What cookbook are you reading?

I finally managed to finish Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I drooled through the last chapter on desserts. Doubt if I'll cook any of them soon, though. I did try the broiled mushrooms though. Fantastic! Far too many Aspic recipes if you ask me, but then, I do not care for jellied food at all.

I recently finished The Grains Cookbook by Bert Greene. Lovely book, many great recipes and he is a wonderful storyteller to boot. I have already tried a recipe and have bookmarked others.

Although I am not vegetarian, two books I am reading through right now are vegetable based. Nika Hazeltons Way With Vegetables has detailed info on many types of vegetables (varieties, what to look for, how to store and recipes, all alphabetical) and Vegan Vittles which I bought to surprise a friend with but am reading through first :P

Was lucky enough to find an older Donna Hay magazine new at an independent bookstore (Issue 48) yesterday so am flipping through that as well.

Although not technically a cookbook, I am enjoying Food Mania which has many wonderful early and retro paintings of food, divided up into growing, harvesting, preparing and serving :)

I'm reading Biba's Taste of Italy: Recipes from the Homes, Trattorie and Restaurants. Nice info about the Emilia-Romagna area of Italy, but I don't see this as being a very practical cookbook for me. Too many of the ingredients are expensive or hard to find, especially the prepared meats. We shall see, I'm only in the beginning, and I do like the flavoring recipes and the sauce recipes.

Recently finished reading The Italian Slow Cooker. I love this cookbook! Many recipes involving dry ingredients, which I want to use more of (rather than add a can of this, etc). Many fun sounding recipes. Some which start out by frying something up and then adding everything into the slow cooker, but I am not afraid of a little work when it comes to slow cooker foods. However a few recipes call for frying up multiple things at different times, and that kind of eliminates the usefulness of a slow cooker if you ask me. Four stars though, I see this as a very useful cookbook for me.

I finally got around to starting The History of Australian Cooking last night. Early days yet, still discussing the convicts' rations of flour, sugar, tea and salt pork. Not a lot you can do with those ingredients!

#5
Don't know it. Who is the author?

I don't normally read cookbooks from cover to cover, but when I say that I suppose I'm thinking of recipe books. Reaktion Books are publishing a series of delightful little books - Pie; A Global History is an en exampole in a list that includes Chocolate, Curry, Pancakes and Cheese, with lots more to come. These I will happily read right through.

I'v just about finished browsing through Stephanie Alexander's Kitchen Garden Companion.

For what it's worth, we've just had a holiday at the RACV Club in Healesville. Very flash new premises include a library. No fiction, but the usual dispute seetling books and lots of coffee table volumes about golf, fishing, motor cars, country gardens. The surprise was the cookbooks. You felt they'd gone out and purchased three metres of them, and the bookseller had taken the opportunity to unload things like that enormous book in the slipcase by Heston Blumenthal. It was actually the nearest they got to gastronomy - nothing by Elizabeth David, Jane Grigson or anybody who actually writes well, just lots of instructional recipe books. Struck me as a bit strange.

I had a good weekend at an antique fair with my better half and found two interesting cookbooks The best is a little pamphlet cookbook Famous Dishes with Original Fuji Sauce I think it is from the mid to late 1920s. When I googled the company that published it I came up with a huge maritime corporation but a little fine tuning brought that flood down to three listings, a paragraph in a 1921 magazine titled Printer’s Ink saying that the Minneapolis Tribune was carrying a campaign to promote Fuji Trading Companies’ sauces, a 2001 web site posting looking for information on another cookbook by the company http://www.flavorandfortune.com/dataaccess/article.php?ID=326 , and a great article from the spring 2003 Journal of Popular Culture titled "I'll Take Chop Suey": Restaurants as Agents of Culinary and Cultural Change by Samantha Barbas. Can you tell I am a history student?

I never new that Ebony Magazine published a cookbook but they did and it is a nice one. I tagged the book ethnic because it says it is but American would be a better label. I am going to make the Spanish Slaw for our family get together Memorial day.

I'm reading Roast Figs, Sugar Snow: Food to Warm the Soul by Diana Henry and it's making me wish for cold weather again already. All kinds of hearty Northern European cold-weather recipes, chaptered off by theme ingredient rather than by country.

>6 dajashby: I don't know! It doesn't mention an author anywhere. I'll have to look more closely at the publication data and see what I can find out.

Has anyone here read Bourke Street Bakery? I'm exploring it at the moment.
What a wonderfully detailed and tempting tome. It's part of my research into 'Baking', a skill I'm determined to master in the very near future. So far I have purchased a KitchenAid mixer, various cookbooks relating to these stand-mixers and to 'Baking' in general, and a large 'pastry/food preparation' board.

Now, after all that expense I really have no excuse......

Where should I begin? Pastry? Bread?

My other recent cookbook acquisitiions are:

The Ultimate Mixer Cookbook by Kay Halsey
Mix and Bake by Belinda Jeffery
The Really Useful Cookbook by David Herbert
Q&A Bake by Pamela Clark

Hmmm I don't know any of those!

I am starting to pull out some of my Christmas cookbooks to get me in the mood for the season. Anyone else starting to read through their holiday cookbooks again?

>11 Bcteagirl: Bcteagirl

My cookbooks referred to in >11 Bcteagirl: are all Australian (although I believe David Herbert wanders between here and the UK).

I'm afraid I don't celebrate Christmas, although I do have people around for a 'Mid-summer drink' during the holiday season so shall be baking some savoury bits and pieces (particularly those simple cheese biscuits the dough of which can be frozen in a log, partially defrosted and sliced and baked in a flash as necessary).

The Flavor Bible, while not really a cookbook, is so great for cooking ideas!

Evita's kossie Sikelela -- love the asides!

Not reading, just wishing… Modernist Cuisine

6 volumes, more than 2,400 pages, 3,500 color photographs and 1,600 recipes (list price: $625)

I finished Tupelo Honey Cafe recently courtesy of NetGalley. I'm going to have to admit that I'm going to have to purchase a copy when it comes out this spring. I'll begin the NetGalley of Food from Many Greek Kitchens soon.

>10 Thrin: I borrowed Mix and Bake from my local library last year and loved it. I also enjoy many of Belinda Jeffrey's recipes in the magazine, 'Delicious'. Sorry, haven't come across Bourke Street Bakery yet...very envious of your Kitchenaid mixer. One day I hope to have a kitchen with enough bench space to have one!

Not exactly 'reading' it but I bought my favourite ever cookbook just before Xmas and it's hardly been out of my hands ever since - The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit (which I assume is probably similar to The Flavor Bible mentioned earlier) is a comprehensive list of which flavours go together. I've always enjoyed trying out different combinations of flavours or simply creating dishes out of whatever I've got in the fridge so this book is everything I could ever want in a cookbook. Just knowing what and what not to put together opens up a whole vista of creativity and this book is definitely coming with me if I ever end up on a desert island. Very highly recommended indeed!

Molly O'Neill's One Big Table is one of those cookboooks that is as much fun to read as it is to use.

I've just been given Philippine Fiesta Recipes by Leonarda R. Belmonte and Perla B. Del Mundo and am excited about exploring a cuisine of which I have absolutely no knowledge. Does anyone here cook the food of the Phillipines? There are some mysterious ingredients which I'll enjoy researching, but it looks as if I can source most things here in Australia (if not in this little town then most likely in Sydney itself).

Edited to add that I uncharitably gave this book to a local charity shop.

I'm going to start The Shaker Cook Book today.

I'm a big fan of both Belinda Jeffrey and David Herbert - their recipes actually work!

I'm dipping into Just Add Spice which is very informative. Lots of directions for making up your own spice mixes, though I buy mine from Herbies. Ian Hemphill is co-author (though the touchstone doesn't show it), and contributes advice on matching drinks to the food. I tried the pork meatloaf recipe recently, not bad. Most of the recipes that appeal are more winter fare.

I don't really read cookbooks, just run through them when they're new noting recipes worth trying. I prefer works of gastronomy. My latest acquisition is Food: The History of Taste which is both scholarly and lavishly illustrated.

dajashby - since you love Belinda Jeffery, you will be pleased to know she is nominated in the General category in the IACP Awards for The Country Cookbook http://bit.ly/foJGjc . She is up against Dorie Greenspan and Darina Allen.

Edited for spelling of Jeffery

6> I have just finished Kitchen Garden Companion and my other vegetable cookbooks just got moved down in their rankings. This one is the best I've ever seen. Now to get her Cook's Companion as well.

Color Me Vegan is a book that managed to break into my self-imposed winnowing of cookbooks, since I use the internet as my primary source of cooking inspirations these days. Great layouts, some new ideas, and a very reasonable price for such an attractive book.

I just found Falling Cloudberries at the Border's Closing sale for 50% off! The book has been on my wishlist for ages, and it was something like fate that I'd walk in and see it still left there, as if waiting for me! So far i'm thrilled with it....a BEAUTIFUL book. the pictures are fantastic, and the recipes are interesting and unique. I don't know if i'll cook with it (i'll cry if anything splashes and gets it dirty!) but i'm glad i've got it :)

>26 LipstickAndAviators: I made the Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting from Falling Cloudberries this week and loved it! :)

I can highly recommend the Rhubarb-Ricotta filling in Kitchen Garden Companion. (I didn't put it in turnovers, as what I had at home was strudel dough, not, puff pastry, but I ate half the whole strudel that evening, the rest for breakfast the next morning. The left over filling went into crumble bars, and I managed to hold myself back a little better with those.

I also made the oven quince, which were heavenly. The Parsley bread fritters were more trouble than they were really worth. OK, but nothing I would do again. Today I want to make the Almond-Carrot cake.

> 26, 27: I made it too, and it's really nice! I use cookbooker.com to keep track of my recipe reviews, may be that can persuade you to try some of the recipes... :)

>29 rfb: It was your review of the cake on cookbooker which prompted me to make it again :)

I have mixed opinions about The Shaker Cookbook. On the one hand, the recipes look very wholesome, interesting and would be great if everyone had to fall into pioneer like times again. I think the book might have been better without the authors "insights." She does give some interesting information about the Shaker communities, but she makes it so rosy-glowy I can't believe it. Also, some of her food "history" information is highly suspect to me.

What I do like is how the Shakers had so many good and healthy food habits which seem modern in their philosophy.

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François - This is one of, if not the best, bread cookbooks that I've ever encountered. The basic recipe is very straightforward, but the recipes included go beyond loaf breads and venture into pastries, flatbreads, and more. This book had been on my wish list for a long time. I borrowed it from the public library, but this is a cookbook that I will purchase for my own collection. I love the fact that it is not based on a starter which must be constantly fed. The book even includes a few recipes for soups and salads. 5 stars.

> Ha, and I only made the cake because your review of it made me remember that Falling Cloudberries had a Carrot Cake recipe! :)

I don't usually read one cookbook right after the other, but this one came to hand in my random drawing from the TBR pile. Russian Cooking by Helen Waite Papashvily. I purchased it because I love the writing of the Papashvilys.

I'm currently reading Real Beer and Good Eats. Learning about beer is always a good read!

Last night I started reading Hostess with the Mostess: A Galaxy of Retro Recipes which is fun so far. Many retro pictures and tips along with the recipes :)

#36 - That sounds fun, do the recipes sound good, or odd, or just plain yuck? I've been appalled at some of the recipes when I read cookbooks from the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s.

I recently finished Quinoa 365. I checked it out from the library but had to buy a copy before I broke the copyright law by copying every single recipe. I am currently reading Eating Local which is absolutely beautifully photographed. If you love the sight of veggies growing you'll love the photos.

I recently finished Unplugged Kitchen by Vianna La Place. It was a joy to read with lots of simple and (mostly) Italian recipes as well as great illustrations! I can't wait to try the recipes out!

I'm reading Curry Cuisine, which is surprisingly not as complicated as I thought it would be.

Just finished Curry Easy which lives up to its name, and I trust Madhur Jaffrey. Mavbe we'll eat Indian tonight.

Just added 2004 Flavors of Bon Appetit to my collection. I like to slip a card into the book with likely choices for good dishes.

I've been recently cooking out of Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen. I love all her cookbooks. I just got Tupelo Honey Cafe. More Southern cooking, with recipes that are good for gardeners, so very appropriate for this time of year.

I am enjoying How Easy is That by Ina Garten. Her recipes always have an unusual, but easy twist that makes the dish special. I have`nt tried anything yet, but the reading is fun.

Just finished another cookbook by Viana La Place, Verdura. So far, so good on the recipes I've tried out of it!

Curry Cuisine is turning into a treasure! I've tried about five recipes so far, and they were all delicious, with varying degrees of difficulty. Actually, none of them have been difficult, though some are more time consuming than others. The difficulty for me is in finding some of the more unusual herbs and spices. I will look online when I finish the book, just to get some of the important ones which will keep.

I will probably give most of the recipes from Thailand and SE Asia a skip, too many unusual fresh ingredients which I have no access to. But the ones from Pakistan and India seem very doable for me.

Enjoy your curries, MrsLee!

I'm enjoying The Roman Cookery of Apicius, which, surprisingly, also has a few fresh herbs not readily available in this neck of the woods.

Any recipes for mice in there, Hugh?

Nope. Only rabbits and hares.

Right now I"m into a German cooking mood! I belong to an online German community that sends out recipes once a month...you can join for free: http://www.kitchenproject.com/GermanGoodies/

Included in the newsletter are bits of German history, culture, poetry, etc.

#46...MrsLee...I love curry! I'm just new here so if there is a place I will share a curry marinade for shishkabobs that is wonderful!

I have just started using fresh rosemary and it is so different than the dried stuff! It keeps for weeks in the fridge, too.

Hi tess! Welcome. :) I can't remember if we have a recipe sharing thread, but I think it's a great idea! If there isn't one started, I'll start one for you, I would love to have your recipe.

I recently acquired The River Cottage Fish Book. It had been on my wishlist for a while, and when I saw that Amazon.de had it for less than €10 (plus €3 postage, for a book over 2 kg - I could not even send it back for that total price), I could not resist.

And it is totally brilliant. We've already had seared squid with sumac, pan-baked bream with herbs, and smoked gurnard with soft-boiled eggs, and tomorrow I will make the sardine and onion omelette (unless the fish market has something good, in which case we will have it the day after tomorrow). And it hasn't been in my possession for a week yet!

It also gives a lot of background, on how to see if your fish is fresh, how to find out if it is sustainable, where and how your fish lives, on how to kill a fish, how to smoke it, how to use any leftovers.

So what am I going to do with my other fish cookbooks now?

52 wester The River Cottage Fish Book sounds really interesting.

I'm leafing through Vegetarian by Alice Hart at the moment. The recipes look simple, delicious and stylishly contemporary in their often unusual combinations of ingredients. I'll certainly be trying some of them.

I went into my favourite cookbook shop on Wednesday. Found one to look at, then the saleswoman suggested one (she knows me by now), and on the way out I got caught by on on quinces. That one I have read, and I have to call tomorrow to tell my fruit seller that yes, I do want some on Thursday, if she can get them. Quitten: das Comeback einer vergessenen Frucht

The other two are Nature : Simple healthy and good and Götterspeisen: Kochbuch der Weltreligionen

I wish I could cook in two languages!

When it come to cooking the languages aren't the only thing to notice. My cookbooks in English are from the US, UK, India, Australia, New Zealand... meaning that there are at least three different measurement systems to keep track of.

Not to mention that the same vegetable I buy here in Austria as 'Melanzani' is listed as 'Eggplant' or 'Aubergine' according to where the cookbook came from... German And Austrian names of fruits and vegetables are at least as different. (In that case the Germans agree with the British, and call it Aubergine - they just pronounce it differently.)

Of course, I also have a few cookbooks I bought in French in the hope that I might be able to work out a few recipes in them. Nope. But i can't bear to give them away either.

56:
My cookbooks are either in English or in Dutch, and I have one bilingual cookbook in German/Raeto-Roman, as I wanted the recipe for walnut pie. I still haven't made it...

I do prefer to get the original language, as weird things can happen in translations. Shortcrust pastry can change to puff pastry and vice versa, octopus can change to squid... and of course usually I don't notice these things as I don't own books in two languages. I can handle the measurement systems - I have a kitchen scale, a good set of measuring cups, and the internet for conversions. Ingredients can be problematic sometimes - what's the European equivalent for an ancho chili, when you get past the "a chili is a chili" point?

and OT: I once ate in a pizza restaurant in Slovenia with a menu in several languages and noticed the "Melanzane" were translated to "Melons". Maybe we should have left then. Or after discussing it with the waiter, with the conversation containing the exchange "Is it sweet?" "No, is vegetarian". But we didn't want to find another restaurant and we were punished by possibly the worst pizzas we've ever eaten. The eggplant pizza had eggplant in vinegar on it, and ham (So we were lucky the vegetarian didn't take it). The other pizza had a can of carrots and peas thrown over it, topped with a processed cheese that didn't belong on any pizza at all.

55: I can cook in 6 languages other than English. Speaking them is far more difficult!

v

Ah yes, the Slovenian pizzeria! I was told a pizza had artichokes as a topping. Turns out they were tinned asparagus: flabby, tinny (well, they would be!) and not very nice. I must say though that I've been to Slovenia several times and that this is the only sub-par meal I've ever had there.

About translated cookbooks, the English in Slovenian cookery is sometimes strange but the book itself is very interesting. The wackiest translated cookbook I have is definitely The Best 100 Spanish Recipes, featuring hake's ears and other impossible ingredients.

Bad translations do bother me, but not as much as cultural misappropriation or wrong information from food writers who pass themselves off as experts about another country when they're not...

When my late husband and I visited London for the first time a few years ago, we were excited about trying local food, with fantasies of chip shops and the like. Our hosts took us out for pizza. Twice. It was their favorite restaurant.

What is local food anymore? I get snippy when the avoglemono here in my rural town's restaurant isn't as piquant as what I used to get in Chicago, where, when I grew up, every diner (we called them coffee shops, pre-Starbucks) was run by first and second generation Greek immigrants. But I don't know how either version would be received in Athens.

Still, whatever you do, don't eat "Chicago-style" pizza outside of Chicago. Or at least don't judge it till you've had it in Chicago.

>59 Dilara86: Wait, hake don't got ears?

Hake ears? Could they possibly have meant Hake cheeks?

I had never heard of fish cheeks until I saw them used on an episode of Iron Chef.

#59: I know the Spanish love hake, but I didn't know it had ears...

#62 I took it to mean that, yes ! Although were I live, fishmongers look at you funny if you ask for them, ask you whether you're feeding an army of tiny fairies, and redirect you to monkfish cheeks...

Translating cookbooks has to be even more difficult than other translations. To do it well, you have to be able to cook in both countries. I have had a few US cookbooks translated into German, and they are hilarious. First the 'cup' translated as 'Tasse', which is a good dictionary translation, but not very helpful if you have never heard of a cup as a specific measure. Then '1 cucumber' translated as '1 Gurke', again it would be a good translation - except that European cukes are about twice the size of most US ones.

So much depends on what you can get in local stores, and what sort of measures are usual. One of my books asks for 'a bunch of sorrel'. Well, about how much sorrel is in a bunch? Am I looking for a handful of leaves or a big basketful? Neither is a problem, as I grow it myself, but once combined with a specific amount of onion, cream, eggs, ... the final sauce could be very different. (More is better in this case.) Luckily a recipe I used this week added 'about 1 3/4 lb.' to the words '1 large eggplant'. I used 4 of the standard size here.

And that's without the 'Take 1 box yellow cake mix,' issue. My daughter-in-law has trouble with my recipe for liptauer dip: Take one package liptauer spice mixture... I just sent her a few more packages, but also found her a recipe from scratch to play with. Still a problem as it goes on to use Brimsen and/or Topfen as the cheese.

57 & 59
Eat the local food when travelling after all it's part of the fun/joy of travelling.
If you wish to eat your local (home) food style stay home and if something else takes your fancy travel to its originating place, could lead you to some very interesting out of the way places, though horror of horrors some of the best English Pub food I have eaten was in Yangon Myanmar (Burma) and the best Australia steak in Shanghai China, just don't complain when its not up to expectations and be prepared for surprises!

I'm actually quite good at guess-timating measures. I remember that I was at my mom's house one time (when she was still alive). I was baking something. She was horrified that I was not measuring whatever the ingredient was. I got her measuring cup, poured the amount I had into the measure, and it was the perfect amount. She never questioned me again.

#67 - My husband has that same talent. We call it his super-power. His name is Volume Man.

I'm currently reading Veggiestan by Sally Butcher, I really have a thing for Middle Eastern food at the moment (well, when I actually get around to cooking it, as opposed to just looking at the pictures). Even seemingly simple food seems to be so full of flavour and delicious smells!

What I like about this book is that every recipe is prefaced with a short description of the ingredients, or the region its from, or where the author got the inspiration for the dish from.

Frankly with this kind of food I'm quite happy with breads and dips... although I'm not sure if I'm entirely sold on the idea of sweet houmous.

I have been reading Donna Leon's whodunnit books set in Venice and the food which Commissario Brunetti's wife cooks sounds delicious and I kept thinking "Why are the recipes not included in an appendix".

I went online and - there was the book! It is called A Taste of Venice and is great for browsing as it gives excerpts from the books along with the recipes mentioned.

Now all I need is to source globe artichokes.

I've got the recipe book on my wish list. I'm hoping that I can get it soon!

Pinko, I found A Taste of Venice and was delighted. I read the first Leon book readying for a trip there. Made my trip much meaningful.

@Stillmann, After having lover her first cookbook, Persia in Peckham, I was so exited for Veggiestan, but I am disappointed. Not only is it not half as funny as Persia in Peckham, most recipes were unexiting to say the least.

I so happy to see another shout out to Mastering The Art Of French Cooking! :-) Ultimately, too many of those recipes are too heavy for me, but it really is a brilliant cookbook and culinary resource.

Right now I am reading through a whole stack of cookbooks I picked up at a flea mall in Opelika, Alabama. I picked out a few from churches and organizations that were published in the 60s as fundraisers. I also have some old Good House Keeping baking books. As I stated in another post, I am trying to collect a history of "traditional" American baking, so I am starting in the 50s and 60s and working my way backward.

One of my cookbooks is photocopies of handwritten recipes that were put together for a town's centennial. In the back are fun recipes like homemade cleaning supplies and medicinal cures. Very interesting.

If anyone comes across any books related to traditional American baking that might help me in my quest, please share!

The Little House Cookbook by Barbara M. Walker has many Frontier baking recipes, as well as some history and excerpts from those books.

The New England Yankee Cookbook by Imogene Wolcott has some excellent recipes and includes older versions as well.

Hunter's Stew and Hangtown Fry by Lila Perl is full of pioneer and 49er recipes (not the football team ;).

Housekeeping in Old Virginia by Marion Cabell Tyree is full of "receipts" and such from the 1800s.

Those sound great, thank you Ms Lee!

My pleasure!

I am still browsing A Taste of Venice and bookmarking recipes I want to try.

I'm currently reading Veggiestan: A Vegetable Lover's Tour of the Middle East by Sally Butcher...have had it for a while. I don't like it as much as her first book, Persia in Peckham which was a way funnier read.

Just finished reading Yes, Chef: a Memoir by Marcus Samuelsson. Wow. It was a great read. Full of food and flavor, life, and living, but especially a great window into what it takes to make a name for yourself as a chef. More work than I could do in ten lifetimes, I think.

I"m reading Food in History by Reay Tannahill. Not a cook book as such but it makes for interesting reading.

Clarelouise, if you like Food In History, you'll love the more authoritative The Food of the Western World.

What I'm reading this week are the cookbooks of Bryant Terry, who took us where no cookbook ever went before, into the Vegan Soul Kitchen. His latest is The Inspired Vegan: Seasonal Ingredients, Creative Recipes, Mouthwatering Menus. It took chef Bryant Terry to give us some fantastic recipes for cooking greens (collards, mustard greens, and more). He was trained at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Food and Health, which was founded by Annemarie Colbin, Phd; she's the author of my favorite book on bone health, The Whole-Food Guide to Strong Bones: a Holistic Approach.

I'm reading Healthy bread in five minutes a day. I started a batch of dough, so we will see how it works tomorrow.

Thanks Indybooks - I'll get a copy. Currently reading Brillat-Savarin The Physiology of Taste.

Hi, all! I`m reading Physiology of Taste, also. I hope you have MFK Fishers translation. She is my current hero. I`m trying to collect all of her books.

Kerrlm - my copy is a Folio Society edition translated by Anne Drayton with an intro by Tom Jaine with beautiful painting throughout. I have this dreadful feeling I should know MFK Fisher. Can you fill me in please?

I'm reading Love & Hunger: Thoughts on The Gift of Food (sorry folks, the touchstone won't bring it up) by Charlotte Wood, who usually writes fiction. This book has plenty of recipes in it, but they are an adjunct to a series of beautifully written essays on the role food plays in our lives. Starting of course with her own family Wood considers how food, cooking it, consuming it, gifting it, is more than just fuel.

#86
Goodness, never heard of M F K Fisher? One of the foodie goddesses like Elizabeth David who established the tradition of food memoir writing which clearly inspires Charlotte Wood. Run, don't walk, to the library and get hold of her books. Begin if you can with The Art of Eating.

#86 I said I had a bad feeling I should know her. Is she American? I love Elizabeth David though.

#88
She was American, from a patrician family - five years older than David and also a francophile. And what a writer! Look her up on Wikipedia.

#89 I will do just that. Shame on me!!! And I will go and buy The Art of Eating on the week end.

Other than the fabulous food writing, the story of her romantic life would make a great movie.

MKF Fisher was Julia Child's favorite American food writer. Her works are fabulous but they predate the rise of the internet. She's on my Wish List as well.

I read The Spice Islands Cookbook recently. It had some good information on spices at the end, although the recipes were very typical of those found in the 1960s, using canned foods and such. I think they were good basic recipes, but not up to date.

I'm reading Eight Immortal Flavors by Johnny Kan right now. It promises to be very interesting not only for cooking, but for history of the Chinese in America as well.

MrsLee your review of The Spice Islands Cookbook made it sound, at least its descriptions and history of the spices, sound so good I am going to dig my copy out and take a look at it.

:) Glad to be of service!

I am, as predicted, loving the Eight Immortal Flavors, although, the authors are sort of running the phrase "China has an ancient cuisine" or words to that effect, into the ground. I suppose, since it was written in the 1950s or 60s, and Chinese cuisine was grossly misunderstood, they wanted to make their point.

I love the Spice Island Cookbook. Their country captain chicken recipe is great.

I find the old 1950s and 60s recipes that use food from cans and boxes to be comfort food. Unhealthy comfort food but comfort food none the less. My mom never cared for cooking, many other things interested her more. I still look for the recipe she called goulash. It used browned hamburger, a box of macaroni and cheese and a can of tomatoes as far as I can remember. I loved that stuff as a kid.

I feel a little guilty confessing that I have fond memories of dad's pad fried pork chops for breakfast when mom was in the hospital giving birth to another sibling. All of us kids did learn to cook.

After reading a blurb in WSJ re buttermilk, i ordered The Animal Farm buttermilk cookbook by Diane St. Clair. This is a winner if you like buttermilk at all. It is so good for you and seems to make lots of dishes better. I even tried making butter in my food processor. So good, one could eat it with a spoon. Now I want a BIGGER fp. Egad, one thing leads to another!!

I have two cookery books on the nightstand right now. One by an Australian and the other by a Swiss woman living in Australia: Maggie Beer's Maggie's Harvest and Manuela Darling Gansser's Spring in Sicily: Food from an Ancient Island. I have an unabashed adoration for Maggie Beer and her passion for food and sharing. This is book organised by seasons, which seems trendy now, but it has always been the way of cooks and good chefs. Her treatment of yeast and quince is delectable. Manuela Darling-Gansser has produced four books that are oriented around the seasons in parts of Switzerland and Italy. They are part travelogue and part cooking - gorgeous images and interesting recipes.

I'm reading Michael Symon's 5 in 5: 5 Fresh Ingredients + 5 Minutes = 120 Fantastic Dinners. It would be great for a beginning cook, but I'm thinking it will be a good inspiration book for me on nights when I really don't feel like cooking. The title is gimmicky. The recipes will take the average cook more than 5 minutes to prepare, but none should take more than half an hour. The key of course is having the right staples in the pantry. What I appreciate about it is his encouragement to substitute and experiment. The structure is there, the ingredients are your choice.

Kitchenaglow> Spring in Sicily sounds like it would be right up my alley. I may have to see if I can track that one down.

MrsLee> I wasn't a huge fan of Michael Symon for awhile, but I do like him much better now. I hope our library has that one so I can check it out. If not, I'll probably wait until I can find a heavily discounted copy in a used bookstore. I love cooking, but sometimes I'm just too tired to spend a long time at the stove.

thornton - I admit, his giggle won me over. :)

99> yeast and quince

Two of my favourite ingredients.

I bought a bunch of cookbooks in the UK last month.

Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the Home by Nigella Lawson

Jamie's Great Britain by Jamie Oliver

The Hairy Bikers' Big Book of Baking by Hairy Bikers

Drat, I think there were more. They must still be hiding in a bag somewhere.

I have also picked up a few in German recently, too.

Deutschland vegetarisch by Stevan Paul

Backen in der Klostertradition: Brot, Brauchtumsgebäck und süße Köstlichkeiten by Petra Altmann

Die traditionelle Österreichische Küche by Ingrid Pernkopf

and so far just read from the library

Herdhelden: Mein ganz persönliches Österreich-Kochbuch by Sarah Wiener

I also read Science in the Kitchen by E. E. Kellogg from Gutenberg. I rather doubt that I will cook from it, though.

What I did cook from was the tea towel I bought in Lincoln. Love the plum bread!

I am looking forward to trying out some of the recipes in Meatless by Martha Stewart.

I stopped at the shop where I buy my spices to get pepper, and they showed me The green kitchen. I have no resistance at all. The Beet Bourguignon sounds good, although I will probably put the bacon back in.

I love Bert Greene cookbooks and own several, Bert Greene's Kitchen bouquets: A cookbook of favored aromas and flavors, The Store Cookbook: Recipes and Recollection from The Store in Amagansett, and Bert Greene's Kitchen: A Book of Memories and Recipes being my top three favorites.

I haven't been reading any cookbooks or food memoirs right now, but we're moving so I'm facing the arduous task of choosing which books to bring with me and which to leave in our current location, which we are also keeping. Not an easy task.

I currently live in Cleveland and am moving to the Bethesda/DC area in a week. One of my interests is to familiarize myself with the cookbooks, food specialities of the area I'll be visiting or living in. Does anyone have any suggestions for mid-Atlantic cookbook purchases?

Definitely not the Ultimate Answer, but you may wish to go to Alexandria to see the delightful colonial architecture one weekend (it's on the Washington Metro, so easy to get to). If you do, you may then wish to see the Stadler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum, in a pretty, leafy side street. They publish (or did when I visited in 1998) a cookbook with recipes from local worthies, including not a few First Ladies. This may be worth adding to your collection, at least as a curiosity.

I'm writing that down. I think I would love the museum. Thanks so much!

I just finished The Best of Coffee by Sandra Gluck. I really enjoyed the text portions of the book, and I actually read through all the recipes. I have a few recipes on my radar to try, possibly starting with the Cafe Mocha which sounded very easy to make at home. Most of the recipes were desserts, breads, or beverages. I'll be posting a review to my thread later today.

#108 My pleasure! The rest of this post is mostly from creaky memory, so please check it before setting out.

Alexandria is on the Blue line of the metro, 2 or 3 stops before the south end. Come out of the station and head downhill (towards the estuary) down the main street, whose name I've forgotten. Turn right into Fairfax and look out for a Congregational (?) church once graced by the presence of George Washington (??), on your right. The museum is opposite the church, on your left. It would be good to check opening times etc. before the expedition, and to avoid my mistake of going on 4th July -- getting back to the B&B was an epic journey (and the church was closed)!

My favorite mid-Atlantic cookbook is Chesapeake Bay Cooking by John Shields. Bethesda/DC cuisine is not really Delmarva cuisine (a hair too far inland and hoity-toity for that), but it's probably the heaviest influence. (I grew up in Rockville.)

Find a Hard Times Cafe and have a bowl of chili for me! (I'm partial to the Texas with beans, onions, and parmesan, and a good shake of chili vinegar, but you can't go wrong.) I don't remember if there's still one in Bethesda but there's one up the road in Rockville.

Diana Henry's Roast Figs, Sugar Snow is one of the first cookery books that I really fell in love with. In fact, it opened the door to the wonder of cookery books. Like you, I relate to and like the organisation of the book. I also love the way she pulls recipes from far and wide, though it is a shame (and may have been a different book?) that she did not pull from winter in the southern hemisphere. For me, I was entranced and have fallen in love with Georgian preparation of meat and entrees/appetisers and Scandinavian baking because of this book. Diana Henry writes with such invitation that it is difficult not to curl up in a corner to read her books if not cooking stoveside with them. Great choice!

> Kristenn (#8 above): Diana Henry's Roast Figs, Sugar Snow is one of the first cookery books that I really fell in love with. In fact, it opened the door to the wonder of cookery books. Like you, I relate to and like the organisation of the book. I also love the way she pulls recipes from far and wide, though it is a shame (and may have been a different book?) that she did not pull from winter in the southern hemisphere. For me, I was entranced and have fallen in love with Georgian preparation of meat and entrees/appetisers and Scandinavian baking because of this book. Diana Henry writes with such invitation that it is difficult not to curl up in a corner to read her books if not cooking stoveside with them. Great choice!

If you have a color e-reader, you may want to download this cookbook which is a free government publication, Deliciously Healthy Family Meals: http://publications.usa.gov/USAPubs.php?PubID=215.

Earlier this month, I read An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler, who was inspired by How to Cook a Wolf by M.F.K. Fisher. Of the two, I find Tamar Adler's to be more useful, and the Fisher book to be historically instructive and amusing. Neither are really cookbooks, but more about the philosophy of cooking and eating. I enjoyed the philosophy in both, although I can't say I agreed 100% with either. To be fair, both authors say they just want people to think about what they eat, how they are going to prepare it and why. They don't expect you to hold their views.

I'm reading The Creamery Kitchen by Jenny Linford. It's a lovely book on how to make your own diary products such as butter, yoghurt, creme fraiche, ricotta, feta etc with contemporary recipes on how to use them. I occassionally make my own ricotta anyway, but now I'm looking forward to trying it with her recipe for Fig & Honey Ricotta Cheesecake.

The Creamery Kitchen
Hmm. My wishlist did not really need any more additions.

I am reading Jamie's Great Britain right now.

And I have downloaded this series from Gutenberg. http://www.librarything.com/series/A+little+___+book+for+a+little+girl
Some of the recipes are interesting, but the idea of a 'little girl' doing most of this is scary. Add that back then (before WWI) it would have been on a solid fuel stove, and my mind really boggles.

Wow, I checked out the Cookbook for a Little Girl, it is amazing what they were willing to let children do 100+ years ago. I added it to my library.

I confess that I am reading Tangy Tart Hot and Sweet: A World of Recipes for Every Day and I did indeed get it because I think the title describes the author. She does give many people credit for their work and the food looks as delicious as she does. I am a little disappointed at the amount of meat dishes, my wife and I are trying to limit ourselves to fish, dairy, and vegetables.

I have The Bacon Cookbook: More than 150 Recipes from Aroud the World for Everyone's Favorite Food sitting on my kitchen counter ready to tempt me with smoky, salty, crispy bits of heaven.

How brave to write a cookbook all about bacon these days (even if it is almost everyone's favourite food)!

I was quite surprised to see Quick Fix in the Thermomix at my small local library. To my surprise there's a few recipes I'd like to try that look simple and fast....I'm always trying to get more out of that appliance.

Not exactly a cookbook, well, not a cookbook at all, but about food, Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl. I want to grow up to be a food critic. Well, I am, but I don't get paid for it.

I found Garlic and Sapphires quite amusing, but Tender at the bone (also by Ruth Reichl) was not just funny but touching as well.

Reichl has a novel coming out soon. It's her first attempt at writing fiction. The early reviews on it have been good.

I enjoyed her path of self-discovery as she tried on the different disguises, and also her discoveries of how people are treated in restaurants according to the way they look. I could understand this if you look like someone who can't pay the bill, but it is sad for those who save for a long time to treat themselves and are then treated as less than welcome at an establishment.

Reichl is one of my favorites, too. Tender at the bone is so good. The end of Gourmet was such a loss. The cooking mags seem to be for chefs only, anymore. buttermilk by Debbie Moose is my new book on the subject.The Animal Farm Buttermilk Cookbook by Diane St. Clair is even better. I buy buttermilk by the half gallon now. Ha! What a wonderful ingredient.

>116 anna43: My copy has come now, so I'll be reading it soon.

I also added two brand new preserving cookbooks yesterday:
Sauer eingelegt
Süß eingekocht

I bought them along with my yearly 6 tomato plants (also 4 chili plants, but top heat is a 2. Conservative this year.)

I don't know that this is a cookbook, so much as a book about ingredients and cooking and a smattering of other subjects. A Salute to Onions by Oscar Adolf Mendelsohn.

Just finished The green kitchen. There seem to be several books with that title. This one is very wholefood vegetarian from Sweden! A bit over the top for me, but there are some things I'd like to try.

Not a cookbook but has strong food interest.
Dearie : The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz.
A biography of this rather remarkable Lady, started on her cooking interest relatively late in life.

A short time ago I finished La Technique by Jacques Pépin. Nice photos and descriptions, even though I really don't cook that way any more. It did come in very handy when I ended up with some live muscles I didn't know how to cook.

These days books like La Technique have been largely replaced by YouTube, though some of the videos are a bit dodgy.

I didn't like La Technique, but in general find good stills more helpful than videos.

>132 MarthaJeanne: I agree, and most of the stills in that book were good. I think my favorite chapter was the one on seafood. It is a food I love, but have very little experience with due to the fact that I have no access to fresh seafood. My retirement dream is to live in a fishing village by the sea where I can find fresh seafood every day. :)

La Technique had WAY too much aspic for my taste. :P

Really enjoying Salad Samurai hoping to actually cook from it this week.

I'm reading Japanese Cooking right now. I bought it for my daughter, then decided I better read it first! It is filled with lovely information on culture, traditions, food origins and food, along with lots of photos.

I borrowed the DVD of Nigellissima from the library, and then immediately had to order the book. Too many recipes I want to try.

I'm reading Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. Once you get through the diatribe at the beginning, the recipes seem sound. I'm especially intrigued with the fermenting recipes. I have done a little of this, and am very excited to be taking a class latter this month on it.

Now, here's the catch. I was browsing in an antique store on Saturday and came across a large, thick, shallow wooden bowl standing on three red wooden balls for feet. It had a name branded in the bottom, but I don't remember it. It would be perfect for "bruising" the small batches of vegetables I want to ferment, but it was $55. I am trying to decide whether I should give in to my desire and buy it, or be very practical and use the enamel pot I already have, which would also work just fine.

I'm not sure I would trust an antique wooden bowl for food that was going to be fermented. You don't know where it has been. Yes, I know that wood isn't as unhygenic as some people think, but it does absorb things. And could also have been treated with something we don't consider safe today.

I picked up a book on sale about making frozen ice bars, and it looks like it will be fun to use in a few months. Eisvergnügen am Stiel

>138 MarthaJeanne: I found the brand online, one from Sweden, I think. It was originally for bread dough. Did manage to talk myself out of it though. If only because I'm really trying not to purchase things this year except to replace worn out stuff I use, or some stuff for my health (amazing the amount of money one can spend trying to get pain-free feet).

Our family has always made fermented sauerkraut, and when I say "our family" I mean my parents and ancestors. I am going to get some of the utensils they have used. There was a chopper which was used in a large wooden bowl. It was a sort of crescent moon shape blade. Not sure if either of those are still around. Also a small crock, but if I can't find that I'll stick to glass jars. I don't ever want to make the amounts my parents used to make, using about 20 large heads of cabbage. Theirs was the best though. Fresh, crisp cabbage from the garden. That will be hard to reproduce. Also, I don't do canning.

Yes, those knives are still available. Look for 'mezzaluna'. I've been thinking of splurging on one myself.

It seems to me that in my mother's kitchen sixty years ago there was a two bladed mezzaluna which was known to be there for chopping nuts. I see that they can run over a hundred dollars nowadays. I think even corrected for the value of money at the time ours would not have been that glorious.

Robert

I've got a single-blade mezzaluna that I use mostly for chopping herbs but also for chopping nuts and fruit. I have a large wooden bowl -- a wedding present 30 years ago -- that I use for chopping.

You can often find the two-bladed mezzalunas in thrift shops or antique/collectible shops for very reasonable prices. Collectible shops are great places to find all sorts of kitchen goodies, including casserole dishes and classic cast iron at very low prices.

>142 MarthaJeanne: Thank you for the name! I have to confess, after just watching a video of how to use one on YouTube, I think my French knife is easier to use and quicker. Perhaps it was just because the lady doing the video was far more fussy than I?

Finished perusing THE SOUTHERNER`S COOKBOOK issued by Garden and Gun. This is an unlikely mag for a northerner, but enjoy all the info re the south. We found this by accident during a brief stay in the south.

I finished Nourishing Traditions. As a cookbook, I would say it is sound, the recipes are simple, yet should be tasty. It gives a lot of nutritional information, as well as other interesting bits about ingredients. However, I had to skim through the rants and hyperbole of the authors trying to convince me that they know everything now about nutrition; what is good, what is bad, and the evil people who tell you otherwise.

I'm torn whether to buy this one or not. There are a few of the techniques and recipes I would like as a source, but it is so full of stuff I don't need, I would rather have a smaller book with recipes alone.

Starting nom nom paleo, not much past the introduction, but it looks to be a fun read.

>148 MrsLee: Her Kalua Pork (if you eat pork) is killer. Pork. Salt. Slow Cooker. Yum! I always modify the recipe to use the Judy Rodgers method for salting meat. Then, I don't waste any of the juices from the pork.

>149 lesmel: Good to know! I have only read through the condiments section, but already I'm thinking this is a book I may need to own. The volume I'm reading belongs to a friend. That pork sounds wonderful. However, there are two reasons I won't be trying it soon. 1. No slowcooker. 2. Recently had some pork from farmer's market which had Boar taint. It will be awhile before my husband or I can stand the thought of pork again.

As a public service announcement: Do not risk, ever, cooking pork in your cast iron pots people. If you happen to end up with boar tainted pork, I don't know how long before the smell is gone from your pot. So far, after all the various cleaning methods, we have cooked spaghetti sauce (even though acid is a no-no I thought it might get rid of the smell) and a beef shank stew. I still smelled it this morning when I cleaned the pot with hot water. At least it doesn't seem to leave the smell in the food cooked though.

>150 MrsLee:
So what are you doing about the scoundrel who sold you the pork?

>151 dajashby: It's a difficult question. I've actually had a pork roast with boar taint from a large supermarket as well, so it isn't localized to the farmer's market. This is what I did.

I sent them a private message on FB letting them know, because I thought they should be aware. Boar taint is odd though. 25% of the population can't smell it. I say smell, because I think if I could isolate the smell from the taste, then it wouldn't taste bad. It isn't spoiled meat, it isn't something you can smell when the meat is raw. For those of you who haven't experienced it, it smells like rancid large cat pee, or any other animal variation you can think of.

Anyway, they asked if they could come and taste my pot roast because they had never experienced it before, but knew it was out there. They thought they had tasted it, but after eating mine decided that what they had tasted was gaminess, not boar taint.

It is a result of not castrating pigs when they are young, and now people (especially new farmers) are sensitive about animal cruelty, so it is a wider practice in localized markets to not castrate pigs. So I invited them over. I would have thrown the whole pot full away, but from my previous experience, I knew that my mother didn't taste it so I wanted to see if she could eat this roast.

When they arrived, I dished up small portions, and with great hesitation, gently warmed one in the microwave for 20 seconds. Pulling it out made me gag, so I apologized and said that would be the only/last warmed portion. When the woman took a bite, her eyes went wide and she said, "That is delicious!" She and her partner ate every bite of the portions served them, so obviously they are not sensitive to the taint. This is something they wanted to know, because they said only one other person had complained of it to them from that hog. My mother took the whole roast and enjoyed all of it.

I wonder if it is only 25% of the population who can't detect it, since 3 out of 5 tasters could not detect any taint. My husband and I are both very sensitive to it. Gag! Retch! Sensitive enough that it will be a long while before I can attempt pork again, in spite of loving it.

Anyway, although the ladies offered to bring me a roast from a different pig, I declined with thanks, so they brought me a bag full of collard greens and parsley, which was just fine. :)

>150 MrsLee: RE: Boar taint. This is fascinating. I lack a sense of smell (nearly 100% -- and no, I have no idea if I actually taste food accurately -- ask a blind man to describe the color yellow) so I would have absolutely no idea if any of my pork ever had boar taint. My mother would be able to say, I'm sure. She has a nose like a bloodhound.

>150 MrsLee: RE: slow cooker. If you get the nerve to fix pork again any time soon, you can slow roast the pork in the oven, in a dutch oven. It's just realllllllllllly long cooking time with that giant appliance running (therefore heating up the entire kitchen).

I have the opposite problem from lesmel; my sense of smell works all too well. For every flower and shrub in my garden, there's a human being somewhere wearing loathsome perfume, just waiting to stand near where I can't get away.

The "boar taint" brings back memories of long ago. We never raised hogs, but have had neighbors that did. I just always knew that the old boar or two left to create more pigs was always used for dog food, or else donated to shelters and such. Often the male piglets destined for castration got killed early, and sold as young pork. I remember vaguely that not castrating them "spoiled" the meat if they started to mature.

I have purchased pork from a local grower that had exactly the smell described when it was cooked. I just figured that the meat was spoiled, and threw it away. That grower wasn't successful in any case (farming's harder work than people expect it to be), but at least now I know it wasn't tainted by poor handling.

Man, the things I've learned hanging out here.

>154 Lyndatrue:
And there we have it. A reputable butcher, or pig farmer, will not sell you adult male pork. If in doubt, ask if the meat is from "lady pigs", as my butcher puts it!

I had never heard of boar taint. Fascinating (and pretty gross sounding) stuff. It got me wondering, in Louisiana we have a tradition called cochon du lait which is a suckling pig roast. I always wondered how these poor Cajuns could afford to slaughter all these young pigs (that have the potential to produce a lot of meat) all spring. Now I assume/wonder if they just use the males. Food for thought.

Did you try diluted white vinegar on the pot - I know the acid is bad but it's so good for cleaning and smells. Or maybe a solution with baking soda? Just a thought.

>156 janemarieprice: Thank you, yes, simmered vinegar/water for an hour, also a batch of baking soda/water. Tried very hot heat and salt rub, too. Boiling water, hot oven. It is to the point where I only smell it if I'm washing it with boiling water now, so that's something. I assume time will heal all smell. :)

I'm reading Fermented Vegetables at the moment. I'm not supposed to, I'm supposed to be reading the many stories by my chair. But this was calling to me. I like it so far. Simple, straightforward, no preaching, just information and fun anecdotes of the authors' experiences.

I'm reading Arabesque by Claudia Roden (not to be confused with Greg Malouf's book of the same title). It's one of those large beautifully illustrated volumes which is less cookbook and more gastronomic travel and history.

Next up will be Mietta's Family Recipes. It's an updated edition with an introduction by the late Mietta's sister. Great recipes with the bonus of lots of historical photos and stories of Melbourne's "spaghetti Mafia".

I've picked up Claudia Roden's Arabesque recently, too. I made ayva dolmasi (stuffed quinces) at the weekend - they were divine. A simple but magial recipe, like so many in this book. I love the introductory notes on the cuisines of the three interesting lands that she chose to explore. A really inviting and useful cookery book.

Finished listening to Food: A Culinary Cultural History. It was pretty interesting. Now I want The Opera of Bartolomeo Scappi. A bit spendy for me at the moment to purchase on a whim though.

I'm reading The Lavender Cookbook right now, just as my lavender in the garden gets ready to blossom.

ETA Rather a disappointment.

Smitten Kitchen is a grand cookbook by an adventurous girl willing to find the BEST recipe. Made Red Wine velvet chocolate cake for a party. Very good.

I read a very small cookbook my mother gave me called DeGrazia and Mexican Cookery. Her mother had given it to her because mom and I love DeGrazia illustrations and this little book is full of them. The recipes in it I can't say as much for. I'm sure they are edible, and were even good back in the day, but they are pretty standardized American-Mexican fare. Made with ingredients like canned soups and Velveeta cheese, they are not my sort of thing, but I'm giving shelf space to the book because of the illustrations. Also, my grandmother inscribed it as a birthday gift to my mother, and below that, my mother wrote, "Save for Lee."

Am I remembering right? It seems to me that someone here said, "Never buy a cookbook with the word, 'cookery' in the title." Or was it elsewhere? Anyway, this one confirms that admonition.

Tonight I will begin reading Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters. It is the only book I have of hers, and having just finished reading Sourdough by Robin Sloan, I want to read something by her.

Reading a book loaned to me by a friend, Ginger East to West by Bruce Cost. May have to find a copy for myself, the recipes sound wonderful.

And another book about bread baking is out!

I started reading "Poilâne: The Secrets of the World-Famous Bread Bakery" - and absolutely love it. Great storytelling, not taking over the recipes and pictures. Tried one recipe already - a rye bread with lots of raisins and no sugar - and love it, as does everyone who has tried it. Next I will try the rye chocolate loaf. The book also has a nice collection of a few uses for leftover bread.

While it seems the publicity the book received here in TX before launching was due to some well done PR machinery, it turned out to be a really nice book indeed.

Agree, Smitten Kitchen is great: good flavors, and quite doable recipes, mostly. Dutch baby is a favorite, or the slaw.

>165 MrsLee: Ginger East to West

>167 andreas.wpv: Poilâne

>169 MarthaJeanne: Sorry, when I post on my phone or tablet touchstones don't load unless I save, then edit, then save. I forgot.

Some time ago I was in a bookstore, and happened to notice a shelf of marked down books. Just by chance, you understand. Anyway, one of the books was a big cookbook in English of Latin American food. Gran Cocina Latina. Turns out the Cuban author studied medieval history in Spain and the USA, and has travelled all over Latin America, eating and cooking as she goes. If you happened to live in a US city with a big Latino population and had a lot of time (and sometimes money) not to mention a big family to eat the results, you might be able to cook from this book. In general, I can't get the ingredients, I can't stand in the kitchen that long, and there are only two of us eating. I have been fascinated by her description, but have not felt like cooking from this book.

Now after over 400 pages (still over 400 to go) I have actually made something. The Empanada Gallega de Chorizo is not something I am likely to ever make again, but it tasted good, and looked wonderful.



The cookbook is fascinating because it is so wide ranging within the Spanish and Portuguese speaking world. On the other hand, so often she talks about the common cooking themes that come from medieval Spain and were adapted to American ingredients, but maintained that Iberian heritage. Strange, usually it is cooking methods that I recognize from my (New) English heritage, from living in India as a child AND from the Austrian cuisine I have learned more recently. Let's take the empanada. This is a great idea the Spanish had. Take dough, wrap it around a filling, and cook it. But it certainly isn't just the Spanish who figured that out.

>171 MarthaJeanne: The cookbook sounds fascinating, and in its tags I see it was a James Beard awardee.

>171 MarthaJeanne: Finished it now and it remains both fascinating and unsatisfactory. I won't keep it, but I may try one more recipe before giving it away.

Just downloaded Good Things to Eat from Gutenberg. First published in 1911 it was highly recommended in Saving the Season "because his cooking was geared to the needs of workday lunches and travelling fare..., Estes recipes are manageable for 21st-century cooks."

I can't really comment on Rufus Estes's work yet. West's is wonderful. I've only made one jam so far. But then, I'm still reading it.

I'm just starting Easy Tagine, which my aunt gave to me, along with a tagine pot, as a housewarming gift.

I'm reading The Silver Palate at work. It fits perfectly into my breaks. I think it epitomizes the cooking style of the friend I lost last year. (It was her cookbook) She always managed to serve food with style, elegance and ease. Or she made it seem that way. :)

I finished reading Comfort me with Apples by Ruth Reichl. Not a cookbook, it's a memoir with recipes at the end of the chapters. Several of which I will try, others are either too complicated or include unicorn ingredients. The book was very enjoyable as she knew many of the avant garde California chefs in the '70s and on. One dinner she attended, she helped Bruce Cost Ginger East to West who was trained by Virginia Lee The Chinese Cookbook to cook a meal, one of whose guests was Alice Waters Chez Panisse Vegetables. These are three of my favorite cookbooks.

I'm reading First Catch Your Peacock by Bobby Freeman - a history of food in Wales, with many recipes - and considering whether to make Welsh cakes. They are delicious but a bit hard to describe - a kind of flat, slightly crumbly spiced scone with dried fruit - and the recipe in this book recommends "baking" them under a hot grill but I'm not too confident about that.

Currently I'm reading Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook, published by the Lodge Cast Iron Company. I have 2 cast irons, one 12 inch skillet (very heavy) and an 8 inch baking skillet. I'm just looking to fix something "new" in them! I love frying meats and making gravy in them as well as fried cherry cobbler but been doing that for 20+ years. I also have out a Cooking with Curry small glossy paperback, about 40 pages. Gonna spice up my life!

>178 Tess_W: Have you ever read The Wee Free Men? The plot hinges on an "off-label" use for a cast iron skillet, which one feels should have found its way into folklore thousands of years ago.

I just finished The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook. It's a nice collection containing sweet and savory dishes from a Savannah bakery.

>178 Tess_W: I love cooking with cast iron!

I picked Too good to share out of the bookcase as I had meant to try a few recipes. I made Chicken Saag Curry a few days ago and Salmon Packets today. Both made my husband say, 'bland'. They were both good recipes, but yes, more flavour would have been better.

>179 hfglen: No, I have not, but I'm going to look it up!

I am working my way through Caroline Eden's latest, Red Sands: Reportage and Recipes through Central Asia from Heartland to Hinterland. Eden is a journalist by trade and has more recently written about structures, landscapes and cultures through the lens of food. The essays are written with detail and clarity that I feel as I travelled with her. There are plenty of ear-marked recipes, too, such as steamed pumpkin khunon (a roulade-style open dumpling) from Uzbekistan and Lamb plov with chestnuts, apricots and watercress from Kazakhstan. I have a great interest in travelling to this part of the world (one day!), and the book helps me imagine this.

I love how this thread almost goes back 10 years!

>183 kitchenaglow: This is one for the wishlist!

>183 kitchenaglow: I too must look out for that one - I enjoyed Caroline Eden's earlier book Samarkand a lot and have cooked quite a few dishes from it. I particularly appreciate her stuffed cabbage recipe (no actual stuffing required).

Just borrowed her Black sea, eden. (In German, That's the one the library has.)

Currently perusing The German & Viennese Cookbook and want to make something from there this week. I'm leaning toward the marinated beef with sour cream and seedless raisins.

>183 kitchenaglow: Oooo, that sounds lovely!

I recently finished The Taste of Mexico by Patricia Quintana. Great read! I found it in a used bookshop. I dying to try the Mole Negro Oaxaqueno (Black Mole from Oaxaca) which has 20 ingredients - whenever I have the time.

>189 RShelton: Mmm, mm. Love black mole, haven't tried that particular recipe though. I need to try mole again now that I have my Vitamix. The last time I made it, I didn't have a molcajete or a proper blender, so it came out grainy. Tasted delicious, but not the velvet texture desired.

I'm excited to join this group. I don't really collect cookbooks; I just tend to amass them. Right now, my garden is in full swing so I'm going through my food preservation books looking for different things to can and dehydrate. Found a pear salsa. My stepson picked a bunch of pears that aren't quite ripe, so I don't want to waste them. May dig around for a good pear tart or galette recipe, but it's too hot to bake today.

>191 Raspberrymocha: Most pears have a ripe to pick time and a ripe to eat time. They actually should be picked when the fruit comes easily, and then stored until ready to eat.

>190 MrsLee: Well, let us know how the Vitamix works for the mole! I seem to have every appliance but that one - and I need a reason to shell out the money for it LOL.

>192 MarthaJeanne: I told him they weren't ready yet, but sometimes men don't always listen. lol!

I just "finished" (meaning I turned and looked at every page) The Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook: Recipes for the Best Pan in Your Kitchen by Sharon Kramis. I did actually read many recipes and also made several dishes. My fav was the cornbread and the fried cherry cobbler.

>195 Tess_W: I'm pretty certain that one is on my wish list. I love cooking with cast iron.

>193 RShelton: Whereas, I got rid of almost every appliance and bought a Vitamix! I adore it for anything I want blended into a puree. Soups being one of the best. I use it for grinding my coffee, spice mixes, essential for grinding my dried herbs (like sage) into powder, making frozen treats with frozen fruit, smoothies or healthy veg. drinks. I made a marvelous bbq sauce from rhubarb with it. Smooth as anything you could buy. I know it will work for the molé, but I'm not cooking much yet. Still too hot here.

I do not use it for bread (I make bread differently).

The only appliance I miss, and might replace one of these days, is my Kitchenaid mixer. If my wrists and hands were not troubled by arthritis, I wouldn't need it, but I foresee a time when it may be necessary, as stirring cookie dough with a wooden spoon is getting beyond me.

I've read two cookbooks over the last week or so. Foodheim, by comedic actor Eric Wareheim of Tim & Eric. This is one that I'd recommend for someone who's just starting cooking as lots of the recipes are too basic for the experienced cook. Things like how to make a salad, and classic cocktail recipes. There was some personal and interesting opinions about wine pairings.
The second book really isn't a cookbook though it contains a few recipes. Gastro Obscura features traditional, regional and rare foods from all over the world, including the research stations of Antarctica. It's a pretty amazing book loaded with pictures of each item. Guaranteed you'll find things here that you've never heard of before.

>198 mstrust: Sorry, what I meant to do was to suggest looking at the Atlas Obscura website, of which Gastro Obscura forms part. I haven't picked up the Gastro Obscura book yet, but the website probably has everything that appeared in the book, plus other stuff like this: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/australian-invasive-species. Even a recipe there for cane toad, apparently.

Thanks for the link! I am familiar with Atlas Obscura, it's a very cool site. It's possible that lots of these entries are featured on the site, but the book contains thousands of entries (it's a very heavy coffee table book) that are categorized by region, and there are photos with each entry. I think that even if half of this info is featured on the site, the book is worth it. I found it useful and fascinating enough that I've already sent a copy as a gift.

I had to make room in my pantry for a new freezer. Since I had to move my cookbook bookcase, I needed to purge a few (2 totes full). I think I'll donate some to the local Little Libraries. I still have hundreds, so I'm good! Found some that I haven't read in a long while. Something to do this weekend.

Not exactly a cookbook, per say, but I'm reading/studying the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, which is a step by step process for canning anything as well as recipe suggestions. The first thing I will can is salsa. I also have acquired The Amish Canning Cookbook: Plain and Simple Living at Its Homemade Best as a gift from my sister. Can't wait!

>203 Tess_W: I'd like to grow and put up more of my own food, but it's hard to tend the garden when you go out of town for a couple weeks in the summer and don't really have anyone you can ask to look after it. When I retire, I'll probably make sure I have a space for a decent-sized one. I can travel at other times then.

I'm reading Cooking for my Father in my Cape Malay Kitchen by Cariema Isaacs. Can't wait to try a few recipes, they sound delicious, and perhaps not as heavy as traditional Indian food, a little lighter on the spices. However, many of them rely on tomatoes and potatoes as their main ingredients, which I am trying to avoid, and lamb, which is hard/expensive to find here. I love it though, just reading her techniques and tips and memories is delightful.

>198 mstrust: >200 haydninvienna: I got Gastro Obscura for Christmas. Looks toothsome. 😛

I'm reorganizing my cookbooks. Sat diwn with some of my older Ideals cookbook series. The Country Bread Cookbook by Darlene Kronschnabel is one of my go to books. I made French bread the ither day. Amazingly wonderful! I just wish this wasn't paperback, as they don't take the wear and tear well.

>206 varielle: Definitely a book to take your time with. So many foods I'm unfamiliar with and want to try.

Here is my review of My Cape Malay Kitchen by Cariema Isaacs.
"Cariema Isaacs has put this cookbook together to honor her father, her family, and the Cape Malay way of cooking food. Most of the recipes are traditional, there are some she has included which are convenient, modern and simple. Each section has an introduction by the author in which she shares memories of why the recipes are important to her and the specific holidays and events they go with in her family's traditions. I enjoyed those introductions very much as an insight into a culture I have little familiarity with.

The recipes themselves seem very doable. Most are a take on stews "Bredies" or curries. Almost all include lamb as the main protein, tomatoes, potatoes and a variety of other vegetables. The seasoning is less intense than those from Indian cuisine, but still sounds delicious. Her recipes for the various holiday sweets are a bit more involved. The author has meticulously tried to include and describe every step to make it easy for someone not familiar with this cuisine to succeed in cooking it."

>209 MrsLee: PS to my comments in your Green Dragon thread: If you use beef you will change the taste, but by no means irreparably. Just remember to double the cooking time. And NEVER ask what goes in to "sosseis"; Terry Pratchett nailed it absolutely with his descriptions of the activities of C.M.O.T. Dibbler.

I continue to organize my cookbooks. I purged 2 totes full the other day, mostly the comb bound local and regional type books that I never use. It's a matter of space, as I only have room for a few hundred cookbooks (1 six shelf bookcase) in my kitchen. Today I browsed through Favorite Brand Name Country Italian c. 2001. Lots of lovely photos and good for those who do semi homemade type cooking. I also went through 365 Easy Italian Recipes by Rick O'connell, c. 1991. I've cooked several things from this. And, Betty Crocker's Slow Cooker Cookbook, c. 1999. It has my favorite Hungarian Goulash recipe, as it tastes closest of any I've made to what I've eaten in Hungarian restaurants. I'm making chicken and dumplings for supper (homemade drop dumplings) as I put a 6 1/2 lb giant chicken on to boil. Going to try a yeast dough Onion dill dinner roll recipe, if I can find which cookbook it is in...

I've read Cocktail Hour and Vintage Cocktails both by Susan Waggoneer and Robert Markel. They are companion books that feature the recipes and history of both classic and forgotten cocktails circa 1920-1960.

I went through half of my double-sided cabinet of baking supplies yesterday and purged a few pans I haven't used in years, and a huge turkey roasting pan that I used once several years ago. I don't think I'll ever cook a bird that big again so it'll go to Goodwill.

Med.

There may be cookbook authors who equal Claudia Roden, but none to surpass her.

Reading World Food: Thailand by Judy Williams. Big coffee table book, full of lovely photos, I've yet to try any of the recipes, but they look as if they would be good and fairly simple.

Took my mother to some antique stores over Easter and purchased two "older" (antique?) cooking magazines/books from the 1950's: McCall's Casserole Cookbook and Favorite Recipes for the Farm Kitchen (First edition). I've already noted 2-3 recipes to try this month. I noticed in both books that the recipes sure call for pimentos frequently. I'm not a pimento fan, but will substitute sweet red peppers (sauteed if necessary).

>215 Tess_W: I think Pimentos were used a lot back then. I remember my Aunt Daisy used them frequently--not just in pimento cheese.

>216 thornton37814: Not originally from NC are you? My mom was named Daisy and always put pimientos in just about everything.

>217 varielle: No - Mississippi -- but I have lots of NC ancestry.

The Yellow Table. It has a great-sounding recipe for Sausage & Heirloom Tomato Breakfast Casserole that I’d like to try. I also am reading a lot of my herb cookbooks. I collect them.