feature – The Gastronomer's Bookshelf

Books in the category: feature

Pre-Holiday Feature 2011

Another year is coming to an end, and as the holidays approach us, once again it’s the time for cookbook publishers to bring out their big guns, ripe for gift-giving, feast-preparing, and, as always, pure, simple, selfish enjoyment. While 2011 marked the collapse of a major book retailer, it hasn’t slowed the onslaught of cookbooks. In this feature we present to you a short list of some of the more interesting and popular books coming out on the tail end of 2011 to give you a taste of what to expect on the shelves (or conveniently, on your doorstep or your portable electronic reading device).

Best wishes to all our readers for the holiday season and 2012! Don’t forget to add some of your favorites from the past year in the comments!

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04 Oct 2011 – 16:29

By admin | Comments (0)

Penguin’s “Great Food” series (4 more reviews)

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.

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26 Jun 2011 – 23:38

By Duncan - admin | Also posted in biography, dining culture, encyclopedias/dictionaries, food history, historical cooking, internationally known food author/chef, recipes and context | Comments (0)

Penguin’s “Great Food” series (4 reviews)

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.

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15 Jun 2011 – 18:25

By Duncan - admin | Also posted in biography, dining culture, encyclopedias/dictionaries, food history, historical cooking, humorous | Comments (0)

Food pairing

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.

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05 Jan 2011 – 09:50

By Gfron1 | Also posted in Ingredients, advanced audience, avant garde techniques, basic skills, cooking reference, food science/technology, for commercial cooks, general audience, quite detailed, specific ingredients, textbook/technical guide, wine reference | Comments (0)

Year-end feature 2010: books for gifts or just for you

Christmas and 2011 are rushing towards us and as it’s a time of gift giving for many people (regardless of faith), we’ve prepared a list of interesting books as gift ideas for you. It’s been a busy year for co-editor Mark and me, so our apologies for bringing this feature to you a little later than intended.

We present a range of interesting, popular, excellent and/or quirky books, in no particular order, in order to stimulate your appetite and imagination.

Best wishes to all our readers for the holiday season and 2011! Now click through to see our list of books…

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13 Dec 2010 – 16:57

By Duncan - admin | Also posted in year-end-2010 | Comments (0)

Where are the good meat books?

Finding a good meat book is a challenge in the feedlot of cookbooks. If you just want recipes, there’s a lot to choose from, but if you want more than that — information, tips, wisdom — satisfaction is lean. What on earth is the problem with producing a book that actually explains meat to home cooks? This feature surveys some of the recent and/or better meat books out there. (Not a feature for vegetarians, naturally.)

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08 Feb 2010 – 11:33

By Duncan Markham | Also posted in meat/fish | Comments (0)

Editor’s message and more books of interest

Approximately one year ago, co-editor Mark and I launched The Gastronomer’s Bookshelf to help foodloving bookloving gastronomes navigate the sea of food-related books out there. Neither of us remembers exactly when we pressed the decloaking button, so what better than a combined one-year anniversary announcement and Christmas/end-of-year greeting for 2009? This final Year-end Countdown feature also contains some personal perspectives on books good and bad.

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21 Dec 2009 – 19:56

By Duncan - admin | Also posted in year-end-2009 | Comments (2)

Year-end Countdown: Food Writing, Food Guides, and Famous Names

In the last installment of our feature on year-end releases, we’re taking a look at cookbooks from famous chefs and restaurants, as well as the un-cookbooks: books with essays on food, food issues, and guidebooks on specific subjects.

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14 Dec 2009 – 17:47

By admin | Also posted in Food information and history, Food writing and issues, biography, book from a celebrity or tv-show, book from a restaurant, collections of articles, encyclopedias/dictionaries, ethical issues, food art/photography, food history, food science/technology, historical cooking, human food history, internationally known food author/chef, issues, locally known food author/chef, opinions/essays, social issues, textbook/technical guide, vegetables/grains/pulses, vegetarian cooking, year-end-2009 | Comments (0)

Year-end Countdown: Cuisines from Around the World

We’re continuing our year-end countdown this week with cuisine-focused cookbooks. This journey will take you from the United States, Canada, and Mexico, to Southeast Asia, East Asia, and India, France, Italy, Ireland, Ukraine, Greece, and northern and southern Africa. Hopefully you’ll find something of interest in the great variety of books for yourself, or to give as gifts.

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24 Nov 2009 – 16:16

By admin | Also posted in Africa, Americas, Asia, Central/South America, China, East Asia, France, Greece, India, Italy, Jewish, Mediterranean, Mexico, North Africa, North America, Southeast Asia, Southern Asia, USA, mostly savoury, restricted diet cooking, year-end-2009 | Comments (1)

Year-end Countdown: Baking and Christmas Cookbooks

As the year draws to and end, cookbook publishers around the world bring out their big guns to take advantage of the gift-giving season. Here at The Gastronomer’s Bookshelf we’ve compiled bucketloads of new books to help you fill out that gift-list (and maybe find a few titles you’d want to keep for yourself!). Many of these are novel or noteworthy, while some are just titles we know will be popular gifts. We’ll be featuring these books over the next month. This week we start with pastry, baking, and Christmas-related titles for you to get a head start on all the seasonal treats you might want to make.

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09 Nov 2009 – 00:20

By admin | Also posted in biscuits/cookies/sweet delights, bread, cakes and desserts, chocolate, mostly sweet, pastry, restricted diet cooking, seasonal food, special events, year-end-2009 | Comments (0)

The Evolution of Larousse Gastronomique

The most renowned encyclopedia of food, the Larousse Gastronomique, has just appeared in its fourth English edition. Attractively presented with a bronze cover and black slipcase, it’s the latest in a series of impressive, fascinating and somewhat quirky editions in both French and English. Each edition is a translation and adaptation of a preceding French edition, and the fifth French edition was published almost exactly two years ago, in mid-October 2007. This feature provides an overview of the various editions and some of the interesting issues and changes over the years.

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25 Oct 2009 – 19:02

By Duncan Markham | Also posted in Food information and history, France, comprehensive, cooking reference, encyclopedias/dictionaries, food history, general audience, mixed/non-regional cuisine | Comments (13)

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New release: Memories of Philippine Kitchens In the newly revised and updated Memories of Philippine Kitchens, Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan, owners and chef at the Purple Yam and formerly of Cendrillon in Manhattan, present a fascinating—and very personal—look at Filipino cuisine and culture. [read more...]	New release: A Girl and Her Pig April Bloomfield takes home cooks on an intimate tour of the food that has made her a star. Thoughtful, voice-driven recipes go behind the scenes of Bloomfield’s lauded restaurants and into her own home kitchen, where her attention to detail and reverence for honest ingredients result in unforgettable dishes. [read more...]
New edition: South East Asian Foods Since its first publication in 1970, South East Asian Food has achieved a reputation as the authoritative book on the subject. This new edition features a completely updated and easy-to-follow design, with beautiful illustrations throughout. [read more...]	Worth a look: Fish: Recipes from the Sea More than 200 simple, authentic recipes for fish and seafood, newly collected from the Silver Spoon kitchen. From traditional seafood soups to simple grilled fish with herbs, the Italian approach to cooking with fish is both delicious and resourceful. [read more...]
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Coming: Vegan a la Mode Ice cream, ice cream, everywhere, and not a drop of dairy to be found! Who knew that making vegan frozen treats was so easy, or so much fun? With Vegan a la Mode, you can recreate classic ice cream parlor treats as well as innovative new flavor combinations, with over 100 recipes to choose from. And don’t forget the toppings! [read more...]	New release: The Slow Cook Book From pot roasts to North African tagines, celebrate the art of slow cooking with The Slow Cook Book. The 200 recipes featured include all the more traditional slow cook dishes such as hearty stews and pot roasts but you may also be surprised to find cakes and bakes featured as well. [read more...]
New release: Rosa’s Farm The farm has always been a special haven for Rosa and her family, a place for good food and wine, and celebratory meals. In this book she shares more recipes for her favourite Italian dishes which, like those in the popular My Cousin Rosa are simple, traditional, lovingly prepared and utterly authentic. [read more...]	New release: Whatever Happened To Sunday Dinner? Lisa Caponigri created this book to give real families recipes they can easily cook and enjoy together. Caponigri has devised 52 delicious Italian menus–one for each Sunday of the year–that feature all the favorites, including classics like crostini, lasagne, polenta, stuffed peppers, veal piccata, risotto alla Milanese, and ricotta pie. [read more...]
New edition: Food For Free The classic foraging guide to over 200 types of food that can be gathered and picked in the wild, Food for Free returns in its 40th year as a sumptuous, beautifully illustrated and fully updated anniversary edition. [read more...]	New release: Treats from Little and Friday In this delightful cookbook, Popular New Zealand bakery owner, Kim Evans, a self-taught baker, shares the recipes for her most popular tarts, biscuits, savouries and cakes. Adapted for the home cook, Kim’s approachable recipes and helpful hints allow even the novice baker to master the delights of her delicious cafe treats. [read more...]
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Books in the category: feature

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