THE RESTAURANT/CELEBRITY COOKBOOK...

...is one of the hottest trends in cookbooks. Actually, they've been
around for many years, but never in such proliferation. They are
automatic best sellers, since the book can be flogged at the restaurant
or TV show and since the chef ends up being a celebrity somewhere,
doing guest cooking or catering or even turning up on the Food Network.
Most of these books will certainly appeal to fans of the chef and/or
the restaurant and/or the media personality. Many of the recipes in
these books actually come off the menus of the restaurants involved.
Occasionally, there will be, in these books, special notes or preps, or
recipes for items no longer on the menu. Stories or anecdotes will be
related to the history of a dish. But because most of these books are
American, they use only US volume measurements for the ingredients;
sometimes there is a table of metric equivalents, but more often there
is not. I'll try to point this out. The usual shtick is "favourite
recipes made easy for everyday cooks". There is also PR copy on
"demystifying ethnic ingredients". PR bumpf also includes much use of
the magic phrase "mouth-watering recipes" as if that is what it takes
to sell such a book. I keep hearing from readers, users, and other food
writers that some restaurant recipes (not necessarily from these books)
don't seem to work at home, but how could that be? The books all claim
to be kitchen tested for the home, and many books identify the food
researcher by name. Most books are loaded with tips, techniques, and
advice, as well as gregarious stories about life in the restaurant
world. Photos abound, usually of the chef bounding about. The celebrity
books, with well-known chefs or entertainers, seem to have too much
self-involvement and ego. And, of course, there are a lot of food photo
shots, verging on gastroporn. There are endorsements from other
celebrities in magnificent cases of logrolling. If resources are cited,
they are usually American mail order firms, with websites. Some
companies, though, will ship around the world, so don't ignore them
altogether. Here's a rundown on the latest crop of such books –

 

15. THE FORAGER'S KITCHEN; over 100 easy recipes from savory to sweet
(Cico Books, 2013; distr. T. Allen, 192 pages, ISBN 978-1-908862-61-7,
$24.95 US hard covers) is by Fiona Bird, a BBC Masterchef finalist. She
had previously published a collection of recipe cards in 2009 (Kids
Kitchen). Here she eats off the land, working with the seasons in a
largely vegetarian environment. There is much advice on how and when
and where to forage. It's a British book, so it has that kind of
orientation, and they seem to forage more than we would. The 100 preps
here cover the range: flowers and blossoms, woodlands, fruits and
berries, herbs, sea shores. There's a legal section, covering the UK,
US and Canada, with internet resources highlighted. You just cannot
pick things from protected parklands or private property, so be aware
of your rights. Typical dishes here include salted caramel wild
hazelnut shortbread, quince cordial/paste, sweet cicely and rhubarb
sorbet, wild garlic bread, dandelion sauce, asparagus and sea lettuce
salmon, and damson tart tatin. Preparations have their ingredients
listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no
table of equivalents. Quality/price rating: 87.

 

 

 

16. NO BAKE MAKERY; more than 80 two-bite treats made with lovin', not
an oven (Grand Central Life & Style, 2013; distr. Hachette, 224 pages,
ISBN 978-1-4555-2513-3, $20 US hard covers) is by Cristina Suarez
Krumsick, chef and owner of the No Bake Makery based in Brooklyn. Visit
nobakemakery.com for more details. She specializes in small two-biters,
nothing from the oven, but fully cooked and ready to roll – also for
shipping around the country. The dishes here include pink velvet
cheesecake, strawberry nutella icebox cake, "sweechies", birds' nests,
key lime pie, and more. It is all arranged by product, such as
truffles, clusters and barks, fudge and bars, mini-pies and cakes,
puddings, and candy and cookies. There are party menus for Valentine's
Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas and kids' events. The
last chapter is on breakfasts which can also be turned into desserts
with bite-sized pancakes, crepes and French toast. Well worth a look,
although eventually I was turned off by the coloured inks. Preparations
have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is
a table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 87.

 

 

 

17. FARM-FRESH RECIPES FROM THE MISSING GOAT FARM (Cico Books, 2013;
distr. T. Allen, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-908862-60-0, $24.95 US hard
covers) is by Heather Cameron, who bought an organic blueberry farm
outside Vancouver, BC renaming it, Missing Goat. She now has her own
line of organic jams which she sells to 50 or so shops, and in her
spare time she is also a food writer. Here are over 100 recipes for a
range including pies, snacks, soups, breads, and preserves. These farm
faves are arranged by season beginning with Spring, and sub-arranged by
time of day (breakfast, snack, main, dessert). As such it is also part
memoir. She details the trials and tribulations of a newbie running a
farm, emphasizing the field to table aspect. It is an all-occasion
book, with such recipes as baked beans with salsa, blueberry pie,
salmon with blueberry chutney, chicken kale soup, zucchini cakes with
apple sauce, mini jam pies, perogies, chicken and veggie wrap with
quinoa, and gingerbread cookies. Preparations have their ingredients
listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no
table of equivalents. Quality/price rating: 86.

 

18. A PERFECT DAY FOR A PICNIC (Ryland Peters & Small, 2013, 144 pages,
ISBN 978-1-84975-353-1, $24.95 US hard covers) is by Tori Finch, once a
UK restaurant owner but now a full-time food and lifestyle writer. I
can tell when summer is upon us: that's when the cookbook mailbox is
full of picnic and BBQ books. This is one of the first of the season,
and it is a fine one with over 80 family recipes. She has 10 themed
picnic ideas, each complete with recipes for portable savoury and sweet
dishes as well as beverage recommendations. Ideas are included for the
themes, but they can easily be disregarded if all you are interested in
is the food. I find it hard enough as it is to clean up after a picnic
(nobody wants to do it) let alone do decorations which need their own
special cleanup. Nevertheless, if you have a dedicated family/friends
connections, then you may invited them to participate in striking the
set a la Tom Sawyer. Themes here include a vintage garden party, a bike
ride picnic, a Teddy Bears' picnic with the wee ones, a beach BBQ, a
Provencal picnic, a woodland walk picnic, and more. The Indochine
picnic covers Vietnamese summer rolls, wheatberries and soy salad,
lemongrass chicken brochettes, sweet chili noodles, caramelized pork
ban mi baguettes, fruit salad with fresh coconut, mango syllabub and a
watermelon cooler. Invite me, please. Preparations have their
ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but
there is no table of equivalents. Quality/price rating:  88.

 

19. MY BEEF WITH MEAT; the healthiest argument for eating a plant-
strong diet (Grand Central Life & Style, 2013, 280 pages, ISBN 978-1-
4555-0936-2, $25 US hard covers) is by Rip Esselstyn, a professional
triathlete-now-firefighter who has developed the Engine 2 diet. He has
appeared on hundreds of US radio and TV shows, and also works with
Whole Foods Market. In 2005, he persuaded his entire firehouse to
convert to a plant-based diet. He created "The Engine 2 Diet" and has
now produced another book, a sort-of sequel, with 140 new recipes. Plus
36 dramatic reasons to switch to a plant-based diet. Most of the
recipes have been contributed by friends and family. Preparations have
their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no
table of metric equivalents. All courses are covered, and most food is
quick and easy (pasta, tacos, burritos, pizzas, flatbreads "burgers",
dressings, spreads). Typical are spicy spinach and black bean burgers,
lentil balls, eggplant fries, polenta strips. There is a definite guy
feel to the food, which is not a bad thing if you want to convince a
guy to switch to plant-based foods. Quality/price rating: 86.

 

20. HALIFAX TASTES; recipes from the region's best restaurants (Nimbus
Publishing, 2013, 74 pages, ISBN 978-1-77108-006-4, $22.95 paper
covers) has been compiled by Liz Feltham, a restaurant critic in the
region and cookbook author. It is the newest book in the "Tastes"
series from Nimbus. Feltham has chosen 25 restaurants from Halifax and
Dartmouth, for 8 appetizers, 13 mains, and 4 desserts, including one of
my faves, The Five Fishermen (blackened haddock). There is a directory
and a map. The eating establishments have been well-chosen, reflective
of seafood, Asiatic and Mediterranean influences. Many local and fresh
ingredients are to be found at the farmer's market, and are reflected
at the restaurants. As with any book of this sort, there are lots of
pix of the plates and surroundings, by Scott Munn. Preparations have
their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no
table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 85.

 

21. SEAFOOD; spectacular recipes for every season (Skyhorse Publishing,
2013; distr. T. Allen, 216 pages, ISBN 978-1-62087-733-3, $29.95 US
hard covers) is by Par-Anders Bergqvist and Anders Engvall, who run
Hav, a fish shop and catering service in Stockholm. Previously, they
had chefed around Sweden. The book was originally published in Sweden
last year as "Hav". There are about 52 preps here, one for every week
of the year. Thus, it is a seasonal approach., with drink suggestions
(although specific brand names may be hard to find). The choices are
mainly white wines, but there are also beers and sherries to enjoy with
seafood. Typical preps include smoked perch with pickled veggies, oven-
baked cod, grilled halibut, brandade with peperonata and roasted
garlic, and fried salmon with apple. Preparations have their
ingredients listed in both metric and (mostly) avoirdupois
measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. While the
book is lavish in its photography, the recipes sit on top of the
pictures, in either white or black print. This is distracting, and
after awhile annoying. It is virtually impossible to photocopy and
recipes – I photocopy so I can work on the dish without destroying the
book with my spills. Quality/price rating: 80.

 

22. THE BIG BOOK OF DESSERTS AND PASTRIES; dozens of recipes for
gourmet sweets and sauces (Skyhorse Publishing, 2013; distr. T. Allen,
157 pages, ISBN 978-1-62087-050-1, $19.95 US hard covers) is by Claes
Karlsson, pastry chef and cookbook author. Previously, he was head
pastry chef at Stockholm's The Grand Hotel. His book was originally
published in Sweden in 2011, and this is its first appearance in the
North American market. It is an all-purpose affordable dessert book,
with about 70 recipes and techniques for a variety of sweets including
candy and accompaniments. There are peppermint sprinkles, almond and
fig tart, vanilla cake with lemon curd, panna cottas, mousses,
cheesecakes, and the like. Preparations have their ingredients listed
in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of
equivalents. Superb photography. Quality/price rating: 85,

 

 

 

23. SMOKE; new firewood cooking (Rizzoli, 2013, 256 pages, ISBN 978-0-
8478-3979-7, $40 US hard covers) is by Tim Byres, chef-owner of Smoke
and of Chicken Scratch in Dallas. He's been named a couple of times as
best new chef in 2011 and 2012. This book, with log rolling by the Lee
Brothers, Stephen Pyles, and Steven Raichlen, covers just about all you
would need to know about building flavour with fire on the grill and in
the kitchen. It is based on wood fires, which can be successfully
employed in hot smoking, cold smoking, and campfires. Byres advocates
using wood chips on the stovetop, grilling with wood planks, and (for
serious cooks) how to build a fire pit and smokehouse and spit roasters
at home. Then, there are preps for pulling together relishes and salsa
made with smoked veggies, and using smoke-cured meats to add flavours
to plates. There's a primer on larders, rubs, jams and pickles. The
main section tackles the flesh and veggies, sweets and breads, and some
drinks. Typical preps include pork jowl bacon with half sour cucumbers,
gumbo, smoked cabrito meatpies, coffee-cured brisket, turnip greens
salad, and oxtail marmalade. As the book says, everything is made from
scratch. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois
measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.
Quality/price rating: 88.

 

24. LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN COOKBOOK; delicious recipes from Le Pain
Quotidien (Mitchell Beazley, 2013, 256 pages, ISBN 978-1-84533-748-3,
$29.99 US hard covers) is by Alain Coumont and Jean-Pierre Gabriel.
Coumont is the founder and chief bread maker for the Belgian bakery-
restaurant. A lot of the book is about bread making, but there are also
sections dealing with breakfasts, soups, salads, tartines, desserts,
and so forth – over 100 preps. The key, of course, is the sourdough
starter that is given here. You use it in the world famous five-grain
fruit bread and the nut & raisin flutes. There are also some seeded
rolls and fougasse. The tartines chapter is one of the best. As he
does, just use slices. Or, as some restaurants do, just use flatbreads.
They are both platforms for the inventive toppings (fruit, cheese,
nuts, veggies, herbs). Preparations have their ingredients listed in
both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of
metric equivalents.
Quality/price rating: 90.

Chimo!  www.deantudor.com