Christmas Bounty

I am a lucky, lucky girl. My dear ones know my passion for food, cookbooks, essays on food etc. and I got lots of compelling reading material for gifts this year.

1. "The Best International Recipe." This cookbook was compiled by the editors of Cook's Illustrated. In a previous post, I mentioned Cook's Illustrated, that fantastic magazine that makes you feel as if you have a seasoned chef on hand to personally consult with. I had oh so gently hinted that I wouldn't mind a subscription for Christmas so when Nicole gave me this impressive tome, she prefaced it by saying she hadn't gotten a magazine subscription because she figured someone else had already picked up on that tip. Leave it to my bestie to pick up on the hint. I am still subscriptionless but my birthday is coming up! Anyway, I prefer the cookbook because magazines have a tendency to get lost and pushed aside. There are fourteen chapters, covering Mexico to Scandanavia to Korea. Each recipe meticulously details the various iterations of ingredients and methods used to produce the best results. It's really riveting and almost reads like a book, instead of a list of ingredients.

2. "American Food Writing." Edited by Molly O'Neill. This book is a collection of essays from iconic American authors writing about food. There is a chapter by Herman Melville on clam chowder and one by Ralph Ellison on the virtues of the baked yam. This prmises to be a great read, thanks honey for picking up on my tip!

3. "Elements of Cooking." By Michael Ruhlman. This book ia an A-Z reference guide that probably every good cook should have. For example, I've often wondered what exactly the role of baking soda vs baking powder is. THis book has the answers. What exactly is umami, the fith taste sensation and what ingredients enhance it? Yes, this book answers that question as well.

$. "The Art of Simple Food. By Alice Waters. Who doesn't love Alice Waters, the mother of "California Cuisine," which supports fresh, simple ingredients that are in season and locally produced. Although her famous restaurant Chez Panisse opned in the 70s and she has been a culinary cult hero, the recent and rising awareness of eating locally makes her latest book very timely. All of a sudden, people are referring to themsleves as "locavores" or taking on the 100 mile diet in an effort to get back in touch with their food and where it comes from.