The Cookshelf
“No one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.”
–Julia Child, My Life in France
A seasonal review of the books that belong on every cook's bookshelf!
Thanks to Browseabout Books: 133 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach, DE; 302-226-2665; browseaboutbooks.com
Naturally Delicious: 100 Recipes for Healthy Eats that Make You Happy
By Danny Seo
Penguin Random House
9781101905302
$30.00
Lifestyle guru Danny Seo presents 100 recipes compiled from his magazine Naturally, Danny Seo to motivate you and your family to eat wholesome, nutritious food without sacrificing flavor or taste. If your New Year’s resolution was to improve your health, this cookbook offers a painless blueprint for success. Seo presents an omnivore’s delight of foolproof recipes with real, wholesome ingredients specifically created for the home cook. You can feel good about serving your friends and family delicious dishes like Cast-Iron Seared Cauliflower Steak, Braised Oxtails with Oranges and Dates, and Honey Spelt Loaf.
Kitchen Confidential
By Anthony Bourdain
Ecco/Harper Collins
9780060899226
Appetites may be the newest cookbook from celebrated chef and tv personality Anthony Bourdain, but Kitchen Confidential remains his best and longest-lasting literary offering. Bourdain discounts the perception that the kitchen staff at your favorite restaurant has the camera-ready smile, temperament and verve of the chefs so revered on Food Network. Most kitchens are gritty, rough places full of marginal characters, large egos and big tempers, and there are legitimate reasons to avoid buffets, mussels and ordering your food ‘well done’. Bourdain’s own culinary journey was fraught with drugs and poor decisions. He gives insight into the motivation behind tackling such a brutal, all-consuming career as a restaurant chef.
The Forest Feast Gatherings: Simple Vegetarian Menus for Hosting Friends & Family
By Erin Gleeson
Abrams Publishers
ISBN 9781419722455
$35.00
These straightforward, yet thoughtfully constructed, recipes for entertaining all wrapped up in a gorgeously designed package will have you longing to host an amazing dinner party for your closest friends. Gleeson’s recipes are divided by themes such as Fall Feast, Iced Tea Party and Weekend Gathering and are accompanied by beautiful photographs of her amazing tree house in the forest, her table settings and presentation. Her Winter Feast menu includes Clementine Cocktails, Sweet Potato Chowder and Caramelized Onion Bake- all seasonally appropriate, easy and delicious!
Cook’s Illustrated All-Time Best Soups
By the Editors of America’s Test Kitchen
ISBN 9781940352800
$22.95
A deliciously diverse collection from America’s Test Kitchen is a welcome addition to any kitchen library. Culling their favorite 75 recipes from the magazine’s extensive archives, America’s Test Kitchen takes the guesswork out of any recipe. The “why this recipe works” introduction to each satisfying pot is interesting and informative. From soul warming Lobster and Corn Chowder to a simple, light Chilled Borscht, Cook’s Illustrated knows how to present a well-researched, well-tested, tasty bowl of homemade soup.
Oysters: A Celebration in the Raw
By Jeremy Sewall & Marion Lear Swaybill
Photography by Scott Snider
Abbeville Press
ISBN 9780789212498
$24.95
This book is indeed a beautiful celebration of the history, biology and beauty of the oyster. Crisp photography of 100 varieties of this exquisite bivalve is accompanied by geographic origins and physical and culinary descriptions. With practical information on how to open and serve oysters on the half shell and chapters on oystermen and oyster stories, this lovely volume is a thoughtful gift for any ostreophile!
Lucky Peach: 101 Easy Asian Recipes
By Peter Meehan and the editors of Lucky Peach
Potter
9780804187794
$35.00
This is the first cookbook from David Chang’s quarterly journal of food and writings, Lucky Peach. Lucky Peach is a quirky, smart collection of recipes, stories, and places and things that you should (and definitely should NOT) eat. Executive Editor Peter Meehan gives the home cook all the necessary tools for dipping into the daunting world of Asian cooking. Recipes really are easy and are accompanied by kitschy, retro Asian restaurant-y photographs. Devotees of Chinese take-out will delight in being able to make their own Hot and Sour Soup, Lemongrass Chicken and Kung Pao Shrimp.
