Best of
Culinary

1999

The French Laundry Cookbook


Thomas Keller - 1999
    The most transformative cookbook of the century celebrates this milestone by showcasing the genius of chef/proprietor Thomas Keller himself. Keller is a wizard, a purist, a man obsessed with getting it right. And this, his first cookbook, is every bit as satisfying as a French Laundry meal itself: a series of small, impeccable, highly refined, intensely focused courses. Most dazzling is how simple Keller's methods are: squeegeeing the moisture from the skin on fish so it sautées beautifully; poaching eggs in a deep pot of water for perfect shape; the initial steeping in the shell that makes cooking raw lobster out of the shell a cinch; using vinegar as a flavor enhancer; the repeated washing of bones for stock for the cleanest, clearest tastes. From innovative soup techniques, to the proper way to cook green vegetables, to secrets of great fish cookery, to the creation of breathtaking desserts; from beurre monté to foie gras au torchon, to a wild and thoroughly unexpected take on coffee and doughnuts, The French Laundry Cookbook captures, through recipes, essays, profiles, and extraordinary photography, one of America's great restaurants, its great chef, and the food that makes both unique. One hundred and fifty superlative recipes are exact recipes from the French Laundry kitchen—no shortcuts have been taken, no critical steps ignored, all have been thoroughly tested in home kitchens. If you can't get to the French Laundry, you can now re-create at home the very experience Wine Spectator described as “as close to dining perfection as it gets.”

The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating


Fergus Henderson - 1999
    In it, Fergus Henderson -- whose London restaurant, St. John, is a world-renowned destination for people who love to eat "on the wild side" -- presents the recipes that have marked him out as one of the most innovative, yet traditional, chefs. Here are recipes that hark back to a strong rural tradition of delicious thrift, and that literally represent Henderson's motto, "Nose to Tail Eating" -- be they Pig's Trotter Stuffed with Potato, Rabbit Wrapped in Fennel and Bacon, or his signature dish of Roast Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad. For those of a less carnivorous bent, there are also splendid dishes such as Deviled Crab; Smoked Haddock, Mustard, and Saffron; Green Beans, Shallots, Garlic, and Anchovies; and to keep the sweetest tooth happy, there are gloriously satisfying puddings, notably the St. John Eccles Cakes, and a very nearly perfect Chocolate Ice Cream.

The Oxford Companion to Food


Alan Davidson - 1999
    Its combination of serious food history, culinary expertise, and entertaining serendipity was recognized as utterly unique. Including both an exhaustive catalogue of the foods that nourish humankind-fruit from tropical forests, mosses scraped from adamantine granite in Siberian wastes, or ears, eyeballs and testicles from a menagerie of animals-and a richly allusive commentary on the culture of food, whether expressed in literature and cookbooks, or as dishes peculiar to a country or community, the Oxford Companion to Food immediately found distinction.The study of food and food history was a new discipline at the time, but one that has developed exponentially in the years since. There are now university departments, international societies, and academic journals, in addition to a wide range of popular literature exploring the meaning of food in the daily lives of people around the world.Alan Davidson famously wrote eighty percent of the first edition, which was praised for its wit as well as its wisdom. Tom Jaine, the editor of the second edition, worked closely with Jane Davidson and Helen Saberi to ensure that new contributions continue in the same style. The result is an expanded volume that remains faithful to Davidson's peerless work. The text has been updated where necessary to keep pace with a rapidly changing subject, and Jaine assiduously alerts readers to new avenues in food studies. Agriculture; archaeology; food in art, film, literature, and music; globalization; neuroanatomy; and the Silk Road are covered for the first time, and absorbing new articles on confetti; cutlery; doggy bags; elephant; myrrh; and potluck have also found their way into the Companion.

Garde Manger: The Art and Craft of the Cold Kitchen


Culinary Institute of America - 1999
    Bringing the kitchen-tested wisdom of The Culinary Institute of America's chefs and teachers to the reader, the comprehensive book covers a range of topics, from salads and sandwiches to hors d'oeuvres and appetizers--all the hot and cold food preparation knowledge the skilled garde manger needs. All-new photographs by award-winning photographer Ben Fink show finished dishes and important techniques to help the reader visualize key concepts, from curing salmon and bacon to making and decanting flavored oils.

Culinaria Spain


Günter Beer - 1999
    While to the north the traditions of the wandering herdsmen are still maintained and tracking dogs search out truffles, exotic fruits that entered the country with the Arabs flourish in the south. This Culinaria title whets your appetite to explore Spain with all your senses. It describes an incomparable panorama of cultural and culinary traditions, as well as an overview of the most important winegrowing regions of the land. Its 488 pages and more than 1,200 photographs clearly illustrate how landscape, climate, and various cultures have left their mark on the diverse cuisine of the country - from Alboraya in the Levant to Zaragoza in the north, from the omnipresent garlic mayonnaise alioli to zamburina mussels. More than 200 recipes drawn from every region ensure that the fascinating reading also becomes a feast for the palate.

Culinaria: Germany


Christine Metzger - 1999
    Whether freshly caught Matjes from the North, or original Swabian Maultaschen, this book’s authentic recipes, covering the full range of regional and national specialties, and its wealth of background information, can stir the heart of even the most culinary-spoiled reader. Take a look at just how hearty, sophisticated, or sweet German cuisine can be.

Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook


Alice Waters - 1999
    So writes Alice Waters of the opening of Berkeley's Chez Panisse Café on April Fool's Day, 1980. Located above the more formal Chez Panisse Restaurant, the Café is a bustling neighborhood bistro where guests needn't reserve far in advance and can choose from the ever-changing à la carte menu. It's the place where Alice Waters's inventive chefs cook in a more impromptu and earthy vein, drawing on the healthful, low-tech traditions of the cuisines of such Mediterranean regions as Catalonia, Campania, and Provence, while improvising and experimenting with the best products of Chez Panisse's own regional network of small farms and producers.In the Chez Panisse Café Cookbook, the follow-up to the award-winning Chez Panisse Vegetables, Alice Waters and her team of talented cooks offer more than 140 of the café's best-recipes--some that have been on the menu since the day café opened and others freshly reinvented with the honesty and ingenuity that have made Chez Panisse so famous. In addition to irresistible recipes, the Chez Panisse Café Cookbook is filled with chapter-opening essays on the relationships Alice has cultivated with the farmers, foragers and purveyors--most of them within an hour's drive of Berkeley--who make it possible for Chez Panisse to boast that nearly all food is locally grown, certifiably organic, and sustainably grown and harvested.Alice encourages her chefs and cookbook readers alike to decide what to cook only after visiting the farmer's market or produce stand. Then we can all fully appreciate the advantages of eating according to season--fresh spring lamb in late March, ripe tomato salads in late summer, Comice pear crisps in autumn.This book begins with a chapter of inspired vegetable recipes, from a vivid salad of avocados and beets to elegant Morel Mushroom Toasts to straightforward side dishes of Spicy Broccoli Raab and Garlicky Kale. The Chapter on eggs and cheese includes two of the café's most famous dishes, a garden lettuce salad with baked goat cheese and the Crostata di Perrella, the café's version of a calzone. Later chapters focus on fish and shellfish, beef, pork, lamb, and poultry, each offering its share of delightful dishes. You'll find recipes for curing your own pancetta, for simple grills and succulent braises, and for the definitive simple roast chicken--as well as sumptuous truffed chicken breasts. Finally the pastry cooks of Chez Panisse serve forth a chapter of uncomplicated sweets, including Apricot Bread Pudding, Chocolate Almond Cookies, and Wood Oven-baked Figs with Raspberries.Gorgeously designed and illustrated throughout with colored block prints by David Lance Goines, who has eaten at the café since the day it opened, Chez Panisse Café Cookbook is destined to become an indispensable classic. Fans of Alice Waters's restaurant and café will be thrilled to discover the recipes that keep them coming back for more. Loyal readers of her earlier cookbooks will delight in this latest collection of time-tested, deceptively simple recipes. And anyone who loves pure, vibrant, delicious fare made from the finest ingredients will be honored to add these new recipes to his or her repertoire.

A Mediterranean Feast: The Story Of The Birth Of The Celebrated Cuisines Of The Mediterranean, From The Merchants Of Venice To The Barbary Corsairs, With More Than 500 Recipes


Clifford A. Wright - 1999
    Author Clifford A. Wright weaves together historical and culinary strands from Moorish Spain to North Africa, from coastal France to the Balearic Islands, from Sicily and the kingdoms of Italy to Greece, the Balkan coast, Turkey, and the Near East.The evolution of these cuisines is not simply the story of farming, herding, and fishing; rather, the story encompasses wars and plagues, political intrigue and pirates, the Silk Road and the discovery of the New World, the rise of capitalism and the birth of city-states, the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition, and the obsession with spices. The ebb and flow of empires, the movement of populations from country to city, and religion have all played a determining role in making each of these cuisines unique.In A Mediterranean Feast, Wright also shows how the cuisines of the Mediterranean have been indelibly stamped with the uncompromising geography and climate of the area and a past marked by both unrelenting poverty and outrageous wealth. The book's more than five hundred contemporary recipes (which have been adapted for today's kitchen) are the end point of centuries of evolution and show the full range of culinary ingenuity and indulgence, from the peasant kitchen to the merchant pantry. They also illustrate the migration of local culinary predilections, tastes for food and methods of preparation carried from home to new lands and back by conquerors, seafarers, soldiers, merchants, and religious pilgrims.A Mediterranean Feast includes fourteen original maps of the contemporary and historical Mediterranean, a guide to the Mediterranean pantry, food products resources, a complete bibliography, and a recipe and general index, in addition to a pronunciation key. An astonishing accomplishment of culinary and historical research and detective work in eight languages, A Mediterranean Feast is required--and intriguing--reading for any cook, armchair or otherwise.

Essentials of Cooking


James Peterson - 1999
    Seven hundred and fifty photographs unravel the mysteries of the method and provide practical application on the spot. Each technique is further explained in terms of how it makes the food taste: What happens, for example, if you cook the fish in butter versus oil? Why does roasting make vegetables taste so good? How do you decide whether you want to make a chicken stew or sautT?Here are answers to just about every cooking question, from the simple to the sublime: how to boil an artichoke or cook a soft-boiled egg, or how to clean soft-shell crabs or even butcher and roast a whole saddle of lamb. Knowing how to execute a technique makes you efficient; knowing why you've chosen that technique makes you a master.

The Soup Bible


Debra Mayhew - 1999
    A comprehensive introduction includes step by step recipes for creating the perfect stock and suggests garnishes for a professional finish.'

Bobby Flay's Boy Meets Grill: With More Than 125 Bold New Recipes


Bobby Flay - 1999
    In these pages, he gets busy in his own backyard, cooking up a fresh batch of 125 bold new no-nonsense and easy-to-follow recipes for grilling mouthwatering meat, fish, and poultry dishes, along with fantastic one-of-a-kind beverages and surefire desserts. Guaranteed to please a crowd, it's the perfect comprehensive cookbook for any grill lover, from the novice to the experienced chef. Don't worry about complicated equipment, either; these 125 quick recipes are perfect for both gas and charcoal grills, and Bobby Flay's simple foods and fiery southwestern sauces will make your menu more exciting, versatile--and delicious.Informative and fun to read, Bobby Flay's Boy Meets Grill is a must-have for anyone who wants to fire up a grill this summer--or any season!

A Spoonful of Ginger : Irresistible Health-Giving Recipes from Asian Kitchens


Nina Simonds - 1999
    The 200 delectable recipes she offers not only taste superb but also have specific healing properties according to the accumulated wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine.The emphasis is on what's good for you, not bad for you. It's primarily a question of balance: eating in harmony with the seasons; countering yin, or cooling, foods (spinach, tomatoes, asparagus, lettuce, seafood) with yang, or hot, foods (ginger, garlic, hot peppers, beef) and neutralizers like rice and noodles.Feeling tired? Ms. Simonds offers a spoonful of ginger in her hearty chicken soup. A cold coming on? Try Cantonese-Style Tofu (to sweat out the cold) in Black Bean Sauce (healing to the lungs and digestion). Your immune system needs building up? Wild mushrooms (a cancer deterrent) are tossed with soba noodles (a stress reliever). Concerned about cholesterol and clogged arteries? Instead of giving up all the foods you love, indulge in Yin-Yang Shrimp with Hawthorn Dipping Sauce.Whatever your health concerns may be, you will find the right restorative and satisfying recipes. Babies and toddlers have special needs, as do adolescents, pregnant and menopausal women, the aging--and all of these are addressed with specific recommendations. The wealth of information Nina Simonds offers here derives from her extensive research into the evidence amassed over three thousand years by practitioners of Chinese medicine, and from her interviews with leading experts today in food as medicine, who offer their firsthand testimony.It is all here in this remarkable book. But, above all, it is the range of dishes, from the exotic to the earthy, that will convince you that you can enjoy marvelous food every day--relishing its good taste and knowing it is good for you.

Savoy Cocktail Book


Savoy Group - 1999
    The Savoy continues to evoke a world of timeless elegance, and this updated edition of The Savoy Cocktail Book presents some marvelous new concoctions. With 750 classic cocktails, the tradition of sophisticated soirees can be recreated time and time again.

Beat That! Cookbook


Ann Hodgman - 1999
    But if you think your potato salad will make me lie down and dry with shame, send in the recipe." Now Hodgeman presents the winners - including a potato salad that did beat hers. Chockablock with Hodgman's witticisms and pronouncements, this book will have readers laughing aloud as they turn out unbeatable dishes.

A Taste of Persia: An Introduction to Persian Cooking


Najmieh Batmanglij - 1999
    Here are light appetisers and kababs, hearty stews and rich, golden-crusted rices, among many other dishes, all fragrant with the distinctive herbs, spices, or fruits of Iran. Each recipe offers clear, easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions. Most take less than an hour to prepare; many require only a few moments; many others can be made in advance. Besides its 100 recipes and 60 photographs, the book includes a useful dictionary of Persian cooking techniques and ingredients, a list of speciality stores that sell hard-to-find items, and a brief history of Persian cookery. Together these make a complete introduction to this wonderful cuisine.

Parisian Home Cooking: Conversations, Recipes, And Tips From The Cooks And Food Merchants Of Paris


Michael Roberts - 1999
    The side streets and markets of Paris come alive with anecdotes about traditional recipes and the daily shopping. Each chapter takes a trip to a different part of the market, with descriptions of the shopkeepers and their goods. And more than 150 recipes document the meals that many Parisians know by heart and consider their daily fare.This isn't fancy restaurant cooking that is difficult to duplicate in the home kitchen, but rather wholesome, easy-to-make recipes, most of which take less than thirty minutes to prepare. Take your pick from Smothered Duck Legs and Apples, Baked Tomatoes with Pesto, and Stuffed Cod with Asparagus. Indulge yourself in Lamb and Red Bean Stew, Tuna Braised in Sherry with Rosemary, or Parisian Bread Pudding. From cover to cover, Parisian Home Cooking is a delicious way to bring a bit of everyday Paris into your own home.

Cucina & Famiglia: Two Italian Families Share Their Stories, Recipes, and Traditions


Joan T. Tucci - 1999
    Presents more than two hundred authentic Italian recipes ranging from stuffed mushrooms to chicken cacciatore.

A Drizzle of Honey: The Life and Recipes of Spain's Secret Jews


David M. Gitlitz - 1999
    To root out these heretics, the courts of the Inquisition published checklists of koshering practices and "grilled" the servants, neighbors, and even the children of those suspected of practicing their religion at home. From these testimonies and other primary sources, Gitlitz & Davidson have drawn a fascinating, award-winning picture of this precarious sense of Jewish identity and have re-created these recipes, which combine Christian & Islamic traditions in cooking lamb, beef, fish, eggplant, chickpeas, and greens and use seasonings such as saffron, mace, ginger, and cinnamon. The recipes, and the accompanying stories of the people who created them, promise to delight the adventurous palate and give insights into the foundations of modern Sephardic cuisine.

Saveur Cooks Authentic French: Rediscovering the Recipes, Traditions, and Flavors of the World's Greatest Cuisine


Colman Andrews - 1999
    After years of so-called fusion food, tastes have come back to the pure and classicand nothing exemplifies this trend better than the renewed interest in traditional French cuisine. From their very first issue, the editors at Saveur magazine have shared their passion for French food and wine, describing the vivid immediacy of real French cooking in loving detail. Now they take readers off the beaten track and into the kitchens of France to taste the true Mediterranean flavors of Provence, sample the unique farmhouse cooking of Brittany, savor the sumptuous cuisines of Alsace and Burgundy, and discover many more inspiring regional cuisines. Whether interviewing a cheesemaker or accompanying a truffle hunter on his secret rounds, Saveur's editors capture the authentic essence of French food and culture. Featuring award-winning food writing and stunning color photography, Saveur Cooks Authentic French is an unforgettable tour through the abundant culinary glories of France.

One Bite Won't Kill You: More Than 200 Hundred Recipes to Tempt Even The Pickiest Kids on Earth: And theRest of the Family Too


Ann Hodgman - 1999
    By her own admission, the writer and humorist Ann Hodgman's kids are the worst eaters in the world, and if she finds something one likes, the other inevitably hates it. Now, for all similarly beleaguered parents, Hodgman brings together more than two hundred recipes that everyone in the family can agree on, like Nonthreatening Cheese Fondue, Taco Bake, and Roast Pork Loin with Apple Crust, many of them gathered from fellow parents. ONE BITE WON'T KILL YOU also includes: menus for holiday meals, recipes for birthday parties, suggestions for in-flight and car-trip snacks, sections on feeding toddlers, preschoolers, elementary school kids, and adolescents. With hundreds of tips and anecdotes from other parents, ONE BITE WON'T KILL YOU makes the task of feeding kids not only a little easier, but also a whole lot more fun.

Roman Cookery: Ancient Recipes for Modern Kitchens


Mark Grant - 1999
    Based on olive oil, fish, herbs and vegetables, it was the origin of modern European cooking and, in particular, of what we now call the Mediterranean diet.

New Covent Garden Soup Company's Soup & Beyond: Soups, Beans and Other Things


New Covent Garden Soup Company - 1999
    This enduring popularity is a result of New Covent Garden's continuous passion for fresh soup, which they expound as the ultimate, easy-to-make, healthy, delicious meal."Soup and Beyond" is New Covent Garden's second book, now reissued with a new cover that reflects the company's latest branding, and this time they have not stopped at just soups. Alongside over fifty new soup recipes, readers will find an exciting range of bean dishes - including home-made baked beans, dal, Israeli falafel and many more - together with a fantastic selection of breads and other garnishes which add a new layer of flavour, texture, substance and colour, and contribute to a wonderful mealtime experience.

The Cook's Illustrated Complete Book of Poultry


Cook's Illustrated - 1999
    Forty turkeys roasted to find the best Thanksgiving bird. Duck prepared ten different ways to ensure the crispiest skin and moistest meat. Countless chickens basted and turned to determine that preheating the roasting pan is the secret to the tastiest one. No other cookbook has taken this approach to the subject, and no other book has broken such new ground in the kitchen.Master recipes provide all the basics to prepare poultry in particular styles--from fried chicken to braised quail, sautéed turkey cutlets to roasted Cornish game hens.The variations follow: an exhaustive listing that will yield fresh recipes for years to come. These include delights like Sautéed Chicken Cutlets with Marsala, Chicken and Herb Dumplings with Spring Vegetables, and Cincinnati-Style Turkey Chili. There are even recipes specially designed to make use of leftovers. For grill enthusiasts, sidebars cover such topics as finding the best charcoal and setting up the grill for indirect cooking. Recipes range from easy grilled chicken wings to a show-stopping grill-roasted whole turkey guaranteed to be the best you've ever tasted. Step-by-step illustrations guide the reader through every technique. Informative sidebars rate everything from roaster racks to canned chicken broth. Enlightening, instructive, and invaluable, this is a book that any cook interested in poultry--and in learning the best way to prepare any bird--can't afford to be without.

The Chocolate Snowball: and Other Fabulous Pastries from Deer Valley Bakery


Letty Halloran Flatt - 1999
    From Deer Valley ski resort Executive Pastry Chef Letty Halloran Flatt offers 125 of the resort's tried-and-true recipes.

Best of Craig Claiborne: 1,000 Recipes from His New York Times Food Columns and Four of His Classic Cookbooks


Craig Claiborne - 1999
    Introduction by Paul Prudhomme.

The McDougall Program for Women


John A. McDougall - 1999
    John McDougall. founder of the McDougall Program and a longtime advocate of women's health rights, arms women with the facts they need to achieve a lifetime of good health. Based on a unique low-fat, low-protein, high carbohydrate diet, The McDougall Program for Women combines sound nutrition with sensible exercise in a complete and natural lifestyle plan that covers every aspect of women's wellness This comprehensive volume includes information on topics like: -- Eating right to feel great at any age-- How to have a healthy pregnancy-- Ten ways to prevent breast cancer-- Considering hormone replacement therapy-- What to do about osteoporosis-- How to protect yourself against heart diseaseThrough his live-in program at St. Helena's Hospital in Napa Valley, California, regular radio and television appearances newsletter, and extensive speaking engagements, Dr. McDougall has earned a reputation as one of the most trusted figures in the field of women's health, helping thousands of women overcome health and fitness problems. The McDougall Program for Women is an important resource for every woman's bookshelf.