http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com collaborative book reviews about all things food and wine Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:58:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/11773_the-art-of-eating-cookbook-edward-behr-2011-us http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/11773_the-art-of-eating-cookbook-edward-behr-2011-us#comments Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:50:44 +0000 Gfron1 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=11773 Recipes that are timeless. Recipes that have endured. Recipes that hold enough cultural significance that they’ve adorned the pages of Art of Eating magazine. The Art of Eating Cookbook is a no fuss, no frills anthology of recipes that work, taste great, and are doable by any level of cook.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/11773_the-art-of-eating-cookbook-edward-behr-2011-us/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/11258_odd-bits-jennifer-mclagan-2011-us http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/11258_odd-bits-jennifer-mclagan-2011-us#comments Mon, 26 Sep 2011 02:54:51 +0000 Gfron1 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=11258 Jennifer McLagan’s final stage of her trilogy, including the much lauded Bones (2005) and Fat (2007), is a comprehensive exploration of those animal parts that are ignored or tossed in the bin, and the word fascinating would be the ultimate understatement in describing this book. Odd Bits is her final manifesto to the world of daring or squeamish cooks to take a new look at less common parts of the animals, and is one of the best cookbooks of 2011.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/11258_odd-bits-jennifer-mclagan-2011-us/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10461_modern-cookery-for-private-families-eliza-action-2011-uk http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10461_modern-cookery-for-private-families-eliza-action-2011-uk#comments Sun, 10 Jul 2011 08:09:47 +0000 Alison http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=10461 Publishers Quadrille have produced a version of Eliza Acton's famous Modern Cookery for Private Families, first published in 1845. Essential reading for anyone interested in food and history, so much of what Eliza Acton had to say is as true today as it was more than 150 years ago. Acton gives valuable insight into the Victorian kitchen, and her prose is a pleasure to read.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10461_modern-cookery-for-private-families-eliza-action-2011-uk/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10441_penguins-great-food-series-4-more-reviews http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10441_penguins-great-food-series-4-more-reviews#comments Sun, 26 Jun 2011 13:38:42 +0000 Duncan - admin http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=10441 This is the second feature article about the Great Food series from Penguin Books. This article reviews books by Claudia Roden, Dr A.W. Chase, Alexis Soyer and Colonel Wyvern. Slim paperbacks with pretty covers, the GREAT FOOD series is a hit with many food lovers. We asked our reviewers to have a look at a number of them and give their thoughts.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10441_penguins-great-food-series-4-more-reviews/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10410_penguins-great-food-series-4-reviews http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10410_penguins-great-food-series-4-reviews#comments Wed, 15 Jun 2011 08:25:02 +0000 Duncan - admin http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=10410 Penguin Books has released a set of 20 books of writings by authors who penned their food wisdom anywhere between 400 and 20 years ago. Slim paperbacks with pretty covers, the GREAT FOOD series is a hit with many food lovers. We asked our reviewers to have a look at a number of them and give their thoughts. Part 1 features reviews of books by Alexandre Dumas, Samuel Pepys, Pellegrino Artusi and Alice B. Toklas.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10410_penguins-great-food-series-4-reviews/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/9412_ice-creams-sorbets-and-gelati-caroline-and-robin-weir-2010-uk http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/9412_ice-creams-sorbets-and-gelati-caroline-and-robin-weir-2010-uk#comments Sun, 06 Mar 2011 09:45:24 +0000 Duncan Markham http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=9412 An impressive, compendious work about ice cream and other frozen sweets for home cooks. The much-awaited revision of an earlier book by the authors has yielded a greatly expanded range of delicious recipes, plus some additional history and trivia. The authors' insistence on precision and recommended formulae for making ices is undermined by their own mistakes and inconsistencies, but despite this, Ice Creams, Sorbets and Gelati: The Definitive Guide is a work worth considering for any avid home ice cream maker.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/9412_ice-creams-sorbets-and-gelati-caroline-and-robin-weir-2010-uk/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/9088_how-the-british-fell-in-love-with-food-the-guild-of-food-writers-2010-uk http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/9088_how-the-british-fell-in-love-with-food-the-guild-of-food-writers-2010-uk#comments Thu, 27 Jan 2011 03:08:21 +0000 Harry http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=9088 How the British Fell in Love with Food is the sort of book you could either read from cover to cover, or simply pick up casually from time to time to read a chapter or two. The articles from members of the Guild of Food Writers, many award-winners, provide an interesting historical perspective on modern food history in Britain, combined with a fair range of recipes. The book is not without a few quirks, not least of which the choice of period (mid-70s to 2010). The book only includes works by the Guild’s writers, as it was published to celebrate the Guild's 25th anniversary. ]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/9088_how-the-british-fell-in-love-with-food-the-guild-of-food-writers-2010-uk/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/8096_foods-of-the-americas-fernando-and-marlene-divina-2010-us http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/8096_foods-of-the-americas-fernando-and-marlene-divina-2010-us#comments Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:11:10 +0000 Gfron1 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=8096 Recently released in paperback version, Foods of the Americas: Native Recipes and Traditions, brings renewed life to this James Beard Foundation book award winner of 2005 (originally published in 2004). Numerous books have been written about native or indigenous cooking in the Americas, but most focus on a small subset of people, and are rarely written by accomplished chefs. Fernando and Marlene Divina, in partnership with the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, have created a book that documents important cultural history, and thankfully convert it into a useful culinary tool.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/8096_foods-of-the-americas-fernando-and-marlene-divina-2010-us/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6332_field-guide-to-candy-anita-chu-2009-us http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6332_field-guide-to-candy-anita-chu-2009-us#comments Tue, 30 Mar 2010 06:48:02 +0000 Jason S http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=6332 Field Guide to Candy packs a lot of recipes for homemade candy from around the world in a compact volume. It manages to include several lesser-known recipes from outside the US, UK and France, even though there are a few glaring omissions and curious inclusions. However, the lack of detail in the recipes make this more suitable as a reference book for more experienced candy-makers.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6332_field-guide-to-candy-anita-chu-2009-us/feed 2 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/5974_coming-cake-a-global-history http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/5974_coming-cake-a-global-history#comments Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:51:48 +0000 Reaktion http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=5974 Cake: A Global History explores the origin of modern cake and its development from sweet bread to architectural flight of fancy, with the meanings, legends and rituals attached to cake throughout the world, while relating the food’s place in literature, art, and symbolism.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/5974_coming-cake-a-global-history/feed 0