When we were growing up in New York and Los Angeles, the books we read and the movies we saw were how we traveled and how we learned about the rest of the world. Were they all classics? Well, have YOU ever seen Tony Curtis in 40 Pounds of Trouble? We didn’t think so. But movies like that introduced Rhona to life out west, to the beauty of Lake Tahoe and the sunshine of California. Books like The Moneyman transported Joan back to the France of the 1700s and fueled her lifelong interest in history. And as new brides, Peg Bracken’s I Hate to Cook Book (ironically) taught us how to cook.
Sometimes jewels can be found in unexpected places. Classics aren’t the only ones that can have an impact. Beethoven is great, but Mancini isn’t bad, right?
As adults, cookbooks have been a way for us to both re-visit the past and experience the unfamiliar. It’s not just the recipes, but the photos and the narratives that take us out of the moment and inspire us to create. Some of them are true literary masterpieces, like anything by Elizabeth David or MFK Fisher – “food lit” at its best. If you’ve never looked at these, we urge you to give them a try. Then get out your Dutch oven or fire up the grill.
Monet said his true masterpiece was his garden… perhaps yours will be a perfect soufflé.
And this month, as we approach the busy holiday season, we’re giving away a cookbook we know you’ll love, Diane Worthington’s “A Taste of the Season.” In order to win, simply comment on this post between now and December 21st telling us about one of YOUR favorites. We’ll choose one entry at random from everyone who participates and announce the winner in our pre-Christmas post.
Joan and Rhona’s other faves:
1. Bistro Cooking by Patricia Wells
2. The California Cook by Diane Worthington
3. Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan
4. The Classic Pasta Cookbook by Giuliano Hazan
5. Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi
6. The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham
7. Cucina Rustica by Viana La Place and Evan Kleiman
8. The Jewish-American Kitchen by Raymond Sokolov
9. Canal House Cooks Every Day by Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton
10. Chez Panisse Desserts by Lindsey Shere
A Place at the Table: Food, Faith and Friendship …. Published by Elevated Lab Press in Los Angeles and edited by Glen Vecchione and Jill Earick Ananyi, this jewel of a cookbook features recipes by Santa Barbara local Teresa Fanucchi, the “kitchen artist” at the Immaculate Heart Center for Spiritual Renewal on the Casa de Maria property in Montecito. Teresa’s recipes use fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables from the Immaculate Heart garden and, to her credit, is not afraid of using real butter or cream in such dishes as her Polenta Casserole with Greens or her Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Onion and Apple (and have I mentioned her Potato and Celery Root Gratin?). In addition to the nourishing and yummy recipes that come from Teresa’s kitchen, the book also provides a history of the property and of the Immaculate Heart of Mary community. There are full color photos of the dishes, the property, and the artwork of Sister Corita Kent. I have yet to be disappointed by a recipe from this inspired and inspiring cookbook. ~ Ann L, Santa Barbara
The Gastronomical Me was the first book by MFK Fisher that I read, and I quickly worked my way through almost all of the rest of her (mostly) food-related works. If you need inspiration, not just for cooking, but for living well in general, you will find it through her! Currently, my favorite cookbooks are A Platter of Figs and The Heart of the Artichoke by David Tanis, which are masterpieces…15 minutes perusing one of those books, and you’ll be gathering friends for an impromptu dinner party!
Nourishing Traditions. It’s a dietary health book in the guise of a delicious cookbook. It’s based on the Weston A. Price style of nutrition–lots of healthy animal fats, whole grains, vegetables, fermented foods– has startling health info, like the scientific studies behind how animal fats help reduce heart disease and health problems. It’s against the grain of a lot of diet stuff, but I think is a basis for the kind of protein-friendly diets that have gotten popular lately. Awesome book. Please check it out. Thanks for all your suggestions too! I hope I win 🙂
Spice: Flavors of the Meditteranean by Ana Sortun, Chef/Owner of award-winning Oleana Restaurant in Cambridge, Massachussets.
This little treasure helped me restore some of the “Mediterranean feel” I missed so much after moving from Santa Barbara to New Hampshire. Our friend, Kyle Huffman, who lives in Cambridge, took my sister and me to Sofra, a Turkish bakery and café that Sortun opened in 2008, seven years after establishing her signature restaurant, Oleana. At Sofra we sampled some of Sortun’s exquisite and innovative interpretations of Middle Eastern dishes. We ate brussels sprout salad with barberries and walnuts, spinach falafel with beet tzatziki, pickles, and tahini brioche donuts with salted caramel ganache, to name just a few. We just had to buy the cookbook!
As the name implies, Spice, focuses on the artful use of spices and herbs, rather than fat and cream, to create complex, deeply satisfying flavors. We’ve made Sortun’s Squash Kibbeh with Brown Butter and Spiced Feta. It’s baked and steamed to the consistency of a soft dumpling and opens up to a creamy feta center. We’ve also made the Red Lentil Kofte with Tomato, Cucumber and Pomegranate. Kofte is a bulgar-based pate, here mixed with red lentils and spices, and then formed into patties, quickly pan fried, and served with a refreshing tomato, mint, pomegranate salsa. Whenever we’re bored with our usual cooking, want to please our friends, and want to eat something delicious, healthy and NEW, we return to Spice.
Betty Crocker’s Cookbook, the spiral bound edition from 1978, is still one of my favorites. I received it as a wedding gift, and this cookbook helped me out on numerous occasions.
One day my daughter, Lindsay, decided to make the potatoes au gratin recipe. It is not the easiest recipe, but we made it together and it was delicious. I think it gave her the confidence to try any recipe! I have such wonderful memories cooking and baking with my children, and Betty provided many.
By the way, I looked on Amazon to see if the cookbook is still available and it is $134.00 for a new copy!
I will add a thanks for all your wonderful suggestions- I look forward to your latest posts popping up in my email.
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals and Cooking Techniques DVD Package (4th Edition)
Labensky, Sarah R.
While visiting Boise, Idaho (of all places), I became acquainted with a chef at a restaurant after complimenting his soup. He asked if I collected cookbooks and proceeded to tell that he had studied at the Cordon Bleu in Paris and that the only cookbook I ever needed was On Cooking. He made me promise to buy it.
I had not heard of it, but immediately found it on Amazon.
I am very pleased with this purchase. I prefer cookbooks that have the fundamentals, then I supplement with recipes found in magazines or on-line.
Hope you get a chance to take a look at this cookbook and share your thoughts.
So many fun cookbooks, how to choose! So, I’m sharing the latest cookbook in my kitchen since I’ve just retired and have the luxury of time to explore new dishes: Whitewater Cooks at home by Shelley Adams.
I’ve always loved good food, cooking different cuisines, and travel. Rhona is a dear, long time friend (as opposed to “an old friend”, as she and I are not old… yet), and I’ve known about this blog for some time, but never found the time to follow it, as work consumed my life. Now, I have the pleasure of reading this blog (excellent writers with engaging, amusing style …) I can sometimes almost hear Rhona say some of the charming phrases.
Happy Holidays! Violet