If you don’t know Smitten Kitchen, you’re missing out. It’s a wonderful blog by Deb Perelman. Her own description of her life and times is so charming, I think I should just refer anyone interested to her ‘about’ page. Suffice it to say, I have loved her blog basically forever. She is a legend in…
Tag: Cookbooks
A Guide to Homemade Sourdough Bread
Making sourdough at home can seem intimidating. It requires special equipment, it takes time to make the dough, and the skills needed to shape and score loaves have to be learned. So, is it worth it? YES. I do think so. There is nothing so lovely as your own beautiful sourdough loaves. The accomplishment of…
Made in India by Meera Sodha
The first meal I cooked out of Made in India: Recipes from an Indian Family Kitchen was Roasted tamarind chicken, and on the side the lime pickled onions, the mint and yogurt chutney, and the Chapatis. I would not usually make so many sides, but these recipes are just so easy and so easily made…
Cucina Rustica by Evan Kleiman and Viana La Place
I have loved cooking from this book. My mom has had it since I can remember (it was published in 1990), and gifted me a copy for Christmas/Hanukkah this past year. It’s a quiet classic, and well worth diving into. The truly valuable part of this cookbook is that the rhythm of it encourages…
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking, by Samin Nosrat, illustrated by Wendy MacNaughton, is listed on Amazon as a Cooking Encyclopedia. Accurate. It’s basically a cooking course, more about methodology and learning the why of it all than just giving you every recipe ever. Like any course of study, the…
Ripe by Nigel Slater
This lovely dream of a book has been keeping me company for the last few weeks. Sitting in my yard in Austin, I imagine old country houses and rolling hills, hedges draped in berries and fruit trees trained to climb walls. The reader is quickly transported, which is good, because every few minutes I’m called…
Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz
When did I first learn about David Lebovitz? Was it reading his blog, davidlebovitz.com, or was it seeing his ice cream book, The Perfect Scoop? Whichever it was, it was wonderful, and I was instantly a fan. Even after being a follower for so long, I can still get lost on his website, spending far…
The Last Course by Claudia Fleming
Interesting seasonal takes on French and American classics, advice on composing desserts, and plenty of dessert…soups! The Last Course is a great addition to the collections of more experienced pastry makers and bakers. Written by longtime and very influential pastry chef Claudia Fleming, it has pretty pictures, a clean design, and a focus on ingredients. …
Lidia’s Favorite Recipes by Lidia Bastianich
Lidia’s Favorite Recipes, by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali is a down to earth, no frills, beginner friendly Italian cookbook. I thought it would be a good choice for our family of five, and that intuition proved correct. Out of ten recipes made, we were happy with them all. This is Italian comfort…
Cookbook Reviews 