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Holiday Book Reviews Food Network hosts come and go, and so do their books! But frankly, thirty minutes with Rachel is about 29 too many. Sure, she's got a charming smile but, for really toothsome recipes, go elsewhere! And as for Dave Lieberman's Dave's Dinners: A fresh approach to home cooked meals.....well, maybe not so fresh. But, for an interesting read and great recipes James Oseland's Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the spice islands of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. It's a mix of travelogue, memoir, and recipe --- an inside look at an exotic cuisine. Go directly to the Street Foods chapter! Real foodies read cookbooks in bed like romance novels, but if you need more prose than recipe here's the pick of food lit this year: Life, Death and Bialys is Dylan Shaeffer's memoir about the end of his estranged father's life. Reality with a schemer! You'll never go wrong with any of the editions of Cornbread Nation This compilation of the year's best Southern food writing is as smooth as red-eye gravy and as sweet as ice tea. For a memoir that's Kitchen Confidential in a family business, order Steven Sorento's Luncheonette. It's a blueplate special. And for a book to last 365 days, Nigel Slater's The Kitchen Diaries takes you through a year of his culinary musings. Get Nigel for your stocking as well and leave a plate of Mushroom Lasagna with Basil and Cream for Santa. What's this year's Big Ticket Coffee Table book that is worth the price? Michele Richard's Happy in the Kitchen. Filled with a lifetime of creative cooking techniques, Chef Richard's sheer joy in the kitchen will inspire pros and amateurs. Be sure to make the chocolate grapes. Yum! Cookbooks can stand alone as a gift but ---hey--nothing succeeds like excess, so here are some ideas for assembling a gift basket around the book. The Dutch Oven Cookbook by Sharon Kramis and Julie Kramis Hearne. Add to this book a bag of stone-ground polenta, assorted dried beans, dried mushrooms, and plenty of spices. Arrange it in a Dutch oven and you won't even need wrapping. Perfect gift for twenty-somethings about to go out on their own. Brother Juniper's Bread Book: Slow rise as method and Metaphor by Peter Reinhart is back and newly updated. Considered the bible for the home bread baking renaissance in the early nineties, you can package this in a big mixing bowl with bread pans and wooden spoons, along with a hint for a hot loaf or two. To create a wine basket, try Marilyn Merlot and the Naked Grape by Peter F. May...this book is a collection of quirky wine labels with tasting notes. Pair the book with a few bottles--my personal favorite is a French export called ...are you ready....Arrogant Frog Ribet Red. Here are some recommendations for the novice cook.. 834 Kitchen Quick Tips, Techniques and Shortcuts for the curious cook. From the Editors of Cook's Illustrated. Starting with Ingredients by Aliza Greene is also good for basics. And to get excited about your veggies, try Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables. By Farmer John Peterson. And don't forget to make a date to cook with the recipient. The gift of time together over a homecooked meal is the best of all. For Chef's Table, I'm Lari Robling Dave's Dinners: A Fresh Approach to Home-Cooked Meals, Vol. 2 Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia Life, Death and Bialys: A Father/Son Baking Story Cornbread Nation 3: Foods of the Mountain South Luncheonette: A Memoir The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen with Nigel Slater Happy in the Kitchen Dutch Oven Cookbook: Recipes for the Best Pot in Your Kitchen Brother Juniper's Bread Book: Slow Rise as Method and Metaphor Marilyn Merlot and the Naked Grape: Odd Wines from Around the World 834 Kitchen Quick Tips: Tip, Techniques & Shortcuts for the Curious Cook Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables |
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