Month: November 2010

A Collection of Christmas Cookbooks

We probably all would agree that you don’t need a fancy, Christmas-themed cookbook to create a memorable holiday meal. Neither my mother nor grandmothers relied upon books to help them whip up their Christmas dinners, dinners that I remember to this day. Instead they served the foods that their mothers and grandmothers before them had made. Yet, sometimes it’s nice to have a little break from tradition and the decades of green bean casseroles, herb stuffings and mince pies. That’s when I turn to the following cookbooks to spice up my yuletide offerings. Packed with color photographs, menus and backgrounds on such holiday favorites as eggnog, fruitcake and gingerbread, “The Martha Stewart Living Christmas Cookbook” (Clarkson Potter, 2003) provides home cooks with all the tips and recipes needed for a spectacular seasonal feast. Don’t let the title deceive you, though. You can use “The Martha Stewart Living Christmas Cookbook” long after December 25th. I make Stewart’s porcini-stuffed mushrooms and roasted beets with feta and pecans, among other dishes, throughout the year. In some respects Elizabeth …

Give the Gift of Cookbooks

With the holidays right around the corner and Black Friday looming on the horizon I’m serving an assortment of new cookbooks in this week’s review. Whether shopping for the culinary novice or expert, you’ll find something for any and every cook here. However, if none match your gift recipient’s exact interests, check out my past suggestions under “Cookbooks.” NIGELLA KITCHEN by Nigella Lawson (Hyperion, 2010) I kicked off Tuesday’s cookbook treasures with Nigella Lawson’s first book. Now I’m celebrating her latest, “Nigella Kitchen.” Filled with the cleverness and wit that made “How to Eat” so enjoyable, “Nigella Kitchen” is likewise loaded with Lawson’s homey recipes. Take, for instance, the cheerfully named sunshine soup, date steak or jumbleberry jam. With roughly 190 dishes at their fingertips home cooks will consult this fun, approachable book for years to come. SUBSTITUTING INGREDIENTS by Becky Sue Epstein (Source Books, 2010) Ever get halfway through cooking a meal before you realize that you’ve run out of a crucial ingredient? Take heart. Thanks to Becky Sue Epstein’s “Substituting Ingredients,” you’ll know …

Talkin’ Sides for Turkey Day

Since virtually every food writer in America is talking about Thanksgiving this week, I’ve decided to jump on the bandwagon and share a bit about turkey day. As you’ll see, the history lesson is short. The recipes, however, are plentiful. As most may know, Thanksgiving didn’t become a national holiday until President Lincoln declared it so in 1863. Even so, early 19th century Americans still gave thanks for successful harvests and other welcomed events with sumptuous meals. These celebrations featured an array of meats such as pork, venison, duck, goose, chicken and turkey. They also included sweets such as dried fruit, plum puddings, fruit pies and tarts. Missing, though, were many of the delicious side dishes that I so enjoy. While these dinners lacked my garlic-chestnut Brussels sprouts and three cranberry conserve, they offered something that the present holiday doesn’t – a strong religious tone. This was particularly the case in New England where colonists spent their days of thanks in church rather than at the table. By the late 19th century the religious aspect …

Wild Food from Land and Sea

Long before Gordon Ramsay bellowed expletives at his kitchen staff or Anthony Bourdain snarked his way around the globe there was Marco Pierre White. Dubbed the original enfant terrible of the culinary world, White became the youngest and first British chef to earn three Michelin stars. He was also the first ever to give them all back. Now a renowned restaurateur as well as an occasional cooking show host, White is the author of this week’s cookbook pick, “Wild Food from Land and Sea” (Melville House Publishing, 2010). In his second cookbook White shares not only his iconic recipes but also the techniques that turn these dishes into extraordinary foods. With “Wild Food from Land and Sea” I’m able to take a simple sea scallop, whole chicken or brisket and, using White’s tips, transform it into a gustatory delight. My family and friends may think that I’ve had their gourmet dinner catered but in fact they owe their repast of poached oysters, guinea fowl with morels and lemon tart to me and Marco Pierre White. …