http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com collaborative book reviews about all things food and wine Fri, 16 Jul 2010 05:32:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7378_rasoi-new-indian-kitchen-vineet-bhatia-2010-uk http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7378_rasoi-new-indian-kitchen-vineet-bhatia-2010-uk#comments Wed, 23 Jun 2010 04:00:10 +0000 Gfron1 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=7378 For those readers old enough to remember when parental warnings were placed on certain music, you might remember how that music became the ‘must have’ CDs and records for your collection. Vineet Bhatia opens his recently released Rasoi: New Indian Kitchen with “This book is probably not for the novice cook.” Such sweet warnings are rarely uttered in culinary books. In this very attractive volume, Bhatia presents a wide range of impressive, at times labour-intensive (though rarely too complex) dishes that are a pleasure to eat. Along the way you learn about new ingredients, and realise that the common cliché of Indian dishes can easily be surpassed.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7378_rasoi-new-indian-kitchen-vineet-bhatia-2010-uk/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7415_the-new-students-veggie-cook-book-carolyn-humphries-2009-uk http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7415_the-new-students-veggie-cook-book-carolyn-humphries-2009-uk#comments Sun, 13 Jun 2010 06:35:02 +0000 Lucy http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=7415 Aimed squarely at the teenage market, The New Students’ Veggie Cookbook addresses not just what a young vegetarian should eat, but also how to keep fit and healthy while doing so. The book covers the basics of setting up a kitchen, stocking a pantry, offering helpful and very clear instructions on how best to chop an onion, boil an egg and, interestingly, how to store food. ]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7415_the-new-students-veggie-cook-book-carolyn-humphries-2009-uk/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7048_ready-for-dessert-david-lebovitz-2010-us http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7048_ready-for-dessert-david-lebovitz-2010-us#comments Sat, 15 May 2010 07:16:19 +0000 Gfron1 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=7048 I come from the school of thought that says rock bands shouldn’t release their Greatest Hits album until their career is complete. Likewise, chefs should restrain themselves from re-releasing their favorite recipes until their career enters a culminating phase. That said, David Lebovitz’s Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes will be excused since some of his previous books are no longer in print, and his greatest hits truly are classics worth reprinting.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7048_ready-for-dessert-david-lebovitz-2010-us/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6550_kitchen-garden-companion-stephanie-alexander-2009-au http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6550_kitchen-garden-companion-stephanie-alexander-2009-au#comments Mon, 10 May 2010 10:53:08 +0000 Alison http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=6550 Part recipe book, part gardening guide and part primer for encouraging children to take an interest in the food they eat Australian food icon Stephanie Alexander's Kitchen Garden Companion is an ambitious undertaking. Covering seventy-three different food crops, the gardening section combines Alexander's experiences in her own kitchen garden and her work with school children, with detailed cultivation notes. The recipes, some of which have appeared elsewhere, cover a variety of cuisines and dishes and in some cases have been modified to be suitable for children to prepare. This is an impressive publication, the information is well presented and there is much here that is interesting and useful, but the wide scope of this book makes it difficult to categorise and may in the end limit its appeal.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6550_kitchen-garden-companion-stephanie-alexander-2009-au/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6701_ad-hoc-at-home-thomas-keller-2009-us http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6701_ad-hoc-at-home-thomas-keller-2009-us#comments Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:23:37 +0000 Mark Manguerra http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=6701 Ad Hoc at Home is the latest cookbook from award-winning chef Thomas Keller of The French Laundry and Per Se, featuring casual family-style dishes. Compared to his previous works, the book is charmingly earnest and the recipes approachable, consisting of mostly American dishes with a touch of French influence, and plenty of helpful hints from Keller. However, Keller's meticulous nature still comes through, elevating the dishes in terms of flavor and presentation, but at the same time making them time-intensive and at times expensive and unfamiliar. Even with its lavish production, the book still has relatively few illustrations.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6701_ad-hoc-at-home-thomas-keller-2009-us/feed 3 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6625_cuisine-du-temps-jacques-reymond-2010-au http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6625_cuisine-du-temps-jacques-reymond-2010-au#comments Thu, 22 Apr 2010 07:23:54 +0000 Daniel Chan http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=6625 Jacques Reymond and his restaurant are institutions in Melbourne, Australia. Over the years, the French-born chef has gradually introduced Asian elements into his cuisine. In some respects, he is the other side of the coin to Sydney’s Tetsuya Wakuda, who gradually fused French methods into his Japanese cuisine. Cuisine du Temps is a book reflecting on Reymond’s career in the kitchen. Many recipes that people will recognise from his restaurant appear in this book, as do dishes that he learned during his time working in South America and the South Pacific. The recipes and photography speak for Reymond, but there’s a part of me that would have liked to read about the man himself and what motivates him.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6625_cuisine-du-temps-jacques-reymond-2010-au/feed 1 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6475_fish-tales-bart-van-olphen-2009-uk http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6475_fish-tales-bart-van-olphen-2009-uk#comments Sun, 18 Apr 2010 09:31:23 +0000 Sarah http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=6475 Line caught, farmed, wild, sustainable, line-caught, organic – for the conscientious foodie, seafood can be an ethical minefield. This is where Fish Tales comes in. More than a recipe book, authors Bart van Olphen and Tom Kime take readers on a journey across the globe, to nine different sustainable fisheries. Sharing the fishermen’s stories, they give the reader a sense of the breadth and variety in fishing practices, and show us just how precarious our seafood supply is.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6475_fish-tales-bart-van-olphen-2009-uk/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/5716_new-american-table-marcus-samuelsson-2009-us http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/5716_new-american-table-marcus-samuelsson-2009-us#comments Mon, 12 Apr 2010 06:58:09 +0000 Gfron1 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=5716 Marcus Samuelsson’s New American Table is perfect for the aspiring foodie with its vast array of cuisines. Although you’ll find nothing ground-breaking or especially innovative, adventurous cooks will enjoy the challenge of cooking across the globe and, ultimately, a modern definition of American Cuisine will appear right on their own dinner table.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/5716_new-american-table-marcus-samuelsson-2009-us/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/5335_artisan-breads-at-home-peter-reinhart-2009-us http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/5335_artisan-breads-at-home-peter-reinhart-2009-us#comments Fri, 26 Mar 2010 08:27:58 +0000 Gfron1 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=5335 Peter Reinhart has produced another knockout bread book… but do we need it? Whereas the advanced baker may find this material redundant, those who are still rising to the occasion will find the consolidation of up-to-the-minute techniques in Artisan Breads Every Day easy to digest and incorporate. ]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/5335_artisan-breads-at-home-peter-reinhart-2009-us/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/5794_paco-torreblanca-2-paco-torreblanca-2006-es http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/5794_paco-torreblanca-2-paco-torreblanca-2006-es#comments Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:54:01 +0000 Gfron1 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=5794 What if Mozart or Einstein handed you their notebook and said, “Here, go have fun.” Such a gift would be overwhelming in generosity as well as challenge. When Paco Torreblanca offers this gift in Paco Torreblanca 2, he adds, “Now let’s see what we can do together.” A serious, no-nonsense book for people who take pastry seriously, Paco Torreblanca 2 focuses on integrating natural ingredients into microcosmic eye candy.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/5794_paco-torreblanca-2-paco-torreblanca-2006-es/feed 0