All posts in Books For Cooks

River Cottage Handbook 9 – Fruit

by Andrew on August 9, 2011 in Books For Cooks with No comments

We consume it, we spread the seed, more fruit grows, everyone’s happy.

It’s in Nature’s best interests to make it as enticing as possible and she’s certainly done so. Fruit is a real treat that often needs no embellishment and is resoundingly, unequivocally good for us.

Mark Diacono’s first River Cottage handbook, Veg Patch, was a joy: a thorough, yet accessible guide to raising homegrown produce that has established Mark as one of the foremost thinkers and writers on the subject of growing what you eat.

Now he’s turned his attention to fruit and, as you’ll discover, has written another confidence-inspiring, anxiety-reducing little gem . . . or perhaps that should be little peach.
While there’s been a revolution in the growing of vegetables and herbs in the UK in recent years, home fruit growing has lagged a little behind. I suspect this is because there’s a certain air of mystery attached to growing fruit, a sense that specialist knowledge and hard-won skills must be acquired before one can make a go of it.

Fruit (River Cottage Handbook) is available from Amazon for just £8.49.

In his gardening courses at River Cottage, Mark banishes these myths and gives people the confidence to start producing their own berries, apples, plums, melons and apricots.
This book will do the same thing. As Mark explains, fruit wants to grow – you just have to let it – and he’s here to show you how.

Book Review: On A Stick

by Andrew on May 30, 2011 in Books For Cooks with 2 Comments

I knew I recognised the name from somewhere… Matt Armendariz… isn’t he that tattooed gay guy from America… writes a blog and takes food pictures…? Indeed he is. And now he has penned a book. On a Stick!

“Eighty quick-and-easy recipes for foods on sticks and skewers – from elegant hors d’oeuvres like caprese sticks and chocolate-covered cheesecake to delightfully lowbrow treats like corn dogs, fried pickles, and fudge puppies.

Matt Armendariz is a man who loves food, drink, and everything in between! As a former art and creative director for such companies as Whole Foods Market and Bristol Farms, Matt has been immersed in the world of food for 20 years. In 2005 he started Matt Bites, a food blog.”

It is very American. There are references to State Fairs and corn dogs for example. Some of the recipes are just plan ridiculous – fish and chips on a stick? Spaghetti and Meatballs on a stick?? On come on…

There are, however, many out of the 80 recipes that are highly tempting – Savoury Tofu Dango (Japanese tofu dumplings), Red Curry Shrimp and Pineapple Skewers (prawns and pineapple), Molotes (Oaxacan street food) and Dak Sanjuk (Korean marinated Chicken with spring onions) are all tempting, either as ‘party food’, starters or barbecue fare. The use of fresh mint in a honey and mint syrup for the Grilled Fruit Skewers was divine. None of the recipes are overly complicated, most easily converted to ‘proper’ measurements and even then the quantities don’t need to be that precise most of the time.

On a Stick! by Matt Armendariz is currently available from Amazon.co.uk for a bargain £7.29.

Eat Your Books launches in the UK

by Andrew on April 28, 2011 in Books For Cooks, On The Web with 1 Comment

Eat Your Books, a new recipe indexing website where members can search for recipes in cookbooks they already own launches today in the UK.

Eat Your Books currently has 83,000+ cookery books listed with 1,800 of the most popular cookbooks now fully indexed with a total of 400,000 recipes and around 10,700 searchable ingredients, with more books being added and indexed daily. In addition, every book listed on the site is available to buy, making it the most comprehensive range of cookbooks in the world!
Eat Your Books is aimed at people who love using cookbooks and love to cook. The site does not reproduce the actual recipe; it simply helps members quickly find their recipes in their cookbooks.
The subscription based site has already attracted thousands of members from over 50 countries worldwide. Members can:

• Search for recipes in their cookbooks using the main ingredients, ethnicity, course, occasion or several other categorisations.
• Search for recipes based on seasonal produce
• Create menus and print off shopping lists
• Organise books and recipes by using bookmarks.
• Share with other cookbook lovers and the EYB community their experiences and views of books and recipes.
• Be inspired and introduced to new cookbook authors by viewing other member’s collections.
• Make notes specific to family and friends tastes and food preferences and allergies
• Bulk scan their cookbook collections onto their online bookshelf quickly and easily

With cookery books currently dominating the top 10 UK non fiction books sales* chart and the continued presence of food and cookery shows on TV, it’s clear the nation still has an appetite to be inspired in their culinary efforts, yet what happens after that first wonderful mouth watering moment brought on by sitting down with your new cookbook?

“There is no substitute to browsing through a new addition to your cookbook collection or a much loved cookbook.” says Jane Kelly, co-founder of Eat Your Books, herself an admitted hoarder of cookbooks with a personal collection of over 1000 books. “Nothing beats that first feeling of culinary inspiration when you have a brand new cookbook full of wonderful mouth-watering recipes and beautiful photography. However the reality for many like myself is that it is impossible to remember every recipe and which cookbook you first saw it, so instead of heading to my cookbook collection I found myself increasingly searching online for recipes, some of which were definitely not tried and tested resulting in disappointment and grumbles at the dinner table. Our members have cookbook collections from 10 to over 3,000 books and now they are making use of them like never before.”

As more UK members join the site, more UK cookbooks will be indexed; key to this is that the more members owning a specific book, the quicker it moves up the indexing priority list. In addition, members can request for their favourite books to be indexed and the site also plans to enable members to start indexing their own books – something which will be particularly exciting for those members with older vintage cookbooks they want to be able to search through.

Eat Your Books is a subscription website; A monthly membership is £1.50 and annual membership is £15. A free trial allows up to 5 cookbooks to be searched. In addition, gift certificates are available for annual memberships making it a great gift idea for the cookbook enthusiast among your friends or family.

Eat Your Books is a privately owned company, set up by two British sisters, Jane Kelly now living in Boston, USA and Fiona Nugent now living in Auckland, NZ. The idea for the website came from Jane’s love of cooking, her large bookshelf of over 1000 cookbooks and her busy lifestyle. She really wanted a quick way to search through her cookbooks to help her plan the family meals, social get-togethers and to find particular recipes. For a couple of years Jane had been thinking about this idea and informal research showed that there are many others like her who would love to be able utilise their collection of cookbooks more effectively. A great deal of thought and planning has gone into the design of the site to provide a service that will enable people to make greater use of their cookbooks, to simplify the process of menu planning, and to bring together a community of cookbook lovers who want to share their experiences and be inspired by others.

Every Wine Tells A Story

by Andrew on March 28, 2011 in Books For Cooks with No comments

A dip into the lives, the wine loves with an associated anecdote from a host of internet wine names. That I think just about sums up Every Wine Tells A Story, a copy of which the author, Tara Devon O’Leary, posted over to me last week. Subtitled “A collection of the most memorable bottles of 2010 as told by 29 international wine experts” it is less about the most expensive bottle opened, the most famous “bound to impress” show-off label and more, as Simon Woods in his section mentions, more “right-place-right-time” wine.

In addition to Simon, (with a €3 wine) you will discover old Sleuthy, (with a wine picked before her recent Bordeaux epiphany), alongside Phil Spillman, the winemaker at Deakin Estate in Australia, Tim Pearson, owner of the South African Seven Springs Vineyard (who has picked a glorious South African wine) and Richard Siddle, Editor of Harpers Wine and Spirit magazine. Twenty-nine individuals in total; certainly an eclectic and engaging group. Plus you will find me in there too; just to make up the numbers.

But there is more to Every Wine Tells A Story than simple words for Tara has created a Facebook page when you are encouraged to record your own ‘best wine of 2010′ story. You can also appear in the next edition by submitting your details!

Thanks for your interest in Every Wine Tells A Story: a Collection of the Most Memorable Bottles of 2010 to Warm the Wine Lover’s Soul, as told by 29 International Wine Experts.

I’d like to share with you my motivation for this book. To me, expanding one’s experience of wine by tasting, drinking and appreciating different bottles is the best, easiest and most fun way to learn about wine.

So I hope that the stories of the wines in these pages will inspire and encourage you to choose wines that you haven’t had before and are interesting, unusual, and even perhaps a bit risky!

The second reason is because I believe wine is an experience. Wine amplifies an evening with friends, accentuates a great meal and wine evokes emotion, exuberance and passion. These stories do the same – they tell a personal tale of a time when the wine in the glass made that day with those people in that place even more special.

So please join me and my 28 fellow wine experts and enthusiasts as we share with you our personal experiences of one wine from 2010 that captured our imagination!”
– Tara Devon O’Leary

Every Wine Tells a Story a Collection of the Most Memorable Bottles of 2010 to Warm the Wine Lover’s Soul, as Told by 29 International Wine Experts is available from Amazon.co.uk

Leon Book 2 Naturally Fast Food

by Andrew on February 21, 2011 in Books For Cooks with 2 Comments

Leon Book 2, Naturally Fast Food is again a book of two halves. The first half is ‘Fast Food’, which contains recipes for every occasion that take a maximum of 20 minutes to prepare: from a work day breakfast and children’s meals to simple suppers and party food. The second half is ‘Slow Fast Food’ which contains things that can be made in advance when you have time, to enjoy when you don’t have time. There is plenty in both halves for both the experienced cook and the culinary adventurer in search of inspiration.

“initially a little over-whelmed by the zany lay-out. They’ve taken it to the extreme here and not a colour, novelty slogan or typeface has been spared us. I felt the actual recipes were a little lost amongst all this” Just one quote I’ve read regarding the layout in this, the second, Leon cookbook.

Zany graphics, 1960′s styled childrens photos, up-side-down printing and fold out pages aside what of the recipes?

I’ve tried a few, mainly the simple easy ones such as Marion’s Scotch Eggs, Ginger and Chilli Prawns andf George Pickard’s Cheese and Ham Muffins, all came out with success. The book holds a diverse range of recipes from Belinda’s Chicken Noodle Soup through to Pot Roasts and Cocktails and Marmalade – as diverse a collection as the illustrations.

Leon Book 2, Naturally Fast Food is currently listed by Amazon.co.uk for £10.69.

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