3.SCANDINAVIAN COMFORT FOOD (Quadrille, 2016, 288 pages, ISBN 978-1-84949-859-3, $35 USD hardbound) is by Trine Hahnemann, who has written 14 cookbooks, mostly in Danish. She embraces the art of "hygge" (Danish for coziness) for comforting foods. This book is just one of many Scandinavian cookbooks published this year. She's got 130 preps dealing with home life, such as family meals, veggie love, soups for every season, condiments, breads, and sweets. Along the way she has notes on long summer nights, cooking in her kitchen, and Christmas (lunch and dinner). Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of equivalents.
Audience and level of use: families for the most part, light entertaining with friends.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: barbecued langoustines with lemon mayo and chilli cream; asparagus soup; buckwheat-zucchini-tomatoes and lovage salad; kale and pancetta tart; chicory with red onion and grapefruit; baked rhubarb and strawberries with ice cream and toasted flakes.
The downside to this book: there is a lot in here that needs exploring.
The upside to this book: good theme, family and quality food.
Quality/Price Rating: 88.
4.THE UNEXPECTED CAJUN KITCHEN (Skyhorse Publishing, 162 pages, ISBN 978-1-5107-1044-3, $19.99 USD hardbound) is by Leigh Ann Chatagnier, a food blogger who currently lives in Texas and is now married to a Cajun. These are 70 classic bayou recipes using fresh Louisiana ingredients that could or should be available in the larger urban marketplaces – or by mail. It is all arranged by course, beginning with brunch, lunch, everyday dishes, date night, small bites, sweet tooth,and happy hour. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are tables of metric equivalents.
Audience and level of use: family style, easy to learn.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: bourbon butterscotch bread pudding; Cajun breakfast fried rice; couche couche; crawfish butternut squash mac 'n' cheese; jambalaya pot pies for two; pecan praline cinnamon rolls; chicken and andouille sausage gumbo with fried okra dippers.
The downside to this book: I wanted more recipes
The upside to this book: conversion charts.
Quality/Price Rating: 85.
5.ADVENTURES IN CHICKEN (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, 288 pages, ISBN 978-0-544-55820-5, $30 USD hardbound) is by Eva Kosmas Flores, who manages to combine food writing with food photography. She's a free-lance Portland-based writer with a blog adventuresincooking.com. These 150 preps are derived largely from that blog, and perfectly illustrate the diversity of poultry from the Mediterranean to SouthEast Asia. There are ideas for drumsticks (the forgotten part of the chicken) and for mixing up meats. A primer includes material on deconstructing the chicken, using up leftovers, using bits and pieces, and creating a variety of stocks. It's arranged by form, first with apps and then followed by style: whole and roasted, grilled and fried, soups and braises. After that there are pastries, noodles, casseroles, and various sandwiches.
Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.
Audience and level of use:
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: some interesting ideas for chicken necks (nectarine and orzo, maybe a nec and neck salad! Sorry, I had to use that), slow-cooked gizzards, popcorn chicken hearts, fried chicken feet, glass noodles with chicken and leek, roast chicken with apricot-habanero glaze, chicken sumac with beets and feta, chicken souvlaki.
The downside to this book: it is a good package but a bit pricey.
The upside to this book: everything is tasty,
Quality/Price Rating: 88.
6.BUT MY FAMILY WOULD NEVER EAT VEGAN! (The Experiment, 2016, 322 pages, ISBN 978-1-61519-343-4, $24.95 USD paperbound) is by Kristy Turner, a recipe developer and food stylist with a vegan blog. She has also written "But I Could Never Go Vegan!" Here she promotes 125 recipes to wine everyone over. It's a mixture of the veggie aspect and the faux, meant for picky eaters who would learn to enjoy vegan food at the table. She has a huge section on the vegan pantry and substitutions, followed by breakfast (no eggs) and family dinners (no meats), kid-friendly meals, sports games munchies, homestyle and entertaining meals, and made over classics. There are icons for gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, advanced planning required, and lunch leftover/options. As well, there are variations and other suggestions. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.
Audience and level of use: vegans, vegetarians
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: vanilla french toast with strawberry sauce; date nut bread; dill yogurt sauce; cheesy quinoa and zucchini; grilled veggie kebabs; bean and cheese quesadilla; lasagna soup; blue cheese dip.
The downside to this book: nothing much really, well-priced.
The upside to this book: good collection of classics reinterpreted.
Quality/Price Rating: 89.
7.UPSCALE DOWNHOME (St. Martin's Griffen Thomas Dunne Books, 2016, 256 pages, ISBN 978-1-250-07884-1, $19.99 USD paperbound) is by Rachel Hollis, and event planner who now tests casserole recipes – among other things – for free-lance food pieces and her blog TheChicSite.com. Here she concentrates on family recipes "all gussied up" for parties and entertaining. These are twists on American classics, including buffets and BBQ events. It's arranged by theme: snacks, dips, casseroles, slow cooker, potluck, leftovers, sweet, sips, and parties. Lots of ideas here. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.
Audience and level of use: families
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts:
The downside to this book: it is pretty basic but serviceable for the novice cook.
The upside to this book: lots of photos showing the mise en place.
Quality/Price Rating: 86.
8.ONE PAN, TWO PLATES: vegetarian suppers (Chronicle Books, 2016, 208 pages, ISBN 978-1-4521-4583-9, $24.95 USD paperbound) is by Carla Snyder, a caterer and cooking school operator in Ohio. Chronicle Books had previously published her "The Big Book of Appetizers". These are 70 weeknight vegetarian meals for two people, using one pan. It's all arranged by course: soups and stews, eggs and cheese, garden-fresh, grains and beans, pasta, and pizzas/tartines. She dedicates the book to all those who like to cook, like to eat but hate to wash dishes and tidy up. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.
Audience and level of use: couples, although meals can be expanded.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: bibimbap; vadouvan-spiced cabbage; latkes with rutabagas and rapini; polenta dishes; bow ties with Brussels sprouts; migas.
The downside to this book: I wanted more recipes.
The upside to this book: there is a separate index "find it fast" with sections on gluten-free, dairy-free, summer meals, autumn meals, winter meals, spring meals, and dinners in under 30 minutes.
Quality/Price Rating: 88.
9.SMASHED MASHED BOILED AND BAKED AND FRIED TOO (Workman Publishing, 2016, 250 pages, ISBN 978-0-7611-8547-5, $16.95 USD paperbound) is by Raghavan Iyer, a Beard and IACP Award winner. He's written a number of Indian food books, such as "660 Curries". Here it is all about potatoes: tidbits, finger foods, soups, salads, mains, small plates, and sweets. There are 75 preps in all, put together and laid out in that world-famous Workman style. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are tables of metric equivalents. Variations come under the category of "Tater Tips".
Audience and level of use: potato lovers, exploratory cooks.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: stuffed crispy flautas; sweet potato-peanut stew; Irish lamb stew; twice-baked potatoes with bacon; vegan mozzarella potato stacks; water chestnut potato potstickers; papas a la huancaina.
The downside to this book: I wanted more recipes.
The upside to this book: there is a separate index to special diets (GF, vegan, lacto-veggie).
Quality/Price Rating: 89.
10.STIR, SIZZLE, BAKE (Clarkson Potter, 2016, 224 pages, ISBN 978-0-553-45966-1, $25 USD hardbound) is by Charlotte Druckman, a food writer associated with Food52 and co-author of "Cooking Without Borders". Here she promotes the idea of the only pan you will ever need: the cast-iron skillet. She comes with log rolling from Christina Tosi and Dorie Greenspan and a few more. This is a very elegant book, but it does have to compete with manmy other skillet books out there. She's got good notes on caring for the skillet and the pantry needed for skillets. Her arrangement is by category: no-bake, easy-bake, on-the-rise bake, make-the-most-of bake, and condiments (giardiniera, pan-fried sage pesto, charred green pea hummus, and chocostachio spread). Excellent photography, of course.
Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.
Audience and level of use: newish cooks, small kitchen cooks
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: tomato pie; sesame brown-butter cornbread; crumpets; pineapple-pine nut buttermilk cake; rosemary-olive oil brownies with sea salt.
The downside to this book: I think the market has now been completely saturated this year for cast-iron or one-pan skillets.
The upside to this book: pretty definitive.
Quality/Price Rating: 87.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chimo! www.deantudor.com 
No comments:
Post a Comment