The Best American Food Writing 2021


Gabrielle Hamilton - 2021
    Edited by Silvia Killingsworth and renowned chef and author Gabrielle Hamilton. “A year that stopped our food world in its tracks,” writes Gabrielle Hamilton in her introduction, reflecting on 2020. The stories in this edition of Best American Food Writing create a stunning portrait of a year that shook the food industry, reminding us of how important restaurants, grocery stores, shelters, and those who work in them are in our lives. From the Sikhs who fed thousands during the pandemic, to the writer who was quarantined with her Michelin-starred chef boyfriend, to the restaurants that served $200-per-person tasting menus to the wealthy as the death toll soared, this superb collection captures the underexposed ills of the industry and the unending power of food to unite us, especially when we need it most. THE BEST AMERICAN FOOD WRITING 2021 INCLUDES • BILL BUFORD • RUBY TANDOH • PRIYA KRISHNA • LIZA MONROY • NAVNEET ALANG • KELSEY MILLER HELEN ROSNER • LIGAYA MISHAN and others

Julia's Cats: Julia Child's Life in the Company of Cats


Patricia Barey - 2012
    Soon after the Childs arrived in Paris in 1948, a French cat appeared on their doorstep, and Julia recalled, “Our domestic circle was completed.” Minette captured Julia’s heart, igniting a lifelong passion for cats equaled only by her love of food and her husband, Paul. All the cherished feline companions who shared Julia’s life—in Paris, Provence, and finally California—reminded her of that magical time in Paris when her life changed forever.From Julia’s and Paul’s letters and original interviews with those who knew her best, Patricia Barey and Therese Burson have gathered fresh stories and images that offer a delightfully intimate view of a beloved icon.Praise for Julia's Cats:“A cat-centric biography of Julia Child? Why not? The back book jacket quotes Child herself as saying, ‘Really, the more I cook, the more I like to cook. To think that it has taken me 40 yrs. to find my true creative hobby and passion (cat and husb. excepted).’ This book ably braids these three strands of Child’s life. The many feline fanciers out there will surely enjoy the photographs of the cats, many taken by her husband, Paul Child.” —Chicago Tribune“It's clear that all the cats that passed through her life gave her joy and comfort, probably in ways that food and even Paul could not. Having that perspective of this grande dame makes her seem all the more human and wonderfully admirable to me.” —Epicurious “This compact, entertaining read is filled with personal photos and letters that document the role cats played in Julia's life as she moved from Paris to Provence, Cambridge to California.” —Shelf Awareness

Near & Far: Recipes Inspired by Home and Travel


Heidi Swanson - 2015
    In this deeply personal collection drawn from her well-worn recipe journals, Heidi describes the fragrance of flatbreads hot off a Marrakech griddle, soba noodles and feather-light tempura in Tokyo, and the taste of wild-picked greens from the Puglian coast. Recipes such as Fennel Stew, Carrot & Sake Salad, Watermelon Radish Soup, Brown Butter Tortelli, and Saffron Tagine use healthy, whole foods ingredients and approachable techniques, and photographs taken in Morocco, Japan, Italy, France, and India, as well as back home in Heidi’s kitchen, reveal the places both near and far that inspire her warm, nourishing cooking.From the Hardcover edition.

French Cooking in Ten Minutes: Adapting to the Rhythm of Modern Life


Edouard de Pomiane - 1930
    Illustrated with period pen and ink drawings, French Cooking in Ten Minutes offers an array of recipes for quick soups, extemporaneous sauces, egg and noodle dishes, preparing fish and meats, as well as vegetables, salads, and deserts.

The Red Pavillion


Jean Chapman - 1995
    Liz Hammond and her mother Blanche are returning to the rubber plantation they were forced to abandon at the outbreak of war. The beautiful Malayan jungle and exotic estate of her childhood have remained in Liz's heart even after she was forced to leave it for the security of England in the war years. But as Liz and Blanche travel out to Singapore they are met with tales of Communist uprisings, violence, banditry and, most ominously, Liz’s father’s disappearance. Under the military protection of Major Sturgess and a young guardsman, Alan, they try to track Mr Hammond down. Liz quickly falls for Alan, but she knows she can’t let her love for him overshadow her concern for her missing father. She struggles with reconciling the treacherous country she now finds herself in with the paradise of her youth. And she no longer knows who she can trust. Old friends are called into question and new friends are shadowed with doubt as this tense plot unwinds with love, heartache and action.