Reviewed by Jayne Guitart.
Cooking from scratch equates to the ultimate eating experience. The books reviewed below offer recipes and techniques that will have you and your family eating fresh, as well as making you a fan favorite in the kitchen. When you cook from scratch, the opportunities are endless.
Workman Publishing
David Tanis Market Cooking: A masterwork of recipes, approach, technique, and philosophy by the New York Times columnist and chef, David Tanis. “Igo to the market, see what looks best, and then decide what will go on the menu.” Remarkable meals happen effortlessly when we select the freshest ingredients available and allow the simplicity to dazzle. Each recipe is illustrated, with the focus on a specific technique, ingredient, or the delicious end result. Organized by ingredient, Tanis moves from Alliums (think Provencal Garlic Soup) to Legumes (Jamaican Split Pea Stew for a chilly and damp New England day) to Chiles (next stop, Red Chile Burritos) just to name a few. Named a “Best Cookbook to Give and Get” by The Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Houston Chronicle, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Martha Stewart Living… this reviewer can see why.
Ten Speed Press
Flour Water Salt Yeast: There are few things more satisfying than biting into a freshly made, crispy-on-the-outside slice of perfectly baked bread. Portland, Oregon baker Forkish has recipes for beginners, serious bakers, and those with time constraints, as well as tips and tricks from his years as a professional baker. His stated purpose is “to entice novices to bake… for more experienced bakers looking for another approach to making dough.” The cookbook is divided into four parts, each dealing with the principles of artisan bread, basic bread recipes, levain (a variety of classic sourdough using live yeast) bread recipes, and pizza recipes.
The recipes include guidelines on flour varieties, measurements, and fermentation plus photographs ranging from helpful to downright mouth-watering. Whole wheat bread, pain de campagne, or pain au bacon are just some of the choices to make from this fun book.
Andrews McMeel Pub.
Stock Broth & Bowl: This book will teach you to do three things: build beautiful, flavorful bases with nine different stocks; transform these stocks into delicious drinking broths; and create more than 20 dishes and cocktails designed to showcase the effort you put into making these stocks. The freshness of the Roots Stock, featuring fennel, carrots, onion, and celery root, carries over to a drinking broth with oregano and chili oil. Take it one step further and elevate hummus to a new and exciting level when combined with cilantro, parsley and curry powder, or go for broke with the scrumptious Caramelized Onion Bread Pudding. And that’s just the beginning!
Reviewed by Jayne Guitart for
Westwinds Book Shop, 35 Depot Street, Duxbury, MA 02332
