What were your last cookbook purchases? Holiday edition! [old]

[buttertart]

The old thread is getting loong...figured this was a good time to get going on a new one. So, after my TGC spree, I'm now lusting after the Canadian Living International Collection, Lisa Yockelson's "Baking Style", and the new "The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook". How 'bout you? What are you hoping to receive as a gift or present yourself with?

[Rella]

Just wondering if I've missed somewhere on "chowhound" a review of this book - which I know just came out March 7, 2012.

"The James Beard Foundation's Best of the Best: A 25th Anniversary Celebration of America's Outstanding Chefs"

The few reviews were glowing.(Pretty expensive.)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ref=...

[buttertart]

Nice book.

[buttertart]

How about a new thread for this late winter doldrum period?
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8339...

[herby]

That would be grand:)

[Harters]

Not a cookbook , but a fascinating read never the less.

"A History of English Food", Clarissa Dickson Wright.

The book starts in medieval times and, over the fifteen chapters, brings the story up to date. I'm still in the 1300s but am thoroughly enjoying the writing. Folk who remember Dickson Wright as one of The Two Fat Ladies will recall she has an acerbic wit and this comes through in her prose. Her research serves to remind me that my country's cuisine has used spices,, and the like, for hundreds of years, not just the last 30 or so.

[Gio]

Harters, last October I bought Clarissa Dickson Wright's "Rifling Through My Drawers" just because the title was hilarious. I had read her autobiography, shed a tear or two, and wanted to see the other side of her personality. Well, apart from her frequent political rants which have been somewhat annoying, not only is the book is so much fun it really gives one a pretty good idea of posh country life in the UK. I've enjoyed reading the book... just as I really enjoyed her TV show with Jennifer Patterson.

[Harters]

I knew that she was a lawyer in her earlier life (who was later barred from practising - dunno if this was due to her alcoholism or something else). I didnt know until recently quite how posh her upbringing was (her accent is a giveaway of poshness) - apparently she inherited several million when he mother died.

[Gio]

Her disbarment was definitely due to "something else." (Caught shagging a member of the judiciary under a desk in court) She's had a wide and wildly varied life...LOL

As I understand it, her brother inherited the major portion of the parents' estate. Now she lives in a house on the brother's property while he lives in The Big House, but flits all about the UK judging hound trials, cricket matches, plus lecturing and demonstrating culinary technique at county fairs.

[Harters]

Excellent story. Didnt realise "shagging" was a word used on the western side of the pond. LOL.

Wikipedia suggests she inherited £2.8 million, so not short of a quid or two,

[ellabee]

Mike Myers is responsible for reviving the euphemism on this side of the pond, via his Austin Powers movie 'The Spy Who Shagged Me'.

[Gio]

I've been reading That Word for years in British novels and hearing it on British TV programs in the US for years before Mike Myers snagged it, though...

[ellabee]

Oh, for sure, but I meant in a mass way.

[Harters]

Of course. I'd forgotten the movie. Groovy.

John "Mojo" Harters

[Disneyfreak]

It is after the holidays, but I recently picked up Everyday Food: Light. The book is full of recipes 500 calories or less. It is divided by season. So far I looked at the winter section and I like what I see. The recipes look easy -- nice after a day's work and delicious. I haven't tried anything yet but I look forward to testing it out.

[roxlet]

Now that is something I could use -- low-cal recipes that are quick AND delicious. Please report back!

[Disneyfreak]

Will do! The weight loss plan starts next week. Will power don't fail me now.

[OckhamsFolly]

I just started getting into cooking a couple months ago... so the last cookbook I bought myself was the '97 Joy of Cooking, courtesy of my local used bookstore. Was in stellar condition, too. I'm glad they had a copy in stock; been getting a lot of use out of it.

[Breadcrumbs]

I'm a huge fan of used bookstores OF, a great way to test out books w very little invested jic they don't work out for you. The Joy of Cooking was one of my first cookbooks as well and I'm happy to report it keeps lots of good company these days w many, many cookbook "friends" sharing space w it!

[Rella]

I'm not sure what 'bookstores OF" means. Thanks.

[herby]

Rella, I think Breadcrumbs is talking about used bookstores and OF is a reference to the poster that she is replying to - OckhamsFolly.

[Rella]

Thanks much, herby. Sort of amusing, it is, that I didn't pick that up. :-))

[MelMM]

I've been bad. Or good, depending upon how you look at it. I consider ebooks to be "free" in that they don't take up any shelf space, even though they aren't free to my bank account. I bought last month's COTM, The Essential Pepin, on iBooks, as well as a bunch for the slow cooker thread: The Gourmet Slow Cooker II, The Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker, 50 Simple Soups and Stews for the Slow Cooker. Also in iBooks, I bought Mozza, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home, 1,000 Italian Recipes, Izakaya (this is a new book, not the one that came out last year), Cooking my Way Back Home, A New Turn in the South, Ancient Grains for Modern Meals... there are probably more since I've posted last. See what I mean about being good, or bad, depending upon how you look at it?

Hard copies.. I've been more restrained. But I got Curry, Callaloo & Calypso, as I haven't had a book yet focused on Trinidad. I also got La Bouche Creole, and not a cookbook, but the Wines of the Northern Rhone.

[Breadcrumbs]

Mel please let us know if you cook something from CC&C. We love the Caribbean and its cuisine but unfortunately I find cookbooks I've purchased in the Caribbean to be hit & miss but this author's background is really impressive. I'd love to get your thoughts on the book. How did you come to learn of it?

[emily]

Pre-ordered the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook. Looking forward to getting my hands on the recipe for their Chocolate Pecan Buttercream Cookies.

[Breadcrumbs]

Lucky me . . . two books from my wishlist arrived as a birthday gift!! I'm now the proud owner of:

Sweet Myrtle & Bitter Honey by Efisio Farris

The Cook's Country Cookbook

Both books were worth waiting for...I've been tabbing recipes all day!!

[roxlet]

Happy birthday, bc! I have to say that when I see your name on this thread, I usually think uh-oh -- here comes the barrage of books, but this was actually quite moderate, lol!

[nomadchowwoman]

Yes, HB Breadcrumbs. Let us know what you think about SW & BH. I'm curious.

[buttertart]

HB indeed -- I'd love to hear about the Cook's Country one.

[Breadcrumbs]

Thanks so much for the kind Birthday wishes everyone!! We had a fun trip to Chicago and among other things, enjoyed some amazing meals there. Those wonderful meals inspired me to take a quick peak on Amazon and, yes...the devil made me do it...I ordered a couple of Chicago-themed books:

The Girl and the Kitchen by Top Chef Stephanie Izard (the meal we enjoyed at the Girl and the Goat was the highlight of our trip and, some of the dishes were simply outstanding....some of our best bites ever, anywhere...no kidding!)

The Chicago Homegrown Cookbook - recipes from Chicago's top restaurants, chefs and farmers.

Oh and then, because somewhere on Chowhound some folks who know I have no willpower what-so-ever just had to start chatting up The Cheesemonger's Kitchen, I just had to add that to my cart as well. All arrived today and I'm hoping for a "snow day" tomorrow as I can't imagine anything more fun than spending the day at home curled up w a big cup of tea and my new books!

[buttertart]

No Topolobampo? Whyever not?

[Breadcrumbs]

I know, I know bt!!! It was soooo hard for me to pass on Topo but because this was a special occasion I thought we'd experiment w restaurants we hadn't tried before. That said, mr bc did make a trip to Topo w one of my RB cookbooks and he was kind enough to sign it and include birthday wishes!! Such a nice, thoughtful surprise!

[buttertart]

That's so nice! See, he is a sweetie. Sexy too.

[greedygirl]

I luuurve Campari - it's my aperitif of choice whenever I'm in Italy. I am also a fan of red vermouth on the rocks with a slice of orange - got into it on a trip to Madrid once where it's served in all the bars.

[buttertart]

Lovely. Also love Aperol. HMM...Aperol, gin, white vermouth? Negroni allegerito?

[roxlet]

Great idea! I love Aperol too.

[nomadchowwoman]

I'm going to try that tonight, I think. I bought a bottle of Aperol in the duty-free shop after drinking it practically every day on a trip and have completely forgotten about it. Any other Aperol ideas?

[roxlet]

Our cocktail all summer was Aperol, tonic (Q Tonic is great if you can get it), prosecco and a squeeze of orange. It's incredibly delicious.

[nomadchowwoman]

That sounds really refreshing. I have seen Q, but I'm so addicted to Fever Tree that I've never tried it. I'll have to do a comparison.

[buttertart]

Half an ounce in a G&T makes a very nice drink even nicer.

[Rella]

I just received "Italy: The Country and Its Cuisine" from Amazon. I looked at it at BJ's Wednesday and realy liked it, and found it at Amazon much cheaper. It was a bargain book at Amazon $12, BJ's was $20. The binding was loose, but I'll not return it.

I have been looking to enter it as a book I own now on EYB, but it is not a listed book in their library. I looked at all the Help FAQ's, but only see how to add other things than a book. I also tried to enter the ISBN, but it doesn't come up either. 978-1-4075-4757-2 A lovely coffee-table type book with lots of recipes. http://www.amazon.com/Italy-Country-I...

I'm not sure why the word "Gourmet" is on the front of the book.

[nomadchowwoman]

Was it a Gourmet (magazine) publication?

Several older books, especially some of the Gourmet or F & W publications, are not (or at least weren't when I was entering my books) in the EYB library. If the ISBN doesn't come up, my understanding is that the book is not (yet) in. However, they add books all the time, and some of those books that I own and couldn't enter last year have since been added to the EYB "stacks." So your book may end up there yet.

[Rella]

No, IMO, it was not a Gourmet publication, the reason I wondered about why the word was on the front of the book: 507 pages 10x12-1/2 thick pages, full of color, "LOVE FOOD is an imprint of Parragon Book Ltd." "Copyright of Parragon Books 2009" Some of the text reminds me "Beautiful Books" or something like Culinara only large. I noticed it had "Negroni-Cocktail" which a chowhound poster mentioned to me last month, which I had never heard of prevoiusly. This is a book that probably wouldn't be indexed due to its nature and popularity. But, I thought it might already be on EYB. Thanks for answering - I understand a little better now.

[nomadchowwoman]

Rella--try out the Negroni (didn't you recently buy a bottle of Campari?). I'm a huge fan, so we go through a lot of the stuff here. And it's a beautiful cocktail.

BTW, most recipes call for equal parts gin, campari, and sweet vermouth. I actually prefer mine with white, rather than red, vermouth.

[buttertart]

Must try this! Negronis are one fine adult beverage.

[Rella]

Yes, I bought the Campari for those devil figs. A month or so ago, the Mister and I stopped drinking any wine - we 'almost' never have any other alcoholic drinks. I 'could' be persuaded to try a Negroni, though :-)) My small (56 bottle) wine cooler (one temperature for all red) that I bought just before this decision has now filled to capacity as I can't pass up a bottle at Costco or Wegman that looks good to me. They are there awaiting my return.

The Negroni cocktail recipe here in this book is from "Hotel Baglioni, Florence, 1920. equal parts of campari, sweed red vermouth, and gin. dashes of bitters and a slice of orange (shown in the photo.) The Americano is the same, but with no bitters, but includes two ice cubes and a slice of lemon instead of an orange slice..

[Caitlin McGrath]

" The Americano is the same, but with no bitters, but includes two ice cubes and a slice of lemon instead of an orange slice."

How very odd. The Americano is not as described in your book, as far as I am concerned, but rather is Campari, sweet vermouth, and soda water - no gin at all, making it a lighter drink than the negroni. Many sources suggest equal parts Campari and vermouth, but I don't use as much vermouth. (Google Americano cocktail, and you will see that I am not alone here with regard to the definition.)

[Rella]

Geez, I really studied this written recipe and thought I had it correct as written. I'm going to start again. As written in this book for an Americano is Campari, sweet red vermouth AND dry vermouth and lemon slice and club soda. No gin, no bitters, no orange. Hpwever when googled, I see that it is 'sweet" vermouth, NO dry vermouth, campari, soda and a slice of .. Thanks for steering my mis-post in the right direction.

[Breadcrumbs]

Count me in for a Negroni as well please!! A toast to many delightful cookbooks to come!

[wekick]

I need this bookcase.
http://moustachioed.tumblr.com/post/1...

[rstuart]

YES! I have always longed for one of those rooms filled with built-ins, so I wouldn't have to double-stack my books!!

[Breadcrumbs]

Wow, wouldn't that be wonderful! Does this belong to someone you know wekick? Such an inventive use of otherwise dead space.

[wekick]

No just saw a picture on the internet -maybe pinterest.

[buttertart]

I got the new edition of "The Italian Baker" by Carol Field and am happy I did - it's a more attractive book and the recipes appear intact with the addition of a few (I've used the first edition since the 80s, remember slogging it back and forth to the office i SF on the F bus back then, enraptured). The Como bread is on its last rise at the moment. She really has a way of gettting you going on bread baking.

[Rella]

I cut my teeth on bread baking from this book. I'm not bread baking any longer, but here is a "Como" picture about 8-9 years ago - nostalgic.

[buttertart]

Misplaced post due to spotty connection on mobile...

Rella, your crust looks like mine. Will post photos when I cut it tonight.

gg --
I only know Cambodian food from retaurants in the Bay Area and Boston, where it was very good indeed. I'll have a look at the Guardian -- thanks for reminding me of it.
And 7 June is Fuchsia day, it seems --

[Breadcrumbs]

Beautiful Rella, just perfect!

[cstout]

Has anyone purchased "An Everlasting Meal" by Tamar Adler? If so, what are your thoughts about the book?

[Breadcrumbs]

I haven't cstout but you certainly piqued my interest (I know, I know....no heckling from the peanut gallery!!!)

I found the author's website below and really enjoyed the video content. It will be interesting to hear if anyone has cooked from the book.

Here's the website if anyone is interested:

http://www.tamareadler.com/book/about/

[heidipie]

It is GREAT. A thread has just started:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/835444

[dbocking]

I just picked up a copy of "Volt Ink" by the Voltaggio brothers from Top Chef. The recipes are pretty crazy and many seem downright impossible without some really expensive gear & ingredients. Still, it's well worth reading just for seeing the stuff that these two come up with. The book is filled with beautiful presentations and cool ideas.

[honkman]

Volt Ink is similar to the Eleven Madison book as complete recipes might be too complex to make them on a regular basis but you can always use part of one of their recipes and cimbine it with something more simple - it will still give you a lot of new inspiration

[dbocking]

You're totally right honkman. I've leafed through the Eleven Madison book and it is gorgeous. I buy a lot of these books from high-end chefs and I rarely, if ever, do a complete recipe. I do get a lot of great ideas though and I try out bits and pieces of the recipes. Any book by Thomas Keller is really good for that and the Alinea book that came out a few years ago is packed with cool little tricks.

[peppermint_sky]

I just received Miette by Meg Ray. It looks adorable. As I was bopping around online looking for recipes to try first, I noted (to my surprise) some outrage about errors in the first edition. I believe I have the amended version. Errors aside -- has anyone cooked from Miette? The lemon shortbread cookies look great.

[walker]

When I heard about the errors in the Miette cookbook I'd bought, I contacted the publisher and they sent me the corrected edition .. I then returned the "bad" one to Costco and told them about the errors.

I ordered from Amazon those cute small, taller baking pans. I made the cake on the cover but subbed a cooked flour icing. Look cute, tasted good but I did not know how to get that rose shape on top .. otherwise, just like the photo.

[roxlet]

Can you provide a link to the pans?

[walker]

This is what I got:

http://www.amazon.com/Fat-Daddios-Ano...

[Rella]

I love this pan - I have it for a certain cheesecake recipe that doesn't require a water bath. The height is the thing.

[buttertart]

Wilton has those. All my 8 inch pans are that type -x and one has a false bottom. V useful.

[Breadcrumbs]

Just when I was patting myself on the back for exercising restraint (upthread) for “only” purchasing 3 books I couldn’t resist the temptation to stop in at the local thrift shop this weekend and of course, I couldn’t possibly buy just one book!!

Here’s what I got:

The Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash - I was so excited to find this book in almost new condition and delighted to see a price tag of $3.99! I’ve already flipped through it and have tagged what seemed like a hundred recipes to try during the growing season. This is a treasure!

Food & Wine Magazine’s Annual Cookbook – 2009

Prime Time Emeril – by Emeril Lagasse – This one is even autographed!!

The Harrowsmith Country Life Baking book – Harrowsmith is a Canadian magazine and they also used to have a TV show. I have most of their regular cookbooks and have come to rely on them for wonderful recipes developed in-house or, sourced from families all over the country.

The Fearless Baker by Luchetti & Weiss

Salad Days by Marcel Desaulniers (yes, of Death by Chocolate fame!!)

But then, unfortunately my shopping spree didn’t end here! We were en route to Costco where I picked up a new book entitled:

Spilling the Beans by Van Rosendaal & Duncan

Finally, I also wanted to mention that a friend of mine gave me a cookbook that’s been on my wishlist for some time after reading positive reviews here on Chowhound. This book is:

The Divertimenti Cookbook by Camilla Schneiderman – I was sooo excited to get this book. At first glance, the recipes reminded me somewhat of those in the Ottolenghi cookbook. There’s definitely a Middle Eastern influence in some of the recipes I actually cooked from this book last night so I’ll share my review of that dish below if anyone is interested:

Crab, Lime and Basil Tagliatelle – p. 94 – The Divertimenti Cookbook

I’d picked up some Philip’s Crab to make some New Year’s appetizers but ended up changing the menu around so I needed to use this canned crab before it expired. This recipe immediately appealed to me when I initially flipped through the book and although the author recommends freshly cooked crabmeat, I decided to forge ahead with my expectations adjusted accordingly.

This is a “no cook” sauce if you follow the recipe directions as set out. Essentially you combine crab, chilies, lemon & lime juice, salt, pepper, garlic in a bowl and toss w EVOO. The sauce is then tossed w the cooked pasta and torn basil is added prior to serving.

Since I find imported garlic to be a bit sharp at this time of year, I decided to sauté the garlic and chilies to soften the flavours. Other than that, I prepared this dish as directed.

Everyone LOVED this dish. Each bite is a flavour explosion w hot, salty, sweet and sour components. This is also a wonderful dinner party dish since it can be thrown together at the last minute.

I can’t wait to try this w fresh crab since we really thought it was a stellar dish w the canned version!

[greedygirl]

Divertimenti is great. I've had it for a while and everything I've made had been great.

[Breadcrumbs]

That's great to know gg, I'm really excited about this book. I'm keeping it in the kitchen so I remember to consult it when planning our meals. Let me know if you remember any particular faves.

[ellabee]

:: The Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash - I was so excited to find this book in almost new condition and delighted to see a price tag of $3.99! ::

OH, that justifies your whole spree right there. Of cookbooks I once had and shed, that's the one I miss most. I was sure the library would have it, but they don't, and it would probably be perpetually checked out during the gardening season in any case. I mean to get a used one someday -- one of the most useful cookbooks ever.

[Breadcrumbs]

You're right ellabee, I felt just like you said and I'm really grateful to have this book on my shelves. It's indexed in EYB as well so once gardening season begins, I'll be able to put it to quick use. Such a treasure.

[greedygirl]

For Chrimbo I got Ready To Eat by Lucas Hollweg, which I like a lot, and the Hummingbird Bakery Book which I've yet to cook from. I bought myself Classic Turkish Cooking by Ghillie Basan and Short and Sweet by Dan Lepard. Also two River Cottage Handbooks - Cakes and Preserves.

[emily]

Short and Sweet looks interesting. I wonder if it will be published in the US.

[rstuart]

Hmm... I just bought a copy in Canada.. not available in the States?

[buttertart]

That happens. The Fuchsia D "Land of Plenty" was out in Canada before here -- I got mine there. Still a closer tie between the UK and the true north strong and free! How's the Lepard? Do I "need" it?
gg - the Basan books are really good, aren't they -- the Cambodian one is especially nice.

[greedygirl]

I really like her Moroccan ones and have made a few of the recipes with great success. I wasn't massively enamoured of Cambodian food when I went there but it was only for a few days - much preferred Thai and Laotian food. She also has a pretty good book on the Philippines, iirc.

I will let you know about the Lepard once I've cooked from it a bit, but his reputation is very good. He publishes recipes in The Guardian every Saturday so you could have a look online to see what you think.

[rstuart]

Buttertart.. haven't cracked it yet. I've been too busy reading the Melissa Clark that I got out of the library. However, I'd read good things about it; there is a blog group in the UK that is working through it.. think that it's called "Short and tweet"?

[Rella]

After much wringing of hands over whether to buy my first e cookbook, I decided against it and bought a hard copy of
"1,000 Italian Recipes" bt Michele Scicolone
http://www.amazon.com/000-Italian-Rec...

One of my favorite cookbook authors, I don't know why I waited so long.

[denverkate]

I received Amanda Hesser's New York Times Cookbook for Christmas. Great book, but completely overwhelming with the number of recipes, types of food, etc!

[nomadchowwoman]

My resolve isn't any better. I broke down and bought the new Martha Stewart Entertaining Book, when I could get it through TGC for $30, still a splurge, but that is one gorgeous (coffee table) book. I also bought Mighty Spice and a very cheap, very basic Japanese cookbook as well as really cheap copy of Nigel Slater's Real Fast Food.

[Puffin3]

Malaysian Food by Norman Musa is an excellent book. Love the 'how to mix drinks' section.

[Harters]

We had a very disappointing (although cheap) meal at Musa's restaurant, last July.

[roxlet]

They had Eat This Now by Melissa Clark at Costco, and despite my pledge to ease up on cookbooks, I couldn't resist buying it for $14.

[nomadchowwoman]

Hard to stay on THAT wagon, isn't it, roxlet?

[roxlet]

Sadly, yes! But I feel somewhat virtuous since I donated 8 large bags of books to my son's school for their book sale, so guess what? I now have room on my shelves. And you know what that means, don't you?

[nomadchowwoman]

Yup. Nobody wants those unsightly "empty" bookshelves staring at them, now do they ; )

We had a guy here yesterday, measuring for a whole wall's worth of bookshelves to be built, ostensibly for my husband's books. Some of his academic books and collection of detective fiction may just have to get friendly with some of those of the cookbook persuasion.

[Rella]

We both have our 'whole wall's worth" in one room (two walls). Then we started on another room -- so far this one wall, is 'his' and 'hers.' But I think I'm winning! Sshhh! Oh, Oh, I forgot. I've got 2 book cases in another room with nothing but baking and bread baking books.

Something will have to be done about this, as I have given up making bread and my wishful thinking of baking sweets. No wheat, no sugar has cut out the need for these books.

[Breadcrumbs]

Oh that sounds like a dream come true ncw!! If you have a chance, it would be great if you could share a photo of the final results when all the work is done. How wonderful!!

[roxlet]

Oh, yes, nomadchowwoman, nothing is uglier than a bookshelf with unsightly gaps. I will work hard to remedy these unattractive cavities.

[nomadchowwoman]

I have total faith in you, roxlet!

[Breadcrumbs]

Well, here I am....it's me again back here to report on cookbook purchases. I know, I know, it's hard to believe isn't it? Actually, I'm pretty pleased w myself since I only bought 3!!!

At a used bookstore that was having a 3 for $20 sale I picked up these gems:

La Cocina de Mama by Penelope Casas

Mangoes and Curry Leaves by Alford & Duguid

Frank Stitt's Southern Table

[roxlet]

Great haul, as usual!

[Breadcrumbs]

Thanks roxlet, I was proud of my restraint!! Then came the weekend and I fell right off the wagon...latest report to come below...!! ; - (

[The Dairy Queen]

Love that Casas book!

~TDQ

[Breadcrumbs]

Great to know DQ!! I just realized that this book and the Southern Table are past COTM's as well so I can have fun posting reports when I cook from them!!

[nomadchowwoman]

Maybe only three this time, BC, but those are three gems. The FSST is so beautiful--and his restaurants are fabulous places to eat in Birmingham. I've been looking for that Alford & Duguid in the used shops, but ours never seem to have anything like the selections you find.

[Breadcrumbs]

Having looked at the beautiful photographs in the FSST, I'd love to visit the restaurants some day when we visit Birmingham. I really lucked out w the A&D book. The store I was in primarily focuses on novels/fiction books so I don't think they can really be bothered w the cookbooks so they tend to undervalue them. That book had been on my wish list for some time but I couldn't bring myself to pay the hefty price. That said, I'm delighted to have it, it really is a beautiful book.

[Breadcrumbs]

I'm starting to wonder if one day I'll come home from work and there will be the "Hoarders" cast hiding in my house ready to cart my cookbooks away (or me!!). I don't know what it is about cookbooks but one thing I'm certain of, I will never have enough!!

So as I mentioned up thread, I didn't get all the books on my wishlist but I did get some other great books, some courtesy of . . . myself!! Here's they are:

The French Slow Cooker by Michele Scicolone (I love Michele Scicolone's Italian books so just had to have this one)

Meals That Heal Inflammation: Embrace Healthy Living and Banish Pain, One Meal at a Time by Julie Daniluk

A New Turn in the South: Southern Flavors Reinvented for Your Kitchen by Hugh Acheson

The Family Meal: Home Cooking with Ferran Adrià by Ferran Adrià

The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

River Cottage Veg Every Day! by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

The Homesick Texan Cookbook by Lisa Fain

River Cottage Veg Every Day! by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Mission Street Food: Recipes and Ideas from an Improbable Restaurant by Anthony Myint and Karen Leibowitz

Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen by Sara Foster

Two Greedy Italians by Antonio Carluccio and Genarro Contaldo

Bottega: Bold Italian Flavors from the Heart of California's Wine Country by Michael Chiarello (I wouldn't have bought this myself since I'm not a big Chiarello fan but, I must say the dishes sure do look tasty)

The Indian Slow Cooker: 50 Healthy, Easy, Authentic Recipes by Anupy Singla (a small but very enticing book)

The Harrow Fair Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by One of Canada's Oldest Country Fairs by Moira Sanders and Elstone Lori Elstone and Beth Goslin and Lori Elstone

Bake Until Bubbly - Clifford Wright (everything I looked at in this book sounds amazing!)

Guy Savoy: Simple French Recipes for the Home Cook

Martha Stewart's Cookies: The Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share

Pasta Sfoglia: The Pasta Book by Ron Suhanosky and Colleen Suhanosky and Susan Simon

Sauces: Classical and Contemporary Sauce Making - James Peterson

The Complete Garlic Lovers' Cookbook - Gilroy Garlic Festival

Talisman Italian Cookbook - Ada Boni (this looks amazing!)

[The Dairy Queen]

Huh, I haven't heard of that Indian Slow Cooker book. I'd be interested in reading about what you think of it.

As for me, my box of 5 books arrived from TGC today... crushed and with a gaping hole in the side. I have this problem with TGC frequently, actually --where they pack the books poorly in flimsy boxes-- but the damage has never been this bad. So bummed. They are going to send me new books. We'll see.

~TDQ

[buttertart]

That's funny, it's only happened to me once, when I ordered Bouchon among others. It must weigh 5 or 6 lb itself so it wasn't too surprising.

[The Dairy Queen]

It happens to me almost every time, but this is the first time the books have been so severely damaged that I refused them.

~TDQ

[Breadcrumbs]

Hi DQ, sorry somehow I missed your post last night. I haven't cooked from The Indian Slow Cooker yet buy I can tell you why I bought it. We had an office pot luck prior to the holidays and someone brought the Curried Chickpeas from this book. This dish was a HUGE hit and many folks asked for the recipe. The girl who made the dish said we'd never believe how easy it was . . . you just dump everything in the slowcooker (yes, including dried chickpeas) and cook for 14 hours. She's a mother of 3 kids and she swears by this book. Even her kids like the recipes and, they're all "healthy & easy" according to the book's info. It's just a little book but is sure is packed with information and, enticing recipes and photos. Most recipes I looked at seemed to be "dead easy" as Jamie Oliver would say. I'm hoping to make something from it this weekend and if I do, I'll let you know.

[The Dairy Queen]

I can't wait to read about it! I hope it goes well!

~TDQ

[L.Nightshade]

I've got this book also and I've made a few things from it, when I was trying to cozy up to my slow cooker. I can't for the life of me recall what I made, but I do remember it was good, and well received. I have a vague memory of having to adjust spices. Perhaps the dish was a little blander than I expected? That was before I made notes in EYB, unfortunately.

[Rella]

Not entirely addressing you, TDQ, for advice, but just bemoaning the fact that: After intermittently looking on TGC many times when they are mentioned on chowhound, I must admit defeat. Everytime I go onto their home page all I see is "Get 4 books for $1 ea. with membership. and then below there are several categories to click on "Best Selling Cookbooks at the Cook book Club" with nothing to click onto. Then "You May also LIke" Then "Top 100Bestsellers" "New Arrivals" Nowhere does it tell me on that page - where I can locate the 4 books that I can choose from -- On the left panel is "Shop by category" Also it says in "How it works": "To get started, simply select your Introductory books and sign up in just two easy steps. Then, you'll be able to continue shopping from our vast catalog of titles as a member! " Just where ARE these introductory books located that I choose 'before" I sign up. Nowhere does it say that I can choose ANY book on their entire site. Sigh!

[herby]

Rella, you can choose any books that are there. It is a limited list and you do not see the whole list until after you complete your membership. Just start choosing and puting books in your basket. Once you choose the four, you will be offered another book of your choice for 50% off member price. It is a good deal since it counts your annual obligation of buying two books at their regular price. Hope this is helpful. Please let us know if you are successful.

[Rella]

Thanks, herby, but I still do not understand "any" books that are there - there? where?. Do you mean on front (first page) before one starts clicking on "view all." Therefore, I don't understand 'see the WHOLE LIST." You say, just start choosing -- choosing from where? just the first page? I know it is a simple thing, it must be because so many people do it - but I used to remember from 'clubs' that a introductory offer was from introductory books. I just don't see a 'limited list."

Basically, if I can't understand how to sign up and get the four initial books, I KNOW that I'm in big trouble with the rest of the year's purchases.

Bigger sigh!

[herby]

Rella, you are not going to be in any trouble because all of us here who are members will stand by and help you. TGC restricts your view of their complete selection of books until you become a member. So, for your introductory offer you can buy any book that you now see on their site - new arrivals, 100 bestsellers, whatever. If you know the title of a book that you want to have, put it into the search box on top and if it is available as an initial offer (and certainly not all are), it will show up. You then go ahead and put it in your basket. Give it a try and let me know if it is working for you.

[Rella]

Phew! Ok, I had in my files a list of books that I was interested in, but not enough to purchase - would not even qualify as a 'wish' list yet. I entered 14 of them, and 2 would qualify as membership books.

I'll check back sometime (much) later when I get a few more books I might want to purchase - but giving them a try at this site.

However, thanks for not giving up on me. I appreciate it.

[herby]

Well, at least now you are comfortable with the site - congratulations! TGC is having there $10/book sale now and therefore might be a bit cheap with allowing non-members good deals - I am sure they do not have infinite books of any title that is not a "dog". Check back when the sale is over and I hope that you will have a better luck. I just bought five (!) books....

[The Dairy Queen]

Sorry I didn't see this post until now, but herby took good care of you! The Good Cook can be a wonderful way to acquire some new books for a good price, but it can be a little maddening... You really do need to know how to work their system, and I dont just mean their software, but also which "sales" are worth biting for and so on.

~TDQ

[Rella]

Yes, me thinks that one needs TGC as well to size-up books and their prices. I love Jessica's prices and shipping & handling,and I always compare them to amazon's prices; and I love Amazon's reviews.

Not that Borders had any great prices, but I sure miss them. B&N brick-and-mortar are few and far between in my area, and I'm just not 'into them' yet/never have been, although their cookbook aisles are darned good - just can't figure out why I don't go there even when I'm in the neighborhood.

[honkman]

If you like "Bake until Bubbly" you should also look into "The Best Soups in the World" and "Real Stew" from Clifford Wright. I like the "Bake until Bubbly" book but just recently discovered these other two books and they are much more interesting and thoughful put together. In both books he tries to give a great overview of the "best" soups and stews around the world. I like that he is not trying to look for the fanciest or unusual ones but really presents classic variations of dishes from all over the world so that you get a good idea what kind of flavors and ingredients play a key role in which country/region.

[Breadcrumbs]

Thanks so much for thisfeedback honkman, I just ordered the stew book and put the soup one on my wishlist.

[dkennedy]

Have any of you bought the new Jean Georges cookbook? I believe it is called, Jean Georges Cooking at Home. We are putting together a group gift for a bride to be and It is on the list. I'm intrigued but I'd like to hear some Chowhound reviews.

[peppermint_sky]

Breadcrumbs -- I am looking at Bake Until Bubbly right now -- a borrowed copy after reading about it here. I am looking at a bunch of the chicken casserole recipes trying to select a big batch of something to make for the week. Honestly, it's tricky to decide because as you say, almost all of the recipes look divine!

Have you cooked anything from this book yet?

[Breadcrumbs]

Hi peppermint_sky, like you I have tons of recipes tabbed but unfortunately I haven't had a chance to cook from the book yet. We started a kitchen reno in January and it's only been 2 wks since my new ovens were installed & operational.

That said, I bought this book for a friend of mine and she made the Chicken & Mushroom Casserole on p. 123 when we last visited her. This was a really tasty dish and she said it came together in no time. The only change she made was to use cremini vs white mushrooms.

The other dish she mentioned at the time was the Chicken & Potato Pizzaiola. She said that's her kids favourite dish and they ask her to make it every week. She's made it with fresh and canned (drained) tomatoes and either way it's great. She puts grated mozzarella on top as the kids prefer that to parmesan.

Hope that's of some help ps. Please let us know what you end up making.

[Gio]

Falling Off the Bone
Cook This Now
Mighty Spice (Awaiting arrival)
Canal House Cooking Volume No. 7: La Dolce Vita (Pre-Ordered)

[herby]

Gio, I've read about Canal House books on these boards but have not seen one yet. Have you cooked from the previous ones? What do you like about them? Which one is your favourite? I do not think my libarary has these books but will check again.

[Gio]

Hi Herby... I've not cooked from any Canal House books...yet. I was intrigued with all the love others here have given the series. Intrigued enough to add the upcoming book to my Italian collection. Satisfaction remains to be decided upon receipt. It will be released on January 17, 2012, so pretty soon now.

[Puffin3]

Food Festivals of Italy Celebrated Recipes From 50 Food Fairs. (Coffee table book but good looking recipes)
Sicilian Home Cooking. ( Authentic Sicilian home cooking recipes.)

[The Dairy Queen]

Hmmm...the Good Cook is having its big year end close-out sale.

For those of you who have Food 52, is there a lot in the book that isn't on their website?

For those of you who have Falling of the Bone, does it feel redundant to All About Braising or Jean Anderson Cooks?

~TDQ

[JoanN]

I was asking someone about Food 52 a day or so ago and she said most of the recipes were on the Web site. I decided to pass.

I wasn't going to buy Falling Off the Bone. I figured how could there possibly be anything in there that I don't already have somewhere else. But I succumbed. And I was wrong. Haven't cooked from it yet mainly because I'm in clean-out-the-freezer mode, but the recipes look absolutely scrumptious--to say nothing of perfect for this time of year. Go for it. Definitely. And start counting the months until it's a COTM selection--because it will be. I promise you.

[The Dairy Queen]

Thank you, JoanN! Eh, since Food 52's on EYB, I can search it just as easily as a hardcopy cookbook, so, I too, think I shall pass. And you're right: I ought to be able to get a lot out of a braising book this time of year!

~TDQ

[buttertart]

Get the Anderson. Best veal stew recipe ever in it.

[Disneyfreak]

It the book club sale still going on? I don't belong, but I was thinking of joining. Do you know if the sale would be available to a brand new member?

[roxlet]

Whether it is or not, I think you get 5 books for $1 each or something like that, when you join.

[The Dairy Queen]

I don't know if the book sale would be available to a new member but it is still going on.

~TDQ

[herby]

I think that sale books become available once you fulfill your purchase obligation which is two books a year after your five intro ones for $1 each. At that same time you will be offered to buy an extra book for 50% off that will count as one manadatory book - this is a good deal. Just buy one more (there many inexpensive ones) and you will be eligible to buy books on sale. All these tempting offers, of course, feed our addiction!:)

[Berheenia]

I gave my son and DIL the 2 Momofuku Cookbooks for xmas and they were really pleased. The restaurants are their favorites and they live in Manhattan.I had read the Momofuku Cookbook when it came out and was really fascinated by David Chang's story. Momofuku Milk Bar by Christina Tosi seemed like a good book for a budding baker which DIL is.

[honkman]

Eleven Madison Park
Volt Ink
American Flavor
All about Roasting
Sauces (by Roux)

[twyst]

The EMP book has some of the most beautiful pictures of food Ive ever seen, Im a big fan of the book.

Volt ink is also pretty interesting, there are some very inventive flavor combinations in many of the dishes. I wasnt expecting it to be so complicated, but luckily my kitchen is set up for sous vide etc and I have been able to bang out some of the recipes with a reasonable level of success.

[honkman]

EMP, Volt and Alinea are three books were often don't make complete dishes but they are structured in a way that you can easily use parts of recipes to combine them with own creations. It's a good way to broaden your culinary knowledge especially flavor combinations but also techniques

[twyst]

Im pretty bad about spending way too much money on cookbooks, i buy pretty much everything that interests me as soon as its released. Something I had skipped that came highly recommended was "Mourad: New Moroccan". I was not disappointed, its probably one of the top 5 cookbooks of the year.

[Madrid]

I got Mourad out of the library and did already purchase Wolfert's Moroccan; you love her or you don't I do. I have not had time to do a comparison. I know Mourad's is "new style" and Wolfert is always authentic tradition. Can anyone advise me, do I need both? I read one review that said yes, get both. I loved Mourad's intro.

[honkman]

Both books hardly overlap and are very good starting points to explore different parts of Moroccan cuisine

[peppermint_sky]

I currently have Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy out from the library, and I will probably buy it as a present to self in the new year. Also, I was thinking about Around My French Table? Can anyone endorse that one?

[herby]

Glad to hear good things about Chewy Gooey - I just bought it at the last TGC sale ($10 per book if you buy four + free shipping) but won't see it until April when I will be back in NYC.

I have and like AMFT a lot and made quite a few dishes from it. The book was COTM in April; have a look at the threads to read what others cooked and thought about various dishes - http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/775864

[prima]

I lucked out this year. My cookbook gifts included My Nepenthe by Romney Steele, Plum Gorgeous by Romney Steele, the French Laundry Cookbook, and David Leite's The New Portuguese Table.

[herby]

I have six books sitting in my TGC basket. Please chime in with your opinions - should I get them all or are there "dogs" in my basket?

The Mozza
Cheesemonger's Kitchen
Chewy, Gooey, Crispy, Crunchy, Alice Medrich
Lidia's Italy in America
Tart and Sweet, Kelly Geary (only $8!)
The Food of Morocco, Paula Wolfert

[dkennedy]

Get Mozza and Cheesemonger's Kitchen for sure. They are both wonderful. I have Chewy, Gooey but I haven't cooked out of it yet.

[L.Nightshade]

I have Mozza, Cheesemonger, Lidia, and Morocco on the way to me right now (not a big sweets fan as a rule, that explains why not the other two). The first three because other hounds recommended them, the last because I've never gone wrong with Wolfert. And all because at $10 and free shipping, I could probably recoup my losses on eBay if I really didn't like them!

Also of note, Essential Pepin is in the sale mix if you are doing COTM and don't have it yet.

[herby]

Thank you for your advice, DK and LN!

I have Essential Pepin but have not cooked from it. Hope to participate in COTM. I feel guilty about buying so many books at once considering that I stocked up when the Borders were closing and at a previous TGC sale and on Amazon just because I really wanted it... I think I will choose 5 books this time however hard it is:)

[JoanN]

I bought Chewy, Gooey, saw that it had more recipes for gluten-free cookies than I need, and gave thought to gifting it. But when roxlet said it had a recipe for the best ginger cookies ever, and then someone else (I've now forgotten who and where) said that two other cookies were big winners, I decided to keep it.

Food of Morocco just arrived and looks great. I have the original Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco and thought I'd replace it with the newer book. Now I'm not so sure. From her intro, I assume the new book has all the recipes from the older book plus more than a hundred new ones. Anyone else have both? Are you keeping the old one?

[roxlet]

I have both, but I haven't done a side by side yet. I was planning on getting rid of the old one. I have to do a major reorganization and cleaning out after the new year, and then I'll see. My sons school has a book drive or a book sale in the spring, and my plan is to get rid of a lot of books, though not necessarily cookbooks. I'll see if it makes the cut!

[roxlet]

Strictly speaking, the two books I gave my husband for Christmas are not mine, but he's nice and will let me share :).

Eleven Madison Park
The Whole Hog Cookbook

[GulaSocordia]

I ended up receiving Southern Living's Cooking Across the South(1980's?) and Julia Child's The Way to Cook from my family. My boss gifted me Julia Child's MAFC. My dad gave me a WS gift card, so I'm thinking of picking up Essential Pepin this week!

[italy531]

My good cook purchases were

Cooking in Everyday English
Todd English

Made in America
Lucy Lean

Cooking My Way Back Home
Mitchell Rosenthal and Jon Pult

Better Homes & Gardens Gardening Made Simple
Better Homes & Gardens

The Food52 Cookbook
Amanda Hesser & Merrill Stubbs

Plus I received Things Cooks Love (Sur la table), the Cupcake Diaries, and Well Fed (a paleo cookbook)

[roxlet]

I keep on looking at that Made in America book, so I will be very interested to hear your thoughts.

[Westy]

How do you like English's book? I saw it at the bookstrore and took a pass, but am intrigued.

[italy531]

Roxlet and Westy I will let you know my thoughts when I get the books in the next few days. I bought them both sight unseen.

[Spot]

Thoughtful family gave me Silverton's Mozza, Ottolenghi's Taste, and Vongenrichten's Home Cooking.

Initial impressions (mostly informed by the season and my location in the northern Rockies):

Mozza's going to be well-used despite my inability to get many of the cheeses, easily. Her partner Molina is the real deal. We love cooking these kinds of foods, and will.

Ottlolenghi's going to have to wait for next summer's garden. I'm thinking the flavors will, in fact, be great, but the recipes call for quite a few ingredients, especially fresh herbs, that I'm not going to be buying in many little 4$ little plastic containers.

The surprise to me is Vongenrichten's book. I kind of didn't want to like it (millionaire restaurateur hanging with his family and pals on weekends in bucolic, splendid, tasty isolation), but there are some really fabulous recipes. Quite a bit of the late Barbara Tropp's annoying you-gotta-make-this-condiment/sauce-b/f-this-recipe-will-work sort of thing, but I'm looking forward to trying some that aren't that way. Fusion without BS.

Anyway, my 2 cents on my swag.

[L.Nightshade]

Ottolenghi's Taste? Do tell... I've googled it and don't see anything. Big Ottolenghi fan, so I would love more info.

[Spot]

My bad, as my boys say. It's called Plenty. Sorry. Didn't mean to mislead. I can be an idiot.... And to be perhaps clearer, I've loved his stuff in, I think, the Guardian, but find it difficult to get the called for ingredients at a reasonable price right now.

[L.Nightshade]

No problem, no idiocy. Plenty is lovely! Lots of great recipes!

[bushwickgirl]

Plenty is so on my list.

[nomadchowwoman]

I rec'd four food-related books for Xmas: David Rocco's Made in Italy (Gio's mention of it last month got lodged in my brain, and it made it onto my wish list); Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil (DH picked this one as he knows I love these kinds of single subject culinary books); Serious Eats (sent by an old friend, who, when we were roommates once upon a time used to marvel at my interest in food--and who is now just as interested); a tagine cookbook that came in the tagine set my brother and his GF gave me.

Then yesterday I had to take advantage of TGC sale, so headed my way at $10 a pop are The Food of Morocco (I had to, w/the new tagine set and all); Food 52; Artisan Pizza in Five Minutes a Day (not sure I really needed that one); Homesick Texan (which has gotten a lot of love on CH).

Now if I can only get rested up enough to cook from them.

[walker]

I got the Food 52 one from the library .. made the roasted almonds (very simple) but it called for much too much olive oil -- 1/4 cup for 1 lb almonds, 1 tsp. sugar, 1 Tbl Kosher salt, bake 10 min at 350. (It's fine with a lot less olive oil.)

I wrote down the Shrimp Biryani recipe .. will try later on since I had to return the book.

[roxlet]

I received Perfect Light Desserts by Nick Malgieri, which looks fantastic, and I gave myself the new Martha Stewart Entertaining book, which I haven't had a chance to look through yet.

[dkennedy]

How to Cook Like a Rock Star ( a gift from my Mom)
Rotis: Roasts for Every Night of the Week (a gift from my DH)
Mission Street Food ( a gift from a dear friend)
Miette (birthday gift from that same friend)

[dkennedy]

Has anyone bought The Brisket Book from TGC? I have been toying with the idea of buying it, but with only 30 recipes, I need some convincing.

[Allegra_K]

Santa had a nice long list of cookbooks to choose from this year. He picked:

The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean-Wolfert
The Book of Latin American Cooking-Lambert Ortiz
The New Spanish Table-Von Bremzen
Hot Sour Salty Sweet- Alford and Duguid
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook

I am very happy with all of these ones. Santa chose well!

[buttertart]

Santa knows best, those are excellent books, every man Jack of them.

[qianning]

The Cooking of the Eastern Med by Wolfert.....how did I not know that such a book existed.....

[buttertart]

You must be a mere babe, it's been out for aaaages...

[qianning]

wish i were a babe, alas, not so, just not as hip or knowledgeable about cookbooks as the rest of this gang.

[Allegra_K]

The vast majority of my cookbook wishlist is comprised of suggestions from this gang, and prior cotms. They are also the reason that I now require a new bookcase to house my ever growing collection!

[qianning]

Ah, bookshelf space (or space for bookshelves in my case). is a constraint. It keeps my purchases to a minimum, adding much to my local reference librarians work load.

[Madrid]

I got this book when it first came out. I was already an ambitious home cook...and loved cooking true ethnic...(spent 10 years in grad school in No Calif). when I first got this book, I was overwhelmed with all the new ingredients and pastes and spice blends. I now go to this book literally every week and have tried most of the techniques and recipes. It is amazing if you want to put in the work and the effort. Paula Wolfert is my heroine. I am always finding something new in this book that I love. Hint: make the pom molasses in one of the appendices...

[Harters]

Father Christmas didnt bring any recipe books, as such, but did leave some general foody offerings::

Food Britannia - Andrew Webb
The Table Comes First - Adam Gopnik
A History of English Food - Clarissa Dickson Wright

In similar vein, I've just finished reading "A Late Dinner" by Paul Richardson in which he recounts eating around Spain.

[buttertart]

Check the intro to The Table Comes First...London bombings in...2004? For shame, Mr Gopnik! (I'm getting it anyway, it looks great.)

[Harters]

As, ahem, a published author myself, I know the importance of getting dates right. For shame indeed!

[buttertart]

I bought it for myself yesterday, along with the big giant Cook's Illustrated book, and am contemplating Baking Style by Lisa Yockelson. Could you please ask Herself what British baking books I should also be thinking about?

[Harters]

Her primary book is "Baking - a commonsense guide", published by Murdoch Books in Australia and here in the UK. She's been working through this one on a "one recipe per week" basis.

You might want to look out for "The Great British Book of Baking" which is more Brit orientated.

[buttertart]

I'll have a shuftie!

[L.Nightshade]

Anybody here ever have a stargazy pie?

[Harters]

Saw it on a menu once when we in the the south west (UK) but it wasnt available that night.

[greedygirl]

I recommend Dan Lepard's Short and Sweet, and The River Cottage Handbook: Cakes by Pam "the Jam" Corbin.

[AGM_Cape_Cod]

Santa brought me The Essential Pepin and All About Roasting. I guess I was good this year.

[caseyjo]

Just picked up What to Cook and How to Cook It from Anthropologie. It's slightly basic but it's a gorgeous book with step by step pictures. Good for inspiration (and for Spanish dishes, a cuisine I haven't explored much). Perhaps these instructions will be useful for getting my boyfriend to be more hands on in the kitchen as well.

I also ordered Je Sais Cuisiner (in French), as I'm a big fan of French food. The Good Cook surely is tempting me now....

[L.Nightshade]

The Good Cook is having a sale; if there are four (or more) books you want, they are $10 each, with free shipping. I keep saying I'm going to un-enroll, but I just got hooked in again. I checked in on this thread to get some recommendations and opinions. So far, and after reading the above posts, under consideration are:
Ruhlman's Twenty
Falling Off the Bone
The Mozza Cookbook
The Food of Morocco
and further into the maybe category:
Purple Citrus and Sweet Perfume
Fiesta at Rick's

[buttertart]

If you haven't pulled the trigger, and are interested in my opinion, I didn't like the Ruhlman (I'm not crazy about him in general, though), and did not like Purple Citrus at all, not very useful and too airy-fairy.

[L.Nightshade]

Thank you buttertart! Always interested in your opinion. I'll definitely pull the Purple Citrus, maybe the Ruhlman too. I'm happy to narrow it down, so, much appreciated!

[Westy]

Dang. Thanks for the heads up-. Almost bought Purple Citrus sight unseen this weekend.

[dkennedy]

L.Nightshade,

I agree with buttertart re Rhulman's. Although I will say I learned something in the intro section of each chapter, it was hard to get through and I didn't fall in love with any of the recipes.

I have and love The Mozza Cookbook. I just made a wild boar ragu out of it and it came out perfectly. I have earmarked about a million other must tries in this book. Some simple, some difficult. But as with all Nancy Silverton recipes, really well explained no matter your level of expertise.

I have Falling Off the Bone and I like it, but I don't love it. I hear better things about All About Braising. I just bought All about Roasting from the club, by the same author.

There is one book I would recommend which is not on your list but available through The Good Cook: The Cheesemonger's Kitchen. After I got my copy I bought two more for friends in my Supper Club and I know two others who have bought it and are very pleased with it. It is written by the son-in-law/cheesemonger at Joan's on Third (in Los Angeles) and it has the most original and surprisingly delicious collection of cheese recipes I have every come across. I have tried 5 recipes so far out of it and each was spectacular. Here are a few to give you an idea: mozzarella filled meatballs ( a solid recipe ); goat cheese beehive (a dome shaped spread consisting of alternating layers of goat cheese and roasted garlic, drizzled with honey); savory ricotta fritters; savory tarts; cherry tomato spread (to drizzle over ribiola and the like). For all you TGC members, don't miss this one!

[L.Nightshade]

Thanks dk for the info on the Cheesemonger book. It sounds great. Unfortunately, I did already submit my order late last night, and they won't allow an addition. I'll put it on my wish list!

[TxnInMtl]

This thread popping up again reminded me that I wanted to thank you for mentioning The Cheesemonger's Kitchen! I picked it up around the holidays and have loved it. The three cheese plates that I've made from the book were devoured (the beehive, brie with an olive paste, and blue cheese with mascarpone). I also tried the meatball recipe you mentioned and it was fantastic. The cabbage slaw (although I would've added a bit more dressing) and fontina fonduta were also very good. Thank you for bringing this book up!

[L.Nightshade]

Oh yes, me too. I forgot to come back and add that I did get the cheesemonger book. I haven't actually made anything from it, but it looks great!

[dkennedy]

It is definitely one of my new favorites! Since getting my copy, I have convinced 5 of my friends that it is a must have! Who knows, maybe we'll even be able to have it as a future COTM contender if the momentum continues!

[L.Nightshade]

Mmmm. Cheese month!
(With a COTM disclaimer: Not responsible for elevations of cholesterol or weight.)

[jen kalb]

ditto re purple citrus. I copied some recipes to try that seem like they might be real but mostly its about styling and trendy ingredients. I bought some hibiscus to make hibiscus salt but that project's gone no where fast (and no purple citrus that I recall) In the same general genre (creative mideast fusion) but no where near as impressive as Ottolenghi

[CathleenH]

Purple Citrus ruined my Christmas dinner. I made the veal shanks braised with baharat, and for some reason, it came out with a strange, liquorice-like flavor. Really just awful.

[L.Nightshade]

Well, I'm embarrassed to admit all the books I couldn't resist at this low price. Got all of the above except Purple Citrus (and a couple more). I vacillated on the Ruhlman, but after reading all the wild comments on the Amazon reviews (even Ruhlman joined in), I decided that for $10, I had to see for myself.
dkennedy - As it turned out, the Cheesemonger's Kitchen made it in there too!

[Madrid]

each to his own, but I love Purple Citrus. Gifted it to a two people who also loved it. I will turn to this book again and again.

[drongo]

My Christmas book wishlist:

Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon - Claudia Roden
Mighty Spice Cookbook - John Gregory-Smith
The Cafe Paradiso Cookbook - Denis Cotter
The Food of Morocco - Paula Wolfert
Cuisine and Culture: A History of Food and People - Linda Civitello

[bushwickgirl]

A very nice list, I must say. I hope Santa is kind to you. Santa already bought me all the books I'm going to get this year. ;(

[roxlet]

My copy of The Food of Morocco came. It looks wonderful.

[rstuart]

Buttertart, I got the Canadian Living International Collection out of the library, and thought that it was OK but not spectacular...

[buttertart]

Thanks for saving me from yet another book buy!

[rstuart]

Especially for an experienced cook like yourself.. nothing new. Not bad, just not worth it!

[buttertart]

At this point I probably have at least 5 recipes for each of the things in it anyway!

[Breadcrumbs]

As someone who barely has time to eat these days let alone cook, I really have no business thinking about adding more cookbooks to my already over-stuffed bookshelves!

That said, never being one to let common sense get in the way of my love of cookbooks, yes Virginia, I did make up a wish-list this year and here it is:

Bistro Cooking at Home by Gordon Hamersley

Lidia's Italy in America by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, Tanya Bastianich Manuali

The Meatball Shop Cookbook by Daniel Holzman

The Divertimenti Cookbook: From the Famous Divertimenti Cookery Schools and Café

Food & Wine Reinventing the Classics by Dana Cowin

The New Boston Globe Cookbook: More than 200 Classic New England Recipes, From Clam Chowder to Pumpkin Pie by The Boston Globe

The Culinary Institute of America Cookbook: A Collection of Our Favorite Recipes for the Home Chef by The Culinary Institute of America

Mediterranean Feast A by Clifford Wright

Jacques Pepin Fast Food My Way by Jacques Pepin

The Best One-Dish Suppers by Editors Of Cooks Illustrated Magazine

Mangoes and Curry Leaves: Culinary Travels Through the Great Subcontinent by Jeffrey Alford, Naomi Duguid

Tart and Sweet: 101 Canning and Pickling Recipes for the Modern Kitchen by Kelly Geary, Jessie Knadler

The Cook's Country Cookbook: Rediscovering American Home Cooking with 500 Classic, Regional, and Heirloom Recipes by Editors Of Cook's Country Magazine

Fat Witch Brownies: Brownies, Blondies, and Bars from New York's Legendary Fat Witch Bakery by Patricia Helding

The River Cafe Classic Italian Cookbook by Rose Gray

Vijs At Home: Relax, Honey: The Warmth and Ease of Indian Cooking by Meeru Dhalwala, Vikram Vij

Madhur Jaffrey Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey

My New Orleans: The Cookbook by John Besh

Recent additions to my bookshelf (compliments of Santa breadcrumbs!!) are:

Essential Pepin

Made in Italy by David Rocco

Cook this Now by Melissa Clark

Then the following “new-to-me” books that I just couldn’t resist when I stopped at the thrift shop to donate some Christmas decorations and was inexplicably drawn into the store and swept over to the cookbook section (go figure!!):

Pat Chapman’s Thai Restaurant Cookbook

Williams-Sonoma Muffins

The Little Italy Cookbook by Maria Pace & Louise Scaini-Jojic

Pizza by Rosario Buonassisi

Luigi Carnacina’s Great Italian Cooking La Grande Cucina Internazionale (this looks like a real gem)

All I really should be wanting for Christmas is some willpower!!

Happy Holidays everyone!!

[JoanN]

I've had the Carnacina book for decades. Never cooked a thing from it, at least, not that I recall. Yet it's survived numerous cookbook cullings. If you do dip into it, please report. Should I take it down off the top shelf and give it some love?

[qianning]

We use it occasionally. Great for the classic take on classic recipes. Mr. QN, and lots of happy guests, swear by the Baba Au Rhum made from the recipe in this book.

[JoanN]

Oooh. I love Baba. Haven't made it in years. Gonna check that out right away. Thanks.

[buttertart]

Baba...oh boy.

[Breadcrumbs]

Mmm, noted this qianning, thanks!

[Breadcrumbs]

I'll definitely do so Joan, I've put a sticky note inside it reminding me to post in this thread. What immediately appealed to me about the book though was the use of Italian names for ingredients. One that stood out was Palombo. We recently picked some up at our Italian Market - such a great spot, he brings in fresh fish from the Adriatic. I liked the look of it and thought it would be great for grilling but, when I searched my cookbooks I came up empty handed. This book has several recipes, a section of them in fact. I'd pull it off the shelf and move it to the coffee table Joan, maybe have a flip through when you have time. I'll keep you posted. (sorry for the delay btw, somehow I lost track of this thread)

[roxlet]

You're incorrigible, Breadcrumbs! What a list -- your shelves must be groaning.

[bushwickgirl]

Totally out of control, but for a very good reason.

Btw, Breadcrumbs, Fat Witch, meh.

[Breadcrumbs]

Roxlet & bwg, you gave me a good laugh!! Sorry for the delay in posting, I lost track of this thread!

Well let me start out by saying that Santa didn't get me "all" the books on my wishlist ...so there!! ; - )

but, I might have bought some new books myself....(it's not my fault, it's a sickness!!) I'll post down thread and you can laugh at me!!

Thanks for the tip on Fat Witch bwg, I've taken it off my list.

[Westy]

Hamersly's book is excellent. The roast chicken recipes alone are worth the price of the book.

Had no luck with River cafe.

Matt

[Breadcrumbs]

Thanks Matt, that's great to know about Hamersly's book. I didn't end up getting it so I've moved it to the top of my wishlist...much appreciated! I love Bistro food so this book really appeals.

[nomadchowwoman]

Lots of good recipes in that one, BC.

[prima]

Love the Hamersley's Bistro Cooking at Home's recipe for beet soup with ginger.

[nomadchowwoman]

I'm going to have to try that one, prima; I've never made beet soup although I love beets AND ginger.

[prima]

It's like a pureed borscht with a twist, using tarragon, fresh ginger, fresh OJ. I've also made beets as a side dish, using the same combination of herbs, spices & flavourings.

For Chowhounds who don't have a copy of Bistro Cooking at Home:
http://ottotarchincooking.blogspot.co...

[Breadcrumbs]

Now see, this is precisely why I'm afflicted with this addiction!!! Prima & ncw your feedback pushed me over the top and I've now gone & ordrered this book . . . Alongw another one by Clifford Wright that honkman recommends down thread I might add! ; - )

[nofunlatte]

I had been on cookbook moratorium for a few months and finally permitted myself to break it with Michael Ruhlman's Twenty. It arrived yesterday and I am very pleased with it--I really was looking for a focus on technique and reference information. The photography serves as an excellent corollary to the text.

I'm exchanging gifts tonight with my boyfriend and I believe I'll be receiving another cookbook (I'm hoping!). And HE is getting The Joy of Homebrewing as part of his holiday bounty!

[L.Nightshade]

Funny! I received Essential Pepin from my man, he received Joy of Homebrewing from me!

[twyst]

I grabbed 20 today while I was at barnes and nobles. Its an excellent book to really learn how to cook with. Its not just a bunch of recipes, it actually attempts to teach you the foundations and basic techniques of cooking, and it does a remarkable job of it. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn how to be a really good, creative cook.

[roxlet]

I just received Baking Style, by Yockelson, which I bought to give as a gift. It was awfully tempting to keep for myself, but my better nature prevailed. I definitely have this one on my Christmas wish list!

[buttertart]

How does it stand out from the bazillion other baking books we have?

[roxlet]

Since I was in a flurry of wrapping paper and ribbon, I only allowed myself a quick look, so I am not able to answer your question with any authority. You know how some books are an instant disappointment, and some just look really good? This one looked really good.

[JoanN]

Speaking of gifts, I just bought the Alice Medrich "Chewy Gooey etc," saw that it has lots of wheat-free cookies in it, and am debating whether or not to give it to a friend who has celiac disease and loves to bake. I've got Heatter, Berenbaum, Baggett, and Walter. Do I really need a fifth dedicated cookie book?

[buttertart]

I have it but haven't done much from it.

[herby]

Of course you do:)

[roxlet]

When I made her ginger cookies, my husband pronounced it "the best cookie" I've ever made! Maybe copy that one out before you gift it.

[JoanN]

Uh-oh. Chances are that if one cookie was that good, others are as well. I may have to rethink the gifting idea.

[peppermint_sky]

Joan,

I scooped Chewy Gooey up at the library the other day and the next morning I was busily mixing up a batch of sticky pecan bites (page 239). Oh --- wow! Made them for family, and everyone went crazy. These are basically mini versions of sticky buns made in mini muffin tins. But they're quick -- this is not a yeast dough, so they come together very quickly! I modified just one little detail -- rather than pecan halves, I chopped up my pecans because I thought the pecan half might be cumbersome in such a petite treat.

I will make these again -- and again. I bake frequently and I am really delighted with these, and they are definitely going into the rotation. Great if guests stop by for breakfast, brunch, or coffee, too!

So I am really quite excited to try more goodies from this book.

Today I am probably going to make Maya's Lemon Thins (page 72).

[JoanN]

Those sound smashing! I love sticky buns, but they're so time consuming. Making note of these immediately (and beginning to be very happy I didn't gift the book; sounds as though it's full of winners).

[roxlet]

I've eyed that recipe before, but now I MUST make it! Resolutions? What resolutions?

[herby]

Thank you for starting a new thread, buttertart!

I bought three book during the last month:
The Pleasures of Cooking for One by Judith Jones - had it out of the library and had to have it on my shelf
150 Best American Recipes - it is this month's COTM and I've made several dishes from the book - great recipes!
Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia
by James Oseland - bought as a present but very tempted to keep for myself; call me greedy!

[buttertart]

Cradle of Flavor was the COTM here a few years ago - did you see that? Excellent book. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/616583

[herby]

No, I did not see it - thanks for pointing this out to me, buttertart! Guess, the book will quietly stay on my shelf and the intended recipient will be no wiser:)

[Boudleaux]

I just received 3 cookbooks today (Christmas present for myself) and here I am talking about what I'd get next! Haha. The cover of David Joachim's Rustic Italian Food keeps drawing me in and I really don't have any Italian cookbooks on my shelf. I'm also thinking about Essential Pepin and Ruhlman's Twenty. I keep eyeing Falling Off the Bone - Jean Anderson but can't make up my mind.

[buttertart]

The Jean Anderson is well worth it. Made the best veal stew I've ever made from it.

[Boudleaux]

Oh good! Thank you for the input! I'll bump it up on my wish list!

[JoanN]

My copy of Falling Off the Bone arrived yesterday and there's so much in it that looks so tempting I don't know where to start. The great thing about Jean Anderson is that because her recipes always work, you can feel confident starting anywhere.

[herby]

I have Essential Pepin and Falling Off The Bone; have not cooked from either one yet but had a good look at Falling and like it very much. Pepin might become January COTM - I will definitely cook from it then.

[Boudleaux]

Re Pepin and the January COTM, yes! And I'd certainly like to cook along. I haven't participated in that in a while now. Thanks also for the comment on Falling Off the Bone. That's two positive votes!

[herby]

Go onto the voting thread and vote asap - it closes at noon EST on Sunday. Otherwise, Nigella might win:)

[bushwickgirl]

I heartily agree, Falling... is worth owning.

[bayoucook]

Falling Off The Bone is one of my most used cookbooks. It is great!

[Boudleaux]

Thanks bayoucook and bushwickgirl! I'm ordering Essential Pepin and Falling Off the Bone right now! ...and probably Ruhlman too while I'm at it.

[herby]

Boudleaux, I made mexican meatballs from Falling Off the Bone (p. 181) yesterday and they were delicious. I did not use pork as I do not eat it, ground coriander and cumin seed instead of using powders and used fresh tomatos that had to be used instead of tomato sauce but otherwise followed the recipe. Will definitely make again and double the spice since it was not coming through loud enough for me. Nice spice blend, though and the sauce was yummy. I also buzzed the sauce in the blender after the cooking was done because I wanted a smooth sauce and mine was chunky mainly because of the tomatoes.

[Boudleaux]

Sounds delicious, herby! Now I can't wait to get the book since so many people have talked about it so favorably!

[Boudleaux]

I ordered Essential Pepin so I can play in the COTM threads as well as Falling Off the Bone and, Baking with Julia. Now I should stop buying cookbooks and cook more from them!