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/12921_the-complete-asian-cookbook-charmaine-solomon-2011-au http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/12921_the-complete-asian-cookbook-charmaine-solomon-2011-au#comments Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:37:16 +0000 Alison Vincent http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=12921 Charmaine Solomon, well known to Australians from her books and newspaper and magazine columns, became an international success with the original publication of 'The Complete Asian Cookbook' in 1976. Since then her name has been synonymous with the flavours of the East. The revised version of this ground breaking book is a must for anyone interested in the food of this region – either to cook from or simply to refer to – that is of course if they don't already have the original.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/12921_the-complete-asian-cookbook-charmaine-solomon-2011-au/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/10908_hunt-gather-cook-hank-shaw-2011-us http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10908_hunt-gather-cook-hank-shaw-2011-us#comments Thu, 25 Aug 2011 04:28:00 +0000 Gfron1 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=10908 At a certain point many foragers grow hungry for bounty beyond mushrooms and cattails. They seek meat - raw and wild - yet making the leap from acorn gatherer to elk killer is a daunting one that seems beyond grasp. Hank Shaw’s Hunt, Gather, Cook: Finding the Forgotten Feast narrows that gap with an entertaining, informative and approachable perspective on all forms of wild dining.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10908_hunt-gather-cook-hank-shaw-2011-us/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10716_the-wild-table-connie-green-2010-us http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10716_the-wild-table-connie-green-2010-us#comments Mon, 25 Jul 2011 01:26:41 +0000 Gfron1 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=10716 In a review with a clear personal perspective, our reviewer explores the usefulness of a book on wild foraging for his role as a chef and restaurateur. Connie Green and Sarah Scott’s The Wild Table: Seasonal foraged food and recipes is the latest in a string of books capitalizing on the foraged (also called wild crafted) food movement. Just as the movement has evolved and matured, Green & Scott’s book is a step above all others.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10716_the-wild-table-connie-green-2010-us/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10209_pastry-in-europe-2011-joost-van-roosmalen-2011-be http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10209_pastry-in-europe-2011-joost-van-roosmalen-2011-be#comments Sat, 04 Jun 2011 01:28:31 +0000 Gfron1 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=10209 A glaring pink book seeking the spotlight, giving us the whirlwind European tour from Michelin restaurants to back alley holiday fairs, Pastry in Europe 2011 provides a snapshot of the state of pastry across the diverse continent. You’ll be delighted with the cutting edge ingredients, old-school techniques, and the slew of chefs sharing what they’re doing right now. While the 2011 book has made greater strides than its two predecessors, it has yet to take center stage.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10209_pastry-in-europe-2011-joost-van-roosmalen-2011-be/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/8976_food-pairing http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/8976_food-pairing#comments Tue, 04 Jan 2011 23:50:36 +0000 Gfron1 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=8976 In a period of enormous culinary innovation, often involving clever, insightful or entertaining combinations of ingredients, we bring you a feature about many of the books (and a few websites) that focus on pairing foods and flavours. Where many people have been familiar with the pairing of wine and food, these books instead look at flavour combinations in the kitchen.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/8976_food-pairing/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/8177_the-lost-art-of-real-cooking-ken-albala-2010-us http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/8177_the-lost-art-of-real-cooking-ken-albala-2010-us#comments Fri, 01 Oct 2010 12:58:42 +0000 Zora ONeill http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=8177 As I'm typing this, a crock of briny cucumbers is sitting in my basement. In a couple of weeks, in theory, the cukes will (in theory) be big, crunchy dill pickles. I'd been meaning to try this for a couple of years. I knew vaguely that it's not a complicated process, just pickles in salty water, with a splash of vinegar for safety. But The Lost Art of Real Cooking, a book that's both accessible and bursting with personality, was the book that finally inspired me to stand up and do it. So I give it full credit. ]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/8177_the-lost-art-of-real-cooking-ken-albala-2010-us/feed 2 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7873_new-edition-food-substitutions-bible http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7873_new-edition-food-substitutions-bible#comments Sun, 22 Aug 2010 13:25:19 +0000 admin http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=7873 This new edition of The Food Substitutions Bible has the best instructions for the home cook or professional chef who needs to find a great substitution when a vital ingredient is missing at a critical time in the preparation of a recipe.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7873_new-edition-food-substitutions-bible/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7302_tender-volume-1-nigel-slater-2009-uk http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7302_tender-volume-1-nigel-slater-2009-uk#comments Sun, 06 Jun 2010 05:16:17 +0000 Alison http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=7302 Nigel Slater tells the story of his vegetable patch and provides over 400 recipe ideas for using the vegetables he grows. Already well known for seven previous recipe books, his much admired autobiography Toast and his regular columns in The Observer, Slater's enthusiasm will no doubt tempt some readers to start a vegetable garden of their own, although this is predominantly a book about cooking. As in his previous books, Slater's recipes are straightforward and unfussy and his approach to using fresh produce should appeal to many home cooks. ]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7302_tender-volume-1-nigel-slater-2009-uk/feed 1