Seasonal Books - Page 15

Inspired by Ingredients: Market Menus and Family Favorites from a Three-Star Chef

Bill Telepan, Andrew Friedman

List Price: $35.00 By: Simon & Schuster Amazon Marketplace: 29 new & used starting at $3.35

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Asked what they want of a chef's cookbook, most readers would reply, good contemporary recipes I can actually make at home. This seemingly simple requirement can sometimes be lost in the rush to deliver signature dishes that serve to support or further reputation. Fortunately, that isn't the case with Inspired by Ingredients by Bill Telepan, chef at Manhattan's JUdson Grill. Noted for his fresh, direct cooking, Telepan gives readers 80-plus recipes for a wide range of year-round dishes. Emphasizing the need for really fresh ingredients, and organized by seasonal menus to support that contention, the book offers formulas for traditional fare like pea soup and coconut cake, as well as original dishes including Pan-Fried Trout with Baby Spinach, Bacon and Balsamic Vinegar; Roasted Acorn Squash with Hazelnuts and a Ham and Parsley Salad; Pasta with Mushrooms, Arugula and Peas; and The Chicken, a simple, savory JUdson Grill specialty. Included also is wise counsel like "if it tastes good it'll look fine," plus Thanksgiving and vegetarian menus. Sweets, such as Concord Grape Tart, Pear-Pecan Hamantaschen, and Sticky Fudge Pudding, are equally attractive. The book stands out for its direct and easy-going approach and, above all, its good taste. With photos, ingredient notes, and short biographies of local suppliers, whose provisions help to make Telepan's food as good as it is. --Arthur Boehm

Lorenza's Italian Seasons: 200 Recipes for Family and Friends

Lorenza de'Medici

Amazon Price: $27.50 List Price: $27.50 In stock soon. Order now to get in line. First come, first served. By: Anova Books Amazon Marketplace: 25 new & used starting at $4.95

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Editorial Review:

With the expertise that is the hallmark of her famous Tuscan cooking school, The Villa Table at Badia a Coltibuono, Lorenza de’ Medici teaches us to savor the best of seasonal ingredients. Sweet, tender fava beans from the spring garden are used in a simple salad with pecorino, olive oil, and parsley; apricots from summer orchards are transformed into a delicately fragrant mousse; musky wild mushrooms from the autumn woods become the basis of an elegant dish of roast pheasant; and the dark-leaved cavolo nero from the frosty winter soil is an essential ingredient for ribollita, the thick bean and vegetable soup of Tuscany. Holiday menus for every season accompany each chapter, while a pantry section provides recipes and tips for preserving and storing produce for future occasions. Illustrated with artful color photos, this is an essential companion for all lovers of Italian cooking. Lorenza de’ Medici is the author of more than 20 bestselling books, including The Villa Table, The Renaissance of Italian Cooking, Lorenza’s Pasta, Lorenza’s Antipasti, and A Passion for Fruit.

Patricia Wells' Trattoria

Patricia Wells, Steven Rothfeld

List Price: $14.00 By: William Morrow Cookbooks Amazon Marketplace: 29 new & used starting at $1.45

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

If you are looking for a classic Italian Cookbook... 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

this is it! This was recommended to me by a friend, and I have yet to be disappointed. The beauty to this book is in the fresh ingredients and the simplicity of the dishes. I have several favorites-the Pasta Putanesca, and the Rigatoni with Celery Meat Sauce. It's a great addition to your cooking library.

Therecipes are excellent and doable. 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

This is one of my favorite cook books. I bought her book after a trip to Italy and found that I was able to capture the essence of Trattoria cooking. I particularly like her Osso Bucco (Braised veal shanks) recipe and her recipe for crusty Italian bread.

One of the all time great cookbooks. 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Every recipe is excellent. Beautifully written for every level of experience from neophyte to professional chef, there is no doubt that this cookbook will be among your personal favorites.

Editorial Review:

Trattorias are the places where Italians go for robust, hearty foods that are simply prepared and bursting with flavor. Now the award-winning author of Bistro Cooking fuels America's passion for Italian food with 150 authentic recipes that capture the flavor and brio of the small towns and villages of Italy, Targeted ads.

Jennifer Paterson's Seasonal Receipts

Jennifer Paterson

List Price: $22.99 By: Trafalgar Square Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 12 new & used starting at $2.35

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Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Classic Paterson Read It Now 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 16 people found this review helpful.

Classic Paterson from the Spectator. The Elizabeth David (but with more humour) from the back of the magazine

More than a cookbook 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Jennifer Paterson has written more than a cookbook. Her chatty, slightly dotty style makes this book worth more than a passing look. The recipes are without doubt simple and delicious. They are useable by any cook of any skill level. What caught my attention was the references to Saints Days. While it intially struck me as odd, when I considered it a bit further it seemed to be appropriate to include Feast days in a cook book. All in all well worth buying if you have any interest in good food.

Editorial Review:

Jennifer Patterson -- along with sidecar cohort Clarissa Dickson Wright -- was one of television's most unlikely stars. Yet her evident pleasure in cooking, eating, and life itself, along with her slightly batty manner, endeared her to millions of viewers in Britain and America. Now, here are more than 100 recipes from her weekly column in Britain's Spectator, presented in seasonal chapters and peppered with her inimitable humor. Savor such delectable dishes as Lamb Stew with Flageolet Beans, Garlic Stuffed Mussels, Lobster Risotto, and Goat's Cheese Souffle. A marvelously eclectic cookbook that will add a dash of joie de vivre to your kitchen. "Enjoy dears. Toodle-pip".

Joel Robuchon Cooking Through the Seasons

Joel Robuchon

List Price: $40.00 By: Rizzoli International Publications Amazon Marketplace: 11 new & used starting at $12.84

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

A half-hearted attempt, that capitalizes on Robuchon's name. 3 out of 5 stars.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful.

A large formated book with some sketch plates of shellfish, vegetables etc. Instead of a cookbook I would term the work a walk through the food classes. A noble attempt at conitinuing to educate the reader on the different ways to look at food. However, for a chef of Robuchon's quality and popularity, the reader is left with a feeling of being jipped. Not really getting any more personal cooking tips, or recipes that made him famous. This might have been a better third effort, not second. Your money is better spent elsewhere.

A must read! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

While I agree with the other reviewer that this is not your conventional cook book- I think it's a wonderful resource for every cook. Great for "I just saw this wonderful asparagus on the market- what's the best way to cook it?." A rare opportunity to learn from the great master book is based on an weekly column written for a French magazine over a year. Each article includes a discussion about a single ingredient- from asparagus to wild hare. Robuchon writes about history, shopping tips, proper treatment and provides a few receipes that celebrate that ingredient.

GOOD THINGS

Jane Grigson

Amazon Price: $27.61 List Price: $34.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Grub Street Cookery Amazon Marketplace: 20 new & used starting at $17.85

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Editorial Review:

The reason for reissuing this book is because it is Jane Grigson's celebration of the seasons and the foods they bring and seasonality is now the top priority of all those who take their eating and cooking seriously.

She says in the Introduction to the original edition published in 1971, "...I feel that delight lies in the seasons and what they bring us...the strawberries that come in May and June straight from the fields, the asparagus of a special occasion, kippers from Craster in July and August, the first lamb of the year from Wales, in October the freshest walnuts from France where they are eaten with new cloudy wine. This is good food.....The encouragement of fine food is not greed or gourmandise; it can be seen as an aspect of the anti-pollution movement in that it indicates concern for the quality of environment. This is not the limited concern of a few cranks. Small and medium-sized firms, feeling unable to compete with the cheap products of the giants, turn to producing better food....People in many parts of the country run restaurants specializing in locally produced food, salmon from the Tamar, laver and sewin from the Welsh sea, snails from the Mendips, venison from the moors of Inverness. I notice in the grocers' shops in our small town ...the prominence given to eggs direct from the farm." How prophetic she was when she pointed out to us the importance of locally-produced, fresh food and she wrote those words 35 years ago!

The book is divided into sections covering Fish - kippers, lobster, mussels and scallops, trout; Meat and Game - meat pies, salting meat, snails, sweetbreads, rabbit and hare, pigeon, venison; Vegetables - asparagus, carrots, celery, chicory, haricot beans, leeks, mushrooms, parsley, parsnips, peas, spinach, tomatoes; Fruit - apple and quince, gooseberries, lemons, prunes, strawberries, walnuts. And importantly the book contains the recipe for her famous curried parsnip soup.

Cookin' Up Christmas With Mary & Martha: (Mary & Martha)

Mary & Martha

List Price: $14.97 By: Barbour Books Amazon Marketplace: 12 new & used starting at $3.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A cookbook to make our Christmas a little merrier 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Reviewed by Kelli Glesige for Reader Views (11/06)

If you enjoy creating tasty holiday treats to serve your friends and family during the Christmas season, Mary and Martha have the perfect book for you. "In the Kitchen with Mary & Martha" will put you in a festive mood, and you will be enjoying the holidays with ease. Along with great holiday recipes, Mary and Martha offer homespun old-fashioned inspiration and useful tips to make your Christmas merrier--and more meaningful.

"In the Kitchen with Mary & Martha" is printed in red and green print, and festive illustrations are found on almost every page. With convenient spiral binding so your page will stay open to just the spot you want, you are sure to be pleased. The included recipes should fill most of your party food needs too, especially the dessert section.

The book is broken into appropriate sections for all your holiday cooking needs including:

"Startin' the Holiday off Right" - Appetizers and finger foods
"Warmin' Up Hearts" - All kinds of yummy beverages to chase the chill away
"Keepin' it Traditional" - All-time family favorites
"Addin' the Trimmings" - Seasonal side dishes and salads
"Skippin' the Mistletoe" - And headin' straight for the desserts! (Pies, cakes & cookies-the largest section of the book at 78 pages, but who cares?)

With the holidays hastily approaching, I have "tested" a few of the recipes on those in my home, and the results have been excellent! Mary and Martha have done a splendid job of "Cookin' Up Christmas." Without a doubt, I suggest purchasing this cookbook for oneself and also as gifts for family and friend.

A prayer at the beginning helps set our hearts to receive the intended message Mary and Martha want to invoke with the writing of their book "In the Kitchen with Mary & Martha Cookin Up Christmas":

"Dear Lord, Help me to keep my eyes fixed on You throughout the Christmas season. When the commercialism of the holiday threatens to snuff out the real meaning of Christmas in my heart, remind me of the Gift of Hope You sent on that silent night so long ago. Amen."

Editorial Review:

Mary & Martha are back, and this time they're livening up the holiday season, with the third book in their spectacular series--In the Kitchen with Mary & Martha. This must-have Christmas cookbook features 200 recipes for appetizers, beverages, family favorites, desserts, and more. Mary & Martha also offer up old-fashioned family inspiration and absolutely amazing time-saving kitchen tips to make your holiday a little merrier--and more meaningful. As if that isn't enough, this hardback, comb-bound book includes adorable illustrations and two-color ink throughout.

The Christmas Cookie Book

Lou Seibert

List Price: $14.95 By: Chronicle Books Amazon Marketplace: 43 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

tasteless 1 out of 5 stars.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.

I tried 2 recipes: the Florentines- which were worse than tasteless, they also spread so much and were so thin/holey, that the chocolate on the back dripped through, making it basically a very unattractive thing.
The 2nd recipe was for lemon wafers: this time I was prepared for a weak cookie so I added half again the lemon zest, AND I added a couple of drops of lemon flavoring....well it was better texture but again it would have been tasteless had I not doctored it up a bit. They were still quite flavorless.

Editorial Review:

From spicy Gingerbread to simple and elegant Biscotti, The Christmas Cookie Book offers up a mouthwatering collection of forty traditional and contemporary cookie recipes. Classics like Sugar Cookies and Spritz make an appearance alongside more modern takes on long-cherished recipes such as French Lemon Wafers and Mahogany-Iced Brown Bears. Baking expert Lou Pappas shares the enchanting history of Christmas cookies and demonstrates which are best for shipping, which are fun to bake with kids, and which make the most elegant cookie-tray displays. With tempting photographs throughout, this book is a joyous celebration of baking, giving, and most importantly, enjoying everyone's favorite Christmastime treat.

Cooking Around the Calendar with Kids: Holiday and Seasonal Food and Fun

Amy Houts

Amazon Price: $24.95 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Images Unlimited Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 8 new & used starting at $15.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Recipes and food ideas give a variety of food experiences appropriate for various age groups. Whether you are a parent, grandparent, care-giver, teacher, or young cook, this book is meant to inspire you to enjoy cooking together.

Cooking with children is a hands-on activity that helps to teach, to create, and to help in their appreciation of the gift of food. What better time is there to set the stage for working with, and enjoying, food than during the early years?

Each season features food appropriate for that time of year. It begins with back to school ideas for breakfasts, lunches, and snacks using food from the garden's bounty, whether one's own, farmer's market, or store bought bounty, with ample Halloween pumpkin and apple recipes. Thanksgiving and holiday food ideas are plentiful. Multicultural celebration holiday recipes and activities are included, as well as food suggestions for New Year's open house. Food ideas for Valentine's Day, Presidents' Day, St. Patrick's Day, April Fools' Day, Easter, and Mothers' and Fathers' Day and 4th of July are some of the spring and summer holidays that are featured. Tucked away between its recipes are bits of history and culture, plus many suggestions for seasonal activities. Some of these include making placemats out of fall leaves, discussing holiday customs from different countries, planting a vegetable in a garden or clay pot, and arranging summer flowers for a centerpiece. There are many fun ideas for serving, decorating, and celebrating.

This book emphasizes many valuable life skills such as: following directions; practicing safety and proper food handling methods; establishing meaningful traditions that enrich family life; fostering cooperation and a willingness to share; practicing good table manners; preparing and tasting food from other cultures; and helping children enjoy preparing food while learning about the background of the food and the part food plays in various traditions and holidays.

Bengali Cooking: Seasons and Festivals

Chitrita Banerji

List Price: $15.95 By: Serif Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 13 new & used starting at $11.94

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Ms. Banerji's Bengali Cooking: Seasons and Festivals 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

"Bengali Cooking: Seasons and Festival" by Chitrita Banerji (2007) could almost be taken as the classic/definitive document on Bengali cooking. It's not just cookbook written in the usual choppy style; it is a very readable and pleasant narrative document on Bengal's food, culture and civilization.

The book is well-written. It's the first ever English language book written on the culinary traditions of the vast South Asian region known as GREATER BENGAL which encompasses independent People's Republic of Bangladesh (East Bengal and a part of Assam) and the neighboring states of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam.

I have always been looking for a refined text on Bengal's cuisine in the English language. But I have been disappointed because of the non-availability of cookbooks on Bengali cuisine in the English language, except recently published "Bangladeshi Curry Cookbook" by Food & Nutrition Professor Siddiqua Kabir (from Dhaka, Bangladesh) (but not available on Amazon).

However, Ms Banerji's book genuinely fulfils my need. Her narrative style and references to Bengal's folk-lore, mythology, literature and history, and insightful commentary make it all the more enjoyable to read. I've found it fun to use the recipes of some of the many dishes covered.

Also, those who have a serious sociological research interest in customs, traditions, culture and civilization of GREATER BENGAL and evolution of ethnic Bengali cuisine, will find it helpful. The book contains authentic information and could serve as a solid introduction to Bengali cuisine.

In my view, the book is an excellent document on Bengali cuisine focusing mainly on the following aspects:

(a) The common core of Bengali dishes keeping in mind the different dishes served at home or at festivals in Bengal's Hindu and Muslim communities.

(b) what the people of Bengal crave to eat and what constitutes delicacies among Bengali dishes, e.g., ilshe (Bengal's version of shad) dishes, machher jhol (hot fish stew/curry with thin gravy), koi dishes, etc.;

(c) spices in ethnic Bengali food: with a graphic description of how to measure their quantities and use for cooking a particular dish; for example, the author shows how Bengalis predominantly use internationally well known "PANCH PHORON" (Bengali five-spice) in fish, daal and fried vegetables (bhaji) dishes;

(d) Muslim meat dishes incorporating beef, lamb, chicken and duck (like kachchi biryani with goatmeat, plain polao, goatmeat rezala, qorma, kabab (handi kabab), etc.;

(e) what constitutes indegenous and what constitutes foreign vegetables in Bengal food;

(f) what people generally eat at various levels of the society (the peasant, the urban middle class, the Bengali elite, etc.;

I think Ms. Banerji (2007)has not missed even a single minor aspect of Bengali food. She even talks about how garlic and onion which were not part of the customary dishes were introduced into some Bengali dishes, and when and how Bengal's trade with Europe helped make some European vegetables like potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, peas, etc., a part of Bengali food, about which, I would say, most Bengalis are not aware!

Therefore, I would like to say that Chitrita Banerji's "Bengali Cooking..." isn't a just book of recipes of Bengali dishes. It is an excellent piece of sociological study on Bengali culture, customs and traditions related to food that could be used as a course textbook.

My reading of the book has helped me discover my own rich Bengali heritage and I've acquired formal professional knowledge of Bengali cooking.

The message that I derived from my reading of the book is: despite international impression (that "... there is no such thing as Bengali cuisine...." Bengali food is the same as what is known as Indian food.), she successfully argues that "Bengali cuisine," is ethnic, far more refined and esthetic, and stands out very distinctly. Throughout the book, Chitrita Banerji has sought to make this point poignantly and presented some of the finest recipes of dishes craved/cherished by Bengali food lovers.

After all, The "Sylhetis" in the UK are Bengali people and have been very successful in their commercial restaurant business.

I've her noticed some flaws in her research; she has not cited any sources in the way that sociological research demands.

Though the book and the recipes presented are classic, a busy housewife, I think, might not find it so handy to use (because the style is narrative). I agree with one of the reviewers who had difficulty using the book in cooking Bengali dishes because it's not a handy cook book for the busy Western housewife and the "Bengali food terms" don't have their English translation making it difficult for a non-Bengali user. I can see the problem it can pose to a Western reader who isn't familiar with the terminology in Bengali.

Therefore, for the next edition of the title, I would like to suggest that the author/publisher include a comprehensive bare-bones recipe section in a list format (rather than narrative prose)and English translation of Bengali words/names for each food item and dish.

Second, in the next edition, I suggest her to provide sources cited in the text and at the end of chapter (with corresponding citation numbers), and a bibliography.

Finally, I would like to draw the author's attention to spelling errors, especially, on page 14 (Dhaka, not Dhakar).

Once these few points are taken care of, I would like to call this book a classic document on Bengali cooking.

M. Solaiman Ali, Ph.D.
Faculty of Engineering
King Abdulaziz University
Jeddah

Editorial Review:

This highly original book takes the reader into kitchens in both Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal by way of the seasons and festivals which have shaped the region's cooking. Chitrita Banerji offers her readers the wonderful recipes of Bengali home-cooking rather than the standard fare of Indian restaurants. it is a vivid and deeply-felt introduction to the life, landscape and culture of the Bengali people.