From the Editor: A Personal Note & Preview

So where are the cookbooks, you wonder? I’ve been posting a collage of recipes and articles and tidbits lately since I’ve been busy packing! I am relocating from Manhattan to Brooklyn this weekend and beg some patience from my audience as I’ve had little time to cook much less try on a new cookbook for size. I promise the next few months will find me smoothing out a new routine and a steady supply of previews.

Upcoming in the next several weeks, reviews of:

• Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen
• Melissa’s Big Book of Produce
• The Family Kitchen
• Twelve by Tessa Kiros
• Geoffrey Zakarian’s Town/Country

And I’ll be giving away some review copies so stay tuned!

Meanwhile, anyone reading something new and good? Rediscovering an old favorite? Read any food related fiction, essays or articles? Let us know!

I’m delving into a new discovery, Edible Brooklyn magazine! Look for it at fine food establishments in the neighborhood.

Cheers, Kelly

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From the Editor: Now anyone can comment!

I’ve reset the blog so anyone, not just Blogger users, can post comments! Sorry for the inconvenience! – Kelly

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Delicious wanderings

Mangoes & Curry Leaves

Culinary Travels Through the Great Subcontinent

By Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

Artisan / 2005 / $45

Today in the Baltimore Sun:
“As Mangoes & Curry Leaves ventures through Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, as well as Sri Lanka and the Maldives, readers are introduced to subcontinent denizens such as a woman named Sangana Bai, who makes the clay ovens called tandoors…

Dishes such as Sri Lankan fenugreek dal, hot sweet date-onion chutney and spicy chickpea fritters can require many ingredients but are relatively easy to prepare.”

Click here for the full story as well as the recipe for Aromatic Slow-Cooked Chicken.

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Stories from New Orleans

A New Orleans Institution turns 100
“In recognition of Galatoire’s centennial, a new cookbook celebrates the history of the quintessential New Orleans restaurant, immune to trend and blessedly resistant to change for change’s sake. After a brief hiatus after Hurricane Katrina, the restaurant has reopened and, to the relief of fans, again is cranking out impeccable classics such as oysters en brochette, eggs Sardou and crabmeat ravigote.” Full Chicago Tribune article.

After Katrina, Cookbooks Top the Best-Seller List
“NEW ORLEANS — When the city’s bookstores began opening after Hurricane Katrina’s floodwaters receded, the first volumes residents bought to replace their waterlogged, moldy collections were often beloved cookbooks. Full Washington Post article.

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MSNBC.com rounds up a bevy of books for their piece Spring into the kitchen with new cookbooks. The cast includes a pub cookbook, an easy Vietnamese, one-dish chicken, veggie soups, small plate dining (one of my favorite kinds, tapas anyone?) and yes, the Silver Spoon.

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Italy’s "Joy"

Or rather, their second bible (next to, you know, the REAL one). Last fall, Il Cucchiaio d’Argento found an unlikely champion in the art/design publishing house of Phaidon. Better known for their contemporary art and architecture titles, Phaidon reincarnated this Italian kitchen classic as The Silver Spoon. If you haven’t added this to your wish list yet, you should. It’s the heart and soul of Italian cuisine in a new look and voice for American cooks. It’s like sneaking into the kitchen of the Italian Julia Child.

If you need more convincing before you shell out the $39.95 and find some shelf space, check out Phaidon’s website, which offers a large selection of recipes from each section (even downloadable PDF versions!) and a historical time line of the book since its debut in 1950.

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one to savor

Click here for the Washington Times review of Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors by Lizzie Collingham (Oxford University Press, $28).

Part cookbook, part history of India, the result is “a series of essays that ponder Indian foodways, tethering them to both the religions of the country and to its many invaders.”

See also, What to Eat When You Read About Curry.

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How to feed a mob

“Carmela’s book, Entertaining With the Sopranos (Warner Books), covers the hostessing gamut, from baptisms and bridal showers (“The style of menu I prefer for a shower is light on the entree and a little indulgent on the desserts.”) to graduations and funerals…” How appropirate.

Read the entire article here.

And keep an eye out for Victoria Gotti’s Hot Italian Dish (Regan, $27.95) available April 1.

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CB*ing Review: Egging us on

The elegantly spare photos in this book alone will make you want to take it home with you. Martin Brigdale’s carefully effortless images reflect the almost haiku-like quality of the recipes. Michel Roux became a patissier in Paris at the tender age of 14 and his latest cookbook, simply titled Eggs (Wiley, $24.95), is an homage to this disarmingly simple ingredient. Roux is well versed in the culinary acrobatics of which the modest egg is capable, from scrambled on toast to crepes and souflés, and each chapter of Eggs presents a new technique to master.

Though we take it for granted, the egg is a miracle of nature. Containing so many nutrients in such an efficient package, it is also a neutral canvas for flavors from every part of the world. It’s unique chemical properties give us pasta, ice cream and meringue. Roux finds inspiration in every form and he provides very clear, step-by-step photos of each technique.

A sampling of recipes:

• crunchy fried eggs on dandelion salad:

complete with onion rings and shallot dressing

• scrambled eggs “magda” on fried bread:

Gruyére, chives and Dijon scramble over a french version of Texas toast.

• green mayonnaise: a blend of spinach, chervil, shallots and herbs belended into fresh mayonnaise
• choux buns with coffee & drambouie mousse: sugar dusted and mousse filled, a dessert or tea-time snack

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Cookbooking, literally

The helpful author of One Whole Clove has created a tutorial on turning your stacks of Gourmet and Food & Wine into homemade cookbooks. Click here.

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