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/7688_iron-chef-chens-knockout-chinese-chen-kenichi-2009-us http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7688_iron-chef-chens-knockout-chinese-chen-kenichi-2009-us#comments Fri, 16 Jul 2010 05:32:31 +0000 Mark Manguerra http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=7688 Iron Chef Chen's Knockout Chinese is a charming, lightweight book from a Japanese master of Sichuan cooking, and one of the original Iron Chefs. For better or for worse, this first translated work skips the traditional, authentic fare and goes straight for the innovative and personal recipes (with a few classics thrown in). The organization is strange and some things are lost in translation, but the recipes are often simple and inviting enough for most people to pick up immediately.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7688_iron-chef-chens-knockout-chinese-chen-kenichi-2009-us/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7624_new-release-microgreens http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7624_new-release-microgreens#comments Fri, 16 Jul 2010 05:12:27 +0000 admin http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=7624 Microgreens is a practical guide to growing arugula and other popular mini-greens that offer a multitude of colors, textures and flavors, as well as concentrated active compounds. The book also includes 15 easy recipes that make the most of microgreens.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7624_new-release-microgreens/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7660_new-release-hix http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7660_new-release-hix#comments Tue, 06 Jul 2010 02:49:25 +0000 admin http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=7660 Hix Oyster & Chop House features 100 mouth-watering recipes for dishes that appear on the menu of the famous British restaurant. Oysters are a speciality and the book includes a guide to native oysters, producers in the British Isles, and tips for preparing.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7660_new-release-hix/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7500_molto-gusto-mario-batali-2010-us http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7500_molto-gusto-mario-batali-2010-us#comments Tue, 06 Jul 2010 02:47:49 +0000 Mark Manguerra http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=7500 Patterned after Mario Batali's New York pizzeria Otto, Molto Gusto takes the focus away from complicated "meat-and-potatoes" Italian dishes and towards simple, easy-to-prepare everyday fare (or as limited by your budget for the deli). The recipes are all approachable and the photographs are inviting, but some readers might be turned off by some extremely simple recipes and the dependence on a specific brand of tomato product.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7500_molto-gusto-mario-batali-2010-us/feed 1 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 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/6756_new-release-nuts-in-the-kitchen http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6756_new-release-nuts-in-the-kitchen#comments Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:23:27 +0000 admin http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=6756 Nuts in the Kitchen is the ultimate culinary guide for using nuts in inventive, sophisticated, and astonishing ways. Whether you are a vegetarian, a vegan, or a meat eater, you'll find yourself turning to this book over and over as you prepare meals large or small.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6756_new-release-nuts-in-the-kitchen/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6738_new-release-fleischeslust http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6738_new-release-fleischeslust#comments Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:23:15 +0000 admin http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=6738 This book contains recipes, detailed guides for which cuts of which meat (beef, veal, pork, poultry, lamb and game) are suitable for different preparation methods - whether roasted, braised, or baked, and tips on purchasing, storage, processing, seasoning and serving.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6738_new-release-fleischeslust/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6658_new-release-plenty http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6658_new-release-plenty#comments Thu, 22 Apr 2010 07:23:24 +0000 admin http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=6658 With his fabulous restaurants and bestselling Ottolenghi Cookbook, Yotam Ottolenghi has established himself as one of the most exciting new talents in the world of cookery. This collection of vegetarian recipes is drawn from his column 'The New Vegetarian', and also features brand-new recipes.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6658_new-release-plenty/feed 0