* 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 –

 

 

13.CROSSROADS (Artisan, 2015, 284 pages, ISBN 978-1-57965-636-2, $35 US hard covers) is by Tal Ronnen, founder and chef at Crossroads, Scot Jones, executive chef of Crossroads, and Serafina Magnussen, vegan baker at Crossroads. The restaurant opened in LSA in 2013, and of course struck a chord in vegan Hollywoodland. These 100 recipes, with lots of log rolling from Bill Clinton, Paul McCartney, plus four others, emphasize the imitative approach with vegan examples of Mediterranean food: flatbreads, pastas, desserts – all without the meat and dairy. The arrangement is from apps to desserts, with cocktails. Thus: butternut squash farinata with arugula salad and pomegranate vinaigrette, or vegetable bouillabaisse with rouille, or pappardelle bolognese. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are tables of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 88.

 

 

 

14.BUTTER CELEBRATES! (Appetite by Random House, 2015, 260 pages, ISBN 978-0-449-01686-2,  $35 US hard covers) is by Rosie Daykin, owner of Butter Baked Goods (also the title of her first cookbook) in Vancouver; her products can be found in 300 retail stores. From the subtitle, it is "a year of sweet recipes to share with family and friends" – over 100 of them, arranged by holiday/celebration such as Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Birthdays, Hallowe'en, Christmas, etc. Also included are arrivals of new babies, welcoming neighbours to the street, al fresco summer parties – even a dog's birthday! Lots of memoir-type stories and illustrative photos complete the picture. And of course presentation is all. Try triple chocolate mousse with coffee crème anglaise, spicy nuts, sweet potato marshmallow pie, or raspberry fluff. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. A bright and cheerful book, complete with a celebratory bookmark ribbon!! Quality/price rating: 87.

 

 

 

15.PER LA FAMIGLIA (Whitecap, 2015, 234 pages, ISBN 978-1-77050-224-6, $29.95 CAN paper covers) is by Emily Richards, who worked in restaurants, Canadian Living and on the Food Network cooking shows. She's also from a large Italian family, and these are their recipes: southern Italian, principally Calabria, but also involving Puglia, Sicily, Sardinia, and Campania. So this is a family cookbook celebrating heritage recipes and are local takes on classic dishes involving pasta doughs, sauces, antipastos, desserts, roasts, homemade wine – and dinners delayed until the whole family could be there. There are lots of memoirs here, as well as family photos. The 130 preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements. Quality/price rating: 87.

 

 

 

16.OLYMPIA PROVISIONS (Ten Speed Press, 2015, 282 pages, ISBN 978-1-60774-701-7, $40 US hard covers) is by Elias Cairo, co-owner of Portland's Olympia Provisions in Oregon, which he founded in 2009. Co-author Meredith Erickson is a London-based food writer and cookbook author.  Boulud and Ruhlman are the lead log rollers. This is the story of cured meats and takes from the charcuterie company. So it is part memoir and part cookbook detailing the intricacies of curing meats in several different ways. There is a section on basic recipes for sausages (breakfast, bratwurst, Italian, salami), slow-cooked meats (rillettes, capicola), pate and forcemeat (pate, mousse, en gelee, ballotine), smoked meats, dry-cured meats, and fermented dry-cured salami. Then follow his restaurants and their recipes for brunch, lunch, "wine time", and dinner. A good solid meat book. Preparations have their ingredients listed mainly in avoirdupois measurements with some metric, but there is no table of equivalents. Quality/price rating: 88.

 

 

17.ALL THINGS JERKY (Skyhorse Publishing, 2015, 173 pages, ISBN 978-1-63450-489-8, $14.99 US paper covers) is by Andy Lightbody, an outdoors writer and co-host of an outdoors food TV show. Kathy Mattoon is the other host of that food show, "Cookin' on the Wild Side". This is a guide to making jerky and other dried snack offerings from all manner of flesh, including fish, seafood, poultry, pork, bear, game, fruit and veggies. They cover the basics of drying home ovens and smokers, knives, slicers, grinders, storage and vacuum sealers, marinades, spices, cures, seasonings, and brines. The recipes are solid and goof proof, a good book for that outdoors person in your life. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 87.

 

 

18.FRANKIE AVALON'S ITALIAN FAMILY COOKBOOK (St. Martin's Griffin, 2015, 216 pages, ISBN 978-1-250-05913-0, $24.99 US hard covers) is by celebrity singer Frankie Avalon, with award-winning cookbook writer Rick Rodgers assisting. It's your standard Italian cookbook, sure to win over his fans with 80 family recipes from four generations of Avalons in America. It is principally southern Italian, choosing Romano cheese over Parmesan. Typical are bruschetta with bell peppers, braised meatballs, seafood salad with calamari, stuffed shells with three cheeses – enough food for the usual Sunday feast of Italian-Americans. And lots of details and pix of the Avalon family get-togethers along with memoirish material from Frankie himself. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 85.

 

 

 

19.JACQUES PEPIN HEART & SOUL IN THE KITCHEN (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015, 436 pages, ISBN 978-0-544-30198-6, $35 US hard covers) is by the chef who has been in twelve PBS cooking shows, written over two dozen cookbooks, and has won many Beard and IACP cookbook awards. This current book is from Pepin's final PBS series, and is a look at the chef and the food he cooks at home. There are 200 recipes, covering the simple to the elegant and sophisticated, to parties and celebratory events. It is also a bit of a memoir with thoughts about his life with food. And we get older with him: the typeface is large, with plenty of leading for the older readers. It is arranged by course, with hors d'oeuvres [sic] first, soups, salads, through to cakes and custards, and with organ meats along the way too. At the end are 26 menus with (unfortunately) no page references to the recipe itself. He's got a fast fougasse, a cannellini bean dip, ricotta quenelles, tripe and pigs' feet ragout, and a corn souffle – all great food for home family style eating. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 87.

 

 

 

20.THIS IS CAMINO (Ten Speed Press, 2015, 260 pages, ISBN 978-1-60774-728-4, $35 US hard covers) is by Russell Moore and Allison Hopelain, who opened Camino in Oakland. It specializes in local, sustainable, food frugally prepared in California style of flavour combinations. There's a lot of heavy log rolling (Bittman, Waters, Lebovitz, Tanis, Ottolenghi), but then Russell cooked at Chez Panisse for 21 years. There's an opening primer centered on the basics and the larder/pantry with ingredients and methods used. They go on to do veggies, fish, chicken and eggs, duck, lamb, pork, desserts and cocktails. Try slow cooked duck legs with Savoy cabbage, prunes and duck cracklings, grilled king salmon with herb broth, or sauerkraut salad. There's lots of detail about the restaurant, with many pictures, and as well chapters on a week at Camino (with a timeline) and massive detail on grilling. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are tables of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 86.

 

 

 

21.THE HELL'S KITCHEN COOKBOOK (Grand CentralLife & Style, 2015, 264 pages, ISBN 978-1-4555-3569-9, $30 US hard covers) comes from the TV show which debuted on Fox in 2005; it has aired 14 "seasons". Gordon Ramsay is one of the executive producers. It is a highly dramatic culinary competition. The 100 preps here, with 25 menus lets you make your own without the stress of the workplace. Actually, I am surprised that this is its first cookbook after 11 years of shows. There is opening material on what the show is like, followed by the recipes divided into starters, entrees, sides, desserts, and then the 25 menus with (unfortunately) no page references to the recipe needed. Try bacon and caramelized onion jam, smoked collard greens, sauteed linguine, roasted fennel, cioppino with turbot and seafood, steamed mussels with tequila and coconut milk and cilantro.

Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 87.

 

 

22.THE HOT BREAD KITCHEN COOKBOOK (Clarkson Potter, 2015, 304 pages, ISBN 978-0-8041-8617-9, $35 US hard covers) is by Jessamyn Waldman Rodriguez and the bakers of Hot Bread Kitchen (NYC). It is a home diverse breads, and the book reflects it: baguettes, multigrains, conchas, bialys, naans, and more. The bakery hires immigrant women, providing the bakery and culinary skills needed. So you get authentic breads in one place, which is also handy for restaurants who order from them. They are assisted in the book's writing by Julia Turshen, a cookbook co-author. It is all arranged by type of bread: unleavened flatbreads, leavened flatbreads, tortillas, lean breads and rolls, enriched breads and rolls, filled doughs from around the world, and quick breads and holiday breads. The concluding chapter of 25 pages is all about what to do with leftover breads: grilled cheese French toast, bread puddings, croutons, panzanellas, bread salads, bread crumbs, and chilaquiles. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois and metric measurements, as all good bakers scale. Quality/price rating: 89.

 

 

 

23.THE DEAD RABBIT DRINKS MANUAL (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015, 288 pages, ISBN 978-0-544-37320-4, $27 US hard covers) is by Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry, two North Belfast lads. Muldoon is founder and manager of Dead Rabbit Grocery & Grog in Lower Manhattan; McGarry is the manager. Both lads and Dead Rabbit have garnered about a dozen major drink awards (best bar, best menu, best bartender, etc.). It is part memoir and the story of Dead Rabbit and part drinks manual. The drinks include communal punches, sours and fizzes, cups and cobblers, juleps and smashes, slings and toddies, flips, possers and nogs, bishops and then "cocktails" with a whole chapter on absinthe. There is even a selection of drinks for the invalid, such beer based items as porter sangaree, elderberry beer, shandygaff, velvet gaff, and, of course, Irish coffee. A really good read. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 88.

 

 

24.SOUTHERN SOUPS & STEWS (Chronicle Books, 2015, 176 pages, ISBN 978-1-4521-2485-8 $24.95 US soft covers) is by Nancie McDermott, who plays the role of Cake Historian on the Food Network's GOOD EATS show. She's also a food writer with 10 other cookbooks to her credit. Here are 75 recipes, including Kentucky's burgoo, Cajun gumbo, etouffee, and fricassee.  Others include Brunswick stew (but no opossum), shrimp and grits, chowders, dumplings, veggies, and others. She's got some richly detailed histories behind all of the recipes. There is a bibliography at the end. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are tables of equivalents. Quality/price rating: 87.

 

 

25.TACOS (Clarkson Potter, 2015, 240 pages, ISBN 978-0-553-44729-3, $32.50 US hard covers) is by Alex Stupak and Jordana Rothman. Alex is a restaurateur with three Mexican restaurants in New York City; Jordana is an experienced food writer. This book deals with all manner of tacos (shells, soft, corn, flour, and neo-traditional masa based tortillas made with beets, saffron, pistachios, spinach, sweet corn, yuca, chorizo,and chicken. He's also got non-masa buckwheat tortillas and rye tortillas. Talk about variety!! This is also the story of his Empellon Taqueria, Cocina, and Al Pastor (his three NYC restos). Tacos actually begin on p105; the early part of the book concerns the variety of tortillas, the salsas, and the Mexican pantry. The fillings use the usual meats and veggies, plus here he includes offal, and sends with sweet tacos. This is a thorough and comprehensive taco book for the true lover. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 88.

 

 

 

26.PATISSERIE MAISON (Ebury Press, 2014, 224 pages, ISBN 9780091957612, $42.95 CAN hard covers) is by Richard Bertinet, a baker from Brittany but now living in Bath. He's set up The Bertinet Kitchen cookery school in 2005; this is his fifth cookbook. It is a British import now available in Canada through Penguin Random House. These are the basic 50 preps for patisserie that you could reasonably expect on the pastry counter: eclairs, gateau saint honore, baba au rhum, Paris a Brest, meringues, and mousses. He has step by step photos. He's got four major divisions: small, shared (large), treats, and festive.

Preparations have been scaled and their ingredients listed in mainly metric measurements, but there is no table of equivalents. Quality/price rating: 85.

 

 

27.RACHEL KHOO'S KITCHEN NOTEBOOK (Chronicle Books, 2015, 272 pages, ISBN 978-1-4521-4056-8, $29.95 US soft covers) is by the author of THE LITTLE PARIS KITCHEN which was a popular television series on BBC2 and The Cooking Channel. She is also a food columnist. Her book was original published by Michael Joseph (Penguin) in the UK. She gives us over 100 recipes from her own personal cookbook, recipes she liked to make over and over for friends and company. It is arranged by course: apps, mains, desserts. She's got a section on homemade treats, equipment, and some ingredients. Try the exciting Gorgonzola and ricotta sfogliatella, raw fig trifles, slow roasted pork belly with sloe gin, seafood paella nests, or mushroom stroganoff with spinach and wild rice. Good head notes. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 86.

 

 

 

28.THE CHAKRA KITCHEN; feed your body to nourish your spirit (CICO Books, 2015, 144 pages, ISBN 978-1-78249-265-8, $19.95 US paper covers) is by UK vegan chef Sarah Wilkinson, owner of Chakra Cakes and The Chakra Kitchen. Everything here is organic, vegan, gluten-free with natural sweeteners. The 60 recipes work with the seven chakras (energy centres). Optimal health and well-being is stressed by chakra work, and food nicely complements this activity. For the advanced believer, it would also be helpful if crystals were involved in boosting the power of the food ingredients. The arrangement is by season, beginning with Spring, about 15 for each quarter. Recipes and foods are identified by colours for the relevant chakras. Typical dishes include rainbow chard with smoked tofu and cashews, or raspberry-pecan-goji berry pudding. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements. Quality/price rating: 86.

 

 

 

29.RAMEN FUSION COOKBOOK (DK, 2015, 208 pages, ISBN 978-1-4654-4142-3, $19.95 US soft covers) is by Nell Benton, owner of The National Cafe (Milwaukee) who specializes in international cuisine. It is a collection of some 40 traditional recipes and modern makeovers of the classic Japanese broth soup. She suggests making them from scratch. After the primer, the book is divided into types of stocks: recipes with dashi stock, with chicken stock, with pork stock, and with vegetarian stock-- about 10 preps for each kind of stock. There is material about accompaniments to ramen, such as edamame, avocado salad, bean sprout salad, ramen burgers and ramen frittata. Try spicy miso pork ramen, pork shio ramen, or pork red curry ramen. There is also coconut curry tofu vegetarian ramen and mushroom miso vegetarian ramen. Good idea for a book! Preparations have their ingredients listed in mainly metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of equivalents. Quality/price rating: 86.

 

 

 

30.GJELINA (Chronicle Books, 2015, 352 pages, ISBN 978-1-4521-2809-2, $35 US hard covers) is by Travis Lett, chef at Gjelina (and two other places) in Venice, California. The emphasis is on grain-and-vegetable cuisine with an international bent. Celebrities and food lovers gather here. Here are more than 150 recipes covering salads, toasts, [pizza, veggies, grains, and some meats (mainly fish but also lamb and pork). It is a pretty book, featuring his stories and his types of dishes – one for his fans. Try kabocha squash and goat cheese agnolotti with brown butter and walnut picada for a wide-range of taste sensations. Or grilled octopus with braised black-eyed peas. Preparations have their ingredients listed mainly in metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of equivalents. Quality/price rating: 87.

 

 

31.MODERN GERMAN COOKBOOK (DK, 2015, 224 pages, ISBN 978-1-4654-4394-6, $22 US hard covers) is by Frank Rosin, owner of a two star Michelin restaurant, Rosin, in Germany. In addition, he has appeared on German TV (Rosin's Restaurants) and is a celebrity judge on the reality cooking show The Taste. Here he presents some home-scaled versions of modern German food, about 100 recipes which also include upscale contemporary versions of beef roulades and sauerbraten. His new German classics also involve a strong Mediterranean influence from Italy, Spain, Greece and Turkey. The arrangement is by course: apps through desserts, along with some basic recipes and lots of tips/advice. Try baked apples with marzipan filling, barley risotto with pecorino cheese, or roast beef with eggplant and tomato salsa. Classic napkin dumplings are no slouches either. The whole package comes with the usual photography that DK has made a point of attending to details. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 87.

 

 

 

32.SLOW FIRES (Clarkson Potter, 2015, 320 pages, ISBN 978-0-8041-8623-0, $40 US hard covers) is by Justin Smillie, chef-partner of Upland in NYC, specializing in rustic CalItal food. It is divided into braising, roasting, and grilling, with recipes for each (plus a primer section). He's got pork shanks (didn't these used to be pork hocks? They look the same) with late-season tomatoes and polenta, olive oil-cured cod and summer tomato panade, and grilled sausage coils with charred escarole and hazelnut vinaigrette. There are about 50 preps in all plus a whack of foundations and finishes. Each recipe has a story. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Great stylish food, well-worth a look. Quality/price rating: 88.

 

 

33.SIMPLY NIGELLA; feel good food (Appetite by Random House, 2015, 402 pages, ISBN 978-0-14-752989-3 $45 CAN hard covers) is by Nigella Lawson, TV personality and food journalist, author of nine bestselling cookbooks. Here she concentrates on comfort food, or "simply feel good food". The passion of cooking at home should be uncomplicated – leave the stress to the chefs. Simple means easy-to-prepare and relaxed, satisfying the taste buds and the palates. So the 125 recipes here are divided into chapters such as quick and calm (which are easy), bowlfood (salad, pasta, soup), dine (mains and bites), breathe (slow-cook, make-aheads), sides (veggies), sweet (desserts), and beginnings (breakfast and brunch). Good thinking here. Typical are chicken traybake with bitter orange and fennel or sake-sticky chicken drumsticks. In the mix are gluten-free and dairy-free recipes, highlighted in the index along with bold print for the major ingredient. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 88.

 

 

34.BAKING WITH THE BRASS SISTERS (St. Martin's Griffen, 2015, 294 pages, ISBN 978-1-250-06435-6, $29.99 US hard covers) is by Marilynn and Sheila Brass, authors of other cookbooks "...with the Brass Sisters" in the title. They have appeared on US TV cooking shows. Here are 125 recipes for classic American cakes, pies, cookies, breads, desserts and some savouries. Solid baking such as lemon-lime tassies, almond jam clothespin cookies, strawberry blondies, or tutti frutti biscotti. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 86.

 

Chimo! www.deantudor.com

EVEN MORE REISSUES, THE REPRINTS, AND THE NEWER EDITIONS...

...all reflect a boom in the cookbook publishing business. A paperback reprint will lower the cost to the purchaser, and also give a publisher a chance to correct egregious errors or add a postscript. Some will reissue a book in paper covers with a new layout or photos. Others will rearrange existing material to present it as more informative text while keeping the focus tight. Some magazines will reissue popular or classic recipes in an "easy" format. Here are some recent "re-editions"...

 

 

35.LUCKY PEACH 101 EASY ASIAN RECIPES (Clarkson Potter, 2015, 271 page, ISBN 978-0-8041-8779-4, $35 US hard covers) is by Peter Meehan and the editors of Lucky Peach, a quarterly journal of food and writing that has won multiple James Beard Awards for its single theme issues. These preps have been drawn from that magazine, and are designed for the fans and others who wish to explore easy Asian dishes such as pesto ramen, sichuan pork ragu, seaweed salad, five-spice chicken, braised chicken wings, or greens with whole garlic. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are tables of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 86.

 

 

36.TEA TIME (Skyhorse Publishing, 2015, 170 pages, ISBN 978-1-63450-343-3, $22.99 US hard covers)is by Francis Amalfi, who has written more than 15 food books. This book was originally published in Spanish as TODOS LOS TES DEL MUNDO; it has recipes, facts, and tips on tea preparation. It is also heavily illustrated. There is a history and culture, a description of various teas, therapeutic properties and household uses, and tea ceremonies. The recipes include infusions and tisanes, and there is even tasseomancy (reading tea leaves). At the end there is a select bibliography. You could try roasted peppers and potatoes with green tea, tea and mango sorbet, wild rice with tea, or green tea flan with vanilla and crunchy pistachio wafers. Preparations have their ingredients listed irregularly in both metric and  avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of equivalents. Quality/price rating: 86.

 

 

37.MARK BITTMAN'S KITCHEN MATRIX (Pam Krauss Books, 2015; distr. Penguin Random House, 304 pages, ISBN 978-0-8041-8801-2, $35 US hard covers) has selected essays and photographs from his New York Times Magazine column EAT between 2011 and 2015. His simple formulae mix and match ingredients and techniques in a matrix to easily adapt many recipes for each season, taste, or flavour pairing. For example, white fish fillets can be done at least 12 ways: broiled, sauteed, roasted, poached with variations of garnishes and styles. Paillards (cutlets) are even more versatile, since any meat such as chicken, lamb, beef and pork can be used for the base and fried with different intents. He's got a lot of different variations for tomato sauce, Thanksgiving leftovers (over 20), and chicken parts. A great book to leaf through for ideas. Unfortunately, preparations have their ingredients listed irregularly in both metric and avoirdupois measurements with no consistency, and there is no table of equivalents. Quality/price rating: 86.

 

 

38.RISOTTO (Ryland Peters & Small, 2011, 2015, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-84975-661-7, $21.95 US hard covers) is by Maxine Clark, a UK food writer specializing in Italian food, and who has authored many cookbooks for Ryland Peters & Small. It was originally published in 2011, and here it is updated. She comes up with 60 recipes for this Italian classic dish, including a variety of leftover uses and desserts. It is arranged by ingredient, with veggies followed by cheese, eggs, poultry, game, meats, and fish/seafood. Some interesting recipes include suppli al telefono con sugo di pomodoro (rice croquettes), saltimboca di risotto, arancini, torta di riso e formaggio tricolore (rice and cheese cake), cherry and almond risotto puddings, and dark chocolate Easter risotto. There are some useful UK and USA websites, as well as Italian titles for all of the recipes (including the index). Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of equivalents. Quality/Price Rating: 87.

 

 

39.FIONA BECKETT'S CHEESE COURSE (Ryland Peters & Small, 2009, 2015, 176 pages, ISBN 978-1-84975-687-7, $24.95 US hard covers) is by the award-winning UK food writer and author who specializes in food and wine matching (www.matchingfoodandwine.com}. It was originally published in 2009, and some of this book can be found in bits and pieces (and kept up to date) through her website. The subtitle says it all: styles, wine matching, plates and boards, recipes. She covers the different forms of cheeses (from fresh and soft to old and hard and blue), how to pair wines (and beers and spirits), how to set

out an attractive cheeseboard and a cheese plate when entertaining, and how to employ cheese in your cooking course by course. She has about 40 preps here, with their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of equivalents. Some recipes: cheddar and cider fondue; lavender honey and vanilla cheesecake; taleggio and grape focaccia; bell pepper and Manchego Spanish omelet; leek and blue cheese quiche. There is a listing of UK and North American cheese producers, including Canada. Quality/Price Rating: 88.

 

 

 

40.VEGETARIAN INDIA (Alfred A. Knopf, 2015, 422 pages, ISBN 978-1-101-87486-8 $35 US hard covers) is by the renowned Madhur Jaffrey, well-known actress and cookbook author (she has seven Beard Awards). It was originally published in England by Ebury Press in 2014 under the title "Curry Easy Vegetarian" and in a slightly different form. Jaffrey has been at the cookbook game for over 40 years, yet still needed logrolling from such British chefs as Yotam Ottolenghi or April Bloomfield. At least two of her previous cookbooks had the word "vegetarian" in the title. Here she covers the whole of the Indian subcontinent, from north to south, from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal, with collections of family recipes from friends and relatives. Each of the 200 preps has a story that she tells. It's arranged by course, from apps through to desserts and drinks, with large pit stops for dals and grains. And while there is an index, all the recipes are also listed in chapter order at the back so that you can see at a glance what each chapter contains. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 89.

 

 

 

41.HAPPY COOKING (Pam Krauss Books, 2015, 312 pages, ISBN 978-0-8041-8792-3, $35 US hard covers) is by the fabulous Giada De Laurentiis (I would kill for her teeth and smile), star and judge on many TV cooking shows and cooking reality programs. And she's written seven bestselling cookbooks. So here's another one, based on her digital magazine GIADA, between August 2013 and the present (about two years worth). Here she tries to maintain good health without the stress of cooking and eating in an everyday ritual. So that means preparing in advance and having a slew of decadent treats. There are about 200 recipes here, time-saving tips and advice, and healthy eating strategies for the busy weekday activities. It is arranged by both course and meals (breakfast, snacks, salads, soups, stews, pastas, weeknights, weekends, veggies, and sweets). You could try her citrus-chile acorn squash, butternut squash with marjoram and gluten-free pasta, soy citrus turkey jerky, margarita chicken wings, or shellfish noodle paella. Each prep has indications of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free. Recipes have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 87.

 

 

42.FRENCH COUNTRY COOKING (Arcade Publishing Skyhorse, 2015, 304 pages, ISBN 978-1-61145-858-9, $24.99 US paper covers) is by Francoise Branget, a member of the National Assembly of France. It was originally published in France in 2011 and then translated into English for North American release. These are 180 authentic recipes from every region. It is actually a collection contributed to by every member of the National Assembly of France. It also has some politics and some legends to relate. It is an interesting book, although some of the stories are unreadable because of the light typeface ink. There's a slow-cooked hare prep, an offcuts in a pot pie (stewed scraps, soubes style), and chicken poached and sauteed with chanterelles. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 86.

 

 

43.JAPANESE HOME COOKING (Firefly, 2015, 280 pages, ISBN 978-1-77085-606-6, $39.95 CAN hard covers) is by Chihiro Masui (author of over 20 cookbooks) with Hanae Kaede. It was originally published in France in 2013, and this is the North American English language translation, finally available. Many step-by-step photos clearly show the techniques and ingredients of Japanese cuisine. The book moves from the basic cooking of rice to the sophistication of setting and dressing a table. The comprehensive nature of the book deals with Japanese approach to food with cultural history and the impact of foreigners, the basic technique skills, the final dish presentation, and the Japanese table. There are about 90 recipes with some variations, for a mix of everyday home food and gourmet special occasions. There are some tips on substitutions for hard-to-find ingredients.

The range of dishes follow the standard Japanese meal pattern, beginning with cold starters and ending with desserts. Multiple indexes are useful, with a glossary, an ingredient index, and English recipe index, and a table of recipes from transliterated Japanese. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 89.

 

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Chimo! www.deantudor.com

* THE REISSUES, THE REPRINTS, AND THE NEWER EDITIONS...

...all reflect a boom in the cookbook publishing business. A paperback reprint will lower the cost to the purchaser, and also give a publisher a chance to correct egregious errors or add a postscript. Some will reissue a book in paper covers with a new layout or photos. Others will rearrange existing material to present it as more informative text while keeping the focus tight. Some magazines will reissue popular or classic recipes in an "easy" format. Here are some recent "re-editions"...

 

 

31.SIMPLY VIETNAMESE COOKING (Robert Rose, 2015, 240 pages, ISBN 978-0-7788-0521-2, $19.95 US paper covers)is by Nancie McDermott, a US SouthEast Coast food writer specializing in SouthEast Asian food. It was published in the US in 2006 as Quick & Easy Vietnamese, with 75 everyday recipes. She has also authored "Quick & Easy Thai" and "Quick and Easy Chinese". The Vietnamese book, with 135 recipes this time, has traditional dishes plus some shortcuts. She has notes on ingredients, substitutions and techniques, as well as a glossary, pantry notes, and utensils needed. There are menus for 12 different meals, with extensive details. The arrangement is by food type(beef, chicken, etc.). She concludes with a bibliography and a North American mail order source list. Some interesting recipes include lemongrass soup. grilled leaf-wrapped beef kebabs, crab and asparagus soup, hainan chicken and rice, grilled tuna steaks with pineapple-chili sauce, and sweet and tangy soup. The index has both the Vietnamese and English names of the dish, and the menus all have page references to the recipes used. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and  avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of equivalents. Quality/price rating: 86.

 

 

32.MICHAEL JACKSON'S COMPLETE GUIDE TO SINGLE MALT SCOTCH Fully Revised 7th edition. (DK, 2015, 448 pages, ISBN 978-1-4654-3798-3, $25 US hard covers) has been expanded by 112 pages since the 1999 edition. It was originally known as MALT WHISKY COMPANION. This Companion was first available in 1989, so it has been around for 26 years now. Regular

revision has enhanced the late Jackson's status; this is the world's best selling book on malt whisky. There are over 1000 tasting notes, reviewing the latest releases from every distillery in Scotland (plus a few from offshore in Ireland, Japan, Sweden, Germany, India, and Australia –  but not Cape Breton. Included are bottlings from closed distilleries and some rediscoveries. The first 70 pages here bring us up to speed on malt whisky, including "what's new?" (e.g., micro-distilleries, wood finishes, cask strengths, vintages and single casks, and unchillfiltered). Then, there is the A-Z listing of single malts. The range is from Aberfeldy to Tullibardine. For each is given the usual names and numbers, websites, history, house style, tasting notes for each label and brand (colour, nose, body, palate, finish, score). The good stuff is scored over 70, the exceptional drink is in the 80s, while the 90s are for the greats. These

scores are not indexed, so you have to skim through the whole book to find the "best" malts. I'll tell you now that The Macallan 1824 Sienna rates a 91, while there is Highland Park 18 year old (92) and Lagavulin 12 year old (91), Lagavulin 2014 distilled 1995 (93), and Springbank 21 year old (91). There is also a bibliography and an index.

Nova Scotia's Glenora Distillery's Glen Breton once rated a few encouraging lines but a score of only 71 in the past. It is no longer in the book. Because of the need for colour in the label reproductions, the pages are thick and the book is exceedingly heavy. Not a bedside winner for the faint. In addition, there is no index to the rating numbers, nor are price ranges quoted. Quality/Price rating: 91.

 

 

33.COMPLETE CHINESE COOKBOOK (Firefly Books, 2011, 2015, 352 pages, ISBN 978-1-77085-583-0, $29.95 CAD soft covers) is by prolific chef-cookbook author Ken Hom. He's sold over 2 million cookbooks over the past 35 years, as well as appearing on many TV cooking series. This is a group of 250 or so recipes, co-published in the UK by BBC Books. It is a paperback reprint of the 2011 hard covers book. There's a primer on ingredients, equipment, techniques, menus, and how to eat Chinese food. The range is from apps through desserts, although Hom does discourse on yin, yang, and yin yang. Overall, it is a basic book, emphasizing that Chinese food is healthy, modestly priced, and quick and easy. So it fits today's trends. Preps are sourced from all different regions such as Cantonese, Hong Kong, Szechuan, and more. Try curried vegetarian spring rolls, Beijing-braised lamb, cold marinated peanuts, walnut chicken, paper-wrapped chicken, or stir fried spinach with garlic. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is also a table of equivalents. Good layout, interesting photography, and large typeface. Quality/price rating: 88.

 

 

34.BETTY CROCKER GLUTEN-FREE BAKING (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015, 384 pages, ISBN 978-0-544-57920-0, $22.99 US paper covers) has about 230 recipes for all meals, both sweet and savoury. It is loaded with tips and photos to make life easier, presented in a succinct style of tables. Just about everything is covered, and you can, with comfort and ease, make your own variations. There are a couple of gluten-free flour blends, but mostly they fall under the Betty Crocker (TM) banner (e.g. the BC GF yellow cake mix, the all purpose rice flour blend, the devil's food cake mix, or the Biquick (TM) gluten- free mix). Nothing wrong with that since most feel comfortable with a pre-mix, one that will work. Overall, I think the cookies work best. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are tables of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 86.

 

 

 

35.LANCASTER CENTRAL MARKET COOKBOOK (Good Books, 2015, 284 pages, ISBN 978-1-68099-066-9, $19.99 US paper covers) has been pulled together by Phyllis Good. It's the 25th Anniversary Edition of The Central Market Cookbook, it's former title. This now is an expanded collection, now updated with new recipes and revisions, and contributions from the "new" current standholders. The Lancaster Central Market was founded in 1730; it is the oldest continually run farmers' market in the US, just off the main square in Lancaster, PA. It operates Tuesday, Friday and Saturday with a mix of local organic farmers, truck patch gardeners, bakers, butchers, cheese-makers, and cooks from local kitchens who bring their fully prepared food to sell. 25 years ago one of the sellers collected her fave recipes, and a book of 300 preps was issued. It now has 300, ranging from pumpkin cream soup to lamb balls with sour cream and capers, to scallops and pasta Romano, espresso mousse, and strawberry snowbank pie. Good had previously written the bestselling "Fix-It and Forget-It" cookbook series; in her youth she worked at the market and now still shops weekly at the market. The range covers apps to desserts, and is distinctly family oriented. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 87.

 

 

36.THE COMPLETE WILD GAME COOKBOOK (Robert Rose, 2015, 384 pages, ISBN 978-0-7788-0516-8, $39.95 CAN paper covers) is by Jean-Paul Grappe, chef and owner of four restaurants. It was originally published in French in Montreal in 2008. It is an all-in-one game book, with advice on preparing the flesh of game birds (half the book) such as duck, goose, grouse, ptarmigan, partridge, quail, pheasant, turkey and others. The other half deals with game animals such as moose, caribou, wild boar, bison, muskox, bear, beaver, rabbit and more. Quite thorough: they only thing lacking are game sausages, although there are patties and terrines. There are also preps included for gravies, broths, marinades and glazes. Related preps include pairing with wines and wild plants and mushrooms. Each recipe such as the roasted American Black duck with root veggies or the filet of Virginia deer on gingerbread loaf with confit of onions and fava beans comes with a variety of tips and variations. The photography is first-rate. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements with no need for a table of equivalents. Quality/price rating: 89.

 

 

 

37.THE ESSENTIAL AYURVEDIC COOKBOOK (Robert Rose, 2015, 352 pages, ISBN 978-0-7788-0513-7, $27.95 CAN soft covers) is by Lois A. Leonhardi, a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner and educator who creates individual diet/exercise programs. Portions of the book were previously published as East Well, Be Well in 2013. Here are 200 basic recipes for health/wellness/balance. It addresses dietary needs for omnivores, vegetarians, gluten-free, soy-free and dairy-free individuals. Her approach is breezy in style, and it is written for the modern day life of millennials (dare I say it?) with busy lifestyles who need to save time, make food ahead, get organized, and find essential ingredients rapidly at grocers. Knowledge of ayurvedic principles is not required. The first 100 pages concern the ayurvedic life (five elements, twenty qualities, three doshas, six tastes), followed by pantry/larder material. The preps are arranged mainly by meal time, breakfast through to end-of-day snacks. Typical are amaranth crepes with pomegranate syrup, endive with honeyed goat cheese, lavender essence tea bread, and ginger salmon hand rolls. Each prep has tips and variations, with their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements. Quality/price rating: 88.

 

 

 

38.BEST OF BRIDGE HOME COOKING (Robert Rose, 2015, 360 pages, ISBN 978-0-7788-0514-4, $29.95 CAN spiral bound) is by the "Best of Bridge" team (over 4 million sold). These are the tried and true classics for the home, a sort of first cookbook choice for those setting up their first kitchen. Comfort food like you would not believe (hot sausage sandwiches, chicken tacos, poached eggs, creamy tuna pasta bake, carrot raisin muffins – 250 recipes are here. Plus advice on quick meal preparation and shopping. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements. Quality/price rating: 86.

 

 

 

----------------------------------------------------

Chimo! www.deantudor.com

WORLD WINE WATCH (LCBO VINTAGES TIP SHEET) FOR JANUARY 9, 2016

 

WORLD WINE WATCH (LCBO VINTAGES TIP SHEET) FOR  JANUARY 9, 2016

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

By DEAN TUDOR, Gothic Epicures Writing deantudor@deantudor.com. Creator of Canada's award-winning wine satire site at http://fauxvoixvincuisine.blogspot.com. My Internet compendium "Wines, Beers and Spirits of the Net", a guide to thousands of news items and RSS feeds, plus references to wines, beers and spirits, has been at www.deantudor.com since 1994. My LCBO tastings are based on MVC (Modal Varietal Character); ratings are QPR (Quality-to-Price Ratio). Prices are LCBO retail. Only my top rated wines are here.

 

NOTE: The LCBO does NOT put out all of the wines of the release for wine writers or product consultants. Corked wines are not normally available for a re-tasting. It is getting more difficult to endorse wines under $20 for the simple reason that the LCBO does not release many of them into the Vintages program, ones that can be deemed to be worthy of your consideration. So I will now just ADD some "under $25" suggestions, along with point values.

 

 

====?>>> ** BEST WINE VALUE OF THE RELEASE *UNDER* $20

 

Ramirez de la Piscina Crianza 2011 Rioja, +383018, $15.95: a very well priced woodsy crianza, full of tempranillo fruit. In oak for 15 months (more than the required six). QPR: 91.

 

 

TOP VALUE WHITE WINES under $25:

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

1.Studert-Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese 2011 Mosel, +912659, $24.95. QPR: 89.

2.Featherstone Black Sheep Riesling 2014 VQA Niagara Peninsula, +80234, $16.95: lovely complex wine, crisp lemon acidity with body but off-dry on the finish, twist top, overwhelming but underpriced. Not as (M) as indicated in LCBO catalogue. 9.5% ABV. QPR: 89.

3.Catena Alamos Torrontes 2015 Salta, +81539, $14.95: the wine of Toronto, useful around the fireplace to evoke memories of summer. 13.5% ABV, off-dry mode, twist top. QPR: 88.

4.Middle-Earth Sauvignon Blanc 2014 Nelson, +391987, $17.95: very good consistent MVC kiwi savvy, well-priced for value. Twist top. QPR: 88.

5.Mulderbosch Chenin Blanc 2015, +675421, $14.95: nice chenin floral flavours, backed up by orchard fruit with a lemony finish. QPR: 88.

6.Saint-Roch Vieilles Vignes Grenache Blanc/Rousanne Cotes du Roussillon 2014, +175232, $16.95: nifty and compact white Rhone with low yields, longer finish with older vines, very goof price. 13% ABV. QPR: 88.

7.Lingenfelder Bird Label Riesling 2013 Pfalz, +568634, +$14.95: very popularly priced Germaan riesling, consistent with light and soft tones yet 11.5% ABV and twist top. Not (M) in taste. QPR: 88.

 

TOP VALUE RED WINES under $25:

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

1.Foris Pinot Noir 2012 Rogue Valley Oregon, +937128, $24.95. QPR: 89.

2.Chateau Blaignan 2010 Medoc, +400606, $23.95. QPR: 90.

3.Bod. Ateca Honoro Vera Garnacha 2013, +432997, $15.95: "Garnacha of the month at the LCBO". QPR: 89.

4.Valpantena Valpolicela Ripasso 2013, +429928, $15.95: "Ripasso of the month at the LCBO". QPR: 89.

5.Matane Primitivo 2013 IGT Puglia, +434290, $14.95: "Primitivo of the month at the LCBO". QPR: 88.

6.Chateau d'Aydie L'origine Madiran 2012, +343566, $14.95: charming black fruit on the mid-palate, but the tannat grape gives it some substance and longer length for food. QPR: 88.

7.Chateau des Aladeres Selection Vieilles Vignes 2012 Corbieres, +431726, $14.95: leather notes and a charmer for dark and concentrated flavours. QPR: 88.

8.Indomita Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Maipo, +434191, $15.95: loaded with cabby flavours, very tasty, cassis and mint, wood tones of toast. 14% ABV, cork closure. QPR: 88.

9.Zuccardi Santa Julia Magna 2013 Mendoza, +93799, $14.95: great blend of cabernet sauvignon (50%), malbec (40%) and syrah (10%), twist top, 14% ABV. Emphasis on red fruit. QPR: 88.

 

VALUE: "RESTAURANT READY" or "BRING YOUR OWN WINE BOTTLE" over $25 RETAIL

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Restaurants should consider offering these FINE VALUE wines at a $10 markup over retail; the wines are READY to enjoy right NOW. Consumers should buy these wines to bring to restaurants with corkage programs.

 

1.Te Kairanga Pinot Noir 2013 Martinborough, +744946, $26.95 retail.

2.Caiarossa Pergolaia 2008 IGT Toscana, +424333, $34.95.

3.Allende 2007 Rioja, +954560, $29.95.

Chimo! www.deantudor.com

Re: * DRINK BOOK OF THE MONTH! *

Whoop! Thank you!!!!!!

>�
>1.BEER BITES (Chronicle Books, 2015, 168 pages, ISBN 978-1-4521-3524-3, $24.95 US soft
>covers) is by Christian DeBenedetti and Andrea Slonecker. He's a food and drinks writer
>(The Great American Ale Trail) and brewery owner; she's a cookbook writer (Eggs on Top)
>and food editor. Together they have produced about 65 recipes for beer pairings, ranging
>from snacks to major dishes. Plus several desserts. Each recipe comes with at least five
>recommended beers from specified named breweries. They've got introductory material on
>how to taste beer and the principles of food matching. Each prep comes with extensive
>notes on how to match beers to the flavours. It is arranged by beer style, so
>neighbouring preps can be close to similar beers listed for other recipes. First up in
>"crisp & clean" as in lagers, "fruit & spice", "hoppy & herbal", "sour &
>complex", "malty, rich & sweet", and "deep, roasty & smoky" (stout territory).
>Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements;
>there is no table of equivalents.
>Audience and level of use: beer drinkers, those interested in matching beer to food.
>Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: duck carnitas nachos; sweet corn griddle
>cakes; Irish oatcakes; smoked trout board with cabbages; chicken hearts!; hoisin-glazed
>pork belly lettuce wraps with daikon carrots; seafood ceviche with crunchy quinoa.
>The downside to this book: I wanted more.
>The upside to this book: quite a series of complex matches, first rate job!
>Quality/Price Rating: 92.
>�
>Chimo! www.deantudor.com



Cheers,
Danielle Johnson ~ Senior Publicist
Raincoast Books
2440 Viking Way Richmond, BC V6V 1N2
604 448 7163

raincoast.com
facebook.com/raincoastbooks
twitter.com/raincoastbooks

DRINK BOOK OF THE MONTH: THE SPIRITS (Square Peg, 2015, 320 pages, $35.99 CAN is by Richard Godwin

1.THE SPIRITS (Square Peg, 2015, 320 pages, ISBN 978-0-22410118-9 $35.99 CAN hard covers) is by Richard Godwin, a UK newspaper features editor with a blog called The Spirits. It is a very nifty book about the life of "cocktailing", citing F. Scott Fitzgerald's use of "to cocktail" as a verb in 1928. Like many such cocktail books, there are classic preps, contemporary preps, and classic-with-contemporary-spin preps. What sets this book apart is his writing style and adamant feeling that the ability to make a good cocktail will never be a waste of time. He tears apart the champagne cocktail (and rightly so: "no classic is quite so poorly designed as this"). After the classics, it is all arranged by technique: the stirred, the shaken, the long, the occasional, the invented. He also covers hangovers, hosting, and ingredients for the bar. Preparations have their ingredients listed in metric measurements, but there is no table of equivalents. Very handy are the ten basic ratios for making your own cocktails. There is an index to all major drinks and their variants.

Audience and level of use: those looking for a stylish cocktail manual.

Some interesting or unusual facts: he presents the cocktailing day, beginning at 7AM with corpse reviver #2, 8 AM's English breakfast martini, the 9 AM bloody mary, the 10 AM sherry cobbler, and so on through to the 11 PM sazerac and the midnight champagne cocktail. If you are up all night, the nuclear daiquiri at 2 AM might be good, or the espresso martini at 4 AM. Anyway, he's got a drink for every hour.

The downside to this book: some people may not appreciate the fact that there is not a single photo of any drink, and the generic line drawings are just that. But I don't care – it is some relief that they are not there.

The upside to this book: there is a chapter on the 25 classics: at number 20 is the Gin & It.

Quality/Price Rating: 90.

 

Chimo! www.deantudor.com

* FOOD BOOK OF THE MONTH! * GROWING TOMORROW (The Experiment, 2015, 304 pages, $24.95 US by Forrest Pritchard

GROWING TOMORROW (The Experiment, 2015, 304 pages, ISBN 978-1-61519-284-7, $24.95 US hard covers) is by Forrest Pritchard, author of the best-selling GAINING GROUND and a seventh-generation farmer. This book grew out of readers' letters to that book: where are these farms and what doe they do and sell? A lot of people came together for log rolling: Batali, Ruhlman, Burros, Marion Nestle and nine others (including a Deborah Madison forward). It is a farm-to-table journey in photos and recipes with behind the scenes accounts of 18 sustainable farmers on family farms who are changing the way Americans eat. Every US region is covered: the west, the southwest, the southeast, the midwest, and the northwest. Each farm is described, with material about the farm, photos, pithy quotes, web sites, addresses and contact names, hours, how to buy, etc. Not every farm is organic but all of them follow sustainable, natural practices as much as possible. There is a honeybee farm, goat dairy, berries, orchards, veggies, mushrooms, grains, and mixed. One of my fave stories is about D-Town Farm in the middle of Detroit (I saw a documentary about them at DevourFest last year): they do veggies, honey and compost. They also give employment to many of the city's blacks. At the back there is a directory and metric conversion charts. As well, there is a brief guide to blanching and canning.

Audience and level of use: those concerned about the food that we eat.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: from D-Town Farms – tomato sauce from scratch, full-flavored collard greens; from Potomac Vegetable Farms – pear-cucumber-sesame slaw; from Nichols Farm and Orchard – fresh linguine with spring radishes and peas; from Hayton Farms Berries – raspberry beer cocktail, blueberry salsa.

The downside to this book: no overall index to tie in thoughts and stories.

The upside to this book: while there is no overall index, there is an index to the recipes.

Quality/Price Rating: 92.

 

Chimo! www.deantudor.com

* 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 –

 

 

9.HEARTLANDIA (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015, 304 pages, ISBN 978-0-544-36377-9, $30 US hard covers) is by Adam and Jackie Sappington, chefs are various restaurants including Portland's Wildwood Restaurant. They now own and run The Country Cat Dinner House in Portland. Ashley Garland, a writer and cookbook author, has assisted them. There's a lot of the inevitable log rolling, including the Lee Brothers from Charleston. The 80 recipes here reflect heritage cuisine from the rustic American heartland. He's a skilled butcher, she's a skilled pastry chef. So these are some of the largest chapters in the book, reflecting the dishes available at the restaurant but written with the home cook in mind. Like man of these books, the arrangement begins with breakfast, and then moves through garden food, soups and stews, finger food, seafood, poultry, and meats. Finishing with desserts and drinks and preserves. Try autumn squash soup with apple cider and brown butter, bread-pudding stuffed lamb shoulder, or free form apple pie. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 87.

 

 

 

10.A REAL SOUTHERN COOK IN HER SAVANNAH KITCHEN (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015, 272 pages, ISBN 978-0-544-38768-3, $25 US hard covers) is by Dora Charles, who has worked for Paula Deen for 22 years in staffing and managing. She became the first woman kitchen manager at the restaurant Lady & Sons in Savannah. Log rollers include the Lee Brothers and Nathalie Dupree. It is a very personal book, with such family recipes as parched peanuts, fried green tomatoes, and Savannah red rice. She has a local spin on fried spareribs with Savannah seasoning, green pea salad with dill, and cheesy meatloaf with mushrooms. Arrangement begins with breakfast, moving on to breads, dinner, stews, fish, picnics and church suppers, company entertaining, sides and desserts. Extremely heart food. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 87.

 

 

 

11.MARTHA STEWART'S APPETIZERS (Clarkson Potter, 2015, 256 pages, ISBN 978-0-307-95462-6, $27.50 US hard covers) is yet another updated revision of Hors d'Oeuvres [sic] which was originally published in 1984. In 1999 it became Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres [sic] Handbook which was larger and had more ideas. Now this new collection has been recast into 200 recipes spread around 4 food chapters (about 50 preps each): snacks, starters, small plates, and stylish bites. The fifth chapter covers sips (30 beverage preps), and there are the basic techniques of party planning. With your own series of innovations and variations, this book is virtually complete – until the next round of new dishes or preps. Every small thing of course looks great in their photos. The book is a caterer's dream. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 87.

 

 

 

12.THE COMPLETE COOK'S COUNTRY TV SHOW COOKBOOK (America's Test Kitchen, 2015, 564 pages, ISBN 978-1-940352-17-6, $29.95 US paper covers) is from the popular PBS TV show of the same name. It's a spin-off from America's Test Kitchen; it is filmed in a renovated 1806 farmhouse in Vermont and complements Cook's Country magazine. All eight seasons of the show are here: it has 300 US recipes (every prep on the show), every ingredient testing, and every equipment rating. It is, of course, American cooking with ethnic possibilities of Tex-Mex and Italian. At the back there is a listing of their fave equipment, packaged food, and an episode directory to each show. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are tables of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 90.

 

 

 

13.MY PANTRY (Pam Krauss Books, 2015; distr. Penguin Random House Canada, 144 pages, ISBN 978-0-8041-8528-8, $24.99 US hard covers) is by Alice Waters and her daughter, art historian-curator Fanny Singer. It's a book about making a well-stocked pantry/larder, preserving seasonal foods for flavours to augment simple meals for elegance and flair. It is a good book for those who really cook from scratch. In addition to preserving, their preps include infusing, pickling, making cheese, roasting nuts, conditioning spices, and so forth. At the back, Waters has a list of cookbooks that have had an impact on her pantry skills. It is all arranged by topic, beginning with condiments and spice mixtures, moving through beans and legumes, whole grains, and sweets. They've got some slow roasted nuts with sage leaves, beans cooked over the fire, stocks of course, brandade, brandied cherries, panforte, and ricotta – 68 in all. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 89.

 

 

 

14.HEALTHY JAPANESE COOKING (Quadrille, 2015, 128 pages, ISBN 978-1-84949-669-8, $19.95 US soft covers) is by Makiko Sano, owner of Suzu in London, which specializes in Japanese small plates (mainly sushi and sashimi). Her first book, published last year, was Sushi Slim. She's been doing more vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan recipes. Here she has 70 simple and healthy preps, and she includes many raw options as well. Her book is based on the principles of shoku-iku (healthy foods to cook and eat). Meals should include five colours, five tastes and textures, and come from one of the five food groups. And there are five easy ways to cook: simmer, steam, broil, grill and fry – no oven is required. It is a good philosophy that works. Gorgeous photos, including some technique ones. Try the full Japanese garden breakfast, or the squash of plenty or the sweet potato treat. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements. Quality/price rating: 89.

 

 

 

15.BATTERSBY (Grand Central Life & Style, 2015, 336 pages, ISBN 978-1-4555-5332-7, $35 US hard covers) is by Josephy Ogrodnek and Walker Stern, chef-owners of Brooklyn's Battersby and Dover restaurants. They are joined by food collaborator Andrew Friedman, winner of two IACP awards for his cookbook collaborations. It is an impressive collection of the major dishes served at Battersby, developed for the home kitchen. They emphasize that their own open kitchen is small (4 x 6), so we at home can do it too. It just takes strategy and make-aheads and a pantry/larder. Most recipes begin with "to prep" instructions and then "to serve" the range is from openers (breads, snacks) to desserts, with concluding sections on basic techniques and sources. Gorgeous photography and superb notes about the restaurant, a must purchase for their fans. Included are cocetel de Mariscos, gougeres with sauce mornay, bucatini with fennel sausage ragu, grilled mackerel with summer veggie salsa, and roasted broccoli with watercress, lemon and pecorino. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 88,

 

 

 

16.THE KITCHEN ORCHARD (Ebury Press, 2014, 272 pages, ISBN 9780091957582, $53.95 CAN hard covers) is by Natalia Conroy, who worked at The River Cafe in London. She has some immense UK log rolling from Claudia Roden, Ruth Rogers, and Nigella Lawson. It is basically book about eating out of your fridge/pantry/larder with some help from leftovers. Her subtitle is "fridge foraging and simple feasts". The preps are arranged by topic, beginning with "top vegetable drawer" (parsley, garlic, basil, dill, mint) and moving on to "bottom vegetable drawer" (apples, lemons, rosemary, sage, thyme, bay), "fridge door" (eggs, milk, cream, sour cream) and ending with the pantry (spices, seeds, anchovies, dried mushrooms, capers, mustard, vinegar). A very good novel idea for a book, resulting in Swiss chard-rosemary-white bean soup, ricotta-lemon-polenta teacakes, carrot-yoghurt-cumin soup, and banana-cinnamon-pineapple bread. Preparations have their ingredients listed in metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of  equivalents. All ingredients are listed in a different ink colour and are underscored as to quantities. Quality/price rating: 88.

 

 

 

17.ALPINE COOKBOOK (DK,2015, 224 pages, ISBN 978-1-4654-3795-2, $22 US hard covers) is by Hans Gerlach, a chef in Michelin-starred restaurants. He grew up in the Alps, and here he has updated his fave mountain dishes, lightening them to be more healthy but still retaining their authenticity in taste. This is comfort food from the mountains, featuring a heavily Teutonic influence but covering north Italy, Provence Alps, Slovenian mountains, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, et al. Classics include gateau au fromage, schnitzel, potato pancakes, Suure Mocke (Swiss sauerbraten), regional specialties of brotsuppe and chrut gipfeli, pastries and dumplings, and even freshwater fish (a rarity in mountains). Preparations have their ingredients listed in metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of equivalents. A good idea for a cookbook. Quality/price rating: 87.

 

 

 

18.MICHAEL SYMON'S 5 IN 5 FOR EVERY SEASON (Clarkson Potter, 2015, 256 pages, ISBN 978-0-8041-8656-8, $19.99 US paper covers) is by an Iron Chef who is also the co-host the The Chew and host of All-Star Academy; he also owns a string of restaurants. His focusing co-author is Douglas Trattner. These are 165 quick dinners, sides and holiday dishes, made from scratch with 5 fresh ingredients and 5 minutes of heat. It is a follow-up to his previous book: this one is organized by season (spring through winter), and includes preps for no-bake summer fruit desserts and wintertime spiked drinks. The last chapter concerns holidays, and it is especially welcomed since that usually means a crowd. It is a boon for the harried. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 86.

 

 

 

 

19.BAKING (Ten Speed Press, 2015, 158 pages, ISBN 978-1-60774-801-4, $22.99 US hard covers) is by Food52, an online community for cooks with more than 30,000 recipes and a hotline. It has won Beard and IACP Awards for its website. Here the editors of Food52 produce a book that has "60 sensational treats you can pull off in a snap" – or a mouse click in time. Its arranged by format: breakfast goods, cookies and bars, fruit desserts, custards, cakes, and savoury (grilled flatbreads, crackers, popovers). There's one gluten-free: lemon blackberry corn cake which also uses tapioca flour. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 85.

 

 

 

20.THE CHILI COOKBOOK (Ten Speed Press, 2015, 194 pages, ISBN 978-1-60774-795-6, $18.99 US hard covers) is by Robb Walsh, a food writer (three-time Beard Award winner) who also co-owns El Real Tex-Mex Cafe in Houston. It is a basic book, but concentrates solely on chili: one-pots containing three-bean to four-alarm and con carne to vegetarian. He covers 500 years of chili history, from the Aztec period through Route 66. His many preps include lamb chili, pork chili, chicken, shrimp, lobster, meatless and also include global look alikes in Hungarian goulash, Pakistani keema, tagine, and Greek spaghetti sauce. Some recipes do well in the slow cooker, and these are indicated with an icon. He's got Christmas in New Mexico and chili in smokers, as well as modern calorie/fat conscious styles and vegetarian chili. There is also a concluding chapter on how to throw a chili party. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 88.

 

 

21.THE VIOLET BAKERY COOKBOOK (Ten Speed Press, 2015, 272 pages, ISBN 978-1-60774-671-3, $29.99 US hard covers) is by Claire Ptak, once pastry chef at Chez Panisse before opening Violet Bakery in Hackney, east London (2010). She's also a food writer and stylist for the US and UK press, with three cookbooks to her credit. Her more than 100 recipes here are largely unpretentious, simple to cook and satisfying to eat. The arrangement is by time of day: morning, midday, afternoon, evening, and party time. She's got chapters on her pantry and on foraging. Most everything is sweet, but there are some enticing savouries too, such as braised fennel-olive-caper bread pudding, mozzarella-rosemary-new potato tarts, and cheddar and green onion toastie with quince jelly. Most preps can be scaled since the preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements. But there is no overall table of equivalents. Quality/price rating: 87.

 

 

 

 

22.BRUNCH @ BOBBY'S (Clarkson Potter, 2015, 256 pages, ISBN 978-0-385-34589-7, $29.99 US hard covers) is by Bobby Flay, owner of five NYC restaurants and a burger chain. As well, he's a host-chef of many TV cooking shows, including Brunch@Bobby's; this book accompanies that series with 140 recipes ranging from coffee, tea and cocktails to pancakes, egg dishes, pastries, breads, French toast, sandwiches, fruit dishes, and some savoury side dishes such as peach and arugula salad with pancetta and gorgonzola, rosemary home fries, tomato strata, fried green onions, and other grilled or fried delights. He's also got eight menus at the back, including some suggestions for a Southwest brunch, an Italian brunch, French, spa, New England, and chocolate. Pretty comprehensive. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 87.

 

 

23.PASTA (Quadrille, 2014, 224 pages, ISBN 978-1-84949-664-3, $39.95 CAN hard covers0 is by Antonio Carluccio, owner of Carluccio's Caffes in London. He's written 15 cookbooks for Quadrille. This one celebrates classic pasta: the different types, the correct sauce with the correct pasta, fresh pasta with step-by=step photos of techniques, variations on classics, and regional specialties. The first 50 pages is all about pasta; this is followed by the recipes. These are arranged by course: pasta in brodo, pasta asciutta (sauces), filled pastas, baked, salads, leftovers, and desserts. There are over 600 shapes and sizes, but he covers most of them through the 100 preps. A very yummy book, with such as tripoline all amatriciana, pappardelle con ragu soffritto (lamb offal), pinci con ragu di cinghiale (wild boar), and mafalde con broccolo romanesco. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements; thus there is no table of equivalents. Quality/price rating: 88.

 

 

24.FARMHOUSE RULES (Grand Central Life & Style, 2015, 284 pages, ISBN 978-1-4555-3105-9, $30 US hard covers) is by Nancy Fuller, hostess of the highly rated Food Network show of the same name. It is a family book, crammed with 120 recipes for simple, seasonal and healthy food such as butter braised radishes, three-layer cheese and vegetable terrine, and farmer's fish stew. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 86.

 

 

25.LAURA IN THE KITCHEN (Clarkson Potter, 2015, 240 pages, ISBN 978-0-8041-8713-8, $24.99 US hard covers) is by Laura Vitale, host of the eponymous cooking channel on YouTube, receiving more than 8 million monthly video views. She also has a show on the Cooking Channel. It is a good book for her fans as it promotes fave Italian-American recipes done in an quick and easy style. There are opening sections on pantry and cooking basics, followed by "quick-fix suppers", leisurely entrees, "super-simple salads and sides", desserts, cookies, and easy breakfasts/brunches. Typical are pasta al forno with veggie sugo, bow-ties with peas and ham, marsala mushrooms, and calamari puttanesca. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are tables of metric equivalents. And hooray – this is one of the very few American cookbooks with conversion charts! Quality/price rating: 86.

 

 

26.SATURDAY KITCHEN SUPPERS (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2014, 240 pages, ISBN 978-0-29786-912-2, $38 CAN hard covers) is from the BBC cooking show, Saturday Kitchen. It has been running for over eight years, with guests chefs, cooks and hosts. It draws over 3 million viewers. Here are 100 seasonal recipes for weekday suppers, family meals, and dinner party showstoppers. It is arranged by season, from spring onward, with drink notes from Suzy Atkins. Each prep has been credited to a chef. Occasionally menus are introduced as are pantry items. And there is a fabric ribbon bookmark. Typical are grouse with pumpkin and sunchokes, pistachio souffles, and pheasant with cavolo nero and chestnut stuffing. No slouches here. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no overall table of equivalents. Quality/price rating: 88.

 

 

27.PRASHAD AT HOME (Saltyard Book Co., 2015, 258 pages, ISBN 978-1-444-73474-4, $45 CAN hard covers) is by Kaushy Patel, an owner of Prashad in the UK. It is her second book, and this time deals with a vegetarian kitchen. There is an air of fusion as there are Italian and Chinese influences here, but times have changed and what we eat should suit our lifestyles. The 100 preps include desserts as well. The range is from light lunches through speedy and/or slow suppers. Pantry matters are dealt with, as well as teas. Typical are green chilli pizza toast, Indo-Italian macaroni cheese, paneer ravioli, Indo-Hakka street food noodles, Manchurian cabbage dough balls, and even Indo-Mexican veggie enchiladas. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no overall table of equivalents. Quality/price rating: 88.

 

 

 

28.ASIAN-AMERICAN (Grand Central Life & Style, 2015, 224 pages, ISBN 978-1-4555-8526-7, $32 US hard covers) is by Dale Talde (owner of Talde in Brooklyn) with focusing food writer J.J. Goode. Its subtitle says it all: "proudly inauthentic recipes from the Philippines to Brooklyn". Talde was born in Chicago to Filipino parents. He grew up with American fast food and Filipino food. His restaurant combines both: his influences come from diners, gyro shops, Polish delis, taquerias, burger joints, and Chinese spots (among others). So he will do Sichuan versions of chicken wings, a brunch bowl of ramen noodles, buttered toast, bacon and egg. Vietnamese pot roast (almost pot de feu) and other mixes. He admits that this is a sauce-heavy book on purpose: the key to Asian-American blends is in the sauce. Try the everything roti bread or pad thai with bacon. Yum. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 90.

 

 

29.VEGAN STREET FOOD (Ryland Peters and Small, 208 pages, ISBN 978-1-84975-650-1, $21.95 US hard covers) is by Jackie Kearney, a top-4 finalist in BBC One's MasterChef 2011. She's been doing food trucks and pop-ups, specializing in International vegetarian and vegan food with a spicy finish. She takes her inspiration from the fact that most of the food in South-East Asia is dairy- and meat-free. It is but one more step to make it all vegan as well. She's got three chapters: India and Sri Lanka for one (with deep-fried fritters and fiery pickles), Thai-Laos-Vietnam for another (with creamy curries and hot and sour soups), and Indonesia and Malaysia for the third (veggie dumplings and spicy sambal). Absolutely delicious and satisfying food, with different heat and spice levels. It is sure to be a winner at home. 92 recipes of Asian street food, including snacks. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both avoirdupois and metric measurements, but there is no overall table of equivalents. Quality/price rating: 89.

 

 

 

 

 

30.THE HOW CAN IT BE GLUTEN-FREE COOKBOOK, v2 (America's Test Kitchen, 2015, 318 pages, ISBN 978-1-936493-98-2, $26.95 US paper covers) is from the America's Test Kitchen series of cookbooks (this is one of the Handbook Series). Volume one was enormously successful, so here is more of the same, with 190 all-new recipes featuring a new whole-grain flour blend, some dairy-free variations, and the usual nutritional data for every recipe (but why are all of the recipes in avoirdupois while all of the data are in metric?). This makes no sense, but certainly the ATK is "American" so it must use American measurements, and not that silly foreign metric stuff. This does not take anything away from the recipes, but surely they could have done a better job of displaying ingredient measures for their global sales. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but at least there are conversion tables. Try the new sandwich bread whole-grain texture, or any of the 75 dairy-free recipes. The good thing about ATK is that they tell you "why this recipe works" and deal with various lab testing reports. The range here includes comfort foods, mains, pizza, crackers, cookies, bars, fruit desserts, pies, cakes, and tarts. Quality/price rating: 88.

 

Chimo! www.deantudor.com

GOOD FOOD AND DRINK BOOKS THIS MONTH

 

 

3.WINTER CABIN COOKING (Ryland Peters & Small, 2015, 176 pages, ISBN 978-1-84975-660-0, $24.95 US hard covers) is by Lizzie Kamenetzky, a UK food stylist and food editor who is now freelance in the culinary field. It's a book of substantial food, particularly stuff that can be done by guys: gluhwein, fondue, strudels, dumplings all come to mind. Preps can be left to simmer or bake, and keep the cabin warm. I did not see anything specifically meant for a fireplace such as a wiener or marshmallow roast, but there are stews and soups that can be made in the dying embers, with a pot of course. The chapters are arranged by type, with dumplings and noodles, soups and stews, cheese, brunch and small plates, meats, desserts, and of course drinks such as hot toddies. Very Teutonic, to go with the Alps. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.

Audience and level of use: skiers, chalet lovers, winter freaks.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: parmesan and ricotta cheesecake; brisolee; Tiroler grostl; poached salmon with green mayonnaise; rosti; schnitzel with warm potato salad; cassoulet.

The downside to this book: a lot of superfluous outdoor winter photos made me feel cold; the space could have been used by more food shots.

The upside to this book: it is mostly about mountain food and cabins and skiing and the need for hearty food.

Quality/Price Rating: 88.

 

 

 

 

4.FRESH MADE SIMPLE (Storey Publishing, 2015, 200 pages, ISBN 978-1-61212-608-1, $18 US hard covers) is by Lauren K. Stein, food writer in the Boston area (Eat Boutique). She advocates using everyday but favourite foods in creative combinations, to make drinks, dressings, snacks, desserts, and light meals. Fave foods might include avocado, ricotta, eggs, pineapple, almonds, spinach, chocolate, coconut. She proposes that you mix and match 75 veggie-centric recipes to create dozes of delightful dishes. The illustrations, by Katie Eberts, are fabulous, and clearly show the visual approach to cooking needed, with drawings and arrows and the briefest of texts. Quantities are roughly specified so it doesn't matter with metric or avoirdupois measurements. Perfect for the millennials. There is even a section at the back on how to enlarge a meal by adding steak or chorizo or salmon, bacon, grilled chicken. Some good ideas.

Audience and level of use: millennials, young cooks.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: herb butter; pineapple cilantro salsa; fried plantains with avocado feta mash; goat cheese and caramelized onion quesadilla.

The downside to this book: I could have used more ideas and drawings for a more complete book, but that which is here is value for the price.

The upside to this book: there are some afterthoughts on how to be more creative, with pages and pages of non-illustrated ideas.

Quality/Price Rating: 88.

 

 

 

5.THE HOMEMADE KITCHEN (Clarkson Potter, 2015, 320 pages, ISBN 978-0-385-34615-3, $24.99 US paper covers) is by Alana Chernila, a cookbook author (The Homemade Pantry) and cheese maker. It has been log rolled by Mollie Karzen, Hugh Acheson, Katie Workman, and at least six others. She has 13 guiding principles taped to her fridge, and the book is arranged in chapters with those rules: feed yourself; put your hands in the earth; use your scraps; do your best and then let go; do the work; eat outside; invite people over; don't be afraid of food. Over the course of the book she has many stories and memoir type materials in each chapter. At the end, there is a short bibliography of helpful additional readings. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.

Audience and level of use: beginners, students, millennials.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: preserved lemon hummus; tagliatelle with fresh tomatoes; cheesy fish crackers; calzone with buttery tomato sauce; dal with radish raita; honey wheat bread.

The downside to this book: there are more self portraits than are required.

The upside to this book: good arrangement of materials.

Quality/Price Rating: 86.

 

 

6.PALEO PLANET (Harvard Common Press, 2015, 294 pages, ISBN 978-1-55832-835-2, $24.95 US paper covers) is by Becky Winkler, Boston bloggist for A Calculated Whisk. The subtitle pretty well says it all: primal foods from the global kitchen with more than 125 recipes. It is a whirlwind tour through high-protein and low-carbohydrate diets, arranged by meat, course, or meal: pantry, apps, soups, salads, poultry, beef-pork-lamb, seafood, veggies, breakfast, brunch and desserts. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a table of metric equivalents.

Audience and level of use: dieters, paleo people.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: huevos divorciados with sweet potato hash; pan-seared salmon with dukkah; citrus-braised lamb shanks with winter veggies; lega tibs; moussaka; coconut tamarind curry.

The downside to this book: most of the recipes are for dinners, but you can or should be able to scale up or down, and be inventive with sides.

The upside to this book: there are three indexes – egg-free, nut-free, and a regular recipe index.

Quality/Price Rating: 87.

 

 

7.MAKE YOUR OWN RULES COOKBOOK (Hay House, 2015, 240 pages, ISBN 978-1-4019-4436-0, $24.99 US hard covers) is by Tara Stiles, the  engaging founder of Strala Yoga and book author. Here she gives us a collection of more than 100 preps for plant-powered juices, smoothies, salads, mains, and desserts, emphasizing a healthy and green kitchen for the busy lifestyle. She's got a half dozen log rollers on board. Her own food rules follow the precept: eat what makes you feel great. And feeling great leads to looking great. The trick is to find those foods that make you feel great. Start with having what you want, and then see how you feel. Move on to other foods by paying attention to your body. Do the green kitchen (get rid of toxic cleaning products, nonstick cookware, scents, plastic containers, and the like. It will all come together in the kitchen with knives, cutting board, skillet/pan, blender, and juicer. Pay attention to the icides: herbicides and pesticides. Buy only organic. It is a healthy lifestyle and you will live longer. For more details, try her book "Make Your Own Rules Diet" (Hay House). This book is the followup, with more recipes. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.

Audience and level of use: the health conscious

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: broccoli soup; vieques salad; mushroom tacos;  rainbow ceviche; big bowl of courage; not-mushy veggie burger; coconut parfait; easy miso soup.

The downside to this book: lack of metric measurements

The upside to this book: good selection of preps and common sense approaches.

Quality/Price Rating: 86.

 

 

 

8.MENNONITE MEN CAN COOK, TOO (Good Books, 2015, 316 pages, ISBN 978-1-68099-053-9, $17.99 US hard covers) is by Willard Roth, a Mennonite church leader and a journalist who has cooked many dinners. His recipes come from his mother and grandmothers, plus food from a number of countries where he has been on mission work. He also has some recipes from a dozen male friends. Almost none of this is particularly "Mennonite" food – just some 170 recipes for guys by guys who cook. It's divided into starters, mains, sides, sweets, and seven menus utilizing the recipes (plus a few unique of their own). The menus celebrate Epiphany New Year Feast, Shrove Tuesday New Orleans Supper, Agape Bible Lands Breakfast, autumn Thanksgiving meal. The book has large print, a boon for the seniors. The recipes work, of course, and they are relatively easy to prepare. The stitching allows the book to fall open and stay flat, even in the middle. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.

Audience and level of use: guys

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: Brussels sprouts with cranberry balsamic; feather sponge cake; Parmesan stuffed mushrooms; apricot beef sweet sour soup; autumn pork stew; 5-bean sweet-sour relish; day cake; corn leek bake.

The downside to this book: many dishes could use a bit more spicing up, but then that's just me.

The upside to this book: good stories are told for each recipe.

Quality/Price Rating: 86.

 

 

 

 

9.MADE IN INDIA (Flatiron Books, 2015, 320 pages, ISBN 978-1-250-07101-9, $35 US hard covers) is by Londoner Meera Sodha; these are "recipes from an Indian family kitchen" (subtitle). Log rolling comes from Yotam Ottolenghi and Nigella Lawson; it is a UK based cookbook. It opens with the Indian primer and pantry, and then moves on to starters through the dishes of meats and veggies and sides, to chutneys and pickles, desserts and drinks. Leftovers has its own chapter. There are nine menu ideas, but with no page references to the recipe. There is also a separate chapter on wine with Indian food, and "how to eat with your hands", surely an invaluable section. The help section deals with "too much" of stuff, as in too much chili, too much salt, too much rose water, too much lemon juice, etc. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.

Audience and level of use: those wishing to learn about Indian food.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: lamb raan; love cake with cardamom and pomegranate shrikhand; golden garlic raita; coconut and tamarind chicken curry; chana dal with golden garlic tarka; eggplant and cherry tomato curry; chapati warps with spicy veggies.

The downside to this book: changing "aubergine" to "eggplant" helps Americanize the book, but its position in the index also needed to move from "A" to "E"!!

The upside to this book: section on how to eat with your hands and fingers.

Quality/Price Rating: 86.

 

 

 

 

 

10.DIY VEGAN (St. Martin's Griffin, 2015, 240 pages, ISBN 978-1-250-05871-3, $25.00 US paper covers) is by Nicole Axworthy and Lisa Pitman, who are contributing photography and food editors for VewNews magazine which addresses the vegan community worldwide. Here are about 100 easy recipes, complete with both raw and gluten-free vegan options. These preps are used to stock pantry shelves, refrigerators, and freezers: vegan milks, ice creams, and butters from nuts and seeds; home-ground flours; sauces and spreads; snack foods; home-made cheeses. Preparations have their ingredients listed in US measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.

Audience and level of use: vegans, those looking for healthy snacks.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: coconut peanut butter; nutty crispy rice squares; ketchup; cereal bars snacks; cinnamon rolls; buffalo mozzarella; French onion dip mix.

The downside to this book: I wanted more.

The upside to this book: very useful book to kick the packaged-food habit.

Quality/Price Rating: 87.

 

 

 

11.SWEET MIDDLE EAST (Chronicle Books, 2015, 168 pages, ISBN 978-1-4521-1439-2, $24.95 US hard covers) is by Lebanese-born Anissa Helou, now a UK food writer who has written many other cookbooks and food articles. These sweets are loaded with butter, nuts, honey and spices – sometimes together, sometimes separately: flaky pastries to syrup-soaked fritters. All of it is basically finger food. Along the way she also covers spiced teas/coffees and beverages, ice creams, jams and jellies. Thus, there are Turkish coffee, Turkish fritters, Turkish macaroons, Turkish pistachio cake, Turkish pistachio shortbread, Turkish saffron rice pudding, and Turkish sweet chicken pudding (boneless chicken breasts) found through chapters dealing with halva, breakfast sweets, pancakes, cookies, frozen desserts, and pastries. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of equivalents.

Audience and level of use: those with a sweet tooth or interest in Middle East food.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: see above

The downside to this book: I could not find any references to "Turkish delight", which may be more Western than Turkish.

The upside to this book: Middle East transliterations are listed in each prep, as well as in the index.

Quality/Price Rating: 89.

 

 

12.THE NEW SUGAR & SPICE; a recipe for bolder baking (Ten Speed Press, 2015, 234 pages, ISBN 978-1-60774-746-8, $27.50 US hard covers) is by Samantha Seneviratne, a food writer and stylist associated with Good Housekeeping, Fine Cooking and Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. It comes with Deborah Madison's endorsement. The author is of Sri Lankan heritage, and the desserts are thus boldly spiced (think cloves, cardamom, ginger, chile, cinnamon, nutmeg, peppercorns). In fact, her book is arranged in chapter order by these spices, with a final section on savoury herbs such as caraway, bay leaf, anise, lavender, and saffron. Preparations have their ingredients listed in US avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.

Audience and level of use: bakers, those looking for some spicy desserts.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: apple danish with caraway cream; black pepper, dark chocolate, and sour cherry bread; mango lime sorbet; summer berry focaccia;  honeyed cashew lace cookies; blackberry-peach hand pies.

Quality/Price Rating: 88.

 

 

 

13.SCANDINAVIAN BAKING (Quadrille, 2014, 288 pages, ISBN 978-1-84949-665-0, $35 US hard covers) is by Trine Hahnemann who writes and lectures on Scandinavian food around the world. She's written five cookbooks in Danish and three other cookbooks in English. Lead endorser is Mimi Sheraton. Her book has over 100 carefully explained recipes dealing with authentic but contemporary Scandinavian dishes. It is arranged by both type of foods and seasons, beginning with cakes and pastries, followed by Midsummer, and then breads and savouries, followed by Christmas. She's got some notes on Scandinavian baking with sourdoughs and starters and bigas, and concludes with some jams. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of equivalents.

Audience and level of use: bakers, Scandinavian food lovers

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: rye bread layer cake; yeasted marzipan cream buns; Napoleon's cake; rosehip roulade; "potato" cake; caraway seed bread; spelt cardamom rolls; choux pastries with rhubarb cream; winter spiced pastry.

Quality/Price Rating: 86.

 

Chimo! www.deantudor.com

FOOD AND DRINK BOOKS IN REVIEW

3.OODLES OF NOODLES (Ryland Peters & Small, 2015, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-84975-653-2, $21.95 US hard covers) is by Louise Pickford, food writer now living in France with over 15 cookbooks to her credit (many for Ryland Peters & Small). Here she runs through the basic types of wheat noodles, buckwheat, rice sticks, sweet potato, flat rice, cellophanes, vermicelli, rice paper, buckwheat, and more. There are 70 recipes here for mostly Asian noodles. After the basics, she delves into separate chapters called for in soups, salads, apps, stir-fries and curries. Each prep has a full colour photo. A very good, well-prepared book. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of equivalents.

Audience and level of use: those looking to use a lot of Asiatic noodles.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: steamed rice noodle dumplings with scallops; vegetarian spring rolls; shio ramen with pork and eggs; num banh chok; seared salmon and green tea noodle salad.

Quality/Price Rating: 88.

 

 

4.MEZZE (Ryland Peters & Small, 2015, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-84975-651-8, $21.95 US hard covers) is by Ghillie Basan, a cookery writer and journalist specializing in Middle East cuisine. She has written other Middle East books for Ryland Peters & Small. Here are some 93 recipes of dips, bites, salads and other small plates to share, or apps or even mains. The Persian word "maza" means to relish and savour, accompanied by tea, sherbet or yogurt, occasionally wine or beer. Spanish tapas are the Middle East Moorish-influenced dishes, but with alcohol. I usually love a whole meal of little plates. This book is arranged by cold mezze, hot mezze, and sweet mezze. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of equivalents.

Audience and level of use: those looking for a small dish or two, or entertaining ideas.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: olives with harissa and preserved lemon; sweet melon with feta; spicy beef tartare and bulgur balls; hot hummus with pine nuts and chilli butter; spinach and feta pastries with pie nuts; roasted meat-stuffed onions with tamarind and butter; pears in saffron and cinnamon syrup.

The downside to this book: I wish that there were more recipes.

The upside to this book: the usual gorgeous RPS photos.

Quality/Price Rating: 89.

 

 

5.CHICKEN WINGS ((Ryland Peters & Small, 2015, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-84975-656-3, $21.95 US hard covers) is by Carol Hilker, a food writer in San Francisco who has written several cookbooks for Ryland Peters & Small. I am not convinced that we need another chicken wings book, but the publisher at least had an American author. Chicken wings are perfectly adaptable to a huge range of dips and sauces, marinades and glazes. So any BBQ book with a lot of these savoury methods is useful. According to the National Chicken Council (US), over 1.25 billion chicken wings were consumed during the 2015 Super Bowl. I'd imagine that chicken wings are very popular at ANY guy sports function, but I am not sure that they (the guys) demand variety during the session. My experience has been that  guys only differ over heat levels (some can, some cannot), so all you really need are two types with and without heat. Nevertheless, this book does detail some 72 recipes for fried, baked, and grilled wings, plus some sides and drinks (some non-alcoholic for the kids or those who don't like beer). Preparations have their ingredients listed mainly in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of equivalents.

Audience and level of use: party goers.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: sticky lime and maple wings; cola wings; mole wings; teriyaki wings; lemon-basil-pepper wings.

Quality/Price Rating: 84.

 

 

 

6.THE HEALTHY MATCHA COOKBOOK (Skyhorse Publishing, 2015, 143 pages, ISBN 978-1-63450-221-4, $16.99 US hard covers) is by Miryam Quinn-Doblas, RD, who owns the blog at eatgood4life.com. Her subtitle says "green tea-inspired meals, snacks, drinks, and desserts", using matcha powder to give the immune system a power boost. The anti-oxidant powder is far stronger than the liquid tea, and the 60 preps take advantage of this. The book is a nice resource tool, with its primer and arrangement (breakfasts, snacks, lean meals that are free of red meats, desserts, and menu plans for two weeks. There is a good resources section. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are tables of metric equivalents.

Audience and level of use: those looking to increase their immune systems.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: apple walnut bundt cake; breakfast smoothie bowl; lemon coconut bites; fish curry; cauliflower and thyme soup; mahi mahi in tomato sauce.

The downside to this book: I'd like a few more recipes.

The upside to this book: The menus have page references to the recipes.

Quality/Price Rating: 88.

 

 

7.DINNER PIES (Harvard Common Press, 2015, 271 pages, ISBN 978-1-55832-851-8, $24.95 US hard covers) is by Ken Haedrich, who has written 12 other cookbooks, including the award-winning PIE which covers sweet pies. Here, he has savouries, ranging from shepherd's pies and pot pies to turnovers, quiches, hand pies and others, about 100 in all, mostly one-crust or two-crust. It is arranged by type of pie, and includes at the end a tortilla pie, cheeseburger pie, and shepherd's pie. He's also got cobblers, strudel, and wrapped entrees such as meatloaf wellington. And there is nothing with gluten-free flours. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are tables of metric equivalents.

Audience and level of use: home cooks

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: turkey crumb pot pie, roasted vegetable strudel, fresh tomato and ham cobbler, Natchitoches meat pies, Philly cheesesteak hand pies, and pepperoni pizza bites.

The downside to this book: his shepherd's pies are all beef, which are actually "cottage pies" (no index entry here); he never mentions lamb at all except for Moroccan lamb pie.

The upside to this book: many of the pies are simply stews with covers of pastry or potato. So you can easily convert, just watching out for the liquid component.

Quality/Price Rating: 85.

 

8.LE FRENCH OVEN (Gibbs Smith, 224 pages, ISBN 978-1-4236-4053-0, $30 US hard covers) is by Hillary Davis, cookbook author of a variety of books about French food. Here she concentrates on the Dutch oven (enameled cast iron pot), of which the best are now apparently made in France, such as Le Creuset, Frontignac, and Emile Henry. She does cover seven brands, but some might be hard to find in North America. Le Creuset is just about everywhere; it originated in Picardy in 1925. It also has one of the best warranties. All the ovens are interchangeable, and she does cover choosing and caring for it. "The recipes in this cookbook are French inspired one I created for 5 quart to 6 quart (5 to 5.7 litre) French ovens. This is the mid-range size for feeding 4 – 6 people. There are larger and smaller ones, of course, and preps can be adjusted. She begins with appetizers in mini-cocottes, followed by soups, baking, stovetop prep, roasting, stewing, braising, and frying. Desserts are also in mini-cocottes, or in French ovens (your choice). Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements.

Audience and level of use: those with enameled Dutch ovens.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: summer garden crudites with Lyonnaise herb dip, French green lentil and toasted walnuts soup, lamb hachis parmentier, lemon-braised chicken with green olives, braised lamb shanks with gremolata.

The downside to this book: pictures are suited to this over-sized book, but are too non-food for tourists. How many pots can you can only pretty up for a book?

The upside to this book: a good single-equipment cookbook from a French expert.

Quality/Price Rating: 86.

 

 

 

9.THE BACKYARD HOMESTEAD BOOK OF KITCHEN KNOW-HOW (Storey Publishing, 2015, 356 pages, ISBN 678-1-61212-204-5, $19.95 US soft covers) is by Andrea Chesman, a Vermont cookbook writer with a couple of dozen books dealing with local cooking life (Pickled Pantry, Root Cellar, Serving Up the Harvest). Here she tells us how to be self-reliant in the kitchen; these skills can inspire confidence. Cooking from scratch includes milling your own flour, making butter and yogurt, curing sausages, making braises and stews, freezing and drying veggies, and preserving fruits. The variety here includes: canning fresh purees, dehydrating quartered tomatoes, making salsa, fermenting green tomatoes, preserving eggs, cooking stewing hens, making broth, making pates, making ricotta, cooking with yogurt. A very good reference book with about 100 recipes. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are tables of metric equivalents.

Audience and level of use: those who have the time to cook from scratch.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: see above, mostly techniques.

Quality/Price Rating: 89.

 

 

10.THE RECIPE WHEEL (Ebury Press, 2014, 288 pages, ISBN 978-0-09195704-9 $41 CAN hard covers) is by Rosie Ramsden, cook, writer and food stylist for Delicious magazine. These are recipe ideas in visual form, very easy to follow. There are 10 wheels with 120 total preps. Her principles are based on balance (flavours, textures), colour, and leftovers (inventive). For example, a wheel entitled "Simple White Bread" leads to ideas of "no frills", "night in", "friends", "creative", "impress" and "leftover".  For the latter, you've got eggy bread and bread pudding. For impress, there is beetroot panzanella. Another recipe wheel is "Vegetable Soup": night in (mum soup), friends (celeriac and mustard soup), or creative (clam chowder). There are eight more. Preparations have their ingredients listed in a mix of metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no overall table of equivalents.

Audience and level of use: jaded cooks or those who wish to learn more, maybe millennials too.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: see above

Quality/Price Rating: 85.

 

 

11.FERMENTING FOOD STEP-BY-STEP (DK, 2015, 224 pages, ISBN 978-1-4654-4143-0, $19.95 US paper covers) is by Adam Elabd, an educator in the field of fermentation, nutrition, and natural healing. Here are over 80 step-by-step recipes for fermenting kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, vinegar, chutney, sourdough, rejuvelac, and kefir. It is a visual guide, very well prepared. It also includes breads such as gorditas made from corn masa and injera made from teff flour. It is a great and useful reference book for those wishing to learn more. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. The photos with the arrows are particularly good for the millennials who can visualize.

Audience and level of use: entry level for those wishing to explore fermenting foods.

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: purple amazake sourdough; pineapple cider vinegar; mandarin wine; coconut water kefir; masala kraut; mole ketchup.

Quality/Price Rating: 89.

 

 

12.FLAVORFUL (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015, 374 pages, ISBN 978-1-118-52355-1, $35 US hard covers) is by Tish Boyle, co-editor of Dessert Professional magazine. She's written many other dessert books about cakes, diners, chocolate, and cookies. Here she has 150 preps that she guarantees are "flavourful", It is based on the pastry chefs' list of the most popular flavours in the US – vanilla, berry and cherry, apple, citrus, cheese, nuts, caramel, coffee, and chocolate. These are what most people eat most of in the way of desserts, so let's give it to them. So on average, that's about 15 preps per fancy. It is a great idea, and it forms a basis for a manual on baking and desserts. Each chapter covers a flavour, following a primer section. As with all good chefs, ingredients are scaled for exact ratios. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.

Audience and level of use: intermediate

Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: raspberry cheesecake cupcakes; French apple cake; cherry-vanilla frozen pops; espresso granita with mascarpone cream; lime-coconut mousse cake; pistachio Linzer hearts; two-tone milk chocolate mousse.

The downside to this book: vanilla is a nice flavour but it is also everywhere, like salt in savoury. Also, where would you place mocha?

The upside to this book: a nifty idea for arrangement, and this gets all the popular flavours anybody would need in one place.

Quality/Price Rating: 86.

 

Chimo! www.deantudor.com