Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes You'll Make Over and Over Again


Ina Garten - 2006
    She will be the first to tell you, though, that nothing beats a cozy dinner, surrounded by the people you love most, in the comfort that only your own home can provide. In Barefoot Contessa at Home, Ina shares her life in East Hampton, the recipes she loves, and her secrets to making guests feel welcome and comfortable.For Ina, it's friends and family-gathered around the dinner table or cooking with her in the kitchen-that really make her house feel like home. Here Ina offers the tried-and-true recipes that she makes over and over again because they're easy, they work, and they're universally loved. For a leisurely Sunday breakfast, she has Easy Cheese Danishes or Breakfast Fruit Crunch to serve with the perfect Spicy Bloody Mary. For lunch, she has classics with a twist, such as Tomato, Mozzarella, and Pesto Paninis and Old-Fashioned Potato Salad, which are simply delicious. Then there are Ina's homey dinners-from her own version of loin of pork stuffed with sauteed fennel to the exotic flavors of Eli's Asian Salmon. And since Ina knows no one ever forgets what you serve for dessert, she includes recipes for outrageously luscious sweets like Peach and Blueberry Crumble, Pumpkin Mousse Parfait, and Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing.Ina also lets readers in on her time-tested secrets for cooking and entertaining. Get the inside scoop on everything from what Ina considers when she's designing a kitchen to menu-planning basics and how to make a dinner party fun (here's a hint: it doesn't involve making complicated food!).Along with beautiful photographs of Ina's dishes, her home, and the East Hampton she loves, this book is filled with signature recipes that strike the perfect balance between elegance and casual comfort. With her most indispensable collection yet, Ina Garten proves beyond a shadow of doubt that there truly is no place like home.

A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table


Molly Wizenberg - 2009
    But when she tried going back to her apartment in Seattle and returning to graduate school, she knew it wasn't possible to resume life as though nothing had happened. So she went to Paris, a city that held vivid memories of a childhood trip with her father, of early morning walks on the cobbled streets of the Latin Quarter and the taste of her first pain au chocolat. She was supposed to be doing research for her dissertation, but more often, she found herself peering through the windows of chocolate shops, trekking across town to try a new pâtisserie, or tasting cheeses at outdoor markets, until one evening when she sat in the Luxembourg Gardens reading cookbooks until it was too dark to see, she realized that her heart was not in her studies but in the kitchen.At first, it wasn't clear where this epiphany might lead. Like her long letters home describing the details of every meal and market, Molly's blog Orangette started out merely as a pleasant pastime. But it wasn't long before her writing and recipes developed an international following. Every week, devoted readers logged on to find out what Molly was cooking, eating, reading, and thinking, and it seemed she had finally found her passion. But the story wasn't over: one reader in particular, a curly-haired, food-loving composer from New York, found himself enchanted by the redhead in Seattle, and their email correspondence blossomed into a long-distance romance.In A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table, Molly Wizenberg recounts a life with the kitchen at its center. From her mother's pound cake, a staple of summer picnics during her childhood in Oklahoma, to the eggs she cooked for her father during the weeks before his death, food and memories are intimately entwined. You won't be able to decide whether to curl up and sink into the story or to head straight to the market to fill your basket with ingredients for Cider-Glazed Salmon and Pistachio Cake with Honeyed Apricots.

Leith's Cookery Bible


Prue Leith - 1991
    This title includes 1,400 recipes ranging from classics such as Cheese Souffle and Steak and Kidney Pie to innovative recipes such as Salmon and Plaice Ravioli and Red Onion and Polenta Tart.

The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City


David Lebovitz - 2009
    Finally, after a nearly two-decade career as a pastry chef and cookbook author, he moved to Paris to start a new life. Having crammed all his worldly belongings into three suitcases, he arrived, hopes high, at his new apartment in the lively Bastille neighborhood. But he soon discovered it's a different world "en France." From learning the ironclad rules of social conduct to the mysteries of men's footwear, from shopkeepers who work so hard not to sell you anything to the etiquette of working the right way around the cheese plate, here is David's story of how he came to fall in love with--and even understand--this glorious, yet sometimes maddening, city. When did he realize he had morphed into "un vrai parisien"? It might have been when he found himself considering a purchase of men's dress socks with cartoon characters on them. Or perhaps the time he went to a bank with 135 euros in hand to make a 134-euro payment, was told the bank had no change that day, and thought it was completely normal. Or when he found himself dressing up to take out the garbage because he had come to accept that in Paris appearances and image mean everything. The more than fifty original recipes, for dishes both savory and sweet, such as Pork Loin with Brown Sugar-Bourbon Glaze, Braised Turkey in Beaujolais Nouveau with Prunes, Bacon and Bleu Cheese Cake, Chocolate-Coconut Marshmallows, Chocolate Spice Bread, Lemon-Glazed Madeleines, and Mocha-Creme Fraiche Cake, will have readers running to the kitchen once they stop laughing. "The Sweet Life in Paris" is a deliciously funny, offbeat, and irreverent look at the city of lights, cheese, chocolate, and other confections.

The Lost Art of Real Cooking: Rediscovering the Pleasures of Traditional Food One Recipe at a Time


Ken Albala - 2010
    It's time to unlock the pantry and break free from the shackles of ready-made, industrial food. It's time to cook supper."The Lost Art of Real Cooking" heralds a new old-fashioned approach to food-laborious and inconvenient, yet extraordinarily rewarding and worth bragging about. From jam, yogurt, and fresh pasta to salami, smoked meat, and strudel, Ken Albala and Rosanna Nafziger arm you with the knowledge and skills that let you connect on a deeper level with what goes into your body.Ken and Rosanna celebrate the patience it takes to make your own sauerkraut and pickles. They divulge the mysteries of capturing wild sourdoughs and culturing butter, the beauty of rendering lard, making cheese, and brewing beer, all without the fancy toys that take away from the adventure of truly "experiencing" your food.These foods were once made by the family, in the home, rather than a factory. And they can still be made in the smallest kitchens without expensive equipment, capturing flavors that speak of place and personality. What you won't find here is a collection of rigid rules for the perfect meal. Ken and Rosanna offer a wealth of recipes, history, and techniques that start with the basics and evolve into dishes that are entirely your own.

The Silver Palate Cookbook


Julee Rosso - 1982
    Originally published in 1982, the book's elegant, innovative recipes and emphasis on pure, fresh, ingredients ushered a new passion for food and hospitality into the American consciousness. The lively collection of clear, step-by-step recipes ranges from sublimely refined traditions-Pesto, Manhattan Clam Chowder, and Stuffed Artichokes-to original creations certain to become the topic of conversation at any dinner party. There's PatS de Campagne with Walnuts and Juniper Berries. Fruit-Stuffed Cornish Hens. Caviar Eclairs. Blueberry Bisque. Plus over 300 more recipes for hors d'oeuvres, dips and sauces, picnic fare, entrSes, salads, soups, breads, desserts. Throughout the book are valuable menu and serving suggestions, literary quotes, food guides, food lore, and whimsical illustrations. Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club, Quality Paperback Book Club, Book-of-the-Month Club's HomeStyle Books, Better Homes & Gardens Family Book Service, and the ABA Basic Booklist. A James Beard Book Awards inductee into the cookbook Hall of Fame.

Best Food Writing 2007


Holly Hughes - 2000
    With eight sections ranging from Food Fights to Fast Food, The World's Kitchen to Why I Cook, this stellar collection features both established food writers and rising stars who serve up their culinary forays, musings, and discoveries. By turns luminous, nostalgic, witty, sensual, and sometimes just plain funny, this delectable sampler will invoke your imagination and tantalize your taste buds-whether you're in the mood for tartare-or tacos.Food fights --Waiting for asparagus / by Barbara Kingsolver --Local heroes? / by Barry Estabrook --Rare tuna / by Todd Kliman --French revolution / by Violaine Charest-Sigouin --Do recipes make you a better cook? / by Daniel Patterson --You may kiss the chef's napkin ring / by Frank Bruni --Discovering new worlds / by Francis Lam --Feast of burden / by Sara Deseran --Organicize me / by Michael A. Stusser --Home cooking --Kitchen existential / by David Leite --Cast iron skillet / by Andrea King Collier --Death by lobster pad Thai / by Steve Almond --Alabama's best covered-dish dinner / by John T. Edge --The age of casseroles / by Irene Sax --Someone's in the kitchen --The great carrot caper / by Dan Barber --Spoon-fed / by John Grossmann --The Harveys circus / by Marco Pierre White and James Steen --The best chef in the world / by Alan Richman --Building the perfect pizza / by Laurie Winer --Sharing in the feast with Johnny Apple / by Adam Noagourney --Dining around --My Miami / by Anthony Bourdain --Then there were none / by Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl --Precision cuisine : the art of feeding 800 a night in style / by Melissa Clark --The greatest restaurant on earth / by Ivy Knight --Are you lonesome tonight? / by Gail Shepherd --Mood food / by Tim Gihring --Wedded bliss / by Jason Sheehan --Post-it love / by Brett Anderson --Fast food --Don't call it a hot dog / by Joe Yonan --In search of the transcendent taqueria / by Bill Addison --Porno burrito / by Jonathan Gold --Las fabulosas taco trucks / by Robb Walsh --The world's kitchen --The soulful crêpes of Brittany / by Nancy Coons --Shanghai high / by Adam Sachs --Old school Madrid / by Anya Von Bremzen --Visiting the old city / by Madhur Jaffrey --Waiting for a cappuccino / by Carolyn Thériault --The Japanese paradigm / by John Kessler --The insidious rise of cosmo-cuisine / by Salma Abdelnour --The meat of the matter --Meat / by James Sturz --What's a stake at the butcher shop / by Pete Wells --The best burger / by Raymond Sokolov --Steak, well done / by Colman Andrews --Personal tastes --A memorable fruit / by Shuna Fish Lydon --A sugar binge / by Charles Ferruzza --The centerpiece / by Rita Williams --A grandchild of Italy cracks the spaghetti code / by Kim Severson --Why I cook --The frying of latke 49 / by Steven Shaw --Around the world to our kitchen table / by Ame Gilbert --Give me credit / by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall --Cooking for a crowd / by Matthew Amster-Burton --Simple cooking, then and now / by John Thorne

How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food


Mark Bittman - 1998
    Just as important, How to Cook Everything takes a relaxed, straightforward approach to cooking, so you can enjoy yourself in the kitchen and still achieve outstanding results.

Blood, Bones, and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef


Gabrielle Hamilton - 2001
    Blood, Bones & Butter follows an unconventional journey through the many kitchens Hamilton has inhabited through the years: the rural kitchen of her childhood, where her adored mother stood over the six-burner with an oily wooden spoon in hand; the kitchens of France, Greece, and Turkey, where she was often fed by complete strangers and learned the essence of hospitality; Hamilton’s own kitchen at Prune, with its many unexpected challenges; and the kitchen of her Italian mother-in-law, who serves as the link between Hamilton’s idyllic past and her own future family—the result of a prickly marriage that nonetheless yields lasting dividends. By turns epic and intimate, Gabrielle Hamilton’s story is told with uncommon honesty, grit, humor, and passion.

How I Learned to Cook: Culinary Educations from the World's Greatest Chefs


Kimberly Witherspoon - 2006
    Hilarious, touching, and always surprising, they cover everything from early adversity to career-making triumphs. How I Learned to Cook is an irresistible treat for cooks (and foodies) of all abilities, and includes stories by such culinary giants as Ferran Adria, Mario Batali, Anthony Bourdain, Gabrielle Hamilton, Suzanne Goin, Eric Ripert, and more...

The Flavour Thesaurus: Pairings, Recipes and Ideas for the Creative Cook


Niki Segnit - 2010
    "Following the instructions in a recipe is like parroting pre-formed sentences from a phrasebook. Forming an understanding of how flavors work together, on the other hand, is like learning the language: it allows you to express yourself freely, to improvise, to cook a dish the way you want to cook it.""The Flavor Thesaurus "is the inquisitive cook's guide to acquiring that understanding--to learning the language of flavor.Breaking the vast universe of ingredients down to 99 essential flavors, Segnit suggests classic and less well-known pairings for each, grouping almost 1,000 entries into flavor families like "Green & Grassy," "Berry & Bush" and "Creamy Fruity." But "The Flavor Thesaurus" is much more than just a reference book, seasoning the mix of culinary science, culture and expert knowledge with the author's own insights and opinions, all presented in her witty, engaging and highly readable style. As appealing to the novice cook as to the experienced professional, "The Flavor Thesaurus "will not only immeasurably improve your cooking--it's the sort of book that might keep you up at night reading.""Cooking is an art, like writing or painting, and great cooks are artists. And although the ultimate source of creativity remains elusive, all painters have their color wheel, all writers their vocabulary. And now, in the form of this beautiful, entertaining and exhaustively researched book, cooks have their own collection of essential knowledge: "The Flavor Thesaurus."

Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen


Sara Foster - 2011
    There, the combination of down-home comfort, fresh-from-the-farm ingredients, and dedicated preparation hooked her for life. Now the award-winning cookbook author and restaurateur serves up nearly two hundred contemporary interpretations of classic dishes—Shrimp Jambalaya, Slow-Roasted Pulled Pork Butt, Cheesy Grits Casserole; refreshing drinks, including Mint Juleps and Sweet Tea; and such satisfying breakfasts as Country Ham and Hominy Hash. And a table wouldn’t be Southern without the sides—Skillet-Fried Corn, Creamy Potato Salad, and Arugula Pesto Snap Beans. Be sure, too, to save room for Molasses-Bourbon Pecan Pie and Freestyle Lemon Blackberry Tart.From revealing the secret to fluffy buttermilk biscuits to giving us ideas for swapping out ingredients to accommodate any season, from providing tips for frying up chicken like a true Southerner to detailing barbecue fundamentals that put you on par with any pitmaster, Foster’s helpful sidebars ensure that your dishes will turn out perfect every time. You’ll also get expert tips on the essential equipment (cast-iron skillets, griddles, casserole dishes) and the ingredients no Southern pantry should be without (from stone-ground grits to Carolina Gold rice). As a bonus, Foster offers her “Sidetracked” feature, profiles of tried-and-true roadtrip destinations throughout the South where you can find the best fried catfish, barbecued brisket, big breakfast plates, and more. And finally, Foster’s lessons in pickling and canning guarantee that you can enjoy your favorite flavors all year round.With its handy list of resources and Southern pantry essentials, and entertaining stories, Sara Foster’s Southern Kitchen is an all-inclusive collection of Southern cooking in which simple feasts meet artisanal ingredients, traditional tastes meet modern methods, and fantastic flavors make every bite a succulent mouthful of Southern comfort.

The Kitchen and the Cook


Nicolas Freeling - 1970
    Here is his memoir drawn from these experiences, a blend of the culinary and the literary, and includes recipes.

Voracious: A Hungry Reader Cooks Her Way through Great Books


Cara Nicoletti - 2015
    Now a butcher, cook, and talented writer, she serves up stories and recipes inspired by beloved books and the food that gives their characters depth and personality. From the breakfast sausage in Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods to chocolate cupcakes with peppermint buttercream from Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections, these books and the tasty treats in them put her on the road to happiness. Cooking through the books that changed her life, Nicoletti shares fifty recipes, including:* The perfect soft-boiled egg in Jane Austen's Emma* Grilled peaches with homemade ricotta in tribute to Joan Didion's "Goodbye to All That"* New England clam chowder inspired by Herman Melville's Moby-Dick* Fava bean and chicken liver mousse crostini (with a nice Chianti) after Thomas Harris's The Silence of the Lambs* Brown butter crêpes from Gillian Flynn's Gone GirlBeautifully illustrated, clever, and full of heart, Voracious will satisfy anyone who loves a fantastic meal with family and friends-or curling up with a great novel for dessert.

Marcella's Italian Kitchen: A Cookbook


Marcella Hazan - 1986
    Including almost 250 recipes, Marcella's Italian Kitchen brings home cooks the authentic tastes of Italy. Here are Fettuccine with Clams and Zucchini and Veal Scaloppini with Hazelnuts and Balsamic Vinegar, Cauliflower Salad with Red Pepper, Olives, and Anchovies and Amaretti and Custard Cream Semifreddo. Drawing on her experiences growing up in Italy, Hazan has crafted the ultimate guide to Italian food.