I have a little problem. I'm addicted to cookbooks, food writing, recipe collecting, and cooking. I have a lot of recipes waiting for me to try them, and ideas from articles, tv, and restaurants often lead to new dishes. I started losing track of what I've done. So now I'm taking photos and writing about what I've prepared—unless it's terrible in which case I forget it ever happened.
UPDATE: Instead of choosing one winner, I'll now be choosing five winners to each receive a copy of this book. Barry Estabrook very kindly offered to send a few more copies, and I'm happy to be able to pick more winners.
Why are we celebrating? Because it's March. This blog was born in the month of March four short years ago, and I too was born in the month of March, um, we'll just say a few years prior to that. So for the blog birthday and my birthday, I have a gift for you. I received a review copy of the book Tomatoland by Barry Estabrook in paperback. The paperback version will be released in April. Since I also have the hardcover version which I read last year and then recommended to everyone, I want to share this new paperback with you. Tomatoland is about the problems with the tomato industry and the true cost of the way tomatoes are currently grown. It's enlightening and at some points shocking, and it delivers a bit of good news at the end. Of course, I think everyone should read it. Just leave a comment with your email so I can contact you if you win. I'll pick five winners on Wednesday, April fourth at noon CST. The winners will each need to provide a mailing address in the US after being contacted. Good luck, and happy March! Tweet
I recently had the pleasure of meeting Melissa Clark when she was in Austin for the Texas Book Festival. Over some bowls of chili and chips and salsa, we talked food, books, kaffir lime trees, and hog roasting parties. Melissa writes the New York Times Dining section column A Good Appetite which is where I found my favorite granola recipe last year. Her new cookbook with essays, based on that column, is called In the Kitchen With a Good Appetite, and it has great chapter titles like “The Farmers’ Market and Me,” “Things with Cheese,” and “Better Fried.” She also writes for Bon Appetit, Food and Wine, and Martha Stewart Living. Melissa has written 29 other cookbooks as well including collaborations with Daniel Boulud for Braise, David Bouley for East of Paris, and Claudia Fleming for The Last Course. Earlier this year, The Perfect Finish, which was a collaboration with White House pastry chef Bill Yosses, was released. Coming up on Tuesday, November 2, Melissa will be teaming up with Amanda Hesser for a joint book launch event in New York City which will benefit Wellness In The Schools. Of course she had some interesting titles to share when I asked what are you reading?
Melissa:
I’ve just readAmerican Terroir: Savoring the Flavors of Our Woods, Waters, and Fields by Rowan Jacobsen, I have a feeling it’s one of those “important” books everyone will be reading and talking about – or at least it should be. Jacobsen’s essays are insightful and funny, speaking of the connection between the environment and how it affects the food we eat. Each essay is topped off by a recipe, so, really, there’s something for everyone.
On my beside table now I’ve gotA Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes From My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg. I’ve been a fan of her blog Orangette, and her new book of personal essays and fantastic recipes mines the same rich territory.
And there’s alsoMy Sweet Mexico: Recipes for Authentic Pastries, Breads, Candies, Beverages, and Frozen Treats by Fany Gerson. It hasn’t made it’s way down to the kitchen yet – right now I’m pouring through her highly informative notes on the history of Mexican pastry, they make for superb bedtime stories. I suspect this year’s Holiday Cookies will be greatly influenced by Ms. Gerson. But first on my list of to-try recipes is Chestnut Flan, seasoned with apricot jam.
Then, on my iPhone, I’ve got the Kindle edition of Frank Bruni’s wonderful, equally hilarious and poignant memoirBorn Round. I read this astounding memoir when it first came out in hardcover, but recently downloaded it to reread on long subway rides.
Thank you for participating, Melissa. Check back to see who answers the question next time and what other books are recommended.
Carolyn Jung always has the latest news on chefs, restaurants, cookbooks, and products. She’s a James Beard award winner for feature writing about restaurants/chefs and the former food writer/editor of the San Jose Mercury News. She’s a freelance food writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco magazine, Coastal Living, Food Arts, and other publications. She has judged the Pillsbury Bake-Off and was a judge for the 2009 James Beard Foundation Cookbook Awards. Her writing brings food to life whether she’s describing a cupcake or the work a world renowned chef on her site Food Gal, and you can now subscribe to her recently launched newsletter for more food news each week. I had a feeling Carolyn could suggest some good titles, so I asked her what are you reading?
Carolyn:
Knives at Dawn (Free Press) by Andrew Friedman. This is like a culinary David vs. Goliath. It tells the story of what Timothy Hollingsworth, now chef de cuisine of the French Laundry, survived as he competed for the United States in the 2009 Bocuse d’Or, the Olympics of cooking. Going against other chefs, who not only had competed before but had years to practice for this grueling, stressful event, the young Hollingsworth was the decided underdog as he worked to complete his elaborate show platters with help from his even younger and even less experienced assistant, Adina Guest, a commis at the French Laundry. It’s a page-turner, filled with suspense, hilarity (see how the gregarious Daniel Boulud always manages to take control of a bad situation), and how-could-you moments, such as when Hollingsworth decides to use a brand-new knife on the first day of the competition. You come away with even more respect for chefs like these who work so hard to be at the top of their game day in and day out.
Medium Raw (Ecco) by Anthony Bourdain. I’ve been a fan of Bourdain’s since his Kitchen Confidential days, and was lucky enough to interview him over lunch a few years ago as passersby yelled, "Love your show!" and a shy server came up to him to ask him for his autograph. This book can be a little too all-over-the-place at times, as if he were writing in a stream of consciousness between takes of his popular No Reservations show. But what we’ve come to love in Bourdain – the snarky, cursing, no-holds-barred curmudgeon of the kitchen – is still evident in full force. Who else could so aptly describe Chef David Chang as sounding like a "Tourette’s-afflicted Marine?" Or so wonderfully capture how a seemingly thankless job as the fish cutter at Le Bernardin can become elevated to one of utmost respect and sheer awe in the hands of the dedicated, hard-working Justo Thomas, who has not only been doing that job for six years, but doing it like no one else ever has. I love reading Bourdain for his laugh-out-loud sarcastic zingers, but also for the unexpected peeks into the recesses of the restaurant world that nobody else focuses on.
Hungry (Berkeley Books) by Sheila and Lisa Himmel. Normally, a book chronicling the travails of anorexia and bulimia would probably not make my list of top summer reads. But this book is different, because it is the gripping, true story of a restaurant critic whose daughter developed anorexia during her college years. Imagine the irony of getting to eat at some of the best restaurants as part of your job, only to come home to a daughter who was wasting away before your eyes because she refused to eat. Full disclosure: I worked with Sheila Himmel at the Food section of the San Jose Mercury News, when she first wrote a front-page story about her daughter’s plight, which later led to the development of this book. “Hungry’’ is a brave look at a frightening eating disorder, and a reminder that food is not merely all glamorous and hip as it’s so often portrayed in society these days, but a topic that can spur great anxiety, fear, and pain for many.
Thank you for participating, Carolyn. Check back to see who answers the question next time and what other books are recommended.
Dan Lepard is known for how well he knows bread and his artisanal approach to baking. I’ve baked from and mentioned the books Exceptional Breads and Exceptional Cakes which he co-wrote, and his other books include Baking with Passion and The Handmade Loaf. Most recently, Dan has written the British chapter in the French language Dictionnaire Universel du Pain to be published by Laffont Paris in October 2010. He also has two new books that will be published next year including a collection of recipes from his Guardian newspaper column, and the long-awaited book on traditional British baking. And, you'll find great information about baking and recipes on his site. He’s an incredible baker, writer, and photographer, and I knew he’d have an interesting answer when I asked him what are you reading?
Dan: Most of my time out of the kitchen is spent studying old baking methods in cookbooks and manuscripts, even though my regular work is about trying to write recipes that have a modern, inventive edge to them. Dipping into the past is a reminder of all the ideas that have been stirred into our baking soup over the centuries. Yep, for all the tweeting, blogging, and general web stuff I do, I’m still sat reading old books.
I’m always on the hunt for things to eat with bread, so I’ve been working my way through a series from the 1960s calledThe Compleat Imbiber, filled with essays on food and drink, edited by Cyril Ray. The design and typography has a good boldness to it, and just looking at volume five on my desk here, there are essays by Elizabeth David on first eating pork cooked with prunes at the Rôtisserie Tourangelle, in Tours, France, and how she came to write her own recipe for it. Another by Isak Dinesen on wine drinking by soldiers in biblical Palestine. It’s all stirring and fascinating.
The other book here is a reprint by Persephone Books, in Bloomsbury, London of Florence White’sGood Things in England, first published in 1932. It’s a collection of recipes and thoughts on cooking and local traditions around England, most of them lost and forgotten. It’s a book I reread often, and this summer it’s on my desk again. Simple recipes for a North Yorkshire fruit bread rich with allspice, pork lard, and raisins, another for a raised red gooseberry pie from Sussex.
Thank you for participating, Dan. Check back to see who answers the question next time and what other books are recommended.
Because of David Leite, we all tested a certain chocolate chip cookie technique having to do with leaving the dough in the refrigerator for 36 hours before baking. David is a James Beard Award-winning food writer, and his site, Leite’s Culinaria has won several food blog and food web site awards as well. He writes for the New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appetit, and many other publications. His new book, The New Portuguese Table, won the 2010 IACP First Book/Julia Child Award. Now, David is busy working on a book proposal for a new cookbook. I asked him: what are you reading?
David:
Right now I'm finishing upThe Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender. What intrigued me was the premise: Rose, an ordinary young girl, suddenly begins tasting in her food the emotions and hidden secrets of the person who made it. The novel is set into motion with Rose's shuddering at her mother's desperate sadness after dipping into the lemon cake of the title, which she made for Rose's birthday. Later she correctly intuits her infidelity because, after years of empty-feeling dishes, she suddenly bites into an uncharacteristically hopeful and sunny forkful of dinner.
Bender's spare but evocative language kept me highlighting passages and descriptions on my iPad: Of Rose's father: "He always seemed a little like a guest to me." Of the school nurse:"She was the chaperone of broken bones." Most telling, of her mother, who clearly favored her son: "She was the best with activities: I cherished this time with her, warmed like baby chicks by the orange-red coils of the wall heater." Bare-boned, gorgeous, sad.
Thank you for participating, David. Check back to see who answers the question next time and what other books are recommended.
Since I started asking this question of different people from the food community, I have received completely varied answers with one exception. Kim Severson’s new book Spoon Fedwas recommended in two responses. Kim has been writing for the New York Times for the past six years, and prior to that, she wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle. Her resume includes time as an editor and reporter at The Anchorage Daily News and writing for daily newspapers on the West Coast. She has won four James Beard awards for food writing. On her site, you can keep up with Kim’s latest work and share your own kitchen stories. I asked Kim: what are you reading?
Kim:
I am readingHog and Hominy: Soul Food From Africa to America by Frederick Douglass Opie. It’s a terrific examination of the history of soul food in America. I wrote a story for The New York Times about food in the Bronx, and one of my editors suggested it. The book starts with folk traditions and cooking in West Africa and takes you all the way through Malcolm X and bean pies and the healthy soul food revolution in the 1980s.
I am also re-readingFor You, Mom, Finally by Ruth Reichl. It came out in paperback with a different title, which wasNot Becoming My Mother. Ruth really hated that title. It’s a very sweet book, full of insight and angst both from a daughter’s perspective and a writer’s perspective.
Last, I have a copy ofGreat Recipes from The New York Timeson the pile. The women who run Omnivore Books in San Francisco gave it to me recently. Raymond Sokolov, who was the food editor at the Times in the 1970s, put it together. It’s really kind of a fun, fussy history lesson, what with all those recipes for pheasant and vegetable charlotte.
Thank you for participating, Kim! Check back to see who answers the question next time and what other books are recommended.
I'm reading a novel titled Oyster by John Biguenet. Its about the decline of the Louisiana oyster business back in the 1950s and a proud oyster fishing family trying to stay afloat.
The book provides a lot of insight into the problems that the Gulf seafood business faces with the closing of oyster reefs and fishing grounds due to the oil spill.
Sadly there aren't a lot of oysters available to cook right now.
Thank you for participating, Robb! Check back to see who answers the question next time and what other books are recommended.
by Barry Estabrook in paperback. The paperback version will be released in April. Since I also have the hardcover version which I read last year and then recommended to everyone, I want to share this new paperback with you. Tomatoland is about the problems with the tomato industry and the true cost of the way tomatoes are currently grown. It's enlightening and at some points shocking, and it delivers a bit of good news at the end. Of course, I think everyone should read it. Just leave a comment with your email so I can contact you if you win. I'll pick five winners on Wednesday, April fourth at noon CST. The winners will each need to provide a mailing address in the US after being contacted. Good luck, and happy March!
, and it has great chapter titles like “The Farmers’ Market and Me,” “Things with Cheese,” and “Better Fried.” She also writes for Bon Appetit, Food and Wine, and Martha Stewart Living. Melissa has written 29 other cookbooks as well including collaborations with Daniel Boulud for 
, David Bouley for 
. Earlier this year, 
, which was a collaboration with White House pastry chef Bill Yosses, was released. Coming up on Tuesday, November 2, Melissa will be teaming up with Amanda Hesser for a 
by Rowan Jacobsen, I have a feeling it’s one of those “important” books everyone will be reading and talking about – or at least it should be. Jacobsen’s essays are insightful and funny, speaking of the connection between the environment and how it affects the food we eat. Each essay is topped off by a recipe, so, really, there’s something for everyone.
by Molly Wizenberg. I’ve been a fan of her blog Orangette, and her new book of personal essays and fantastic recipes mines the same rich territory. 
by Fany Gerson. It hasn’t made it’s way down to the kitchen yet – right now I’m pouring through her highly informative notes on the history of Mexican pastry, they make for superb bedtime stories. I suspect this year’s Holiday Cookies will be greatly influenced by Ms. Gerson. But first on my list of to-try recipes is Chestnut Flan, seasoned with apricot jam.
. I read this astounding memoir when it first came out in hardcover, but recently downloaded it to reread on long subway rides.
(Free Press) by Andrew Friedman.
(Ecco) by Anthony Bourdain.
days, and was lucky enough to interview him over lunch a few years ago as passersby yelled, "Love your show!" and a shy server came up to him to ask him for his autograph. This book can be a little too all-over-the-place at times, as if he were writing in a stream of consciousness between takes of his popular No Reservations show. But what we’ve come to love in Bourdain – the snarky, cursing, no-holds-barred curmudgeon of the kitchen – is still evident in full force. Who else could so aptly describe Chef David Chang as sounding like a "Tourette’s-afflicted Marine?" Or so wonderfully capture how a seemingly thankless job as the fish cutter at Le Bernardin can become elevated to one of utmost respect and sheer awe in the hands of the dedicated, hard-working Justo Thomas, who has not only been doing that job for six years, but doing it like no one else ever has. I love reading Bourdain for his laugh-out-loud sarcastic zingers, but also for the unexpected peeks into the recesses of the restaurant world that nobody else focuses on.
(Berkeley Books) by Sheila and Lisa Himmel. 
and 
which he co-wrote, and his other books include 
and 
. Most recently, Dan has written the British chapter in the French language Dictionnaire Universel du Pain to be published by Laffont Paris in October 2010. He also has two new books that will be published next year including a collection of recipes from his 
, filled with essays on food and drink, edited by Cyril Ray. The design and typography has a good boldness to it, and just looking at volume five on my desk here, there are essays by Elizabeth David on first eating pork cooked with prunes at the Rôtisserie Tourangelle, in Tours, France, and how she came to write her own recipe for it. Another by Isak Dinesen on wine drinking by soldiers in biblical Palestine. It’s all stirring and fascinating.
, first published in 1932. It’s a collection of recipes and thoughts on cooking and local traditions around England, most of them lost and forgotten. It’s a book I reread often, and this summer it’s on my desk again. Simple recipes for a North Yorkshire fruit bread rich with allspice, pork lard, and raisins, another for a raised red gooseberry pie from Sussex.
, won the 2010 IACP First Book/Julia Child Award. Now, David is busy working on a book proposal for a new cookbook. I asked him: what are you reading?
by Aimee Bender. What intrigued me was the premise: Rose, an ordinary young girl, suddenly begins tasting in her food the emotions and hidden secrets of the person who made it. The novel is set into motion with Rose's shuddering at her mother's desperate sadness after dipping into the lemon cake of the title, which she made for Rose's birthday. Later she correctly intuits her infidelity because, after years of empty-feeling dishes, she suddenly bites into an uncharacteristically hopeful and sunny forkful of dinner.
by Frederick Douglass Opie. It’s a terrific examination of the history of soul food in America. I wrote a story for The New York Times about food in the Bronx, and one of my editors suggested it. The book starts with folk traditions and cooking in West Africa and takes you all the way through Malcolm X and bean pies and the healthy soul food revolution in the 1980s. 
by Ruth Reichl. It came out in paperback with a different title, which was 
. Ruth really hated that title. It’s a very sweet book, full of insight and angst both from a daughter’s perspective and a writer’s perspective. 
on the pile. The women who run Omnivore Books in San Francisco gave it to me recently. Raymond Sokolov, who was the food editor at the Times in the 1970s, put it together. It’s really kind of a fun, fussy history lesson, what with all those recipes for pheasant and vegetable charlotte. 
, 
, and 
to name just a few. 
a 
which is a follow-up to his 
. He also posts interesting news and insights about 
by John Biguenet.