted and chatting anyone who wanted to talk to her.

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For beginner cooks, I actually whole heartedly recommend the Donna Hay books.  Great photography, relatively easy recipes, high success rate, and high repeat rate.

That's a great recommendation - the Donna Hay books are extremely accessible and the pictures combined with easy to follow recipes are good enough to get non-cooks cooking.

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For cooks with too many cookbooks (if that's a possible condition) -

Ian Kelly's biography of Careme, Cooking for Kings

Jay Rayner's fun novel, Eating Crow

Nigel Slater's new memoir, Toast (though this also falls under the previous post, 'anything by Nigel Slater' - which I heartily agree with!)

Emily Kaiser

www.emilykaiser.com

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