Autumn cookbooks to covet
Those naughty people at Amazon sent me an email the other day about the new cookbooks due out in September which is, as we all know, prime cookbook month due to the proximity of Christmas.
Nigella's got a new book coming out, as has Jamie Oliver and the people from Leon, which is a café in London which I quite like and their previous book is good. But the most interesting by far is the Noma book, which I'm dying to have a look at (I know practically nothing about Nordic cuisine), although I fear it may be far too cheffy for home cooks.
We were talking about Diana Henry the other day, and this looks good:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Food-Plenty-Plentiful-Seasonal-Extravagant/dp/1845335074/ref=pd_sim_b_3
Also this one from Tessa Kiros.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Food-Greek-Ki...
So that's what's happening in Britain. Anything I should know about Stateside?
By greedygirl
on Jul 29, 2010 12:06 AM
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Lately I've noticed a plethora of cookbooks dealing with fresh, local, seasonal, farmers market/farm stand shopping. How to use that unusual vegetable looking beautiful on the stack in the basket. What to do with it.. how to cook it, etc. The emphasis is definitely on eating more vegetables and less meat. I really think that focus is here to stay. At least till the next trend comes along.
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Dangerous. Very dangerous.
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Why I don't subscribe to email alerts from amazon: my wallet doesn't want to know.
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Just a few of the cookbooks being advertised on Amazon.com for pre-orders:
Due to be published in September:
"The Pot and How to Use It" by Roger Ebert the film critic. Basically it's a guide to using an electric rice cooker.
"Bottega" - Michael Chiarello
"Ethan Stowell's New Italian Kitchen"
"Thai Street Food" - David Thompson. This one I'm mildly interested in.
In October we can expect:
"Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan.
"Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?: Fabulous Recipes & Easy Tips" by You know who.
"Tyler Florence Family Meal: Bringing People Together Never Tasted Better."
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Dorrie Greenspan is calling my name.
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I have Dorie's new book pre-ordered. Never done that before. It's very rare I buy a new book at full price. But this was one I just had to have--immediately!
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The Greenspan book came out early -- I received it last week, and it looks great!
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Preordered the Kiros, have a Greek bee in my bonnet these days. Greedygirl is a naughtygirl!
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lol. It didn't take much to push you though, did it? Of your Greek books, which do you recommend. The Glorious Foods of Greece doesn't really do it for me.
I also think I need a Turkish book. Ottolenghi really recommends Ghillie Bhasan and her Moroccan books are very good.
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Quit knocking me over with that feather, would you?
I really like one that is based on an ancient (1974 or so) PBS show that I loved, "Greek Islands Cooking" by Theonie Mark, simple recipes for good food - out of print but available for $10.00 on abebooks.com; the original Diane Kochilas "The Food and Wine of Greece" (like it much better than the Glorious one, I have never made a thing out of that), also available for $1.00 plus shipping on abebooks; and "Vefa's Kitchen", one of the Phaidon monster books, just for the encyclopedic aspect.
(I'd be interested in the Ghillie Basan book too, she's really something - books on so many cuisines - reminds me I should have another go at her Cambodian book.)
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I have Vefa's kitchen, but I've yet to make anything out of it. I'd like to, but it hasn't happened yet. My husband likes our tattered copy of the Peryali Cookbook, which was our sole Greek cookbook until I bought Vefa's at Costco last year. I was disappointed when I went to Costco when I got home -- all they had was Rick Bayless's new book, which seems like too much of a flanker to buy. I have none of his books and I don't think that this is the one I want to add to my collection...
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I got the Bayless but haven't looked through it yet, according to what I've seen here it's marginal and not very well proofread. The best of his is probably the first if you should wish to indulge.
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That's what I thought too.
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Basan has not one, not two, but three books out in the Autumn. The Turkish Kitchen, which is calling my name, The Middle Eastern Kitchen, plus another on Malaysian, Singaporean, Fillipino and Indonesian food.
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Those have been out over here for a few years (unless these are new eds?). Odd because she's British, no? (Last name is definitely Turkish but I think must be by marriage.) The Asian one must be a compilation of the existing paperback ones I should think?
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Yes, looking at them I don't think any can be new. Very confusing.
I am hoping to come across a copy of Classic Turkish Cooking in a second hand bookshop.
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They turn up quite often in NYC.
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It's a long way to come for a cookbook. Not that I'm not game, obviously.
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Roll on the day! You should be able to order from abebooks, I've gotten books from the UK through them.
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Also,
Diana Kennedy: a Oaxacan book
David Tanis: another seasonal menus book
Alice Medrich: a book on cookies (just in time for holiday baking)
I want them all, except that I think I need to insist I cook from Tanis' Platter of Figs before I can buy the new one.
~TDQ
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Hmm, Diana Kennedy and Medrich are interesting, the last Tanis enjoyed reading (and remembering when we lived 6 blocks from CP) but that was it.
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Yeah, I haven't cooked much from Platter of Figs. One or two dishes, I think. Apparently the new one "Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys " has some "festive menus for holiday feasts" that I at least want to peek at... You know, in case I *need* them for holiday entertaining.
~TDQ
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And you're on Eat my Books WHY??? ;-)
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I know. But it makes my cookbooks more valuable than ever, thereby assuaging my guilt about buying new books.
~TDQ
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That's the spirit! Kind of strange but I find being in the new place is leading me to make more new stuff. Busted me out of my rut I guess (also have better physical plant and tools to work w/).
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Funny, the last time I moved, I swore I was going to be a minimalist and never buy ANYTHING ever again without getting rid of something else. So much for that. Three cookbooks arrive in the mail just yesterday! And I signed up for a copy of Medrich. Still haven't decided about Kennedy.
~TDQ
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Which ones yesterday? (Me nosy.)
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A Cooking Light Book "Super in a Hurry Suppers" or something like that (I got it free through a book exchange I belong to), Emeril's Farm to Fork, and Nigel Slater's Tender Vol 1. It was just a coincidence that they all arrived at the same time. I'm glad I beat my husband home from work...
~TDQ
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Haha. I keep checking the front door in case something shows up before he does. But mine are ABE thus cheap and defensible (I think).
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Yeah if they're salted in among the others they don't twig to it, do they? The most I've ever gotten is : "hmm, haven't seen that book before..." "oh I've had it for ages" (bat eyelashes)! (Fortunately for me, he's as big or bigger a bookaholic as I am and his cost more - university press books.)
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Thankfully, I always have a half dozen or so library books hanging around at any given time so, a lot of the books are unfamiliar.
And, like roxlet, I seldom buy new books any more. The Slater book was an exception, but even the Emeril one was from a 3rd party seller on Amazon.
~TDQ
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Just got my copy of Perfect Cakes by Nick Malgieri from ABE. They say the book is used, but it looks new to me. $11 is a bargain with an original pub. price of $37.50. "What this? Naw. It's old." Published in 2002.
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"What this? Naw. It's old."
Muhaha, that or a blank look, or my fav, "What, I've had this forever."
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The marital "What". Has many uses!
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It's the Chow iteration of Ricky asking Lucy if her dress is new.
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Totally!!! I have a friend who calls my husband and me Ricky and Lucy - but we're about as far from Ricky and Lucy types (other than the hair) as we could be - or are we????
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Ok Lucy er, buttertart.
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PS let me know on the Slater. He's kind of recapitulating the Jane Grigson thing - you have her fruit and vegetable books, right? Love them. Love her. Have a pic of her on my fridge - people think it's my mother!
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You might, therefore, also want to have a punt at her daughter, Sophie. She did a few TV series but hasnt been on recently. Her book "Fish", which she co-wrote with her then husband (William Black) is not bad.
FWIW, his own book "The Land that Thyme Forgot" is yet another book about the traditional Brit dishes which are now hard to find. Well worth being on your shelf, IMO.
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I have her "Gourmet Ingredients" and a little pb one of recipes for friends. Didn't know she was hooked up with Wm Black - I got that book when I was at Books for Cooks (a pilgrimage, although must say you can do better for less $ in NYC) the first time I went to the big smoke and enjoyed it vv much. Have the Hairy Bikers Tour of Britain and the Majumdar coming from Amazon UK...finally broke down and ordered them.
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I will let you know about Slater. I hope to do a Slater COTM one of these days. I've heard of Grigson. If she's on your fridge, I'd better look into getting her books...
~TDQ
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Yes indeedy!
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I own all of Jane Grigson's books and most of Sophie's and I definitely cook more from the daughter than the mother. Jane was extremely knowledgeable and a great writer and probably a better recipe developer (some of her recipes are now all-time classics) than Sophie but Sophie's style of cooking just fits better with me. Is that an age thing? Do we cook more from writers that are the same generation (i.e. have the same influences) as us?
Some other new cookbooks to watch out for this fall/winter:
The Bon Appetit Desserts Cookbook - the advance info on this looks fantastic
Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis
Flour by Joanne Chang (her first book, she has a couple of highly-rated bakeries in Boston)
What makes you think my particular bent is to desserts and baking? Will definitely be adding the Medrich and Greenspan books to my list.
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JG was a generation older than mine but she was one of the writers with the most influence on me (along with Julia Child and Elizabeth David, although ED was more than a bit on the haughty side).
So is mine baking, I love to cook but adore baking. Will keep an eye out for those books...anticipating the new Malgieri and Greenspan as well (not exclusively baking in the last case).
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It's MY money so I can spend it how I like. That attitude also applies to clothes.
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He doesn't give me a hard time, really, especially if I actually cook from them. He also likes that I buy them used when I can or swap for them. (I walk the line between wanting to buy a new book to support the author, but I do think buying used is thrifty and better for the earth. But, occasionally I'll buy a brand new cookbook to throw into the mix.)
But, he does have to live with the piles of cookbooks everywhere, and so do I, so I try to be judicious about what I acquire.
~TDQ
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Yes, it's less the money than the accumulation. I was thrilled that when we re-did our kitchen we were able to carve out some space to get a large bookcase in the butler's pantry. Finally, I was able to get all the cookbooks from all the bookcases in the house in one place. Guess what? I now have cookbooks in every bookcase in the house again. I had to ruthlessly cull the ones I don't use that much and put them back upstairs. Outsized ones are in the sunroom and living room. I haven't even gone to those rooms to enter those on eyb yet!
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My old kitchen (was big but the prep area itself small, think kitchens in movies from the Depression but with slightly newer appliances) had a long wall with two 7' bookcases and two 4' ones, all stuffed. And the overflow in the living room under the coffee table and by the side of the couch, and in the bedroom in piles all along the wall by the bedside.
The new place has 3 bedrooms, 2 of which are now totally lined with bookshelves (his 'n' hers "studies"). There are about 12 book boxes of ckbks unpacked in the basement.
The kitchen in the new place is much smaller but moch more efficient (with counter space!!!) but no place for bookshelves. We now have what I intended to be my core collection (must have either been befuddled by packing or have mislabeled a box or two) in one of the 7' cases in the entryway. Sort of cosy, sets the tone for the house.
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You new set-up sounds lovely, buttertart. Make sure you have a de-humidifier in that basement. You don't want to subject your books to excess humidity.
roxlet, do you plan to use the "locations" feature of eyb to track the books that are in your sunroom and living room? I haven't used that feature yet, because my books appear to be always all over the house. And I'm constantly swapping the shelves around. Oh, I'm on a vegetables kick? Move all of my vegetables books to one place. Oh, I'm on a winter soups and stews kick? Drag out all of my braising and soups books. And so on.
~TDQ
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The locations thing would be very useful for me. Need a day to myself to get going on this.
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It does take some time to get rolling, learn your way around the software etc. I did my input a little haphazardly at the beginning and had to re-do some stuff, so, it pays to be at least a little patient and orderly. But, then again, I was very obsessive about stuff that most people probably aren't that obsessive about.
~TDQ
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"Obsession" should be both our middle names, doncha think?
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I believe "voraciously devoted" is the exact expression, at least, according to the home page of Chowhound.
~TDQ
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I stand corrected! All in good fun and the love of books.
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While on the subject of people "voraciously devoted" to cookbooks, has anyone yet read "The Cookbook Collector" a new book by Allegra Goodman? I got given it for my birthday recently and haven't read it yet but it looks good. It's selling well in Boston (she's local).
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I haven't read it, but someone posted about it on the Food & Media board. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7216...
Very intriguing!
~TDQ
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Got a v good review in the NYT, better than here (Allegra Goodman is one of the Times' "pet" authors).
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I looked at the new Nigella in a bookshop today, and am pleased to report that I don't want it. I have removed it from my Amazon wishlist. This may well be a first.
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I don't know whether to say, "That's great!" or "That's too bad!" Great for your shelves, too bad for Ms. Lawson. What didn't you like about what you saw?
~TDQ
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I just thought it was a real mish-mash of recipes, and I wasn't really grabbed by it. I also think I may have moved beyond Nigella's brand of comfort food. A lot of it seemed far too easy and unsophisticated.
I have turned into a cookbook snob!
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You are smart to be selective!
~TDQ
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Not *that* selective, as my bulging shelves will testify!
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Funnily enough, whilst I have several Nigella books (what middle-aged straight man doesn't), I can't recall ever cooking anything from any of them. Except her mushroom "steak" sandwich which was in a Nigel Slater book.
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I've used How to Eat, Domestic Godess and her Christmas book quite a bit. And the chocolate pistachio fudge from Nigella Express is a Xmas staple in our house.
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Bought her Xmas book earlier in the year at one of the "cheap shops" so havnt had chance to cook it yet. Actually I tell a lie about never cooking her stuff - I did her "flatbread pizza" (or whatever it's called) from "Forever Summer " the other week - although in the oven not on the BBQ. Served it as part of a mezze - easy peasy. Flatbread, sprinkled with za'atar, 2 minutes in a hot oven - nice and crispy.
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I am obsessing over The Essential New York Times cookbook, which is a compilation of recipes culled from the NY Times archives, supposedly going all the way back and edited and updated by Amanda Hessler. Can't wait!
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Oh God, me too...even though I find Hesser a wee bit twee...
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True, but the compilation should be great anyway!
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Absobloodylutely. The Gourmet books survived Reichl's similar tendencies.
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The Observer had extracts of two new releases for Autumn this weekend - Street Food by David Thompson, and the second volume of Nigel Slater's Tender, which focuses on fruit.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/sep/19/david-thompson-thai-recipes
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyl...
I wasn't that fussed about the new Slater book, but now I really want it!
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I though Street Food came out last fall. Is it it paperback now?
~TDQ
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It's out in hardback in both America and the UK this month, afaik.
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Weird. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/6608...
~TDQ
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I think it was published last year in Australia, which is where Thompson is from.
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Yikes! I just looked at it on Amazon -- the publication price is $60 though Amazon shows it for $37.80. That is quite a price.
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It's definitely pricey - £26 here discounted from £40. A lot more than your regular cookbook.
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Ah, I get it. It was published by Penguin in AU last year.
~TDQ
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That David Thompson book looks fantastic! The new Slater, not so much. I'm not a fan of sweet with meat and this looks like it's got a lot of that. Thanks for the looks, gg! I'm definitely putting Street Food on my list.
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You naughty thing gg, you, now I want them both. Do you have the veg Plenty? Like it? I love his style. Oddly enough M commented over a Thai lunch on Saturday that you often saw softshells on Chinese and Vietnamese menus but not often on Thai ones - lo and behold the pic.
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I like the look of the Diana Henry one. I lost interest in Nigella after her Express book, from which my old housemate whipped up a number of vile-looking and -tasting concoctions. Has anyone had a look at Kitchenella by Rose Price? I haven't had a chance to flick through it in a bookshop and from the description on Amazon, it could either be really useful or really patronising and a bit 50s-housewifey...
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I have the Henry book on pre-order from Amazon. Delivery estimate: October 21, 2010 - October 25, 2010. I like her recipes on-line at the Telegraph site.
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i'd never heard of her, I had no idea she wrote for the Telegraph - thanks! Her tomato tarte tatin looks amazing: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddri...
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