Cookbooks by Friends & Bloggers I Know

This year a number of my friends and fellow bloggers wrote books. I will not pretend to be unbiased when it comes to these books. I wish the authors much success! Here is a list of the books that I got a chance to review and enjoy: L.A.'s Original Farmers Market Cookbook My friend JoAnn Cianciulli wrote this terrific book with profiles of the vendors at the market at 3rd and Fairfax. Having visited the market I fell in love with the book. JoAnn is a fabulous storyteller and having written several cookbooks she knows how recipes work. Another reason why I love this book is the variety of recipes. There are dishes from all over the world yet the ingredients and instructions are very straightforward. I've made the crepes and the spiced nuts, both are winners. You could cook out of this book for a year and never get bored, you'll find everything from Seafood Gumbo, Kalbi, Tuna Sambal, Leek and Goat Cheese Quiche, to Almond Horns and Banana Cream Pie. If you love street foo......

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Best Cookbooks of 2009

It's time for my annual cookbook round up. There were a lot of great cookbooks this year. Here are my picks for all kinds of cooks: Ad Hoc at Home I didn't want to include this book in my list but I couldn't help it. Sure it's a coffee table book, it's big and it's expensive but it has soul. Thomas Keller signed my book "It's all about family" and really that says it all. Food is about connecting with those you love. Ad Hoc is a book of recipes from Thomas Keller and Dave Cruz that shares those very recipes; delicious home style cooking but taken up a notch. Ok, taken up a few notches. Want to know how Keller makes a hamburger? Fig-stuffed Roast Pork Loin? Crab Cakes? Meatballs? Chocolate Chip Cookies? Sure you do. You'd be crazy not to. In addition there is fantastic photography and lots of personal stories. Best for: anyone who appreciates really good food Coco 10 World-Leading Masters choose 100 Contemporary Chefs Who do masters lik......

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Jam Bars Recipe

I'm something of a party pooper when it comes to Christmas. I can't stand anything red and green and find Christmas trees universally tacky. Don't even get me started on the rampant Christmas consumerism or we'll be here all day! But I have always had a soft spot for Advent calendars. I like the surprises behind the windows, even if they are just paper windows. So I couldn't resist when the folks at Lexiophiles invited me to participate in their Recipe Advent Calendar. It's a bit like those Cookie of the Day newsletters that I sign up for every year. It doesn't matter that I don't actually make any of those recipes, the surprise of seeing them appear in my email box each day is a treat. This recipe is one I've been making since college. It's super easy and you can prepare it in no time at all. I've made a few adjustments to it over the years. Most importantly, don't use jelly, use good jam, or better yet, use preserves. I used Oregon ......

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Interview with Paula Wolfert

At the Worlds of Flavor conference a few weeks ago I had the great pleasure of speaking with celebrated author Paula Wolfert about the subject of her latest book, Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking . It's one of the books I was most excited about this year, and I've already bookmarked a number of recipes that I can't wait to try. Why cook with clay? This is the way people in the Mediterranean cook. All the pots used have meaning. The saute pan is great for fast cooking but most slow cooking is best done in a clay pot. Try cooking butternut squash or an eggplant without any water or salt with paper over it (meaning a round of parchment paper as a lid) very slowly. See what happens when food returns to the earth. A pot is made of earth. What kinds of foods cook well in clay? Mediterranean food; breads, beans, stew. Commit yourself to underutilized cuts of meat. Buy spareribs and lamb necks, because you can cook in clay in increments and you will see the difference, the m......

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