Cooking Recent Picks
AUGUST 2009
The title-underlined links will take you directly to our catalogue.
Some featured items are linked via a book cover to enable you to read more reviews.
Sylvia Weinstock's Sensational Cakes by Sylvia Weinstock
“Sylvia Weinstock makes cakes that astonish the palate, dazzle the eye, and reward the spirit. Her spellbinding cakes have graced the tables—and grabbed the attention—at society weddings, celebrity birthday parties, and inaugural balls. Whether it’s a tower of white roses whose thousands of blossoms have all been painstakingly hand-crafted or an entirely faithful—and entirely edible—facsimile of a treasured heirloom tea set, every Weinstock cake is a work of art.
In Sylvia Weinstock’s Sensational Cakes, America’s most famous cake designer gives you an insider’s tour of her world: the fabulous fêtes where her cakes set the scene and the artisanal workshop where she and her assistants bake and embellish the confectionary masterpieces that have made her signature—including her trademark eyeglass logo—so sought after. Best of all, she reveals some of her secrets: recipes for cakes, frostings, and fillings that will make your own guests stand up and applaud.” (Amazon)
Jacques Torres' A Year in Chocolate: 80 Recipes for Holidays and Special Occasions by Jacques Torres and Judith Choate
“From the elegant Poached Pears with Chocolate Fondue to serve on New Year’s Day and a festive Bûche de Noël filled with chocolate cream and ornamented with meringue mushrooms, to homemade Easter eggs and autumnal Pumpkin Seed Brittle, the world-renowned pastry chef and chocolatier presents us with a calendar’s worth of treats sure to make every celebration more luscious.
All the holiday classics are featured here: Valentine’s Day bonbons, a molded chocolate Easter Bunny, ice cream sundaes for the Fourth of July, and Chocolate Caramel Corn for Halloween. But for Torres’ chocolate-drenched imagination, tradition is also a springboard; among the book’s many fanciful creations are Chocolate-Covered Matzohs for the Passover seder and a Chocolate Tamale to celebrate Cinco de Mayo ” (Amazon)
Artichoke To Za'atar : Modern Middle Eastern Food by Greg Malouf and Lucy Malouf
“Celebration of Middle Eastern ingredients by the coauthors of Saha: A Chef's Journey Through Lebanon and Syria—one a renowned Australian chef and the other a Melbourne-based food writer—this collection provides a comprehensive overview of traditional dishes of the cuisine. With more than 40 tantalizing color photos, recipes are divided by main ingredient, from the familiar (artichokes, chickpeas, lentils) to the lesser known (rose water, sumac, quinces). Each section offers a brief history of the ingredient and includes tips for selection, storage and use. Most dishes focus on a short list of simple ingredients that highlight rather than disguise flavors. Blue Cheese and Walnut Terrine, Battered Scallops with Cumin Salt, and Fresh Figs Poached in Ginger Syrup all follow this credo.” (Amazon)
Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer: A Golden Treasury of Classic Treats by Jane Brocket
" If as a child you devoured Enid Blyton's classics like the Famous Five or Malory Towers, or loved to lose yourself in the adventures of Pippi Longstocking or What Katy Did, then CHERRY CAKE AND GINGER BEER is the book for you. A wonderfully nostalgic cookery book, it will take you straight back to your favourite children's books and show you how to cook the feel-good foods that feature so strongly in them. So, you'll find recipes for Swallows and Amazons Squashed-Fly Biscuits, the Famous Five's Gorgeous Ginger Beer, and Gloriously Sticky Marmalade Roll from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe amongst others. Divided into appropriate sections like Proper Elevenses, Picnic Treats and Lessons in the Kitchen each recipe is introduced with an evocative description of the book that inspired it. Guaranteed to take you straight back to your childhood, the book is an escapist treat for grown-ups and will encourage you to re-visit much-loved classics and share them with the next generation.” (Amazon)
BabyCakes: Vegan, (Mostly) Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York's Most Talked-About Bakery by Erin McKenna
“In this book, Erin has finally shared her trade secrets — the ingredients and techniques that lend BabyCakes' desserts the flavors, textures, and happiness-factor you'd find in the best patisserie. The highest praise I can offer is this: follow her recipes to the letter and you'll fool them every time. —Tom Colicchio "
"I have multiple food sensitivities…and I’d pretty much given up on the idea that I might be able to have a worthy treat every again. I was so excited to discover BabyCakes NYC, because not only can I eat everything they bake, it’s all delicious!"—Zooey Deschanel (Amazon)
101 One-Pot Dishes by Good Food MAgazine
“A pot of something delicious simmering away on the stove never fails to tantalise the tastebuds. Whether it’s a creamy soup, a fragrant curry or a traditional English pudding, there are endless ideas for one-pot cooking in this book.” (Amazon)
The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: A Delicious Alternative for Lifelong Health by Nancy Harmon Jenk
“Spanning the Mediterranean from Spain to France, Italy, and Greece, with side trips to Lebanon, Cyprus, and North Africa, this revised and updated edition of Nancy Harmon Jenkinss acclaimed cookbook offers ninety-two mouthwatering new dishes plus the latest information about the nutritional benefits of one of the worlds healthiest cuisines. But best of all are the recipesbursting with flavor, easy to prepare, and sure to please everyone at your table, whether youre cooking for yourself, your family, or your friends. Known for classic favorites like tabbouleh and ratatouille, flatbreads, pastas, zesty herbs, and flavorful oils pressed from succulent olives, the Mediterranean diet combines delicious taste with health-supportive ingredients as few other cuisines do. With an emphasis on fruits and vegetables, grains and legumes, fish, lean meats, and heavenly desserts, here are recipes for over 250 outstanding dishes created for todays American kitchens.” (Global Books)
Afghans, Barbecues & Chocolate Fish : The ABC Of Kiwi Food by Jane Hingston
“Afghans, Barbecues & Chocolate Fish explores the history of our well-known food brands such as Vogel’s, Marmite and Weetbix, investigates the tall tales that surround the origins of the likes of Lamingtons and Neenish Tarts, provides the low-down on Kiwi culinary traditions such as Christmas, birthday parties and ‘ladies a plate’, along with a fun collection of facts.” (Amazon)
Jan Bilton's Tamarillo Cookbook by Jan Bilton
“The taste of tamarillos can add something special to almost any dish. Jan Bilton’s Tamarillo Cookbook clearly establishes the tamarillo as one of the most versatile fruits available.” (Book Jacket)
Grow It, Cook It by Sally Cameron
“Photographic guidance for growing garden vegetables (and a few fruits) in containers is followed by recipes using what has been grown, like carrot and orange muffins. It s a nifty idea, though the estimated growing times don t allow for different climate zones or cultivated strains.
Some of the writing has an even more self-consciously dumbed-down air than that in most how-to books for children. But the instructional photo sequences get down to business sensibly enough, and the whole visual experience implicitly suggests the connection between freshness and flavor.” (Amazon)
How to Feed Your Whole Family a Healthy, Balanced Diet: Simple, Wholesome and Nutritious Recipes for Family Meals by Gill Holcombe
“This book provides simple, wholesome and nutritious recipes for family meals; quick lunches, tasty puddings and cakes - and you don't have to spend hours slaving over a hot stove, or spend a fortune at the supermarket. There are menu plans, recipes, shortcuts and dozens of ideas for every meal, together with tried and tested tips to help you save your valuable time and money.” (Amazon)
Chocolate : The Chocolate Recipes You Must Have / (Kitchen Classics) series editor, Jane Price
Shop Local, Eat Well : Cooking with Seasonal Produce in New Zealand by Kathryn Hawkins
Kiwi Toasties by Astral Sligo
The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook by Tarek Malouf and the Hummingbird Bakers
Meat : A Love Story by Susan Bourette
Frozen Desserts by Francisco J. Migoya
Check your card I New fiction, DVD and cd lists I How to place a reserve I Borrowing I Contact us
