My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life


Ruth Reichl - 2015
    No one was more stunned by this unexpected turn of events than its beloved editor in chief, Ruth Reichl, who suddenly faced an uncertain professional future. As she struggled to process what had seemed unthinkable, Reichl turned to the one place that had always provided sanctuary. “I did what I always do when I’m confused, lonely, or frightened,” she writes. “I disappeared into the kitchen.”My Kitchen Year follows the change of seasons—and Reichl’s emotions—as she slowly heals through the simple pleasures of cooking. While working 24/7, Reichl would “throw quick meals together” for her family and friends. Now she has the time to rediscover what cooking meant to her. Imagine kale, leaves dark and inviting, sautéed with chiles and garlic; summer peaches baked into a simple cobbler; fresh oysters chilling in a box of snow; plump chickens and earthy mushrooms, fricasseed with cream. Over the course of this challenging year, each dish Reichl prepares becomes a kind of stepping stone to finding joy again in ordinary things. The 136 recipes collected here represent a life’s passion for food: a blistering ma po tofu that shakes Reichl out of the blues; a decadent grilled cheese sandwich that accompanies a rare sighting in the woods around her home; a rhubarb sundae that signals the arrival of spring. Here, too, is Reichl’s enlivening dialogue with her Twitter followers, who become her culinary supporters and lively confidants. Part cookbook, part memoir, part paean to the household gods, My Kitchen Year may be Ruth Reichl’s most stirring book yet—one that reveals a refreshingly vulnerable side of the world's most famous food editor as she shares treasured recipes to be returned to again and again and again.

In Bibi's Kitchen: The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers from the Eight African Countries That Touch the Indian Ocean


Hawa Hassan - 2020
    Most notably, these eight countries are at the backbone of the spice trade, many of them exporters of things like pepper and vanilla. We meet women such as Ma Shara, who helps tourists "see the real Zanzibar" by teaching them how to make her famous Ajemi Bread with Carrots and Green Pepper; Ma Vicky, a real-life princess from Tanzania, who now lives in suburban New York and makes a mean Matoke (Stewed Plantains with Beans and Beef); and Somalia's Ashura Babu-Bi Ashura, widow to Abdulrahman Babu, the late Zanzibari Marxist and revolutionary leader, known for her Samaki Wa Kupaka (Coconut Fish Curry).Through Julia and Hawa's writing--and their own personal stories--the women, and the stories behind the recipes, come to life. With evocative photography shot on location by Khadija Farah, and food photography by Jennifer May, In Bibi's Kitchen uses food to teach us all about families, war, loss, migration, refuge, and sanctuary.

The Zuni Cafe Cookbook: A Compendium of Recipes and Cooking Lessons from San Francisco's Beloved Restaurant


Judy Rodgers - 2002
    But Zuni's appeal goes beyond recipes. Harold McGee concludes, "What makes The Zuni Café Cookbook a real treasure is the voice of Zuni's Judy Rodgers," whose book "repeatedly sheds a fresh and revealing light on ingredients and dishes, and even on the nature of cooking itself." Deborah Madison (Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone) says the introduction alone "should be required reading for every person who might cook something someday."

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.

Jacques Pépin New Complete Techniques


Jacques Pépin - 2012
    Now, his classic seminal work, "Jacques Pepin's Complete Techniques," is completely revised and updated with more than 2,000 color photographs and 30% new techniques.Based on Pepin's 1978 and 1979 archetypal works "La Methode "and "La Technique," "Jacques Pepin's" "Complete Techniques" has become a cookbook classic in its own right, selling more than 140,000 copies. Comprehensive and authoritative, "New Complete Techniques" includes more than 600 techniques and methods and 160 recipes that are demonstrated by Pepin in thousand of step-by-step photographs. It is a culinary course on every aspect of classic cooking, from the basics (how to sharpen a knit or peel an onion) and the practical (how to properly bone a chicken (to the whimsical (how to make decorative swans and flowers out of fruits and vegetables) and the complex (how to use an old refrigerator as a smoker for trout).The time-tested recipes show everyone, from the greenest home cook to the seasoned professional, how to put techniques into practice. This completely revised edition includes thousands of color and black-and-white photographs throughout and is redesigned to make it even easier to follow the step-by-step techniques.

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.

Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking


Michael Ruhlman - 2009
    Why spend time sorting through the millions of cookie recipes available in books, magazines, and on the Internet? Isn’t it easier just to remember 1-2-3? That’s the ratio of ingredients that always make a basic, delicious cookie dough: 1 part sugar, 2 parts fat, and 3 parts flour. From there, add anything you want—chocolate, lemon and orange zest, nuts, poppy seeds, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, almond extract, or peanut butter, to name a few favorite additions. Replace white sugar with brown for a darker, chewier cookie. Add baking powder and/or eggs for a lighter, airier texture. Ratios are the starting point from which a thousand variations begin. Ratios are the simple proportions of one ingredient to another. Biscuit dough is 3:1:2—or 3 parts flour, 1 part fat, and 2 parts liquid. This ratio is the beginning of many variations, and because the biscuit takes sweet and savory flavors with equal grace, you can top it with whipped cream and strawberries or sausage gravy. Vinaigrette is 3:1, or 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar, and is one of the most useful sauces imaginable, giving everything from grilled meats and fish to steamed vegetables or lettuces intense flavor. Cooking with ratios will unchain you from recipes and set you free. With thirty-three ratios and suggestions for enticing variations, Ratio is the truth of cooking: basic preparations that teach us how the fundamental ingredients of the kitchen—water, flour, butter and oils, milk and cream, and eggs—work. Change the ratio and bread dough becomes pasta dough, cakes become muffins become popovers become crepes. As the culinary world fills up with overly complicated recipes and never-ending ingredient lists, Michael Ruhlman blasts through the surplus of information and delivers this innovative, straightforward book that cuts to the core of cooking. Ratio provides one of the greatest kitchen lessons there is—and it makes the cooking easier and more satisfying than ever.

Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian: More Than 650 Meatless Recipes from Around the World


Madhur Jaffrey - 1998
    Dishes from five continents touch on virtually all the world's best loved flavors, for a unsurpassed selection of vegetarian fare.        More than 650 recipes exemplify Madhur's unsurpassed ability to create simple, flavorful homecooking that is well within the reach of every cook. Extensive sections on Beans, Vegetables, Grains, and Dairy explore the myriad ways these staples are enjoyed worldwide. Each section opens with a detailed introduction; Madhur describes methods for preparation and storage, as well as different cooking techniques and their cultural origins. Throughout she balances appealing, uncomplicated dishes such as sumptuous omelets and rich polentas with less familiar ingredients such as green mangoes, pigeon peas, and spelt. Madhur demystifies the latter with clear-cut explanations so that incorporating new combinations and interesting flavors into everyday cooking becomes second nature. She also offers substantial sections on Soups, Salads, and Drinks, as well as Sauces and Other Flavorings, to help round out a meatless meal and add exciting new flavors to even the most easily prepared dishes. Finally, a complete glossary of ingredients and techniques clarifies some of the little-known elements of the world's cuisines so that even the uninitiated can bring the flavors of Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and more to their tables.        Throughout this extensive collection, Madhur includes personal anecdotes and historical contexts that bring her recipes to life, whether she's remembering field of leeks she saw in the mountains of northern Greece or describing how corn-based dishes arrived in Indonesia through colonial trade. Committed vegetarians will rejoice at the wide variety of meatless fare she offers, and nonvegetarians will enjoy experimenting with Madhur's global flavorings. This highly readable resource promises to be a valuable addition to any cook's library, helping everyone make healthful ethnic foods a part of everyday cooking.

Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day


Leanne Brown - 2011
    government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program informally known as food stamps? The answer is surprisingly well: Broiled Tilapia with Lime, Spicy Pulled Pork, Green Chile and Cheddar Quesadillas, Vegetable Jambalaya, Beet and Chickpea Salad—even desserts like Coconut Chocolate Cookies and Peach Coffee Cake. In addition to creating nutritious recipes that maximize every ingredient and use economical cooking methods, Ms. Brown gives tips on shopping; on creating pantry basics; on mastering certain staples—pizza dough, flour tortillas—and saucy extras that make everything taste better, like spice oil and tzatziki; and how to make fundamentally smart, healthful food choices.Download a free PDF copy at http://www.leannebrown.ca/cookbooks

Chocolates and Confections at Home with The Culinary Institute of America


Peter P. Greweling - 2009
    The Culinary Institute of America and baking and pastry arts professor Peter Greweling provide recipes and step-by-step techniques that make even the most ambitious treats simple for any home cook.In addition, Chocolates and Confections at Home includes ingredient and equipment information, packaging and storage practices, and troubleshooting tips for common preparation issues.Richly illustrated with more than 150 full-color photos that illustrate key techniques as well as finished confectionsCovers chocolates, truffles, toffees and taffies, fudge and pralines, marshmallows, jellies, nuts, and much moreAuthor Peter Greweling is a professor of baking and pastry arts at the CIA, as well as a Certified Master Baker and Certified Hospitality EducatorChocolates and Confections at Home is the ideal resource for anyone who wants to graduate from chocolate chip cookies to create impressively decadent delights.

Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book


Ben Cohen - 1987
    Dastardly Mash, featuring nuts, raisins, and hunks of chocolate. The celebrated Heath Bar Crunch. New York Super Fudge Chunk. Oreo Mint. In addition to Ben & Jerry's 11 greatest hits, here are recipes for ice creams made with fresh fruit, with chocolate, with candies and cookies, and recipes for sorbets, sundaes, and baked goods.

Butter Baked Goods: Nostalgic Recipes from a Little Neighborhood Bakery


Rosie Daykin - 2013
     Butter Baked Goods is a gorgeously illustrated cookbook, packed with delicious recipes perfect for celebrating a special holiday with family and friends, or just everyday life. Inside you’ll find everything from cookies, scones and s'mores to chocolate cake, peanut butter and jelly cupcakes and apple pie . . . not to mention the coveted recipe for Butter’s famous marshmallows!  Butter Baked Goods began as a tiny bakery in Vancouver. Opened in 2007 by Rosie Daykin, the bakery is a pink-and-pistachio slice of heaven, its counters piled high with cake stands overflowing with irresistible baked goods. Not long after opening, word got out about the bakery’s marshmallows and Butter Baked Goods became known as the home of the very best gourmet marshmallow in North America, a delicious treat that can now be found in over 300 stores (and counting) across Canada, the U.S. and Japan. The recipe for Rosie's famous marshmallows is just one of the gems tucked inside the pages of this beautiful book.    Every recipe in Butter Baked Goods has simple instructions written in an accessible and easy-to-follow style. Everyone can create Butter's delectable treats—from grandmothers who have been baking all their lives to teenagers making their very first cupcakes. Rosie's baking is not about trickery, flamboyance or hard-to-find ingredients, but about great-tasting, homemade treats to celebrate life's milestones: birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, baby showers, bridal showers; or that gloomy, rainy afternoon when you need a little pick-me-up. Butter Baked Goods showcases nostalgic home baking at its very best.

Bobby at Home: Fearless Flavors from My Kitchen: A Cookbook


Bobby Flay - 2019
    In his most personal cookbook yet, Bobby shares over 165 bold, approachable recipes he cooks at home for family and friends, along with his well-earned secrets for executing them perfectly. Everyday favorites--from pan-seared meats and hearty pastas to shareable platters of roasted vegetables, bountiful salads, and casual, homey desserts--go bigger and bolder with Bobby's signature pull-no-punches cooking style. Expect crowd-pleasing classics taken to the next level with exciting flavors, such as Spanish-style shrimp and grits, pumpkin pancakes with apple cider syrup, and sticky-savory-sweet Korean BBQ chicken. Riff on go-to dishes just as Bobby does with his master recipes for essentials, along with creative variations that take the base recipe in a range of directions to suit your mood, such as crispy bacon glazed with pomegranate molasses, deviled eggs topped with fried oysters, and mussels steamed in a heady green curry broth. With Bobby by your side, cooking at home just got a lot more exciting.

Jew-ish: A Cookbook: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch


Jake Cohen - 2021
    But as food writer and nice Jewish boy Jake Cohen demonstrates in this stunning debut cookbook, Jewish food can be so much more.  In Jew-ish, he reinvents the food of his Ashkenazi heritage and draws inspiration from his husband’s Persian-Iraqi traditions to offer recipes that are modern, fresh, and enticing for a whole new generation of readers. Imagine the components of an everything bagel wrapped into a flaky galette latkes dyed vibrant yellow with saffron for a Persian spin on the potato pancake, best-ever hybrid desserts like Macaroon Brownies and Pumpkin Spice Babka! Jew-ish features elevated, yet approachable classics along with innovative creations, such as: Jake’s Perfect Challah Roasted Tomato Brisket Short Rib Cholent Iraqi Beet Kubbeh Soup Cacio e Pepe Rugelach Sabich Bagel Sandwiches, andMatzo Tiramisu. Jew-ish is a brilliant collection of delicious recipes, but it’s much more than that. As Jake reconciles ancient traditions with our modern times, his recipes become a celebration of a rich and vibrant history, a love story of blending cultures, and an invitation to gather around the table and create new memories with family, friends, and loved ones.

Curtis Stone's What's For Dinner? Simple Recipes for Every Night of the Week


Curtis Stone - 2013
    Curtis Stone, host of Top Chef Masters and Around the World in 80 Plates, provides a culinary road map of time-saving kitchen solutions and delicious dishes for every day of the week.