Cookbook Review Day

Today I want to talk about some new cookbooks that I recently received.  I have become very particular about the cookbooks that grace my shelves these days, and that is for one reason really, room.  My coobook shelves are literally bursting, I have filled all the shelf space and have now started stacking them on top of the shelves. So when I really want a new cookbook, I really need to think about it and think about whether or not it is worthy of my precious space. I decided that both of these books today are worthy of my space, and I actually got rid of one little used book to make room.

This first one is simply one of the most beautiful cookbooks I have ever seen.  Spain And The World Table is a compilation of Spanish recipes from the most highly respected Spanish chefs. From the Culinary Institute of America, this book takes recipes created by such greats as Jose Andres and Norman Van Aken and presents them in a way which they can be recreated by the home cook.  Martha Rose Shulman, whose work I am very familiar with, provides the writing and commentary all throughout the book.  Yet it’s not just a cookbook. This is also a reference book.  Anything you ever wanted to know about Spanish cuisine is in this book.  After a recipe Mission Figs stuffed with blue cheese is a reference page full of details about Spanish cheeses, after a recipe for Consomme with Saffron, we get a tutorial on saffron and when and where we should use it- and is it worth its hefty price tag?  There are bits about the different regions of Spain, and I have to say, there is a lot of information in this book, but it’s presented in such an accessible way.  The book itself is beautiful enough- with a picture for almost every single recipe, that if I had a coffee table, this would be on it.

The caveat is that I haven’t cooked out of it yet, so I can’t attest to the nature of the specific recipes. However, reading through several of them that caught my eye, they don’t seem particularly difficult or too avant garde to give them a whirl in my home kitchen.  Every once in a while a recipe will mention a lengthy reduction or there is one recipe specifically that uses a foam- where did I put that foam-making device anyway?  But overall, they really seem geared toward the home cook, and give us an opportunity to try at home the dishes that the world is talking about.  Spanish cuisine is hot right now- but there are so few cookbooks devoted to the cuisine that this is a very welcome addition to my world parade of cookbooks.  With recipes like Hazelnut Passion Fruit Ice Cream, Lamb and Roasted Pepper Ragout, Sea Scallops with Green Raisin Salsa, and Mango, Scotch Bonnet, and Sesame Mojo, this is a book I could read through several times over and not get bored with it.  I can’t wait to give some of these recipes a whirl.

The second book I wanted to mention today is more fun and less intensive than the Spanish tome, but an equally wonderful addition to my cookbook collection.  Grilled Pizzas and Piadianas brings the art of grilled pizza back home where it belongs.  It wasn’t that long ago that Andy and I figured out just how to make a grilled pizza in the first place.  A careful ballet of flipping crust and adding toppings at just the right time elevates pizza to a whole new level.  This book shows us exactly what we could be doing to make it easier, as well as gives us a virtual parade of pizza topping ideas.  As an example, The New Orlean pizza has blackened crawfish, Andouille sausage, fontina cheese, and a spicy apricot sauce as it’s toppings.  I would have never thought of those toppings for pizza- but now that I’ve seen it, it sounds and looks amazing. The Moroccan pizza is topped with curried chicken, roasted garlic and kalamata olives, The Millenium is topped with ground lamb, feta and cucumber!  There are dozens of new pizza ideas here, and every turn of the page gives me a new mouth-watering picture, and the desire to make pizza!

Then there’s the piadinas. What exactly is a piadina? Well, it’s like a flatbread sandwich.  It’s sort of like making a pizza dough and then rolling it around toppings like a wrap, and apparently, they are very popular in Italy. These also look amazing!  Piadina Firenze is stuffed with grilled eggplant and peppers, and is one I’ll be trying when the eggplant comes up in the garden. There’s also a special chapter here for my husband, who is always wanting to make a dessert on the grill.  We have an Apple Tart- a pizza crust topped with cinnamon glazed apples and almonds, a Grilled Banana Split, and something called The S’more, a pizza topped with chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallows!  There are also tips on throwing the ultimate grilled pizza party as well as suggestions for beverages that accompany some of the pizzas.  I have to say, as much as I love this book, this would have made a fantastic Father’s Day gift for Andy, since he’s always wanting to make grilled pizzas.  We’ll be taking this book for a spin this weekend if the weather cooperates.

Uncategorized - by Erika

177,977 thoughts on “Cookbook Review Day”

  6. Hey! This post couldn’t be written any better!
    Reading through this post reminds me of my good old room mate!
    He always kept talking about this. I will forward this page
    to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thanks for sharing!

  7. What’s up, always i used to check weblog posts here in the
    early hours in the dawn, for the reason that
    i like to find out more and more.

  9. Do you mind if I quote a couple of your posts as long
    as I provide credit and sources back to your webpage? My website
    is in the very same area of interest as yours and my
    users would genuinely benefit from a lot of the information you provide
    here. Please let me know if this ok with you.
    Thanks a lot!

  15. Definitely believe that which you said. Your favorite reason seemed to be on the
    net the easiest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I certainly get irked while people
    consider worries that they plainly do not know about.
    You managed to hit the nail upon the top and defined out the whole thing without having side-effects , people could take a signal.
    Will probably be back to get more. Thanks

    Here is my site; what is the salt water trick to lose belly fat

  16. After looking at a number of the blog posts on your blog, I
    really like your technique of blogging. I saved as a favorite it to my bookmark site list
    and will be checking back in the near future.
    Please check out my web site as well and let me know how you feel.

  23. Heya! I understand this is sort of off-topic however I needed to
    ask. Does running a well-established website such as yours take a lot of work?
    I’m brand new to blogging however I do write in my journal on a daily
    basis. I’d like to start a blog so I will be able to share my personal
    experience and thoughts online. Please let me know if
    you have any kind of ideas or tips for new aspiring blog owners.
    Thankyou!

  35. You actually make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be
    really something which I think I would never understand.
    It seems too complicated and extremely broad for me.

    I am looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!

  38. subjudul Keunggulan Slot Gacor di Pandawara4D

    Pandawara4D adalah salah satu situs slot online terpercaya yang menawarkan berbagai permainan slot terbaik.
    Dengan sistem fair play, Pandawara4D menjadi pilihan utama bagi
    pecinta permainan slot dana.

    sub-subjudul Fitur Unggulan di Pandawara4D

    Beberapa fitur unggulan yang bisa Anda nikmati di
    Pandawara4D antara lain:

    Ratusan permainan slot dengan RTP tinggi

    Mudah top-up dengan metode pembayaran modern

    Event jackpot dengan hadiah jutaan rupiah

    subjudul Cara Daftar dan Main di Pandawara4D

    1. Kunjungi situs resmi Pandawara4D dan klik tombol daftar.

    2. Isi data diri dengan benar dan pastikan nomor HP serta
    email aktif.
    3. Lakukan deposit melalui slot dana atau metode pembayaran lain.
    4. Pilih permainan slot gacor favorit Anda dan mulai bertaruh.

    5. Raih kemenangan besar dan lakukan withdraw dengan mudah.

    h2 Kesimpulan

    Pandawara4D merupakan situs slot gacor terbaik dengan banyak keuntungan. Dengan berbagai
    fitur menarik, transaksi cepat, dan bonus melimpah, bermain di Pandawara4D
    semakin menyenangkan. Jangan lewatkan kesempatan untuk meraih jackpot
    besar!

  39. I would like to thank you for the efforts you’ve put in writing this blog.
    I’m hoping to see the same high-grade blog posts by you
    later on as well. In fact, your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my
    own, personal site now 😉

  41. I like the valuable info you provide in your articles.
    I’ll bookmark your blog and check again here frequently.
    I am quite sure I will learn many new stuff right here!
    Best of luck for the next!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *