Reference Books - Page 11

The Well-Filled Tortilla Cookbook

Victoria Wise, Susanna Hoffman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Like a blank canvas but much tastier, the ubiquitous corn or flour tortilla is the perfect vehicle for every sort of food. And taco-making-the art of filling tortillas with dozens of zesty and unexpected concoctions-turns the ordinary into the irrepressible.

Victoria Wise and Susanna Hoffman, both life-long tortilla aficionados, fill them with Fiesta Ground Beef, Chicken Mole, Spicy Shrimp Salad, Green Olive Cilantro Salsa Ancho Chili Sauce, Pear Lime Salsa, and much more.

Here are over 200 recipes for well-filled tortillas. Tacos from around the world-Portuguese-style Grilled Fish Taco, Oriental Stir-Fry Beef Taco, Thai-Style Shrimp Taco, add variety to the spice of such Cal-Mex favorites as Basic Beef Fajita Taco, Black Bean Taco, Chorizo Taco, Snapper Vera Cruz Taco, and Taco de Carnitas. Dessert tacos and tostada sundaes bring the most festive food into the most festive course.

Whether store-bought or home-pressed (the recipes are here, for corn and flour), a stack of tortillas means delicious, down-home, fun food for any occasion-to eat with your fingers in messy splendor. Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club's The Good Cook Club. 250,000 copies in print.

Sylvia Weinstock's Sensational Cakes

Sylvia Weinstock

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Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 2.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Sylvia Weinstock makes cakes that astonish the palate, dazzle the eye, and reward the spirit. Her spellbinding cakes have graced the tables—and grabbed the attention—at society weddings, celebrity birthday parties, and inaugural balls. Whether it’s a tower of white roses whose thousands of blossoms have all been painstakingly hand-crafted or an entirely faithful—and entirely edible—facsimile of a treasured heirloom tea set, every Weinstock cake is a work of art.

 

“Never say never” is Weinstock’s response when clients dare her to achieve the impossible: an array of miniature cakes shaped and decorated like Fabergé eggs; cakes that look like cars, cravats, and circus clowns; or a menagerie of fantastic creatures (bunnies, bugs, tigers, terriers, and even an armadillo), all concocted from butter, flour, and sugar.

 

In Sylvia Weinstock’s Sensational Cakes, America’s most famous cake designer gives you an insider’s tour of her world: the fabulous fêtes where her cakes set the scene and the artisanal workshop where she and her assistants bake and embellish the confectionary masterpieces that have made her signature—including her trademark eyeglass logo—so sought after. Best of all, she reveals some of her secrets: recipes for cakes, frostings, and fillings that will make your own guests stand up and applaud.

The Elements of Cooking: Translating the Chef's Craft for Every Kitchen

Michael Ruhlman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Modeled on Strunk and White's The Elements of Style, The Element of Cooking is an opinionated reference work destined to stand alongside the shelf among the great works of the kitchen: On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee, Escoffier, The Joy of Cooking and the CIA's The Professsional Chef. Unlike those monoliths of the kitchen, this book is slim, clear and very to the point: here are the things you need to know how to do, here are the words you need to speak the langauage of food, and, most importanly, here are the ways you need to think about an approach food, the absolute essentials that every, not only good but great, cook knows.

Just as Strunk and White sits on the desk of every student and professional who has to write a sentence, The Elements of Cooking is destined to be the go-to book for any amatuer or professional cook. It defines terms, offers the basic ratios of important preparations (sauces, cakes, etc.) so that you will never need a recipe again and provides countless, simple chef's "secrets" that every home cook should know.

In eight introductory essays, Ruhlman has pared down the essentials of great cooking: understanding how to salt food; making stock; making sauces; using heat properly; working with eggs; having the right tools (there are only 5 essentials); what to read and use as a resource; and lastly, and most importantly, the use of finesse, that extra attention to detail that turns food glorious.

Simply written, this is a book that can be read in an afternoon and it's lessons be practiced for a lifetime.

Fish: The Complete Guide to Buying and Cooking

Mark Bittman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Fish: The Complete Guide to Buying and Cooking is a book that simplifies, once and for all, the process of preparing fish. Organized in an easy-reference, A-Z format, Fish gives you the culinary lowdown on seventy kinds of fish and shellfish commonly found in American supermarkets and fish stores. Each entry describes how the fish is sold (fillets, steaks, whole, salted), other names it goes by, how the fish should look, and buying tips. Fish begins with general guidelines on how to store, prepare, and cook fish, whether sauteing, frying, grilling, or smoking, and you will find easy-to-follow illustrations of such important basics as how to gut and fillet a fish. Fish also includes up-to-the-minute information on the health benefits of fish in our diet. In addition, there are more than five hundred recipes and variations, all of which use low-fat, high-flavor ingredients to accent the intrinsic natures of the individual fish rather than mask them. And the vast majority of the recipes are ready in less than thirty minutes.

The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook

Susan Westmoreland

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Total reviews: 45 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook was an instant classic when it appeared in 1980. Now, over a million copies later, comes this revised and expanded edition for novice and experienced cook alike. Here, from the same famous Good Housekeeping Institute's kitchens, is a wealth of information for today's modem cook -- from microwave cooking to fast and easy menus for all occasions, time-saving shopping and preparation tips and new nutritional data.

Exciting new four-color photographs and more than 5,000 illustrations take you step by step through every phase of the cooking experience, demonstrating such techniques as measuring, dicing, julienning, grat-ing, beating, and folding. Over 1,400 recipes -- from appetizers and soups to eggs and pasta, from meat and poultry to sandwiches and breads, from sauces and candy to desserts and beverages -- have been triple-tested by Good Housekeeping for infallibility, ease, good taste and value.

Good Housekeeping recipes are always perfectly clear, taking the guesswork out of the kitchen. Instructions give at least two ways to determine the doneness of every dish, explain in detail all crucial techniques, give exact sizes and measurements, eliminate unnecessary steps, and supply overall preparation times for every recipe.

Other outstanding features include:

Complete menus for entertaining
A chapter devoted to microwave cooking: more than 70 new recipes, plus illustrated methods and techniques
A full-color photo gallery of over 900 dishes
Calorie counts and nutritional information for each recipe
An illustrated dictionary of herbs and spices, as well as a comprehensive glossary of food and cooking terms
Critical facts about different kinds of food, cooking times, cutting and carving directions, and storage procedures

Home Cooking

Laurie Colwin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Heartwarming Culinary Essays. Great Read for Foodies 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

'Home Cooking' by Laurie Colwin is the kind of book that really makes you wish you could become friends with the author. Unfortunately, the author is no longer with us, so there is a lot more than the usual barrier between celebrity and mere mortal between reader and writer.

The chapters in the book are essays composed of both culinary and autobiographical material, although the book is not a memoir a la Ruth Reichl's two books. It is also not culinary criticism or exposition in the style of John Thorne. It is most similar to the kind of essays written by Elizabeth David, one of the author's heroes, and M.F.K. Fisher.

The author has the advantage of most good writers in that she has lived in interesting circumstances providing fuel for her writing. One premise for much of her culinary advice is based on the fact that for several years, she lived in a very small Greenwich Village apartment with no oven, two hot plates, no sink and a tiny refrigerator, with literally enough room to hold no more than three people at a time. Amazingly, the author was able to actually entertain in this tiny space, using the bathtub and commode as a means of washing up the dishes.

Much of the culinary advice is quirky and some is actually a bit dated, as it predates the microplane and the cheap plastic mandoline. I suspect the author may have changed some of her opinions if these tools had been available. Colwin's advice about knives is also a little dated, as she swears by carbon steel blades rather than modern stainless steel. Since there is no evidence that she sharpened her own knives, I suspect a modern Santoku knife may have changed her opinion. Even so, the essays are a testament to cooking with only the bare minimum of equipment and space.

It is not surprising that Ms. Colwin's recipes never made the 'Best of' series, as they are quirky rather than true gourmet fare. While another of Ms. Colwin's heroes is Edna Lewis, the very influential writer on Southern cooking, Ms. Colwin's recipe for Southern Fried Chicken does not follow Ms. Lewis' lead on a number of things such as an overnight buttermilk marinade. He does, however, keep to the gospel of pan frying rather than deep-frying.

Ms. Colwin's writing provides much more food for the soul than it does food for the gut. Reading this book makes one wish that Karen Duffey would have channeled her not inconsiderable talent for the simple in her book 'A Slob in the Kitchen' into a style more like Ms. Colwin's very entertaining twists on culinary matters.

Highly recommended reading for foodies.

Editorial Review:

The highly acclaimed and national bestselling author of Goodbye Without Leaving presents a delightfully delicious and witty exposition on what, how, and why we eat. With recipes, tips, and personal recollections, Home Cooking is part memoir, part cookbook, and part warm discourse on the joys of simple food. 26 line drawings.

Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco

Paula Wolfert

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 32 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A big fiasco 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book with great expectations based on previous reviews available at amazon.com. The book seemed to ambition a blend of North african anthropology, personal memories and actual recipes. But the final product is a complete fiasco from each of the three points of view. Author seems to be more interested to impress readers with her hypothetical knowledge of international and Moroccan cousine than to actually encourage the practice of the various recipes. Some descriptions (for example preparation of the "warka") are pompous if not ludicrous and I doubt that anyone will use them. Neverending discussions on the many types of olives and their similarities with non-Moroccan counterparts are again a complete waste of time to read. In summary: a bad cookbook.

Editorial Review:

Since it was first published in 1973, Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco has established itself as the classic work on one of the world's great cuisines. From the magnificent bisteeyas (enormous, delicate pies composed of tissue-thin, buttery layers of pastry and various fillings) to endless varieties of couscous, Paula Wolfert reveals not only the riches of the Moroccan kitchen but also the variety and flavor of the country itself. With its outstanding recipes, meticulous and loving research, and keen commitment to the traditions of its subject, this is one of the rare cookbooks that are as valuable for their good reading as for their inspired food.

The Bartenders' Black Book, Ninth Edition: 3,000 New and Classic Recipes

Stephen Kittredge Cunningham

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Editorial Review:

The newest and ninth edition to the Bartenders Black Book franchise adds 143 brand-new recipes that were created by bartenders, professional and laymen, around the world in the last two years. That brings the total beverage count to 3,000, more than double that of any other drink guide. All the sections have been expanded and updated, including Robert M. Parker, Jr. s Vintage Guide and Mr. Cunningham s already vast Martini section. Of course this book still has all its classic features: an index by ingredients, in-depth mixing instructions, metric conversion tables, a list of every possible garnish, sections on hot drinks, frozen drinks, beers, ales, lagers, and malternatives.

Julia's Kitchen Wisdom: Essential Techniques and Recipes from a Lifetime of Cooking

Julia Child

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 31 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

What a wonderful cookbook! 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

This instantly became my favorite cookbook and I use it so much that it doesn't spend much time on the shelf. This cookbook transcends the "collection of recipes" style of most cookbooks; its style is more "how to improve your cooking skills."

Even so, some of my very favorite recipes are in this book. All the recipes adaptable and are presented in a way to make your own adaptations easier. For example, I love the braised rice recipe and found it easy to adapt the recipe for brown rice by a few minor adjustments. And this rice is good! Really, every recipe that I have tried is good.

In addition to producing wonderful tasting food, these recipes aren't the type that take hours of elaborate preparation. You can use this book to prepare full, decent meals after work in a reasonable amount of time.

This book is suitable for nearly all levels of cooking skills. It assumes some familiarity with basic cooking techniques, so a first-time cook might need a little help.

Editorial Review:

Julia Child has given us answers to these and other questions in the ten masterful volumes she has publishedover the past 40 years. But which book do you go to for which solution? Now, in this little volume, you can find the answers immediately.

Information is arranged according to subject matter, with ample cross-referencing. How are you going to cook that small rib steak you brought home? You'll be guided to the quick saute as the best and fstest way. And once you've masteree this recipe, you can apply the technique to chop, chicken, or fish, following Julia's careful guidelines.

And here is equally essential information about soups, vegetables, and eggs, and for baking breads and tarts. It's all waiting for you in this delicious, priceless, comforting compendium of Julia's kitchen wisdom.

Family Recipe Collection Book

Joy Rodgers Mernin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Disapppointed 2 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

The book is very attractive, has good pages for inserts and recipe cards, however, the one I received had misaligned rings that did not close properly. In addition, I was disappointed and rather put off by the author's detailed memories printed on the back of each divider page. Her family memories are appropriate for her and her family, but not so appropriate for others. It spoiled the book for me and now I am hesitant to present it (with recipes) to my daughter-in-law-to-be at her bridal shower.

Editorial Review:

A recipe collection book that helps collect the traditions of a lifetime easily and elegantly. Includes 12 sections, each with 4 ways to organize.

Pocket pages for clippings
Lined recipe pages for handwritten favorites
Clear full pages for handwritten favorites
Clear pocket pages for recipe cards & photos and
24 glorious recipe cards to start you off.

This book is constructed to last a lifetime, the cover is sturdy hardboard, laminated to resist spills of a busy kitchen. Extra~duty binder rings have 2 springs, to reduce spring fatigue and misalignment, and to lock - so they cannot open accidentally.