Deprecated: Function WP_Dependencies->add_data() was called with an argument that is deprecated since version 6.9.0! IE conditional comments are ignored by all supported browsers. in /home1/tummytre/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6131

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

397,615 thoughts on “Cookbook Review Day”

  1. Creator ofall things visible and invisible: and it seemed to me very unseemly tobelieve Thee to have the shape of human flesh,and to be bounded by thebodily lineaments of our members.?? ?????

  4. Open Wide La Jolla Dentistry provides exceptional dental care with a smile!
    I had a fantastic experience at Open Wide La Jolla Dentistry, the best dentist near me!
    The staff at Open Wide La Jolla Dentistry are truly friendly and professional root canal specialists

  6. Truly grateful that I discovered this gem in auto transport called “Gilbert Car Shipper” as they helped me get my sedan delivered safely & promptly without issue whatsoever thus far based solely off reviews seen around social media platforms & forums Gilbert vehicle shipping

  20. Greetings I am so grateful I found your webpage, I really found you by mistake, while I
    was browsing on Google for something else, Nonetheless I am here now and would just like to say many thanks for a tremendous post and
    a all round enjoyable blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to read it all
    at the minute but I have saved it and also included
    your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a great deal more, Please do keep up the awesome work.

  22. Heya i am for the first time here. I found this board
    and I find It truly useful & it helped me out much. I hope to give something back and aid
    others like you aided me.

  27. I’m not sure exactly why but this website is loading incredibly slow for
    me. Is anyone else having this problem or is it a issue on my end?

    I’ll check back later and see if the problem still exists.

  29. After exploring a number of the articles on your web site,
    I honestly like your technique of blogging. I saved
    it to my bookmark website list and will be checking back in the near
    future. Please visit my website too and let me know what you think.|
    A motivating discussion is worth comment. I do think that you ought to write more about
    this topic, it may not be a taboo subject but typically people don’t speak about such subjects.
    To the next! All the best!!|
    naturally like your website however you need to check the spelling on quite a few of your posts.

    A number of them are rife with spelling issues and I to find
    it very troublesome to inform the reality on the other hand I’ll
    definitely come again again.|
    I do consider all the ideas you have introduced
    on your post. They’re really convincing and will certainly work.
    Nonetheless, the posts are very short for novices. May you please lengthen them a bit from subsequent time?
    Thank you for the post.|
    We stumbled over here different web page and thought I should check things out.
    I like what I see so now i’m following you. Look forward to looking over your web page repeatedly.|
    Excellent post. I certainly appreciate this site. Keep it up!|

  44. Great items from you, man. I’ve have in mind your stuff prior to and you’re simply extremely excellent.
    I really like what you’ve acquired right here, certainly
    like what you’re saying and the way wherein you are saying it.
    You are making it entertaining and you still take care of
    to stay it sensible. I can not wait to read much more
    from you. That is actually a great website.

  46. I was wondering if you ever thought of changing the structure of your blog?
    Its very well written; I love what youve got to say.
    But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so
    people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for
    only having one or 2 pictures. Maybe you could space
    it out better?

Comments are closed.