Book picks similar to
Garlic Is Life: A Memoir With Recipes by Chester Aaron


biography-and-memoir
foodie-reads-non-mystery
culinary
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Blue Trout and Black Truffles: The Peregrinations of an Epicure


Joseph Wechsberg - 1953
    It is a vicarious experience to read about the culinary wonders of the notable establishments of another era that have become the last epicurean haven in this materialistic, mechanized world of fastfood chains and frozenfood dinners. Mr. Wechsberg reaches back to the twilight days of the Habsburg monarchy, when those splendid monuments to the haute cuisine in central Europe, Meissl and Schadn of Vienna and Gundel's of Budapest, were in their prime.

Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography


Laurie Woolever - 2021
    His impact was outsized and his legacy has only grown since his death.Now, for the first time, we have been granted a look into Bourdain’s life through the stories and recollections of his closest friends and colleagues. Laurie Woolever, Bourdain’s longtime assistant and confidante, interviewed nearly a hundred of the people who shared Tony’s orbit—from members of his kitchen crews to his writing, publishing, and television partners, to his daughter and his closest friends—in order to piece together a remarkably full, vivid, and nuanced vision of Tony’s life and work. From his childhood and teenage days, to his early years in New York, through the genesis of his game-changing memoir Kitchen Confidential to his emergence as a writing and television personality, and in the words of friends and colleagues including Eric Ripert, José Andrés, Nigella Lawson, and W. Kamau Bell, as well as family members including his brother and his late mother, we see the many sides of Tony—his motivations, his ambivalence, his vulnerability, his blind spots, and his brilliance.Unparalleled in scope and deeply intimate in its execution, with a treasure trove of photos from Tony's life, Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography is a testament to the life of a remarkable man in the words of the people who shared his world.

Air Fry Every Day: 75 Recipes to Fry, Roast, and Bake Using Your Air Fryer


Ben Mims - 2018
    The high-powered convection heating translates to faster cook times, and with so little oil, you'll have easy clean-up too. Air Fry Every Day shows you how to use your air fryer to create healthier fresh takes on comfort food classics, crowd-pleasing snacks, and kid-friendly dishes, such as buffalo wings, coconut shrimp, shoestring fries, stuffed blooming onions with lemon aioli, and spiced sweet potato wedges with garlic yogurt dip. You'll also find deliciously unexpected ways to put your air fryer to use in recipes such as golden bread crumb-crusted cider-brined pork chops, crispy air-fried rice, and beautifully bronzed whole heads of cauliflower. An air fryer is also incredibly versatile: with its powerful convection heating, it can bake, roast, and steam at superfast speeds, so in addition to craveworthy "fried" foods, you'll find recipes for roasted meats, breads, pizzas, and even desserts and sweet baked goods--you may never turn your oven on again. With recipes that are creative, fast, and foolproof, and essential tips and techniques to maximize your air fryer's capabilities, Air Fry Every Day is the best reason why you should add this tool to your arsenal of kitchen gadgets.

My Last Supper: The Next Course: 50 More Great Chefs and Their Final Meals: Portraits, Interviews, and Recipes


Melanie Dunea - 2011
    The book garnered national media and critical acclaim for the chic and beautiful package and the totally unique concept.In My Last Supper: The Next Course, Dunea expands her circle from the highest echelons of chefs to include the best-loved food personalities such as Emeril Lagasse, Joël Robuchon, Tom Colicchio, and Bobby Flay to ask them the question that drove the first volume: "What would you eat for your last meal on earth?"A perfect gift for anyone who loves food, beautifully produced with gorgeous photography, My Last Supper: The Next Course is so much more than a coffee table book - it's a fascinating glimpse into the world of people who eat, breathe, and sleep food. As the number of people who consider themselves foodies has exploded, this book is sure to capture the audience who loved the first one and captivate those who are new to the scene.

Rose Petal Jam: Recipes and Stories from a Summer in Poland


Beata Zatorska - 2011
    Included are more than 60 recipes for traditional Polish home cooked meals, from poppyseed cake and pierogi to fruit-flavored summer liqueurs. The photography—ranging across locales such as Warsaw, Poznan, the Tatra Mountains, and the Baltic Sea—showcases the Polish landscape and its influence on the country’s distinct cuisine.

Delancey: A Man, a Woman, a Restaurant, a Marriage


Molly Wizenberg - 2014
    So when Brandon decided to open a pizza restaurant, Molly was supportive—not because she wanted him to do it, but because the idea was so far-fetched that she didn’t think he would. Before she knew it, he’d signed a lease on a space. The restaurant, Delancey, was going to be a reality, and all of Molly’s assumptions about her marriage were about to change.Together they built Delancey: gutting and renovating the space on a cobbled-together budget, developing a menu, hiring staff, and passing inspections. Delancey became a success, and Molly tried to convince herself that she was happy in their new life until—in the heat and pressure of the restaurant kitchen—she realized that she hadn’t been honest with herself or Brandon.With evocative photos by Molly and twenty new recipes for the kind of simple, delicious food that chefs eat at home, Delancey is a moving and honest account of two young people learning to give in and let go in order to grow together.

Gizzi's Healthy Appetite: Food to nourish the body and feed the soul


Gizzi Erskine - 2015
    I want to start a new food revolution; one where people have a better understanding of nutrition but don't forget that eating should be enjoyable!' - Gizzi ErskineGizzi Erskine believes that the key to healthy eating is to cook fresh food using good ingredients. Her ethos is to love food in all its guises and to try new things as much as possible. Gizzi's Healthy Appetite is a collection of over 100 of her favourite recipes - all with a Gizzi twist. Among the array of incredible dishes, insanely good flavours and palate-pleasing textures to choose from are the crunchy Marinated Griddled Whole Chicken Caesar salad, spicy Green Chilli Pork, oozing Roasted Baby Cauliflower with Cheese Sauce & Crispy Shallots, fresh Tuna Tataki with Yuzu and the ultimate Korean BBQ. And, for a sweet treat, who could resist warm Molten Caramel & Chocolate Pudding, soothing White Chocolate & Cherry Clafoutis or the fragrant Maple, Orange & Rosemary Tart? These are dishes that anyone with a healthy appetite will relish.

Greek Village Cooking: The Short and Happy Tale of Pippo Alampo


Sara Alexi - 2017
    If you don’t have a particular ingredient to hand, don’t be afraid to experiment – who knows, you may come up with something new and delicious! (If you do, be sure to write and let me know!) I’ve included a selection of my favourites – simple, tasty and wholesome treats that never fail to please. Oh, and of course, I couldn't resist writing a story to accompany the recipes... Enjoy! Sara Alexi

Knives & Ink: Chefs and the Stories Behind Their Tattoos (with Recipes)


Isaac Fitzgerald - 2016
    From gritty grill cooks in backwoods diners to the executive chefs at the world's most popular restaurants, it's hard to find a cook who doesn't sport some ink. Knives & Ink features the tattoos of more than sixty-five chefs from all walks of life and every kind of kitchen, including 2014 James Beard Award-winner Jamie Bissonnette, Alaska-fishing-boat cook Mandy Lamb, Toro Bravo's John Gorham, and many more. Each tattoo has a rich, personal story behind it: Danny Bowien of Mission Chinese Food remembers his mother with fiery angel wings on his forearms, and Dominique Crenn of Michelin two-starred Atelier Crenn bears ink that reminds her to do “anything in life that you put your heart into.” Like the dishes these chefs have crafted over the years, these tattoos are beautiful works of art. Knives & Ink delves into the wide and wonderful world of chef tattoos and shares their fascinating backstories, along with personal recipes from many of the chefs.

Michael Symon's Playing with Fire: BBQ and More from the Grill, Smoker, and Fireplace


Michael Symon - 2018
    The 72 finger-licking, lip-smacking recipes here draw inspiration from his favorites, including dry ribs from Memphis, wet ribs from Nashville, brisket from Texas, pork steak from St. Louis, and burnt ends from Kansas City--to name just a few--as well as the unique and now signature Cleveland-style barbecue he developed to showcase the flavors of his hometown. Michael offers expert guidance on working with different styles of grills and smokers, choosing aromatic woods for smoking, cooking various cuts of meat, and successfully pairing proteins with rubs, sauces, and sides. If you are looking for a new guide to classic American barbecue with the volume turned to high, look no further.

Buttermilk Graffiti: A Chef’s Journey to Discover America’s New Melting-Pot Cuisine


Edward Lee - 2018
    In a nation of immigrants who bring their own culinary backgrounds to this country, what happens one or even two generations later? What does their cuisine become? It turns into a cuisine uniquely its own and one that Lee argues makes America the most interesting place to eat on earth. Lee illustrates this through his own life story of being a Korean immigrant and a New Yorker and now a Southerner. In Off the Menu, he shows how we each have a unique food memoir that is worthy of exploration. To Lee, recipes are narratives and a conduit to learn about a person, a place, or a point in time. He says that the best way to get to know someone is to eat the food they eat. Each chapter shares a personal tale of growth and self-discovery through the foods Lee eats and the foods of the people he interacts with—whether it’s the Korean budae jjigae of his father or the mustard beer cheese he learns to make from his wife’s German-American family. Each chapter is written in narrative form and punctuated with two recipes to highlight the story, including Green Tea Beignets, Cornbread Pancakes with Rhubarb Jam, and Butternut Squash Schnitzel. Each recipe tells a story, but when taken together, they form the arc of the narrative and contribute to the story we call the new American food.

Tom Kerridge’s Best Ever Dishes


Tom Kerridge - 2014
    I like getting the balance of taste and texture just right, using familiar ingredients and creating big, intense flavours. Now, I hope you'll use my recipes to make some best ever dishes of your own.' Tom KerridgeAs the most down-to-earth but high-flying chef on the food scene, Tom Kerridge has become known for his big flavours and beautifully crafted yet accessible food. And with more than 100 of his favourite recipes, Best Ever Dishes brings this spectacular cooking to the home kitchen.Tom starts with classics we all love such as tomato soup, chicken Kiev and rice pudding (plus a few new ideas of his own), then refines and elevates them to the best version that he has ever tasted. Give the Kerridge twist to a simple lasagne, and you'll discover that every mouthful is a taste explosion. Put a special spin on a chocolate tart, and you'll transform it into an exceptional, melt-in-the-mouth pud of the gods. With stunning photography by Cristian Barnett, this book really will change the way you cook.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life


Barbara Kingsolver - 2007
    Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is an enthralling narrative that will open your eyes in a hundred new ways to an old truth: You are what you eat.

Pen Palate: Mastering the Art of Adulthood, with Recipes


Lucy Madison - 2016
    Getting through life in your twenties isn't easy--especially if you're broke, awkward, and prone to starting small grease fires in your studio apartment. For best friends Lucy Madison and Tram Nguyen, cooking was an escape from the daily humiliation that is being a twenty-something woman in a big city.Pen & Palate traces the course of Lucy and Tram's devoted friendship through miserable jobs and tiny apartments, first loves and ill-advised flings, successes and setbacks--always with a shared love of food at the center of the narrative. A modern take on Laurie Colwin's classic Home Cooking, this coming-of-age memoir for the Girls set weaves together comical (mis)adventures and recipes meant to be shared with a best friend and a bottle of wine.

Curing & Smoking: River Cottage Handbook No.13


Steven Lamb - 2014
    While our European neighbours have continued to use these methods on their meat, fish and cheese for centuries, we seem to have lost the habit. But with the right guidance, anyone can preserve fresh produce, whether living on a country farm or in an urban flat - it doesn't have to take up a huge amount of space.The River Cottage ethos is all about knowing the whole story behind what you put on the table; and as Steven Lamb explains in this thorough, accessible guide, it's easy to take good-quality ingredients and turn them into something sensational. Curing & Smoking begins with a detailed breakdown of any kit you might need (from sharp knives to sausage stuffers, for the gadget-loving cook) and an explanation of the preservation process - this includes a section showing which products and cuts are most suitable for different methods of curing and smoking. The second part of the book is organised by preservation method, with an introduction to each one, and comprehensive guidance on how to do it. And for each method, there are, of course, many delicious recipes! These include chorizo Scotch eggs, salt beef, hot smoked mackerel, home-made gravadlax ... and your own dry-cured streaky bacon sizzling in the breakfast frying-pan.With an introduction by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and full-colour photographs as well as illustrations, this book is the go-to guide for anyone who wants to smoke, brine or air-dry their way to a happier kitchen.