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Cookbooks published in 2005


ludja

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A new book from Penelope Casas (author of the great "Tapas" cookbook and many other good ones on the cuisine of Spain): "La Cocina de Mama: The Great Home Cooking of Spain"  I haven't made anything from this yet, but I'm eyeing many good almond dessert recipes.

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I found a review on MSNBC on some new cooksbooks just released this fall here and it includes a favorable review of the Casas book with some details:

Casas, an expert in Spanish cuisine, presents a simple concept: great Iberian chefs passing along their mothers’ treasured recipes. The result is a nearly flawless compilation of Spanish home cooking that’s at once stripped of pretense and yet relentlessly innovative.

Even the simplest preparations translated into clear, focused flavors. The cazuela de boquerones Mediterraneos — a layered dish of white fish, tomatoes and bread crumbs — was savory without losing its subtle fish flavor. A greens and potato tart, sort of a baked tortilla Española without so much egg, was downright addictive, even if we were skeptical about the inclusion of romaine lettuce.  A Malaga-style white gazpacho was one of the best I’ve ever had, despite taking just 20 minutes to prepare (though several hours to develop flavors).

From reading the article, I also saw that Deborah Madison has a new cookbook: "Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen". I have some of her books from the days of Greens and also enjoyed browsing her last cookbook, “Local Flavors” which focuses on using seasonable produce from your local farmer's market but does not have exclusively vegetarian recipes.

Some other books are also reviewed with mixed accolades:

"Big Fat Cookies" by Elinor Klivans,

“Everyday Italian”, first book by Giada De Laurentiis

“The Gourmet Burger” by London chef Paul Gayler

"Retro Baking: 100 Classic Contest Winners Updated for Today" by Maureen Fischer

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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The Cook's Book by Jill Norman (Editor) sounds quite interesting. (egullet-amazon link)

This superlative volume is a culinary arts education in itself: what foodie wouldn't want to read Charlie Trotter's tips on preparing fish and shellfish, or Norman Van Aken's take on Latin American cooking? Instructions from world renowned chefs like Paris's Pierre Hermé and Japan's Hisayuki Takeuchi ring with authority, though female chefs are notably absent, save for Sydney's Christine Manfield. This book takes a two-tiered approach by expanding on the basics in chapters on sauces and dressings, flavorings, and poultry and game birds, and exploring specific cuisines in sections on India, Japan, the Middle East and other regions. The book may be best suited to professional chefs; amateurs might not be ready to tackle Ferran Adrià's Potato Foam: 21st Century Tortilla, or Shaun Hill's Roast Woodcock, in which the head is left on, "since the brains are a delicacy... eaten in much the same way as a lollipop."

There is a thread discussing the book here.

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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I've purchased a lot so far this year!

The Cook's Book

It's ok. It's too broad and wide. i think at this point I prefer narrow and deep. The Mexican section is fine but very short. The refried bean instructions (in the grains and legumes section) is criminally bad. It makes me wonder about the other stuff. The basics seems fine. I'm on the fence.

Silver Spoon

Mentioned elsewhere. Thin paper, dated "post-modern" design. I'd call it a regret but worth checking out depending on your interest/skill in Italian.

Everyday mexican

Rick Bayless' book is along the quick,healthy meal thing which is of course neausating but he doesn't compromise or at least when he does, he spells it out. I've made three things from the book and all have received raves. But the three things were in his other books in a slightly different form. Kind of looks like Everyday Food magazine.

Visit beautiful Rancho Gordo!

Twitter @RanchoGordo

"How do you say 'Yum-o' in Swedish? Or is it Swiss? What do they speak in Switzerland?"- Rachel Ray

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...

Silver Spoon

Mentioned elsewhere. Thin paper, dated "post-modern" design. I'd call it a regret but worth checking out depending on your interest/skill in Italian.

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Here's the egullet discussion thread on the cookbook: Silver Spoon

There is, however, one exception: Il Cucchiaio d'Argento, The Silver Spoon, a 55-year-old, hefty 1,264-page cookery book. It's been the most popular recipe book in Italy since 1950 and is the book every bride is given on her wedding day. Now into its eighth edition, it's about to be published in English for the first time

Thanks for mentioning the new Bayless book, I'll have to check it out and see if it is enough of an addition to his others that I already have.

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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Seems like a good idea to ask about it here, is there a Gabrielle Hamilton ( chef/ owner of Prune restaurant) cookbook coming out soon?

She has a very high profile at the moment, a Bourdain penned Chow magazine piece being the most recent.

Thanks in advance.

2317/5000

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Seems like a good idea to ask about it here, is there a Gabrielle Hamilton ( chef/ owner of Prune restaurant) cookbook  coming out soon?

She has a very high profile at the moment, a Bourdain penned Chow magazine piece being the most recent.

Thanks in advance.

I hear she has a sweet book deal for a memoir.

one i'll gladly read after her chicken killing essay in the nyer. the girl can cook, and she's got a real story.

i hope she can pull off a book-length narrative.

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I always look forward to Fran McCullough's "The Best American Recipes" series to see what's happening in the US food world from a broad perspective. The latest incarnation, the 7th, for 2005-2006, just came out. It's always bothered me that the recipes can't possibly be the best when the year hasn't ended or even begun yet, but I finally decided that many people wouldn't buy the books if the years looked outdated.

I really miss the trends which she included in the early years, and the "some lady handed me this in the parking lot" recipes; nowadays virtually all the recipes are from print and internet. Some older recipes are "rediscovered" if they are mentioned or reprinted in a new form.

One recipe I'm sure to try is the "Overnight Macaroni and Cheese" where the barely cooked pasta absorbs the liquid overnight, no sauce making necessary.

Ruth Dondanville aka "ruthcooks"

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

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Along with several other books mentioned that I either have or are planning to get, I've been enjoying Seasonal Food by Paul Waddington. Its a British book aimed at the UK audience but is full of useful information about what is in season, what there is to look forward to and what is going out.

I've found the information to be clearly presented, month by month with good summary tables. The book is becoming one of my more oft consulted ones.

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Seems like a good idea to ask about it here, is there a Gabrielle Hamilton ( chef/ owner of Prune restaurant) cookbook  coming out soon?

She has a very high profile at the moment, a Bourdain penned Chow magazine piece being the most recent.

Thanks in advance.

I hear she has a sweet book deal for a memoir.

one i'll gladly read after her chicken killing essay in the nyer. the girl can cook, and she's got a real story.

i hope she can pull off a book-length narrative.

The Food & Wine piece she wrote about her mentor who reawakened her own interest in food again was a GREAT read.

Thanks for the info, Michael.

2317/5000

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Susan Spungen, the long-time food editor of Martha Stewart Living has a book coming out this week, Recipes: A Collection for the Modern Cook.

Smart one that Ms. Spungen, should be good. Nice to see her coming out from behind the Diva's shadow.

Thanks for pointing this out. I had not known her name before but also see that she is the co-author on the well-known Martha Stewart Hors d'Oeuvres book.

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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Susur Lee's new book Susur a culinary life is a great new book from a great chef from Toronto.

The book itself is unique much like it's author.  The book is divided into 2 parts one that tells the story of his career and the second is 60 recipes.  The recipes are interesting and are not the usual mish mash from just the restaurant, they follow the path of his career.  French/Chinese with a Canadain slant. 

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Here's a discussion on Susur: A Culinary Life in the Toronto, Ontario, Central Canada forum.

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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I've had a chance to see an advance copy of Ruhlman and Polcyn's book on Charcuterie. The copy I saw was no frills (no pictures), but it's a must for anybody who is interested in the topic. Covers just about every aspect of charcuterie that you could possibly want to know about in depth and with precision. I'm definatly going to get a copy when it's released.

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Gourmet Preserves by Madelaine Bullwinkel. This book is great for those who have always wanted to try their hand at making jams and jellies but were intimidated by the canning process. I took it out of the library to audition and was so pleased by my results I bought a copy. Next up is the grapefruit marmalade with vanilla.

"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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Another recently published book that I've really enjoyed is Fresh Everyday by Sara Foster. This is another book I took out of the library to audition and I've decided I must purchase a copy after making a bunch of stuff. In fact, tonight I made her pumpkin muffins which were quickly decimated by spouse and friends.

"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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Hands down my favorite new cookbook this year is "With a Measure of Grace" published by Provecho Press. It's one of those readable cookbooks with a well written back story, fantastic photographs by Eric Swanson and great recipes. Several of them, including the honey chile and the pinon salad dressings, butterscotch pudding and jalapeno and avacado cream soup have made it into my repertoire.

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Just got Jose Andres' Tapas - a Taste of Spain in America : with 16 chapters organized around such ingredients as mushrooms, peppers, citrus, cheese etc, this is kind of book that makes me want to cook everything there cover to cover.

I would second this. Went to Jaleo for the first time over the weekend and bought the book. I hadn't realized until this weekend that Andres was also behind Zaytinya, which is also excellent, but that cinched the purchase for me. The book is laid out very well and includes a few dishes inspired by the top spanish chefs, including Adria, under whom he worked (there is also an Arzak recipe).

"If the divine creator has taken pains to give us delicious and exquisite things to eat, the least we can do is prepare them well and serve them with ceremony."

~ Fernand Point

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any professional pastry books released

apart from chocolate release from callebaut

i am curious if there is just no market

or no product

thanks

wg

Another pro-level book on chocolate: Chocolate Obsession: Confections and Treats to Create and Savor by Michael Recchiuti and Fran Gage; photography by Maren Caruso (Stewart Tabori & Chang; 199 pages; $35). (Egullet-Amazon link)

Review in SF Chronicle:Chocolatiers challenge home cooks to be pros

Want to make your own molded chocolates and truffles from homemade ganache, dip them in hand-tempered chocolate and decorate them like a pro? The book will take you by the hand and tell you how it's done. Possible? Probably. Intimidating? Definitely.

Its professional perfection is the book's strength and weakness. Invert sugar (liquid sugar that, unlike regular cane sugar, will not form crystals that can mar the texture of a ganache), unsalted butter with a 82 percent butterfat content, barley malt syrup, and acetate squares that give a finished molded chocolate that seductive sheen all contribute to the superb taste and look of Recchiuti's creations. They also will lead quite a few readers to the conclusion that this is stuff better left to the pros.

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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this is going to sound terribly provincial

but who is the author?

does he have similar credentials to wybauw?

Hopefully someone with some knowledge in the field of high end chocolates can weigh in on this...

I can only offer that he (Michael Recchuitti) is very well known in the SF Bay Area for his high end chocolates... beyond that I don't know.

Here is a quote regarding his background provided in the Amazon link to his book:

click

Michael Recchiuti started his chocolate business in San Francisco in 1997 after a successful career at some of the top restaurants in Philadelphia. His chocolates were soon recognized for their sophistication and originality, and they have been featured in the New York Times, Food & Wine, and many other publications. He lives in San Francisco. Fran Gage owned the award-winning Fran Gage Patisserie Française in San Francisco for ten years. She now writes about food for the San Francisco Chronicle, Saveur, and Fine Cooking, among other publications, and has published several books, including Bread and Chocolate and A Sweet Quartet. Gage lives in San Francisco.

Also, here's a link to an "in the news" section on the Recchuiti Chocolates website. There are some linked reviews from national publications. click

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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