California Books - Page 5

The New California Cook: Casually Elegant Recipes with Exhilarating Flavor

Diane Rossen Worthington

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Best for Entertaining 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I checked this out at the library and then liked it so much, I had to buy it. The recipes that allow you to do much of the prep ahead are fabulous. I found the time estimatess to be fairly accurate and that user error was the problem when they weren't. ;-)

Unexpected but accessible flavors 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I was originally convinced to buy this cookbook because of the promise of the wonton butternut squash ravioli recipe (p. 126) and it did not disappoint. She pairs the ravioli with a spinach basil pesto, which was unusual and interesting as a flavor combination. The pesto was good, but I now use it with other things and top the ravioli with sage and brown butter instead.

I have also made the spiced pumpkin hazelnut bread and love it. I didn't think I needed another pumpkin bread recipe, but this has proven me wrong. The recipe made two loaves with only 1/4 c. butter (less than half of what most similar recipes call for), golden raisins, hazelnuts (or almonds), and a hint of orange juice and zest. The result is brighter and fruitier than traditional, autumnal pumpkin bread and is perfect for a crisp, sunny day in early spring when there is still a can of pumpkin in the pantry and the oranges are in season.

In proper California fashion, recipes tend to utilize a lot of produce with Mediterranean influences. I am planning to try the mango and macadamia nut brown butter tart, grilled chicken nicoise, grilled pizza with leeks, mozzarella, tomatoes, and pancetta, and the homemade chicken and apple sausage (made with a food processor).

It's a fun cookbook in that even when I don't think I'm going to try a recipe, I find I'm usually still interested in reading about it. I am unlikely to make a pear, pistachio, and chicken liver mousse, for example, but what an interesting set of ideas.

If the book had pictures, I'd probably give it another star. As it is though it's a well-formatted, useful, inspiring cookbook with a lot of really interesting recipes that use realistic ingredients in unexpected ways. Even when a recipe looks like it might be a bit pedantic, there's a twist--walnut cake with roasted blueberry compote, for example (roasted blueberries??)

If you like this kind of food, this is a fun, realistic cookbook to invest in--but there aren't any pictures so you'll have to use your imagination.

California Fresh Harvest: A Seasonal Journey through Northern California (California Fresh)

Junior League of Oakland-East Bay, Steven Brandt, Gwen Prichard, Alice Waters, Gina Gallo

List Price: $26.95 By: Favorite Recipes Press (FRP) Amazon Marketplace: 27 new & used starting at $2.70

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A Junior League Classic! 5 out of 5 stars.
25 of 25 people found this review helpful.

I originally received this cookbook as a gift. I was so delighted with it, I subsequently ordered four additional copies to give as gifts. The recipients are still thanking me! First, the recipes are creative and delicious -- fully enhancing the flavors of bountiful, diverse, fresh ingredients found in the San Francisco Bay Area and Wine Country. (It's hard NOT to eat well in this region!) Second, the cookbook itself is uncommonly successful in evoking this spectacular setting with gorgeous photos, sidebars of interesting sidetrips, local restaurants and wineries, and mind-boggling facts regarding the abundance of local agriculture. Food preparation tips, background information on local food and wine festivals/events, and delicacies such as Meyer Lemons are also highlighted. While it's fun to simply browse through this beautiful cookbook, it's even better to sample the Junior League's trade-mark "home cooking with flair." Full menus are offered here. My personal favorites are the Baja Guacamole, Savory Polenta w/Asiago Cheese, Garlic-Roasted Chicken, Pork Tenderloin w/Apricot Ginger Sauce, and Cherries & Berries Compote w/Crispy Puffed Pancake. The Chocolate Caramel Shortbread Bars are worth the price of admission all by themselves! I'm not surprised this cookbook is winning national rave reviews and awards. They are very well deserved! It is so beautifully rendered, it puts most commercially-produced cookbooks to shame.

Editorial Review:

Arranged by season, this cookbook highlights the abundance of fresh foods cultivated in Northern California. In addition to our members' favorite recipes, which have been triple-tested in our own kitchens, California Fresh Harvest provides fascinating food lore, inspirational menus, wine pairings, cooking tips, and information on local events and special destinations. In the tradition of the treasured, original California Fresh cookbook, again the Junior League of Oakland-East Bay has created a classic for Northern California residents and visitors alike.

Weir Cooking: Recipes from the Wine Country

Joanne Weir

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Northern California lies on the same latitude as Spain, Greece, Turkey, and southern Italy. This, Joanne Weir explains, accounts for its similarities to these Mediterranean lands. Tied to a U.S. public television show, Weir Cooking invites you to enjoy the fruits of California's wine country. Focusing on olives, goat cheese, crunchy crostini made from artisan baked bread made in wood-fired ovens, wine, and other ingredients commonly associated with both areas, she provides recipes marrying the culinary bounty they share. In this collection of 140 recipes, Weir manages to draw cooks and more passive recipe readers into the California experience, describing how the development of small-family farming in northern California contributes to the soul-lifting experience of shopping at San Francisco's Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, where urban customers become part of a friendly and revolutionary agricultural community, farmers remember what they like, and conversation leavens the interchange.

Weir's classic white bean soup warmed with rosemary and pizza topped with pungent arugula and shaved Parmesan cheese are the epitome of California cooking. She is brilliant, too, at giving familiar dishes a new twist, poaching balls of buffalo mozzarella in warm, fresh tomato sauce perfumed with basil and frying risotto flavored with olive paste into irresistible, bite-size croquettes she calls Rice Olives. Any cook can appreciate the intelligent simplicity of lamb grilled on skewers of fresh rosemary and will gladly undertake the modest effort required to serve salmon drizzled with blood orange vinaigrette accompanied by plump asparagus. Apart from the TV show, Weir's way with food and her passion for northern California lets this book stand alone as a source for convivial meals. --Dana Jacobi

The Asparagus Festival Cookbook

Jan Moore, Barbara Hafly, Glenda Hushaw, Jacqueline Zupo

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

An excellent book full of unusual and useful recipes. 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

This book is really a value for its small size and small price. It was originally sold at the Stockton Asparagus Festival. The book contains many recipies from the Festival's Asparagus Food Alley as well as past winners in the ongoing recipe contast. Recipes range from soups, through main dishes, and on to breads and desserts. I highly recommend it for personal use or a small gift to the cook who has everything. If only it were 100 pages longer...I do love asparagus!!

Editorial Review:

If ever a vegetable deserved a cult following, the asparagus is it. Packed with vitamins and minerals, high in fiber, and low in sodium, the asparagus is as healthful as it is flavorful. To celebrate this versatile veggie, Stockton, California, launched its first three-day Asparagus Festival in 1986 and has attracted thousands of ardent asparagus aficionados during the fourth weekend in April ever since. The highlight of the festival is the big-top tent, affectionately known as Asparagus Alley, where gourmet favorites featuring this edible cousin to the lily are prepared and served up to the discerning crowds. THE ASPARAGUS FESTIVAL COOKBOOK highlights the prize-winning recipes from cook-offs past and present, with dishes to please even the pickiest vegetable eaters.

Wednesday Is Spaghetti and Macaroni and Fettucine and Pasta Salads and More (Everyday Cookbooks)

Time-Life Books

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Everyday Should be Spaghetti 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This is a great book at a great price. There are tons of recipes included, which are conveniently separated into sections based on the type of meat they include, if any. I've used this book to cook meals for my wife and my relatives. This book even had my mother asking me for recipes. It's a great book for any pasta lover, as well as a great gift. You should also check out the other books by this author, which cover the rest of the week.

Not what I had in mind 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book for more meal ideas, and since buying it, it has done nothing more than collect dust on my shelf. There are no pictures in the book, and the 3 recipies that I did try out of it, came out horrible. Many of the ingredients are expensive or hard to find, and most kids won't even look at anything in the book as appetizing.
I do not recommend this book to anyone.

Encarnación's Kitchen: Mexican Recipes from Nineteenth-Century California (California Studies in Food and Culture, 9)

Encarnación Pinedo

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

In 1991 Ruth Reichl, then a Los Angeles Times food writer, observed that much of the style now identified with California cuisine, and with nouvelle cuisine du Mexique, was practiced by Encarnación Pinedo a century earlier. A landmark of American cuisine first published in 1898 as El cocinero español (The Spanish Cook), Encarnación's Kitchen is the first cookbook written by a Hispanic in the United States, as well as the first recording of Californio food--Mexican cuisine prepared by the Spanish-speaking peoples born in California. Pinedo's cookbook offers a fascinating look into the kitchens of a long-ago culture that continues to exert its influence today.
Of some three hundred of Pinedo's recipes included here--a mixture of Basque, Spanish, and Mexican--many are variations on traditional dishes, such as chilaquiles, chiles rellenos, and salsa (for which the cook provides fifteen versions). Whether describing how to prepare cod or ham and eggs (a typical Anglo dish labeled "huevos hipócritas"), Pinedo was imparting invaluable lessons in culinary history and Latino culture along with her piquant directions. In addition to his lively, clear translation, Dan Strehl offers a remarkable view of Pinedo's family history and of the material and literary culture of early California cooking. Prize-winning journalist Victor Valle puts Pinedo's work into the context of Hispanic women's testimonios of the nineteenth century, explaining how the book is a deliberate act of cultural transmission from a traditionally voiceless group.

Friday Is Fish and Shrimp and Scallops and Crab and More (Everyday Cookbooks)

Time-Life Books

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Fabulous Fish! 4 out of 5 stars.
19 of 21 people found this review helpful.

This is a great cookbook. I've tried several of the dishes, and they have all been good. I just made the swordfish piccata, and it was really yummy! There's a good variety, and even people who aren't big fish fans can find something they will like. The directions are clear and simple to follow, and the receipes are all easy to prepare.

California Kosher: Contemporary and Traditional Jewish Cuisine

Women's League of Adat, Ari El Synagogue

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The best cookbook I own; fabulous, fabulous! 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.

I borrowed my mother's copy of this book...and still haven't given it back. If you've ever wanted to know how to make the perfect Jewish chicken soup, matzoh balls, brisket, yummy chicken dishes, and the perfect kugel, this book will be your guide. Haven't figured out that perfect dish to bring to the potluck? This book's got plenty of delectable ideas! I've been frustrated with other Jewish cookbooks that offer confusing recipes with strange ingredients, but this one keeps everything simple and delicious. It's by far the cookbook I turn to most during the week and when guests come over. This book also includes a large array of kosher Chinese recipes (from sweet & sour chicken to kung pao chicken & beef). We are not kosher, but love all the recipes nonetheless.

The Best Kosher Cookbook You'll Ever Need 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 11 people found this review helpful.

Terrific traditional and contemporary cooking, with a lighter California twist. THIS IS THE BEST KOSHER COOKBOOK -- MAYBE THE BEST COOKBOOK OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER -- THAT YOU MIGHT EVER OWN. Every recipe works, because the people who put it together genuinely triple-tested each entry, and if it didn't get A-plusses from all three cooks, it didn't get in. I probably own 50 cookbooks, and this is one of the top three I use! Try the chocolate marble squares, the sesame chicken, the apricot noodle kugel, the gefilte fish, the chicken soup, the honey cake . . .

Burger Meisters

Marcel Desaulniers, Marcel Desaulmiers

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

Editorial Review:

Winner of the James Beard Award for Best Cookbook on a Single Subject

"Never again will a burger be just a burger." That's what one reviewer in the World of Cookbooks newsletter wrote about these extraordinary, mouth-ravishing, soul-satisfying, deliciously tempting versions of America's favorite food.

From a Classic Grilled Hamburger on a toasted homemade bun to a fabulous southwestern Chili Grill Burger with spicy Chipotle Mayonnaise to Shrimp Boulette Po' Boy with Creole Sauce, here is the ultimate source for a burger to tempt anyone.

In the words of editor Marcel Desaulniers, award-winning author of Death by Chocolate and chef and co-owner of the Trellis Restaurant, "Contemporary American chefs have staked a claim in culinary history by revitalizing -- not reinventing -- American regional foods." In this lushly illustrated volume, 46 amazing chefs turn their professional imagination to the humble burger. What results is a fabulous collection of more than 130 recipes for delectable burgers and side dishes. Enjoy the luxury of a Salmon Burger served with Fennel and Red Onion Salad and Sweet Potato Fries, or surprise your guests with an Aztec Burger for dessert-assembled with Chocolate Buns and Rubblechuck Fries, and served with Raspberry Relish, it is a chocoholic's dream!

Desaulniers has gathered expert chefs, all graduates of the renowned Culinary Institute of America, from all across the United States -- New York to Charleston, Atlanta to Chicago, Dallas to Phoenix, Las Vegas to Sonoma -- to collaborate on this delicious journey of the imagination and palate. Throughout this beautiful book, his editorial touch is evident in the crystal-clear instructions, helpful tips on preparation, and expert techniques for the home cook.

You will definitely agree that a burger will never again be just a burger.

Campbell's Simply Delicious Recipes

Patricia Teberg

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

Simply Delicious - Simply the BEST! 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.

My youngest daughter owns this book and loaned it to me, I'm an experienced 'scratch' cook and this book has amazed me with it's simplicity, the recipes are easy enough for novices and presentable enough to fix for company. I highly recommend it to new brides, college kids, experienced cooks and gourmets - you just can't lose and the presentation is wonderful. Just ordered 4 for gifts. If you have an up coming wedding to buy for, add this inside a lovely covered casserole dish and the bride will thank you forever.

Easy, Enjoyable, and Useful for the Non-Cook 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Speaking as a non-cook who is forever looking for short cuts, this collection of recipes using Campbell's soups is ideal--and although the idea of using canned soup as a primary ingredient may cause some to roll their eyes in gastronomic superiority, the recipes in this particular collection are both easy and surprisingly successful.

The book breaks down into seven sections: appetizers and snacks, soups and stews, main dishes (with sections for poultry, beef, pork, lamb, veal, fish and seafood, and eggs and cheese) side dishes, and "Campbell's Classics." Recipes range from the extremely simple to the slightly more complicated but still extremely accesible, and few will be intimidated.

While some of the recipes harken back to the sort of thing your mother might have stepped into the kitchen to whip up as a quick meal for the kids, there are also quite a few more sophistocated recipes with international flair designed for modern tastes, including several with an Asian tone. While I doubt these dishes will ever compete with truly made-from-scratch cooking, they are surprisingly successful, quite a bit of fun to make, and offer a result that most will enjoy--particularly when you open the cabinet and are at a bit of a loss as to what to cook for that unexpected guest.

Editorial Review:

Contains more than 125 tasty recipes, designed for even the beginning cook, for everything from soups and appetizers to Chicken and Broccoli Potato Topper, Ginger Stir Fry, and a delicious green bean bake.