I re-read this (because I work at this fabulous place called ‘The Library’ and it’s not enough that we have books to check out, but we also recently pI re-read this (because I work at this fabulous place called ‘The Library’ and it’s not enough that we have books to check out, but we also recently put together a “bring one/take one”…or just “take one”…shelf for staff because, after all, one can never, ever have too many books. Go suck an egg, Marie Kondo). In any case, this was on that shelf, so I took it because I remember loving the book when I first read it.
I still love it and I love Ruth Reichl. She’s entertaining and self-aware. She makes me laugh: “But of course,” he continued, “should you come to the Times, you would do things our way.” “No,” I said, “I wouldn’t.”
This is the story of her time as the restaurant critic for the New York Times. It contains easy, delicious recipes (moules marinieres, for instance) that tie in with the theme of the chapter, as well as some of her reviews. She details the different disguises she wore in order to get a true view of the restaurant, and the different personalities each disguise brought forth. ...more
It starts off with the 16-hour days of the Certified Master Test at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). At the tiMesmerizing, even on the reread!
It starts off with the 16-hour days of the Certified Master Test at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). At the time Ruhlman wrote the book, only 53 of the 170 who had attempted it had passed the test. The exam is based on classical cooking and involves candidates receiving trays of food with four and a half hours to create three meals for ten.
On to stories about three spectacular chefs, one of whom is Thomas Keller. This is the book that inspired me to go to The French Laundry, well before I actually did. The details are fascinating, as Ruhlman himself went through the CIA program and is therefore accepted into the chef’s confidence....more
Yes, this is about food, but it's also about the senses and about Tucci's childhood. The writing reminds me of Ruth Reichl but, as the book progressesYes, this is about food, but it's also about the senses and about Tucci's childhood. The writing reminds me of Ruth Reichl but, as the book progresses, with a lot more swearing. He has a great sense of humor but could use a little more awareness of current events - he is repeatedly surprised by restaurant closings during/since COVID and states he doesn't know why they're closing. Ah...being closed for months on end? Lack of employees to staff them? Inflation?
Included are a number of delicious-looking family recipes....more
Dreamlike text with gorgeous photos, this intimate and somewhat melodramatic memoir meanders through the author's love life while describing appealingDreamlike text with gorgeous photos, this intimate and somewhat melodramatic memoir meanders through the author's love life while describing appealing recipes that I'm unlikely to try because of their complexity and use of grains that are not readily available....more
A fascinating glimpse into a time and lifestyle foreign to most of us, this is a compilation of anecdotes and recipes from the caterer for Cherokee CaA fascinating glimpse into a time and lifestyle foreign to most of us, this is a compilation of anecdotes and recipes from the caterer for Cherokee Castle (Meg Anderson), when Tweet Kimball was still alive. The recipes are typical of the era (tomato aspic, raspberry Jello mold) and they are complemented by great photographs and personal stories about events such as a dinner held in honor of Princess Anne. ...more
Gourmet Magazine was the best food magazine ever. For 70 years, it gave us recipes that worked; travel articles to places none of us had been; and theGourmet Magazine was the best food magazine ever. For 70 years, it gave us recipes that worked; travel articles to places none of us had been; and the writing of many of the top talents of the day – Annie Proulx, David Foster Wallace, and Ray Bradbury – to name a few. Gourmet would test their recipes up to 20 times, changing them ever so slightly at each try, in order to make them perfect. You may not like a Gourmet recipe, you may not want to spend the time to make one or to try to find the ingredients, but they will always turn out the way they’re supposed to!
I read this book with my life winding its way in strands throughout it. I poured over Gourmet Magazine from my early twenties through the time it ceased publication. I would tear out the recipes that appealed to and inspired me and I’m still working my way through some of them. My mother and I used to cook together out of it and she pulled together the menus from Gourmet that she had saved for me into a binder and gave it to me three days before she died.
This is the most intimate and moving of Reichl’s books. It’s the story of her rise to the apex of culinary publishing, when she became the editor-in-chief of Gourmet Magazine, and the story of how it all stopped abruptly. It’s the tale of someone who loved writing (her prose is beautiful, engaging, and flows) and then went into “corporate”. She’s a hippy at heart and approaches life with wonder and an open heart, despite a difficult childhood with a manic-depressive mother. Her writing gave me shivers at times. As a bonus, recipes are included!
When I heard that Gourmet Magazine had ceased publication, I had recently received the final issue: Thanksgiving, November 2009. I hadn’t yet taken off the plastic bag it came it, nor opened the magazine. I still haven’t. I’m not sure why except that it seems so final, so inalterably terminal. Perhaps now I’ll be able to do so. ...more
This started off promisingly, with fascinating stories about the author's family and life in the South, as well as mouth-watering recipes (butter rollThis started off promisingly, with fascinating stories about the author's family and life in the South, as well as mouth-watering recipes (butter rolls, buttermilk pie, real biscuits, deviled eggs). Unfortunately, it could have used some editing and tightening up as it dragged on a bit....more
The author, a technology journalist and box wine drinker, hears mention of the World’s Best Sommelier Competition and is captivated by the competitiveThe author, a technology journalist and box wine drinker, hears mention of the World’s Best Sommelier Competition and is captivated by the competitiveness of it all. She leaves her job to become a “cellar rat” – stocking the wine cellar of restaurants and tasting a multitude of wines, in hopes of becoming a certified sommelier. Her days start with morning tastings with advanced sommeliers, progress to licking rocks to improve her taste memory, and she’s tipsy by 2 p.m. each day.
This is an insider’s view into the world of the sommelier – like a Kitchen Confidential for wine – and is almost as foul-mouthed. Bosker delves into the interplay of our senses and how knowledge of price, for instance, affects our enjoyment of the wine. One chapter explores the makers of mass-produced wines, who study what people want and give them that, versus wine as it has traditionally been made: by artisans who express what they feel is good (“To consult the drinkers would be like Monet running focus groups to decide the colors for his next canvas.”). There is an involved explanation behind many of the “whys” and significance of table service, a discussion of the science of smell, and an exploration of the philosophy behind what sommeliers do: “The sommeliers were using pleasantries and feigned smiles to keep their diners in an alternate reality where everything is elegant, polished, and uplifting. Where you, the guest, are always right. And clever and classy and erudite and distinguished. Victoria and the others were briefly helping to make up for bad marriages and demeaning bosses. They were an escape from the ordinary and unspectacular. They were, with a reassuring nod or smile, helping to ease the sting of delinquent children or failed deals.”
Threaded throughout is her droll, wry humor, reminding me of Mary Roach’s books. A rollicking romp of a book.
If you like books about life in food service/restaurants, you might also enjoy: -Sous Chef: 24 Hours on the Line, by Michael Gibney -The Devil in the Kitchen: Sex, Pain, Madness and the Making of a Great Chef, by Marco Pierre White and James Steen -Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany, by Bill Buford -The Sorcerer's Apprentices: A Season in the Kitchen at Ferran Adrià's elBulli, by Lisa Abend -Life, on the Line: A Chef's Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, and Redefining the Way We Eat, by Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas -Beaten, Seared, and Sauced: On Becoming a Chef at the Culinary Institute of America, by Jonathan Dixon ...more
The author starts up an Exotic Food Club at his high school in Arkansas, complete with dinners of bucatini pasta with black truffles, and sea urchins.The author starts up an Exotic Food Club at his high school in Arkansas, complete with dinners of bucatini pasta with black truffles, and sea urchins. He segues into his life importing truffles and other gourmet ingredients, along the way imparting a great deal of information about how to determine whether the food stuff is genuine, and other interesting facts (for instance: Franklin Garland sells his self-published book, The Garland Method of Truffle Growing, for $10,000). A swashbuckling tale!...more
A complex intertwining of food, family, and foraging, this tale doesn't take you where you expect as the author explores the dynamics of her Chinese-AA complex intertwining of food, family, and foraging, this tale doesn't take you where you expect as the author explores the dynamics of her Chinese-American family and the hope that her foraging walks instill in her. She skillfully weaves the theme of misplaced expectations into the book....more
Memoir, travelogue, cookbook…this work spans various genres while remaining grounded in the 85 recipes included (each with its own wine recommendationMemoir, travelogue, cookbook…this work spans various genres while remaining grounded in the 85 recipes included (each with its own wine recommendation).
The author begins with the assertion (about the French) that: “All of them are simple cooks, and they turn out scrumptious food. Whether or not they like to cook doesn’t really enter into it. Food and eating are simply priorities.” She lays down three ground rules:
• Be prepared • Be hungry (don’t eat between meals) • Take care of yourself
From there, she leads us through quintessential French precepts of the kitchen: what you should have in your kitchen; the influence of mamie (grandmother); and an entire chapter devoted to the green salad. Cheese and bread are of course covered, as are some French techniques for cooking and what to do with your leftovers.
The recipes are simple and timeless – I can’t wait to try them!...more
The author of the blog, Yummy Books, Nicoletti combines a brief look at each book she loves and describes how it inspired the recipe she wrote - from The author of the blog, Yummy Books, Nicoletti combines a brief look at each book she loves and describes how it inspired the recipe she wrote - from explicit mentions of specific dishes to the moods conjured up by the book. Her writing is beautiful and the recipes sound delicious. To wit: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, inspired by If You Give a Mouse a Cookie....more
A fascinating look at a way of life: that of the apprentice chef in France in the 1930s. Pepin is a great storyteller and the narrative is enhanced wiA fascinating look at a way of life: that of the apprentice chef in France in the 1930s. Pepin is a great storyteller and the narrative is enhanced with family recipes....more
The problem is, writing your memoir in graphic novel form doesn't make up for the lack of interesting content. This was a cute little book, complete wThe problem is, writing your memoir in graphic novel form doesn't make up for the lack of interesting content. This was a cute little book, complete with recipes with sound effects, and portions that intrigued me (her visit to the kitchen of Alinea, for one). But it left me feeling pretty "meh" about her life....more
24 hours in the life of sous chef/author Michael Gibney. His pacing is superb - from the start of the day when he has an hour to relax somewhat, ensur24 hours in the life of sous chef/author Michael Gibney. His pacing is superb - from the start of the day when he has an hour to relax somewhat, ensure that everything is in order, and have a smoke, through the prep work and realization that the restaurant is booked solid, but that most of the reservations are for the later sitting, to the frantic denouement - it's a compelling read. That the author ponders the philosophy behind cooking and has the wherewithal (an MFA in nonfiction writing) to express his thoughts is the icing on top of this very enjoyable read....more
Food porn at its best, this reignited my interest in making cheese. I found myself salivating on a regular basis, as the author regaled us with the liFood porn at its best, this reignited my interest in making cheese. I found myself salivating on a regular basis, as the author regaled us with the living history of various French cheeses. The only drawback was the occasional overuse of French, which might have been distracting to those who don't speak it....more
This almost wound up on my 'couldn't finish it' shelves because the author referred to God in just about every paragraph of the introduction. She thenThis almost wound up on my 'couldn't finish it' shelves because the author referred to God in just about every paragraph of the introduction. She then stated that she has both mothers and women without children as her friends, but in the next paragraph listed what they do together, almost all of which involved children. That, and her comments about how all women agonize about their weight made this a very difficult - and very clichéd - book for me to read. She redeemed herself somewhat with her beautiful writing - she holds forth honestly and poignantly about life: that it isn't perfection or performance, and that it is bettered by sitting at the table with friends....more
This is the book that I was hoping for, with Female Nomad and Friends (but didn't get). The essays are thoughtful, topical, and well-written, and madeThis is the book that I was hoping for, with Female Nomad and Friends (but didn't get). The essays are thoughtful, topical, and well-written, and made me consider a variety of viewpoints about why we eat and how we eat. ...more
This is Fisher's answer to wartime rationing. It includes recipes for offal and for 'stretching' such ingredients as eggs (in scrambled eggs) by addinThis is Fisher's answer to wartime rationing. It includes recipes for offal and for 'stretching' such ingredients as eggs (in scrambled eggs) by adding bread crumbs. Told in her signature eloquent and wry style.
"For those who must have some 'shapeless nothing in a dish,' war or no war, at the end of every night-time meal, the easiest and cheapest (and most pitying) answer is the boxed ready-prepared gelatine dessert. It is well advertised and even well thought of in some circles. Therefore, let us dismiss both it and its admirers from our thoughts."...more
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