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

129,423 thoughts on “Cookbook Review Day”

  14. What you wrote was very logical. However, think on this, suppose you were to write a killer
    headline? I ain’t saying your information is not solid.,
    but what if you added something that makes people want more?
    I mean Cookbook Review Day – Tummy Treasure is kinda vanilla.
    You ought to peek at Yahoo’s home page and see how they create news headlines
    to grab viewers to click. You might add a related video or a picture
    or two to grab people interested about everything’ve got to
    say. In my opinion, it might make your blog a little livelier.

  19. Link exchange is nothing else however it is only placing the other person’s
    webpage link on your page at suitable place and other person will also do similar for
    you.

  30. Mainkan slots online gacor terunggul di Indonesia dengan RTP
    tinggi dan kemungkinan jekpot besar! Cicipi beberapa ribu permainan dari provider terkenal seperti
    Pragmatic Play, Habanero, serta PG Soft yang siap memberi kemenangan maksimum.
    Dengan spesifikasi bonus meluap, free spin, serta skema fair-play, pengalaman bermain menjadi lebih dahsyat
    dan memberikan keuntungan. Daftar saat ini, claim bonus new peserta,
    serta gapai jekpot tiap-tiap hari! ???? #SlotGacor #SlotOnlineTerpercaya

  31. What i do not understood is actually how you’re no longer actually a lot
    more smartly-favored than you might be now. You’re so intelligent.
    You already know thus significantly when it comes to this matter, made me in my opinion believe
    it from a lot of varied angles. Its like women and men don’t seem to be interested except it is one thing
    to do with Girl gaga! Your individual stuffs
    outstanding. Always care for it up!

  35. Hello! This is kind of off topic but I need some guidance from an established blog.
    Is it very difficult to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty quick.
    I’m thinking about setting up my own but I’m not sure where to begin. Do you have
    any tips or suggestions? Thank you

  38. Nh?ng th?i c? ??i th??ng t?i 789club th?t s? r?t ?áng ?? th?! C?m ?n vì ?ã chia s? thông tin này 789club

  42. Today, I went to the beachfront with my children. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter
    and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She put
    the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab
    inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back!
    LoL I know this is completely off topic but I had to
    tell someone!

  44. I’ll right away grab your rss as I can not find your email subscription link or e-newsletter service.
    Do you’ve any? Please permit me understand so that I may subscribe.
    Thanks.

  50. You should be a part of a contest for one of the
    finest blogs on the net. I most certainly will highly recommend this blog!

Leave a Reply

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