Best Gastronomy History
A substance so valuable it served as currency, salt has influenced the establishment of trade routes and cities, provoked and financed wars, secured empires, and inspired revolutions. Kurlansky traces the history of salt's influences from prehistoric China and ancient Africa (in Egypt they made mummies using salt) to Europe (in 12th-century Provence, France, salt merchants built "a system of solar evaporation ponds") and the Americas, through chapters with intriguing titles like "A Discourse on Salt, Cadavers and Pungent Sauces." The book is populated with characters as diverse as frozen-food giant Clarence Birdseye; Gandhi, who broke the British salt law that forbade salt production in India because it outdid the British salt trade; and New York City's sturgeon king, Barney Greengrass. [For another book on the topic, see Pierre Laszlo's more esoteric Salt: Grain of Life, LJ 7/01; other recent micro-histories include Joseph Amato's Dust, Mort Rosenblum's Olive, and Tom Vanderbilt's The Sneaker Book.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This was a well written book that kept my attention."
"We forget how important salt was to our forebears, for one thing, and I hadn't realized how important it was to development."
"Detailed history of salt and the important role it his played in the history of the world."
"If I expected to live another 50 years and had exhausted all the other unread fascinating book titles piling up on my night table, I wouldn't mind at all this entertaining, albeit now irrelevant, history."
"Kurlansky does a wonderful job of relating salt to history, so maybe it's history to salt."
"Interesting account of the history of salt production-- at first glance this may not seem all that interesting of a topic but the geography, world history, and culinary history from across the globe as well as the science itself of salt production will capture just about anyones imagination."
"A Fascinating exploration of a common place commodity that turns out to be not so common after all!"
"It made food taste better, melted ice, made water boil hotter, preserved mummies, stopped food from spoiling... * There were some interesting little facts and tidbits scattered throughout the book. I almost stopped reading it numerous times, but talked myself into plowing forward. There was no thesis or central topic to the book, and the author offered no analysis or integration between the various stories."
In The Drunken Botanist , Amy Stewart explores the dizzying array of herbs, flowers, trees, fruits, and fungi that humans have, through ingenuity, inspiration, and sheer desperation, contrived to transform into alcohol over the centuries. An Amazon Best Book of the Month, March 2013 : Peppered with fascinating facts and well-chosen anecdotes, Amy Stewart’s brisk tour of the origin of spirits acquaints the curious cocktail fan with every conceivable ingredient. Starting with the classics (from agave to wheat), she touches on obscure sources--including a tree that dates to the dinosaur age--before delving into the herbs, spices, flowers, trees, fruits, and nuts that give the world’s greatest drinks distinctive flavors. Along the way, you’ll enjoy sidebars on bugs in booze and inspired drink recipes with backstories that make lively cocktail party conversation. ( Forbes ). “Lest you think this is for the imbibers only, a teetotaler foodie, gardener or naturalist will be just as intoxicated by the dashing wit and detailed lore.” — BookPage.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Just last night, I went to a booksigning with Amy Stewart for "The Drunken Botanist", the first time I'd heard Stewart speak. I laughed when Amy said that when she was researching her previous book, "Wicked Bugs", she had no volunteers to help her. What sets Amy's book apart is that she is a horticulturist, and she tells you about the fabulous plants that make or go into all the different kinds of fermented beverages man has come up with. The book is divided into three parts: 1. For example, the chapter on sugar cane (in part 1), tells you: - the first and current places sugarcane is cultivated and how it is cultivated. - the botany of sugarcane. - how to make rum. - spirits made from sugar cane. - how rum became linked to British sailors. - drink recipes. Did you know that the British navy had rum rations for it's sailors until 1970! I miss Briony Morrow-Cribbs' and Jonathan Rosen's incredible drawings and engravings that were such enchanting - and vigorous - enhancements to Stewart's previous books, Wicked Bugs: The Louse That Conquered Napoleon's Army & Other Diabolical Insects and Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities."
"Any hipster would appreciate learning about this hard to find drinks."
"I bought this as a gift for my sister who is a wine and viticulture major, so an interest in alcohol + growing plants = obsession with this book."
"Am highlighting places to check out on our trip to Italy this summer."
"Along with some history the author includes cocktail recipes which utilized some more obscure liqueurs."
"Anyone who enjoys plants and booze of any kind--beer, spirits, cocktails, wine, etc.--must read this book!"
"It's a very cool little book, and I learned quite a bit in the short amount of time I leafed though it."
"purchased as a gift, great little book full of lots of info for the gardener /drink lover in your life."
Named a Best Baking Book of the Year by the Atlantic , the Wall Street Journal , the Chicago Tribune , Bon Appétit , the New York Times , the Washington Post , Mother Jones , the Boston Globe and more. Yet BraveTart is much more than a cookbook, as Stella Parks delves into the surprising stories of how our favorite desserts came to be, from chocolate chip cookies that predate the Tollhouse Inn to the prohibition-era origins of ice cream sodas and floats. “Few recipe writers are as precise as Stella Parks, a former pastry chef whose instructions always fill me with a sense of clearheaded confidence.”. - Tejal Rao, New York Times Magazine “One of the most engaging baking books to be published in years… Parks adds a remarkable new voice to the world of baking books. Ever wondered how to make your own Heath-like chocolate toffee or even a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup? “Intelligent, engaging, inquiring, instructive, and joyous: as befits its subtitle, this is destined, deservedly, to become a truly iconic book.”. - Nigella Lawson, chef and author of How to Be a Domestic Goddess and Simply Nigella. “A smart no-nonsense education in baking with a good measure of attitude, loads of encouragement, and plenty of details to ensure success.”. - Alice Medrich, author of Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Then I saw J. Kenji López-Alt’s review, and I love his book, The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science, so I gave this a thumb through. Whoa! Nice bonus – environmentalist friends will be thrilled that there’s no palm oil in sight. They’re not supposed to be blue, but my little one asked, and kids are cute, so…. These have to cool after you bake them, and the icing has to set for 12 hours after, so these need a little pre-planning. Tempering the chocolate takes a little patience waiting for the chocolate to hit the exact temps, but these were easy and the kids were thrilled. There's no artificial coloring in it, just dark zinfandel and raw cocoa powder. Some others I have flagged to try: Chocolate Covered S’mores – p 63 * Souffleed Cheesecake – p 80 * Buttermilk Biscuits with Strawberries and Cream – p 86 * Pineapple Cutout Cake – p 93 * Lemon Meringue Pie with Marshmallow Meringue – p 153 * Fried Cake Donettes – p 186 * Homemade Thin Mints – p 228 * Homemade Twinkies – p 244 * Homemade 3 Musketeers – p 304 * Homemade Snickers – p 308 * Homemade Cracker Jack – p 311. I’ll update this as I play in the book more."
"This wasn't quite the book I expected. Despite the full name of the book, including Iconic *American* Desserts, I had it in my head that this book would include her amazing instructions for macarons, plus a lot of other intriguing recipes. Instead, I received wonderful history lessons on some of the classic American desserts, both homemade and commercially produced, along with recipes that delivered nostalgic flavors with some updates for modern palates. I also appreciate the science she includes to explain why recipes work."
"Stella expects you to have a stand mixer, a scale, a thermometer, cookie cutters, a piping bag, and a variety of baking vessels."
Best Gastronomy
From Bourdain's first oyster in the Gironde, to his lowly position as dishwasher in a honky tonk fish restaurant in Provincetown (where he witnesses for the first time the real delights of being a chef); from the kitchen of the Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller Center, to drug dealers in the east village, from Tokyo to Paris and back to New York again, Bourdain's tales of the kitchen are as passionate as they are unpredictable. Most diners believe that their sublime sliver of seared foie gras, topped with an ethereal buckwheat blini and a drizzle of piquant huckleberry sauce, was created by a culinary artist of the highest order, a sensitive, highly refined executive chef. More likely, writes Anthony Bourdain in Kitchen Confidential , that elegant three-star concoction is the collaborative effort of a team of "wacked-out moral degenerates, dope fiends, refugees, a thuggish assortment of drunks, sneak thieves, sluts, and psychopaths," in all likelihood pierced or tattooed and incapable of uttering a sentence without an expletive or a foreign phrase. CIA-trained Bourdain, currently the executive chef of the celebrated Les Halles, wrote two culinary mysteries before his first (and infamous) New Yorker essay launched this frank confessional about the lusty and larcenous real lives of cooks and restaurateurs. His fast-lane personality and glee in recounting sophomoric kitchen pranks might be unbearable were it not for two things: Bourdain is as unsparingly acerbic with himself as he is with others, and he exhibits a sincere and profound love of good food.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"An easy to read book written by professional chef."
"I liked that Bourdain shares his opinions based on his experiences but was happy to share that despite his encounters, there are "other ways" and other ideas as to how other chefs think and work."
"I worked in one for 8 years, but only part time for 6 of them so it wasn't my "world" and I knew I'd be out of it once college was over, so I only know some of what's in this book as a reality."
"Bathe yourself in the deliciously frank and X-rated attitude of a guy who knows better; not because he always knew better, but because he climbed up the ladder of culinary experience and success and blew it up his nose along the way. As always, Bourdain pays homage to the immigrant, hard working slave of the kitchen, and puts a finger up the escape hole of the industry, that is pretentious ridiculousness. Hilarious and truthful humor that might change the way you think about that secret room behind the restaurant facade."
"And on the more colorful side of things, he has a whole chapter dedicated to the somewhat complex and often vulgar language of the American restaurant kitchen. And this inevitably begs the question of just how accurate all of Bourdain's stories are - and clearly this was a deliberate effort on his part in order to impart a particular message for us. It's an inspiring book that shows you what perhaps some chefs out there face in the ever busy world of professional cooking."
"Maybe 30-somethings like it for all its behind the scenes drug and sex galore, that actually skyrocketed the author to great fame; but if you are a lover of fine cuisine and mature dining, this will turn you off big time."
Best Kosher Cooking
Available for the first time in an American edition, this debut cookbook, from bestselling authors Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi of Plenty and Jerusalem , features 140 recipes culled from the popular Ottolenghi restaurants and inspired by the diverse culinary traditions of the Mediterranean. Featured Recipes from Ottolenghi “This is simply wonderful cooking...modern, smart, and thoughtful.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Common ingredients are pine nuts, cilantro, flat-leaf parsley, lemon, cinnamon, many other curious but savory combinations."
"I would definitely recommend this to anyone who has a good working knowledge of cooking and a willingness to step outside of their usual recipes and try something new and delicious!"
"He has won awards for his first cookbook "Jerusalem" and all three of his later books are equally as good and innovative in their recipes and simplicity."
"I already have books, Plenty More and Jerusalem that are some of my go to recipe books in the kitchen."
"What a terrific birthday gift!"
"Pick this up and add it to your cookbook library - NOW."
"Great book with good recipes."
"Great cookbook, for Israeli and Middle Eastern dishes especially, and for baking!"
Best Gastronomy Essays
In the companion book to his final PBS series, the world-renowned chef shows his close relationship to the land and sea as he cooks for close friends and family.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My first recipe I made was the easiest thing I could find to jump in, the Coffee Panna Cotta. I made it for company recently bc it turned out great during my test batch. I learned a lot of tidbits of his life story and understand why his tastes in food have developed beyond French cuisine. The recipes are many, and with much variety; so you will find an array of the most recognizable ingredients to a few 'strange' ones as defined by the American commonplace diet. There are many simple seafood, shellfish, recipes that are 10 mins to whip up and the usual suspects, chicken, beef, pork, vegetables, etc...it is common that in the majority of cookbooks out there, you will find some recipes you'll never do while jumping into others. Some simple dessert recipes too...I want to try the brittle using seeds bc my g'daughter is allergic to nuts. Although he says you can use a pot on the stove to make this, he gives instructions to use the microwave to do it, which shows you, he doesn't mind using something that is usually relegated to just heating up tea or water. So many cooks and chefs say NEVER to run them under water, like it's a cardinal sin to do that, subscribing instead to a damp cloth or soft-bristled brush at most. In short, as on his TV series and these books, that is what you get...a straightforward and refreshingly simple approach to food. I made half a recipe using walnuts (I had no pistachios) and chocolate chips and it was so good, easy and fast and ready to eat in about an hour!"
"I highly recommend this book for any skill level."
"He's my favorite TV cook, so I'm not sure my assessment of the book is determined only by the book."
"What a book!"
"As always, a wonderful book that takes us into this phenomenal chef/author's heart."
"I love that so much of what he does is simple yet very elegant."
"I received my cookbook the week before Jacques new television series began on Public Television."
"Companion to his TV cooking show which is great."