The New Basics Cookbook Review

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(More customer reviews)I never realized how much I enjoyed cooking until I got this book, shortly after its publication in 1989. I wanted something that had some real *basics* as well as some more adventurous dishes. I considered myself a reasonably proficient cook, but I was certainly no expert. I needed something that wouldn't talk down to me, but that also wasn't so complex that it would be easy to produce a failure. _The New Basics_ was just what I needed.
Several of the recipes have become staples: the Red Beans and Rice recipe is outstanding (although I do occasionally "spice it up" with some andouille sausage); the Black Bean Salad has made an appearance at many a potluck; I've used the Prosciutto and Mushroom Frittata frequently for brunch when I have overnight guests; Scalloped Ham and Potatoes makes a great late afternoon casual supper; I was making Garlic Mashed Potatoes before they got popular from the recipe in this book; Santa Fe Pork Stew is one of my "winter soups" that I make each year and freeze for lunches at the office. When preparing a menu for entertaining, I almost always choose one dish from this book.
While it's true I haven't tried each of the 875 recipes in this volume, I *have* tried at least 100, and I haven't had a single disaster. Yes, sometimes the ingredients list seems daunting, but this recipe collection is based on strong flavors, which usually means herbs and spices as well as top quality fresh ingredients. I find that if I take the time to read through the recipe, it's not nearly so complicated as it first looks -- and most of the ingredients can be gathered and measured before you ever begin to cook.
With over 2100 cookbooks in my collection, selecting the 10 or so I'd have on a desert island is no easy task, and my list changes from time to time. Other books may come and go, but _The New Basics Cookbook_ is *always* on my list.

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My New Orleans: The Cookbook Review

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(More customer reviews)My cookbook collection is now easily swelling towards and maybe even above 400 now. Out of all of them it is fun every now and then to reflect on say, the Top 25. This new offering from Besh makes that list, possibly even climbing into the coveted Top 10. Requirements, you ask? Must be unique, well thought out, with specific viewpoint of cooking expressed and followed through, good layout, writing, photos, and oh, yes: great recipe collection!
Besh meets this criteria well. What this reviewer really enjoys is the fine prose which speaks of his heart and passion for New Orleans cooking which he has grown up with and matured and developed. His wanting to be sustaining restaurants is an extension and promotion as he has entered into ventures raising his own pigs, helping local suppliers provide what is needed by such gourmet chefs, e.g. great story on the Creole Tomato Supplier. The format is large and photos are wonderful, with small historical B&W vingettes scattered throughout. This makes for great kitchen usage, as it stays open from its size and well chosen luxurious paper stock. This is not your coffee table type cookbook intended, but get it in the kitchen and put it to work.
I sometimes enter gourmet phases and stay there for awhile, e.g. my Crepes phase, or my Tapas phase of late, or an ingredient phase such as my fascination with Pears. This offering from the Big Easy has certainly propelled me on a New Orleans phase, which not even Emeril's fine offerings has. First B.E. venture was Crabmeat and Frog Etouffee (with Lou. frog legs flown in fresh), a Grilled Watermelon, Tomato and Goat Cheese Salad; Smoked Pork Shoulder with Purple Plum Glaze; then polished off with wonderful but Old-Fashioned Blackberry Double-Crusted Blackberry Pie. Guests were in high praise mode after this!
His organization is by ingredient/season pairing, along with celebrations such as Mardi Gras or Thanksgiving or Reveillion. Over 200 recipes in this collection along with Sources recommendations and great sidebars throughout. This is fine, large effort which will reward the cook looking to get in soul of one of New Orleans finest dedicated to preserving and extending its fine cuisine to us. For Besh of almost Iron Chef status: he has given us Iron Chef quality cookbook to battle with in our own foodie competitions and home dining environs.
A must have in all the many offerings that our hitting the streets.

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The Splendid Table: Recipes from Emilia-Romagna, the Heartland of Northern Italian Food Review

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(More customer reviews)I've owned this book since it first came out in 1992, and it occupies a special place in my cooking library -- eye-level shelf for easy reach. The salad of tart greens with prosciutto and warm balsamic dressing has been my first course for many outstanding dinner parties, including several on New Year's Eve. Other particular favorites - the lamb, garlic & potato roast, maccheroni with baked grilled vegetables, torta barozzi, and chestnut ricotta cheesecake. Ms. Kasper's outstanding knowledge of this regional Italian cuisine is equally matched by her understanding of how a home chef times and assembles a multi-course meal. I'm now ordering her new book, The Italian Country Table, and hope to be just as impressed.

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The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen: Nourishing, Big-Flavor Recipes for Cancer Treatment and Recovery Review

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(More customer reviews)"Cancer Fighting Kitchen" isn't just a cookbook; nor is another treatise on nutritional philosophy. It's indeed a cookbook, but so much more. Now that I've spent a couple of days with it, I know it's a nutritional arsenal with the kind of firepower that's perfect for what can seem like a tough assignment: cooking for someone going through cancer treatment. But whether you're cooking for someone who really needs to eat well in order to heal-- or you just want to understand how the food you eat influences your overall health and wellness, this is an amazing find. The recipes look and sound simple and delicious -- I can't wait to cook my way through all of them. This is the perfect follow-up to "One Bite at a Time" -- my first real friend in the kitchen when I needed a whole new way to look at cooking. I've cooked my way through it over the last three or four years, and I'm ready for the next step and this is it. Her Magic Mineral Broth is an amazing elixir that aids in whatever ails you -- I've made gallons of it, and now I'm thrilled to see two new takes on the basic recipe in this book.
This time Rebecca Katz offers us lots of easily digestible nutritional science along with recipes that look so tempting that I can almost taste and smell them just from the photos. But it is her disarming and sympathetic humor that leads you into each chapter and recipe with a little smile of recognition and a tidbit of personal insight. The Culinary Pharmacy section in her "Cancer fighting Toolkit" is worth the purchase price alone. It's a virtual encyclopedia of what we're all trying to learn about ingredients that add health-supportive magic to what we slave over in the kitchen. At a time when food TV is busily persuading us that cooking is something between a spectator sport and a reality show, this book points us back to what preparing food should be -- a loving spoonful of something special and sustaining. You don't need to be a patient or a caregiver to appreciate all that is in these pages, but if you are, this book is an amazing gift.

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