London Calling

The London Cookbook takes you on a wonderful culinary journey and would make a lovely gift for any cook.  While the recipes featured hail from noted restaurants and noted chefs, the recipes themselves are easy enough for the home chef.  The photographs will whet your appetite.  If you're homesick or nostalgic for London, this cookbook will cure your blues and transport you across the pond.  And if you've never been to London, you'll want to go soon, and book your reservations to many of these fine restaurants.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

Lucky Peach Vegges Out

Power Vegetables goes where few vegetables have gone before...

Indeed, this cookbook is filled with many bold flavors and fun presentations.  Even better, most of the recipes are easy.   I can't wait to sample the kung pao celeries and braised daikon with mustard seed. The easy all-purpose brine promises to be idiot-proof, and the stack of golden latkes will have you yearning for your sour cream and applesauce. This book is great for anyone who thinks vegetables are boring, and for anyone who wants eat more vegetables.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest opinion.

C'est Magnifique!

I admit it, I'm a Francophile.  I've always been, visited France more than any other country, and if I could afford to move to France and live there for awhile, I would.   Mimi Thorisson's book is the next bet thing.  She showcases "meals and moments from a village in the vineyards" so you can create and taste the dream in your own kitchen.   Some of the recipes are simple like roast bone marrow with herbs where the trick is getting good marrow bones.  Others are more involved time and prep-wise like the old-fashioned summer veal roast and the cassoulet.  All photos are worth a thousand drools each.  If you win the lottery and are headed to France, take me with you and we'll cook our way through this wonderful book.

I received this cookbook in exchange for my honest review at Blogging for Books.

Vegetables, It's more than a Good Thing

Vegetables are incredibly sexy, and this Martha Stewart's new book has the photographs to prove it.   This cookbook offers numerous helpful tips on buying, storing, prepping and cooking these wonderful vegetables.  The recipes are easy and drool-worthy.  For example, the roasted wax beans with peanuts and cilantro is a sure fire winner with its caramelized sweetness.  Adding broccoli rabe to a ham cheese croque monsieur elevates a simple sandwich into a fabulous sandwich.  I've made plenty of kale chips, but never thought to dip them in balsamic glaze.  As a gardener, I am always looking for new ways to use a bountiful harvest and this book will serve as an inspiring reference guide. 

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

A Modern Way to Cook

A Modern Way to Cook is a terrific companion and followup to A Modern Way to Eat.  In some ways, I love A Modern Way to Cook even more.  Perhaps it is because of the way it is organized, by time.  Meals that take you 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30, 40 and then, the investment cooking where you spend more time to make something that could last all week.

Even though I'm not the type of person to actually time myself in the kitchen, we are all busy people. After a hard day, often the last thing you want to do is spend a long time in the kitchen.  Especially when it's hot as hell.  Jones' book reminds us that healthy and delicious actually doesn't take that long. You don't have to reach out for junk fast food when there is delicious healthy food at your fingertips. If you have a sweet tooth, you're in look as Jones includes a chapter on quick desserts and sweet treats.

This book will make a great gift for anyone who doesn't want to sacrifice long hours, or flavor for health.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

Taste & Technique

Taste & Technique is a wonderful resource for home cooks and passionate foodies.  Like many home cooks, Naomi Pomeroy is an accomplished chef without formal culinary training and like me, she hails from humble beginnings.  She was seven when she made her first souffle, and learned at a young age how to respect all ingredients, and that even our imperfections can taste good.

This book is also a tome, but you won't want to use it as a doorstop.  She starts with her goes-with-almost-everything sauces like parsley sauce verte, walnut-parsley pistou, hazelnut romesco.   The photos are gorgeous and will, no doubt, elevate your plating.  The recipes vary in the amount of time required, but none are difficult.

Pomeroy said she cooked her way through The Elements of Taste, The Kitchen Sessions with Charlie Trotter, and learned a lot from The New Making of a Cook (confit), Chez Panisse Vegetables (how to shop for vegetables) and Pastries from the La Brea Bakery (pate sucree).   We can benefit from her experience, dedication and hard work by cooking through Taste & Technique.

Unfortunately, the paper is cheap and doesn't always lay flat even when the book is closed.  This book is for any home chef looking to elevate his or her cooking.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

Much to Celebrate in Celebrations

Hallelujah!  There is much to celebrate in Danielle Walker's cookbook Against All Grain, Celebrations.   Celebrations are a time for joy and gatherings of friends and family, but they can stressful too, because almost all celebrations involve food and traditions.  Some of these foods are terribly fattening, and we tell ourselves, relax, we're here to give thanks.

At the same time, some of these foods are just not good for us, and we need to celebrate our health too.  With Danielle Walker's new book, you can celebrate life and health at the same time.  No compromises.  Mashed cauliflower with garlic instead of mashed potatoes.  The apple parsnips soup shooters sounds like a delicious and refreshing way to greet the new year.  The recipes are easy, the plating artistic, and the photographs lovely.

Walker explains what pantry staples to stock, how to store, and what they are best used for.  For example, cashew flour imparts a neutral flavor and fluffy texture for baked goods.  The grind of the almond flour greatly affects the texture of your baked goods.  Almond meal makes a good bread crumb substitute.  You can benefit greatly from her research and experience.  Next time you have guests that are paleo or gluten-free, no need to panic.  Celebrations is also a valuable resource for anyone yearning to be healthier without sacrificing deliciousness.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.