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/11807_the-sorcerers-apprentices-lisa-abend-2011-us http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/11807_the-sorcerers-apprentices-lisa-abend-2011-us#comments Sun, 16 Oct 2011 05:50:56 +0000 Duncan Markham http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=11807 The Sorcerer's Apprentices is the only reasonably unvarnished account of what it was like to work at el Bulli. Alongside occasional descriptions of the creative process involving Adrià and his key chefs, the book's main focus is on the life of the unpaid apprentices lucky enough to have been selected to spend a season at the restaurant. The book provides interesting insights into the workings of this very special restaurant and the experiences of the people involved, but I found it long and heavy reading. Opinions of this book are likely to vary greatly.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/11807_the-sorcerers-apprentices-lisa-abend-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/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/10780_new-release-math-for-the-professional-kitchen http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10780_new-release-math-for-the-professional-kitchen#comments Sun, 07 Aug 2011 09:36:21 +0000 admin http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=10780 Ideal for students and working professionals, Math for the Professional Kitchen explains all the essential mathematical skills needed to run a successful, profitable operation, from scaling recipes to costing ingredients and setting menu prices.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10780_new-release-math-for-the-professional-kitchen/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/10140_reinventing-food-colman-andrews-2010-uk http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10140_reinventing-food-colman-andrews-2010-uk#comments Sun, 01 May 2011 10:59:37 +0000 Duncan Markham http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=10140 Colman Andrews paints a sympathetic and informative picture of Ferran Arià, a chef who, through passion, obsession and creative focus, almost accidentally made the culinary earth move. Reinventing Food is worth reading both for the interested and the unbelievers. Especially for the latter group, frequently sceptical of modernist cuisine because of the media depiction of it being laboratory food lacking soul but oozing "cleverness", Reinventing Food might shed more light on what really is significant and fascinating and (perhaps) delicious about so many aspects of Adrià's contribution to the culinary world.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/10140_reinventing-food-colman-andrews-2010-uk/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/9591_audrey-gordons-tuscan-summer-audrey-gordon-2010-au http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/9591_audrey-gordons-tuscan-summer-audrey-gordon-2010-au#comments Mon, 11 Apr 2011 09:01:46 +0000 Alison Vincent http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=9591 Audrey Gordon is a respected and prolific cookery writer. She has also been a long-time contributor to BBC radio, presented numerous television series and been voted ‘Britain’s Sternest Cook’ three times. She and husband Phillip recently closed their restaurant, audrey’s, and headed to Tuscany for a chance to take a break and of course write a book about it. The result is ‘Audrey Gordon’s Tuscan Summer’, a ’sumptuously photographed and lavishly over-designed book’ written for ‘the ordinary cook, stuck at home with insufficient bench space and a set of chipped mixing bowls’. Audrey Gordon's Tuscan Summer looks like a regular cookbook and the recipes are certainly workable if not necessarily authentic, but Audrey is not all she seems...]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/9591_audrey-gordons-tuscan-summer-audrey-gordon-2010-au/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/8789_thai-street-food-david-thompson-2009-au http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/8789_thai-street-food-david-thompson-2009-au#comments Tue, 11 Jan 2011 04:31:56 +0000 Daniel Chan http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=8789 “Thai Street Food” is David Thompson’s homage to the markets, food stands and mobile vendors of Thailand. As with his groundbreaking previous book, “Thai Food”, Thompson explains the evolution of the food, and the systems and culture that sustains it. However, readers should not think of this book as being a street food version of his first book - to do so would only lead to disappointment. Thompson’s aim here is to give the reader an insight into what Thais eat every day and how it fits into their lives. The hour-by-hour changes in the food available to Thais in the street markets is constantly emphasised in the book. The combination of his writing and Earl Carter's photographs is so seductive that it’s hard to resist the urge to catch the next flight to Bangkok to experience the culture Thompson has adopted as his own.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/8789_thai-street-food-david-thompson-2009-au/feed 0