Off the shelf: Cookbooks A to L
Books to read and to cook from
Hello! Hello!
Any minute now, it’ll start – the fabulous roll-out of Fall Cookbooks. Jenny Hartin, who reviews cookbooks for one of my favorite sites, Eat Your Books (a site that indexes cookbooks, so that you can actually find the recipes you want in the books you already own), coined a perfect name for what’s coming: Cookbooktober!
The fall books start showing up now, in September, and we’ll see a bunch of books in November, but the lion’s share will debut in October. (And yes, my new book will be part of the scrum.) And so, before my shelves sag with new books, I thought I’d take a glance back and tell you about some of the books that I’ve been reading and cooking from over the past year.
These are in alphabetical order by author – I’ll send you M to Z next Tuesday.
But before (and after) I do, I'd love to know:
What are you reading?
What books are you cooking from?
What books are you baking from?
What are the new books you can't wait to get?
A quick word – there’s nothing definitive about this list. It’s completely personal.
COOK THIS BOOK, Techniques that Teach & Recipes to Repeat, by Molly Baz. Right off the bat, I think we can agree that the title is great. And I love the design of the book and the color of the cover, which is almost identical to the color of my dining room chairs. But the reason I keep this book on the shelf is the recipes. The food is bright, easy-going and as cool and Californian as its author, and it’s what I love about the book. Molly’s got fresh takes on dishes that use simple ingredients, and she gives solid instructions – she knows how to cook and she wants you to know how, too. I’m making her Roasted Eggplant with Pickled Raisin & Basil Dressing – a new look at caponata – tonight. (PS: It was a hit!)
JUST EAT, by Barry Estabrook. Okay, I threw in a ringer. Barry’s book is not a cookbook, but it is about eating and it’s a very good book. A journalist, really an investigative reporter whose beat is food, Barry spent three years following the diets that many of us have followed, among them, keto, gluten-free, paleo, Whole30, Atkins and WeightWatchers, and talking to scientists. I’m not giving away spoilers (the title says it all) when I say that the conclusion may be to just eat. Estabrook is a terrific writer – if he wrote a book on painting fences, I’d read it.
GETAWAY, Food and Drink to Transport You, by Renee Erickson with Sara Dickerman. Even if I, like just about everyone else, weren’t staying put more than usual, and even if (full disclosure) this book didn’t include a sweet sidebar about me and a wonderful photograph of the view from my Paris apartment, I’d want this gorgeous book. When I first got the book, I sat down with it and did nothing but look at the photos by Jim Henkens – they’re dreamy. And then I spent time with the recipes, which are not divided by course, as is traditional, but by locale, which is what this book is all about. We travel to Rome, Paris, Normandy, London and Baja, before we land in Seattle, where Renee’s restaurants are. Along the way, we mix cocktails, meet people, cook from land and sea, snack on Toasted Peanuts with Chile and Lime, make Halibut with Anchovy Butter (I love the preserved lemon in the butter; the capers too), look at the picture of Chicken Liver Pâté on Crostini with a Glass of Chianti and know we have to have it instantly.
ZOË BAKES CAKES, Everything you need to know to make your favorite layers, bundts, loaves, and more, by Zoë François. I love everything – truly everything – about Zoë. I love her smile, the stylish way she wears the jewelry her mom makes, the way she includes her family in her work, her cakes, her pies, her cookies, her streaming series, her gift for teaching, her generosity and the way she encourages everyone to get into the kitchen and bake. And I’m in awe of how she handles a blow torch! (Take a look at this Baked Alaska recipe we worked on to honor the 117th birthday of the French nun, Sister André.) After teaching tens of thousands of people how to bake through her stunning Instagram stories, she’s finally written a book. This book. Which is a complete course in cake-baking and a collection of knock-out recipes. If you love baking, you’ll love it more after you’ve baked with Zoë.
WHY WE COOK, Women on Food, Identity, and Connection, by Lindsay Gardener. Lindsay is a gifted artist and her book is filled with beautiful watercolors. There are portraits of the women who tell their stories, vignettes of cooks’ favorite dishes and illustrations of kitchens, tools and ingredients. There are many recipes, but this is less a cookbook than a look into what food means to those of us who cook. There are wonderful essays, conversations and quotes that sparkle. I love this one from Rosio Sanchez, “Cooking can change your world, over and over.”
MISTER JIU’S IN CHINATOWN, by Brandon Jew and Tienlon Ho. You’re going to want to settle in with this book, to read through the stories – the writing is beautiful – to get to know Brandon Jew, his family, the traditions they brought from China, the food they cooked in San Francisco’s Chinatown and the journey that Brandon took to hold onto traditions, to be true to himself, his time, his city and to bring Mister Jiu’s to life again. And then you’ll want to cook. This is not quick or easy food, but making it is rewarding.
THE ESSENTIAL JEWISH BAKING COOKBOOK, by Beth A. Lee. Working from memory and from scraps of paper with notes she took as she watched her bubbe (grandmother) bake, Beth recreates her family’s most memorable breads, cakes and pastries. I love the lead to her first chapter: My bubbe’s recipe box existed only in her head. Like so many good bakers of another generation (including my own grandmother), Beth’s grandmother rarely measured anything and when she did, she used juice glasses, teacups and spoons from the kitchen drawer. If you grew up with a Jewish grandmother or mom who baked, you’ll recognize so many of the recipes – challah, babka, schnecken, blintzes, knishes – and want to make them. Immediately.
PLAT DU JOUR, French Dinners Made Easy, by Susan Loomis. The “plat du jour” is the dish of the day, and Susan gives us enough dishes to make every day delicious. She’s a gifted teacher – she’s the founder of the On Rue Tatin cooking school in Normandy and Paris – and, if the book weren’t so delightfully written and beautifully photographed, it could be a textbook, guiding us through every step of the traditional French repertoire and providing fascinating history and context, as well as very helpful tips (astuces) along the way. A book for everyone who loves French cuisine and for cooks both new and seasoned.
MY SHANGHAI, Recipes and Stories from a City on the Water, by Betty Liu. If I ever have the good fortune to meet Betty Liu, who both wrote and photographed this book, the first thing I’d do is thank her for MY SHANGHAI – it’s not just an exceptional cookbook with remarkable photographs of the food, the city and its people, it’s a touching memoir, a lesson in Shanghainese foodways and long-honored traditions, and an invitation to delve into a legendary cuisine. Liu writes, “MY SHANGHAI is an homage to my family’s cooking … and a written record of recipes that had previously been passed down orally.” Betty Liu is a doctor training to be surgeon. I’m grateful she found time to write this book – it’s a treasure.
THE ALL-PURPOSE BAKER’S COMPANION, Revised and Updated, by King Arthur Baking Company. I usually shy away from company cookbooks, but when the company is King Arthur, I’m all in. These people know baking, they care about baking and they care about bakers. The COMPANION is a revision of their 2003 classic – there are now color photographs and boundless information about ingredients, techniques and tools. The “all-purpose” in the book’s title is a play on the type of flour we bakers use most often, but it’s also an accurate description of the book’s scope. The table of contents lists: Breakfasts; Quick Breads; Buckles, Cobblers, and Crisps; Yeast Breads; Sourdough; Cookies and Bars; Cakes; Pies and Tarts; and Pastry. And each chapter is hefty. A book for beginners and long-time bakers alike.
I've got a treat for you on Friday, so meet me back here.
xoxo Dorie
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