Mastering the Art of French Eating: Lessons in Food and Love from a Year in Paris


Ann Mah - 2013
    A lifelong foodie and Francophile, she immediately begins plotting gastronomic adventures à deux. Then her husband is called away to Iraq on a year-long post—alone. Suddenly, Ann’s vision of a romantic sojourn in the City of Lights is turned upside down.So, not unlike another diplomatic wife, Julia Child, Ann must find a life for herself in a new city. Journeying through Paris and the surrounding regions of France, Ann combats her loneliness by seeking out the perfect pain au chocolat and learning the way the andouillette sausage is really made. She explores the history and taste of everything from boeuf Bourguignon to soupe au pistou to the crispiest of buckwheat crepes. And somewhere between Paris and the south of France, she uncovers a few of life’s truths.Like Sarah Turnbull’s Almost French and Julie Powell’s New York Times bestseller Julie and Julia, Mastering the Art of French Eating is interwoven with the lively characters Ann meets and the traditional recipes she samples. Both funny and intelligent, this is a story about love—of food, family, and France.

Small Victories: Recipes, Advice + Hundreds of Ideas for Home Cooking Triumphs


Julia Turshen - 2016
    The process of truly great home cooking is demystified via more than a hundred lessons called out as "small victories" in the funny, encouraging headnotes; these are lessons learned by Julia through a lifetime of cooking thousands of meals. This beautifully curated, deeply personal collection of what Chef April Bloomfield calls "simple, achievable recipes" emphasizes bold-flavored, honest food for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. More than 160 mouth-watering photographs from acclaimed photographers Gentl + Hyers provide beautiful instruction and inspiration elevate this entertaining and essential kitchen resource for both beginners and accomplished home cooks.

Ovenly: Sweet and Salty Recipes from New York's Most Creative Bakery


Erin Patinkin - 2014
    As self-taught, curious cooks, Agatha Kulaga and Erin Patinkin have a straight-talking approach that is never too fussy and always encourages experimentation. Above all, they believe that cooking (and eating!) should be an adventure.With tips and anecdotes, exquisite photos, and pantry and kitchen tool essentials, Ovenly contains experimental yet perfected recipes for the most inventive and out-of-this-world breakfast pastries, desserts, and snacks.

Dirt: Adventures, with Family, in the Kitchens of Lyon, Looking for the Origins of French Cooking


Bill Buford - 2020
    Baffled by the language, but convinced that he can master the art of French cooking--or at least get to the bottom of why it is so revered-- he begins what becomes a five-year odyssey by shadowing the esteemed French chef Michel Richard, in Washington, D.C. But when Buford (quickly) realizes that a stage in France is necessary, he goes--this time with his wife and three-year-old twin sons in tow--to Lyon, the gastronomic capital of France. Studying at L'Institut Bocuse, cooking at the storied, Michelin-starred La Mère Brazier, enduring the endless hours and exacting rigeur of the kitchen, Buford becomes a man obsessed--with proving himself on the line, proving that he is worthy of the gastronomic secrets he's learning, proving that French cooking actually derives from (mon dieu!) the Italian.

Quick Fix Meals: 200 Simple, Delicious Recipes to Make Mealtime Eas


Robin Miller - 2007
    Her recipes are organized by these techniques, which include Meal Kits (pre-prepping the ingredients for a weeknight meal on the weekend, bagging them, and having them ready to go in the fridge; the result--meals that can be on the table in literally 10 minutes); Morph-It Recipes (enjoy Herb-Crusted Turkey Tenderloin one night and you've got the makings for Chili-Rubbed Turkey Medallions or Pan-Seared Turkey with Apples and Melted Blue Cheese another night), and Greased Lightning, unbelievably tasty recipes that can be put together and on the table in 20 minutes. There are also Simple Sides that go together in no time, as well as, for those who just can't live without dessert, a collection of In-a-Snap Sweets.

Lidia's Mastering the Art of Italian Cuisine: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Great Italian Cook


Lidia Matticchio Bastianich - 2015
    Teaching has always been Lidia’s passion, and in this magnificent book she gives us the full benefit of that passion and of her deep, comprehensive understanding of what it takes to create delicious Italian meals. With this book, readers will learn all the techniques needed to master Italian cooking. Lidia introduces us to the full range of standard ingredients—meats and fish, vegetables and fruits, grains, spices and condiments—and how to buy, store, clean, and cook with them. The 400 recipes run the full gamut from classics like risotto alla milanese and Tagliatelle with Mushroom Sauce to Lidia’s always-satisfying originals like Bread and Prune Gnocchi and Beet Ravioli in Poppy Seed Sauce. She gives us a comprehensive guide to the tools every kitchen should have to produce the best results. And she has even included a glossary of cuisine-related words and phrases that will prove indispensable for cooking, as well as for traveling and dining in Italy. There is no other book like this; it is the one book on Italian cuisine that every cook will need.

The Cake Mix Doctor


Anne Byrn - 1999
    The proof is in the taste, and the taste never stops--from Toasted Coconut Sour Cream Cake to Devilishly Good Chocolate Cake; from a to-die-for Caramel Cake and a Holiday Yule Log to cheesecakes, coffee cakes, sheet cakes, pound cakes, bars, brownies, and those all-important frostings, here are 175 fast, foolproof recipes that will transform the art of home baking in America. Who could believe these cakes came out of a box? Moist, tender, rich, deep, and complexly flavored, without a hint of artificiality, each cake stand up and delivers. But without any of the fuss of baking from scratch. Anne Byrn, an award-wining food writer and self-described purist, creates recipes that employ a cake mix's strengths---convenience, ease-of-use, dependability, and almost imperviousness to overbeating, underbeating, overbaking, and underbaking. In addition to the recipes are the Cake Mix Doctor's Q&A's, extensive "Doctor Says" tips, lists--15 Beautiful Birthday Cakes, 15 Cakes That Will Cash in at a Bake Sale--and more, all illustrated in a full-color photographic insert.

Dessert Person: Recipes and Guidance for Baking with Confidence


Claire Saffitz - 2020
    In Dessert Person, fans will find Claire's signature spin on sweet and savory recipes like Babkallah (a babka-Challah mashup), Apple and Concord Grape Crumble Pie, Strawberry-Cornmeal Layer Cake, Crispy Mushroom Galette, and Malted Forever Brownies. She outlines the problems and solutions for each recipe--like what to do if your pie dough for Sour Cherry Pie cracks (patch it with dough or a quiche flour paste!)--as well as practical do's and don'ts, skill level, prep and bake time, and foundational know-how. With Claire at your side, everyone can be a dessert person.

Binging with Babish: 100 Recipes Recreated from Your Favorite Movies and TV Shows


Andrew Rea - 2019
    For each video, Andrew Rea, a self-proclaimed movie and TV buff, teaches a recipe based on a favorite TV show or film, such as the babka from the classic Seinfeld episode, the beef bourguignon from Julie & Julia, or the timpano from Big Night. This cookbook includes these and other fan-favorite recipes. Some are so delicious that you’ll want to make them for dinner right away, like Bubba's shrimp from Forrest Gump, while others can be saved for impressing a loved one—like the chocolate lava cake from Jon Favreau’s Chef, which the actor/director asked to make during a guest appearance on Rea’s show. Complete with behind-the-scenes stories and answers to frequently asked fan questions, Binging with Babish is a must-have companion to the wildly popular YouTube show.

Adventures in Slow Cooking: 120 Slow-Cooker Recipes for People Who Love Food


Sarah DiGregorio - 2017
    Her first memory of slow-cooker cooking is her grandmother’s pot roast. While these handy devices have been time savers for incredibly busy lives, traditional slow cooker food is sometimes underwhelming. Now, Sarah, an experienced food professional, has reinvented slow cooking for a generation that cooks for fun and flavor, taking a fresh approach to reclaim this versatile tool without sacrificing quality or taste.For Sarah, it’s not just about getting dinner on the table—it’s about using a slow cooker to make fabulous dinners like herb oil poached shrimp or the most perfect sticky toffee pudding for dessert. It’s about rethinking how to use this magic appliance—such as throwing a biryani dinner party with the slow cooker at the center of the table.Showcasing a beautiful, engaging design, inviting color photographs, and 105 original, innovative recipes thoroughly tested in a variety of brands of slow cookers, Adventures in Slow Cooking provides a repertoire of delicious food for any time of day. Inside you’ll find ideas for flavorful sweet and savory slow cooker dishes, including: Whipped Feta, Red Pepper and Olive Dip Granola with Pistachios, Coconut and Cardamom Savory Overnight Oatmeal with Bacon, Scallions and Cheddar Turkey-Spinach Meatballs Stuffed with Mozzarella Spicy Kimchi and Pork Ramen Orange, Olive and Fennel Chicken Tagine Daal with Mango and Mustard Seeds Farro Bowl with Smoked Salmon, Yogurt, and Everything-Bagel Spice Oxtail and Short Rib Pho Corn, Mushroom and Zucchini Tamales Proper Red Sauce Eggplant Parm Peach-Orange Blossom Jam Matcha-White Chocolate Pots de Crème Cardamom-Molasses Apple Upside-Down Cake Star Anise-Black Pepper Hot Toddy Sarah also provides ingenious tips and tricks that will help cooks get the most out of today’s slow cookers, and have them saying, "I never knew my slow cooker could do that!" With a foreword by Grant Achatz, a modernist chef and huge advocate of the slow cooker, Adventures in Slow Cooking makes this convenient appliance an indispensable tool for the modern kitchen.

Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation


Michael Pollan - 2013
    Here, he discovers the enduring power of the four classical elements - fire, water, air, and earth - to transform the stuff of nature into delicious things to eat and drink. Apprenticing himself to a succession of culinary masters, Pollan learns how to grill with fire, cook with liquid, bake bread, and ferment everything from cheese to beer. In the course of his journey, he discovers that the cook occupies a special place in the world, standing squarely between nature and culture. Both realms are transformed by cooking, and so, in the process, is the cook.Each section of Cooked tracks Pollan's effort to master a single classic recipe using one of the four elements. A North Carolina barbecue pit master tutors him in the primal magic of fire; a Chez Panisse-trained cook schools him in the art of braising; a celebrated baker teaches him how air transforms grain and water into a fragrant loaf of bread; and finally, several mad-genius "fermentos" (a tribe that includes brewers, cheese makers, and all kinds of picklers) reveal how fungi and bacteria can perform the most amazing alchemies of all. The listener learns alongside Pollan, but the lessons move beyond the practical to become an investigation of how cooking involves us in a web of social and ecological relationships: with plants and animals, the soil, farmers, our history and culture, and, of course, the people our cooking nourishes and delights. Cooking, above all, connects us.The effects of not cooking are similarly far reaching. Relying upon corporations to process our food means we consume huge quantities of fat, sugar, and salt; disrupt an essential link to the natural world; and weaken our relationships with family and friends. In fact, Cooked argues, taking back control of cooking may be the single most important step anyone can take to help make the American food system healthier and more sustainable. Reclaiming cooking as an act of enjoyment and self-reliance, learning to perform the magic of these everyday transformations, opens the door to a more nourishing life.

Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey


Rick Stein - 2009
    In this accompanying book to the major BBC series, Rick shares his favourite recipes and some well-known classic dishes inspired by the fragrant ingredients and recipes he sampled from local chefs, family-run restaurants, street vendors and market stalls.In Cambodia, Rick learns how to make a national dish Samlor kako, a stir-fried pork and vegetable soup flavoured with an array of spices; in Vietnam he is shown the best recipe for Pho Bo, a Vietnamese beef noodle soup; and in Thailand, Rick tries Geng Leuong Sai Gung Lai Sai Bua, a yellow curry made with prawns and lotus shoots that you won't find outside the country.Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey includes over 150 new recipes from Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Bali each complemented by Rick's colourful anecdotes from the trip and beautiful on-location photography. This is a visually-stunning culinary tribute to Southeast Asian cooking that evokes the magic of bustling markets, the sizzle of oil and the aromatic steam from a Far Eastern kitchen.

The Great British Bake Off: Big Book of Baking


Linda Collister - 2014
    Using straightforward, easy-to-follow techniques there are reliable recipes for biscuits, traybakes, bread, large and small cakes, sweet pastry and patisserie, savoury pastry, puddings and desserts.Each chapter transports you on set and showcases the best recipes from the challenges including Mary and Paul's Signature Bakes, Technical Challenges and Showstoppers, plus the best bakers' recipes from the show.There are step-by-step photographs to help guide you through the more complicated techniques and stunning photography throughout, making this the perfect gift for all bakers and Bake Off fans.

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.

Indian Instant Pot® Cookbook: Traditional Indian Dishes Made Easy and Fast


Urvashi Pitre - 2017
    “[Indian Instant Pot Cookbook] has been very popular and for good reason. Whether you're giving an Instant Pot or receiving one, this is the book for you."–Seira Wilson, Amazon.com Senior Books EditorIt’s tempting to dine out when you think about the intricacies involved in making traditional dals and curries. But Indian Instant Pot Cookbook combines the technique of pressure-cooking with classic Indian foods to give families an easier (and healthier) way of preparing authentic Indian meals. Join Urvashi Pitre, who is best known as the “Butter Chicken Lady,” as she shares the how-to’s of creating delicious Indian dishes of all types in Indian Instant Pot Cookbook.Indian Instant Pot Cookbook offers: 50 Easy, Authentic Recipes that are ready in 60 min or less and require minimal ingredients Tried and Tested Guidance from Indian cuisine experts and Instant Pot pros alike Useful Tips for substituting ingredients and stocking your kitchen with the right tools and spices “The recipes [in Indian Instant Pot Cookbook] are simple to prepare and average about 10-15 minutes prep time. Who doesn’t love saving time in the kitchen?!.”—Amee’s Savory Dish blog“[Indian Instant Pot Cookbook] is filled with recipes that will help me expand my love of Indian cooking.”—Pressure Cooking Today blog