This season, there’s no excuse for not cooking really great food. All the best chefs have written books telling us how it’s done.
Not only does Anne Burrell COOK LIKE A ROCK STAR, she also looks like one. Her spikey platinum hair and bright smile light up the Food Network. In this, her first cookbook, she offers tips to empower even the novice. After all, this is the woman who takes rank beginners and helps them learn to be confident in the kitchen on her show, “Worst Cooks in America.” With great photos and 125 recipes, Anne takes us from Piccolini, through Pasta and Main Courses, finishing up with luscious desserts.
Burrell credits much of her skill to the time she spent working at the renowned Lidia Matticchio Bastianich’s restaurant “Felidia,” in New York. Long acknowledged as the doyenne of Italian cooking in the U.S., her LIDIA’S ITALY IN AMERICA is well named. Not only does Bastianich supply us with 175 mouth-watering recipes, she also provides interesting stories to go with them. As she traveled across the country, she discovered communities where traditional food was combined with modern innovation to create a new and delicious cuisine.
PAULA DEEN’S SOUTHERN COOKING BIBLE features recipes and wisdom from the woman who has been copied, spoofed, and quoted, but never surpassed when it comes to finger licking good down-home food. This Savannah belle shares recipes from all over the South, including Cajun dishes and such regional specialties as Catfish Po’ Boy and Key Lime Divinity Pie. Even if you think you can’t spare the calories, Deen’s great cooking tips will lure you in, and before you know it, you’ll be whipping up a batch of Jalapeno Hush Puppies.
BOBBY FLAY’S BAR AMERICAN COOKBOOK is the Food Network star’s reworking of French bistros for regional American seasonal ingredients. This is Flay’s eleventh cookbook, and he shows no signs of slowing down. Although he’s got Norman Rockwell looks, the red hair, blue eyes, and freckles mask the kind of drive that has won him numerous TV shows, six (and counting) fine-dining restaurants, and the reputation of being the Iron Chef who’s rarely beaten. This is a quality volume, with great photos and paper that’s thick enough to withstand years of page turning.
One of Flay’s favorite recipes is for Brooklyn Hash Browns. In EDILBLE BROOKLYN: THE COOKBOOK, edited by Rachel Wharton, the rich diversity of the borough is spotlighted through more than 100 recipes and stories about those who grow and serve the food. Even the Brooklyn Flea Market is given its due. Plus, there are edible tips as to where you can buy the best that proud, unique Brooklyn has to offer.
THE BEEKMAN 1802 HEIRLOOM COOKBOOK is presented in a keepsake edition by “The Fabulous Beekman Boys,” Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell. The duo are stars on the Planet Green TV network, and strive to showcase seasonal, natural living. Their farm in Sharon Springs, NY, is over 200 years old, and provides such unique products as Goat Milk Soap and Blaak Artisanal Cheese. In accordance with the title, there are recipes for heirloom fruits and vegetables; they even include blank recipe cards. We can’t always buy food fresh from the farm, but with this book, we can cook as if we do.
If you eat meat, there’s nothing more appealing than the idea of learning ALL ABOUT ROASTING. Molly Steven’s ALL ABOUT BRAISING has become a classic of the genre, and fans are rejoicing at this sequel. The 200 recipes for beef, pork, lamb, and even vegetables and fruit teach us the temperature and time needed to make every dish a success. There’s also invaluable advice on shopping, and great tips on how to tie a roast, the proper way to carve a chicken, and choosing the correct utensils. Throw in advice on sauces and wine, and you’ve got yourself a go-to manual for anyone who loves stick-to-your-ribs cooking.
Oliver Said and Chef Mike C. urge us to give up our dependence on recipes in KITCHEN ON FIRE. The idea is to help the reader conquer the technique of cooking, and therefore, be able to create our own dishes without slavishly following someone else’s instructions. They promise to de-mystify the alchemy of food, and teach us the magic of mastering measuring, preparation, the successful combining of the right ingredients, and much more. They guarantee that it’s possible to learn to cook like a pro in a mere 12 weeks. I’m in!
All of these cookbooks have luscious illustrations as well as easy to follow recipes, and each one presents a distinct approach to cooking with style.
Michall Jeffers is an accomplished Cultural Journalist, an unrepentant Foodie, and an avowed bibliophile. She writes extensively about restaurants, cooking, and books, both in print and online. Her eponymous cable TV show is syndicated throughout the tri-state area, and features celebrity interviews, reviews, and commentary. Michall is a voting member of National Book Critics Circle. www.michalljeffers.com
