Tasty Tomes: Favorite "Food Books"

We are a reading family. J and I are both voracious readers independently, but enjoy books so much, and with such varied tastes, that we share them with each other by reading our personal favorites out loud to the other.

There's just something about summer that intensifies my desire to read. It may be that it's too hot to exert yourself more than turning a page, that it's easier to escape to other worlds in the whimsy of "summer vacation" despite being tied down with full-time jobs, or that one of our culture's last vestiges of enjoying reading is the "Beach Reads" checklist at bookshops. Regardless, I've had an insatiable appetite for books as the weather has warmed up.

J enjoys science fiction and fantasy books - from The Gunslinger to the Wheel of Time Series to Michael Chrichton's books - he enjoys the fantastical, magical worlds. And I have enjoyed him opening my eyes to these books that I would have hardly noticed on my own, but have come to enjoy.

I have a much less exciting, and almost haphazard, taste in books. As an English major, I'm willing to (attempt to) appreciate any effort at writing an entire book, regardless of the subject. I'll pick up just about anything at a used bookstore that sounds halfway decent or has really nice cover art; but mostly I like stories about the everyday. I know that's vague, but what I mean is stories like The Great Gatsby, that aren't about magic of technology or space or other dimensions, so much as the pieces of regular peoples' lives falling into place. The books that are good stories above all, but that could happen to anyone, that describe the most common of occurrences but in such a way that you can relate and empathize.

And in this somewhat reckless collection of books that I've read, I've come across some great works about food. A few are non-fiction, and biographies, even; but most are works of fiction where food is a main character in the drama. A lot of the books are able to portray, far better than I could ever imagine doing, how important a meal can be between friends, how special memories are of late-night snacks, how your emotions are portrayed through the foods you serve, and more.

If you're a reader, hungering for something to sink your intellectual teeth into, consider giving these books a shot. I've enjoyed each of them and hope you will, too.

Each title includes a link to the Goodreads.com book review page which includes a brief synopsis, reader reviews and more. If you read a lot, I highly recommend setting up a Goodreads account; it keeps me straight on what I've read (and if I liked it) and what I want to read next. I'd be lost in a bookstore without it.

Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child  - This bio of the late, great, Julia Child offers so many insights about her personal life that I'd never known. For example, in her 80s she loved picking up young men in bars; her and her husband had the most wonderful romance; and despite being the pre-Martha Stewart of perfection, she had an incredibly dysfunctional family.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar - An Eric Carle classic that taught us all the basics of counting, colors and binge eating. I have snack cravings just like this little guy all the time.

Like Water for Chocolate - I just finished this book (in a day!) and loved it. It has an incredibly unique format of monthly installments including recipes for traditional Mexican dishes. As they describe how to make the meals, they describe why, when and by whom they're cooked. This book describes my exact feelings about food - that it can bring memories to the forefront, embody all the chef's emotions, and be the most powerful connection to our loved ones. (It's also been made into a movie, if you want to cheat and watch it instead. It's available on Netflix streaming).

Chocolat - Another romantic, chocolate-filled book. The story wraps more around the politics of a French village and its strange characters, but the descriptions of the sweets are exciting and completely cravable. (And the movie version casts a very lovely Johnny Depp).

Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen: How One Girl Risked Her Marriage, Her Job, and Her Sanity to Master the Art of Living - I will say the movie for this book is just as delightful as the book, and so, I will endorse you skipping the book for Amy Adams and Meryl Streep. This covers a young woman stuck in a crappy job, in a teeny apartment who works out all of her disappointments by cooking every dish in Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. It features vignettes about Child's real adventure writing Cooking and Julie's attempt. If you've ever felt daunted by cooking, this book (or movie) will put you at ease and encourage you to give it a shot.

Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter - I mentioned this on my "Recipe Resources" post and it's a little-known winner. I found this book at a library overstock sale for 50 cents.It covers the adventures of working in Thomas Keller's uber-fancy Per Se restaurant. I learned a lot about working in kitchens, and how I should act as a diner. I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in food and especially those who want to live their Michelin star dreams vicariously through an insider.

Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins - Technically, food is a minor character in this book, but if you have young children, this book is a must-have. It is about the infamous lunch counter sit-ins started by NC A&T students, from a local girl's perspective. All she wants is to eat milkshakes with her family at the shiny Woolworth counter and doesn't understand the implications of the changing world around her.

Eat, Pray, Love - I feel like this has become a cliche title for any woman undergoing a melodramatic crisis, but it really is an influential book. I read this book right after graduating college and being unable to find a job, moving back in with my parents and seemingly taking five steps backward. To me, it was exciting to see a woman dropping everything and figuring her life out one plate at a time.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie - Another children's classic. I always loved this series recounting the snowballing effects of snacking with animals, and Mouse was the original installment. I'll defend it as a necessary text because it teaching kids about making solid decisions and dealing with consequences...or something.

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe - I grew up watching this movie and can actually quote it almost line-by-line, and I'll admit Mary Stuart Masterson's portrayal can't be put back on paper. If you haven't seen this movie about the importance of chosen family, read the book first! Fannie Flagg does a great job, but you can't top the screen version. And I know it's English Major sin to offer that suggestion. Lord, help me.

Recipe Resources - books, magazines and more!

I've mentioned time and again that I'm not the best improvisational cook but I do love and excel at following recipes. I love to perusing periodicals to find good-looking recipes to test out.

This may be a genetic affliction because my mother is a first-class cookbook hoarder. She loves looking at all of the beautiful pictures, imagining the dishes and making a to-do list of recipes for my dad to make;  every year we have to sort through them to clear space on the bookcase.

Right now, I've only commandeered one shelf (of our 5+ bookcases) for cookbooks, but I also subscribe to two cooking/food magazines, listen to culinary podcasts and regularly review a foodie website. Here are a few recommendations of my favorite recipe resources that provide relevant, interesting and delicious information on cooking (and eating)!


- From Julia Child's Kitchen & Mastering the Art of French Cooking: I've read two books about Julia Child's life and adventures in becoming one of the forefront starts of cooking and one of the first famous female chefs and I've come to idolize her and her cookbooks. Her recipes are timeless and reading the biographies of her that I have, I know how much work - including tinkering, testing and reformulating - she puts into her cookbooks to make sure the recipes are precise and work perfectly. I do find her recipes hard to read sometimes because they are so detailed (partly because of the nature of French cooking itself) but the results are nothing short of remarkable. Her cookbooks inspired how I present recipes here, with a list of ingredients followed by a detailed "method" timeline.

- Taste of Home magazine: TOH is a great magazine for beginners or those who need to make quick, inexpensive, crowd-pleasing meals (don't we all?). The majority, if not all, of the featured recipes are submitted by readers (who can win competitions for cash!) and are tested by their staff and editors. I love the personal quality of the recipes - each reader-submitted one includes a 1-2 line intro from the home cook - that shows someone out there actually makes this recipe for people they care about! This mag relies heavily on Crock Pots, make ahead and easy-to-freeze meals. 

- The Hungry Girl series of cookbooks and website: I've found this product line to be the most accessible and successful series of healthy, diet recipes. Unlike other lines, such as the super witty but overdone Skinny Bitch In the Kitch books, Hungry Girl uses common, inexpensive ingredients to create figure-friendly recipes that taste as good, if not better than the full-fat, high calorie versions. For example, the recipe for rich, pumpkin chocolate muffins  is amazing and is so customizable. The website offers weekly updates about new grocery products and helpful suggestions so users can make informed, healthy choices at home, at the store or in restaurants. 

- Food Network Magazine: I didn't buy this subscription myself, but my mother got so tired of me stealing her back editions that she opted to make sure I had my own copies. I love this magazine. After working on a newspaper for my whole college career, I have an eye for good layout and engaging content - this magazine pulls you in. The food artistry is great, they have stories about current trends in kitchen supplies and menus, and great features like "He Made She Made" which pits two Food Network cooks against each other making a simple dish. Unlike Taste of Home, Food Network seems to assume its readers aren't novices, but are at least watching Food Network shows and know the basics. They include more complicated and exotic recipes with less common ingredients; but it's all do-able. This might be right between Taste of Home and Bon Appetit. 

- The Salt: This is the quirkiest of my recommendations. It doesn't offer a regular, standardized product but is merely the grouping of all food-related NPR material. That includes audio clips (and transcripts) of their stories from shows like All Things Considered, Fresh Air and Morning Edition, infographics and a "For Foodies" section that includes weekly features like "Sandwich Monday" where staff members of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me try random meals that could loosely be described as sandwiches and provide a satirical play-by-play. It often features recipes (usually in "Found Recipes"), but I appreciate the up-to-date news about food issues including issues of hunger, climate change affecting produce, diet trends etc. 

- Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2: I don't know how this happened but my family ended up with two copies of this cookbook and no one has the first. However, judging by the recipes in the sequel, I imagine TSRR 1 is pretty good too. This book if full of restaurant secrets - either ripped off by former employees or tested and tweaked to be mirrored meals of franchise favorites. I can attest that some of these recipes are just as good as you'd get in a brick-and-mortar location, including the Red Robin fry seasoning that we now use on a number of things. For me, it's also helpful for figuring out "what is that flavor?" in restaurant dishes and gives a good starting point for improving on your favorite dishes. My only complaint is the organization of the book. All recipes are grouped according to original restaurant (Chilis, PF Changs etc.) which is helpful if you know an exact dish you want to duplicate (like Chili's molten lava cake) however, if you just know you want to make chicken salad you have to do some searching. 

- Better Homes and Gardens' New Cookbook: According to the Amazon description, the New Cookbook (now on its 15th edition) has been a staple in American households since 1930. I know that the red-and-white plaid book has been a constant feature of our home since the early 80s (but our ragged copy looks even older than that). Like Mastering the Art of French Cooking, the recipes in New aren't actually new - they're classic dishes that teach you basic techniques and meals that are always enjoyable. We had a children's version that I used when I first learned to cook and I was so proud when I could graduate to the big three ring copy. This is a great cookbook to get started with - you're making fancy dishes but it talks you through it as a learner.

- The Splendid Table: A staple of public radio, TST is a wonderful hour-long show hosted by Lynne Rosetto Kasper who has a voice made for NPR - soft and quiet with a descriptive vocabulary that brings the food to your own home. They feature great stories from journalists around the world, interviews with chefs and an awesome segment where callers name a few items in their fridge and Lynne suggests a recipe. Lynne makes food accessible and callers are able to get a personable answer to their most pressing cooking queries. The show airs weekly but podcasts and recipes are available online.

- Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter : This book isn't a cookbook, doesn't include any recipes or many helpful cooking tips. However, it is a non-fiction book about the adventures of working in Thomas Keller's uber-fancy Per Se restaurant. I learned so much about working in kitchens, and how I should be acting as a diner from this book. I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in food. 

Gourmet Goals and Cooking Confessions

Too often, chefs and even homecooking food bloggers portray an image of being perfect gourmets who can improvise with ease, conquer any recipe and are experts in all cuisines. I don't want to do that here. I intend to show you that no one is without fault and everyone has big goals, even in the kitchen!

So I have a few personal cooking confessions, palate prejudice and gourmet goals to share with you.

Cooking Confessions

• I struggle with multitasking. Too often, I get too ambitious and get overwhelmed cooking. This is one of the reasons I love make-ahead entrees or Crock Pot dishes that take care of themselves so that I can focus on other elements. 
• I can be really shortsighted with cooking. I'm not really creative when left to my own devices but I do feel really confident in my ability to follow a recipe - probably too confident. I think that everything will be much more simple than it is. 
• I can be recipe gullible. I know what makes for good flavor combinations but I often assume that all recipes that get air time must be good. This is dangerous and is the impetus for J's "one Pinterest recipe per meal" rule...
• I'm forgetful with ingredients. This is probably why my skills of improvisation are improving - because I think we have 2 cups of mozzarella but we actually only have 1, so I have to add Parmesan, cheddar and feta to meet my needs. 
• I make assumptions about local grocery stores. I assume that most ingredients are readily available and hopefully in appropriate packaging and price points or I don't fully understand my ingredients - that's what caused the Canned Salmon meltdown of 2012 (who knew it had skin and bones in it?!?!). Another moment to be a better improvisational cook!

For some common cooking mistakes, look here at Real Simple's suggestions to fix food flubs. 

Palate Prejudice 

Here are a few of the ingredients/flavors I despise and try to avoid as often as possible when cooking or eating:

• Fennel/ star anise/ licorice - just why?
• Cilantro - in large quantities, I think it tastes just like soapy dishwater
• Strong liquor flavors - I'm not far enough away from my college drinking (read: vomiting) days to be able to appreciate strong booze again
• Raw, seed-filled tomatoes - I love tomato products and tomatoes without "guts" but I can't stand that slimy stuff!

Gourmet Goals

I've been cooking since I was a kid and have tried a number of types of cuisine and methods of preparation but I still have some goals for dishes and techniques that I want to master. 

• The Art of French Cooking - I've made her Bouef Bourguignon, but I want to try more of Julia Child's French recipes (minus the aspics)
• Savory and sweet souffles - I made one in a rush on Valentine's Day and it was so-so. This dramatic dish needs to be perfect
• Southern staples - most notably fried chicken, biscuits and cornbread
• Perfect knife cuts - if you asked J, he'd probably say my knife skills are irregular at best, insanely dangerous at their worst
• Homemade pie crust and pasta - two of my most favorite carbs!
• A signature cocktail - I know I said I don't like strong liquor flavors earlier, but I do think having a good knowledge of what to order at a dinner or what to shake up at a party is an important grown up skill. And rumor has it, some drinks don't taste just like nail polish remover - if you make the right, you might just enjoy them! 
• Knowledge of meat cuts - I get the poultry ones and some basic red meat cuts but I have no idea what the difference is between various roasts in terms of texture, flavor and cooking needs but also where they are located.
• Food photography for this blog - I know that's petty and probably has a lot to do with both the lighting in our house and my sub-par phone camera but to convey the best food to you, I need to work on my pictures and art direction. J's the artistic one and takes better food photos but I'm trying! 

I shared these tidbits with you as encouragement. Everyone - chef or not -is a work in progress in and out of the kitchen and we have to keep that in perspective. We all have things we like and don't like, no matter how flexible a palate we have; things we want to accomplish and faults to work on. I hope our blog gives you encouragement and shows you that the thing that drives good meals is a passion for food and sharing with folks you love. 

Bouef: It's What's for Dinner

I haven't "mastered the art of French cooking" (far from it, actually), but I may have aced my first go at Julia Child's bouef bourguignon. 

Jordan works every other weekend at what we'll call The Sandwich Shop (a cute local deli) and I take those opportunities to try my hand at hard core housewifery. I run silly errands (like getting my car washed on a 60% chance of thunderstorms day) and other relevant ones, like going to our local farmer's market, clean the house and attempt to have a wonderful dinner waiting for when he gets off of work. 

Last weekend, my dad found a copy of the 1970s era cookbook From Julia Child's Kitchen at a flea market for $3. I've been reading a lot about her this summer, and Mastering the Art of French Cooking is on our wedding registry, but this is my first Julia recipe. 

I tried to make the experience as authentic as possible with pearls, of course, and by using as many fresh and local ingredients as possible, like Julia would have found in neighborhood French markets. 

I served this with a cauliflower puree (with the sauce on top) and it was a great meal. The cookbook indicates several make-ahead-and-stop-here points, where you can halt and finish or re-heat later. I think this would be a great dish for a dinner part and can apparently be made (or at least started) up to two days in advance. 

Here's the original recipe with my notes in italics. And of course, "Bon Appetit!" 

Bouef Bourguignon: Brown beef stew in red wine

Serves 6-8 I halved the recipe to make us two good meals

- Optional, but recommended for flavor, a 5- to 6-ounce chunk of fat-and-lean fresh side pork, or salt pork or bacon chunk (I used sliced salt pork, simmered in 2 quarts of water to remove extra salt)

- Olive oil

- 3-4 lbs. beef stew meat cut into either 2-inch cubes or 3-inch strips

- Optional 1 sliced carrot (I used it)

- 3 cups strong young wine, such as Macon, Mountain Red, Gamay (I used the Kitchen Sink red table wine we already had and only 1 cup for the initial deglazing)

- 2 or more cups excellent homemade beef stock; or canned beef boullion plus any available beef bones and scraps (I used organic, low sodium beef stock)

- 1 imported bay leaf (we'll assume mine are imported, I don't know where they're from!) 

- 1 tsp thyme

- A 2-inch piece of dried orange peel, or 1/3 tsp bottled dried peel (I happened to have an orange and used a slice of fresh peel)

- 1 moderately large tomato and 1 Tbs tomato paste

- 2 or more cloves of garlic (I used minced, which I had on hand, rather than buy a fresh clove)

- Salt and pepper to taste

- Beurre manie for the final sauce: 3 Tbs flour blended with 2 1/2 Tbs soft butter (I did not halve this, as I seemed to have a lot of broth left to thicken; blend it with a fork to make a paste)

- 18-24 fresh white pearl onions

- 1/2 lb button mushrooms, stems removed

Cut the optional pork into lardons (sticks 1/4 in x 1 1/2 in long); saute slowly in 1 Tbs of oil in the frying pan for 5 minutes or until lightly browned, then remove lardons and set aside. Heat the fat they have rendered and/or enough oil to film the pan, to very hot but not smoking. Meanwhile, dry the beef with paper towels and add as many pieces to pan as will fit in 1 layer without crowding (they mus have room or they will steam rather than brown). Brown nicely on all sides, regulating heat so fat is always very hot but not smoking. Add more oil if needed (I added 1-2 more Tbs), and when one piece of meat is browned transfer it to casserole (I used a La Crueset-style dutch oven) and add another piece of beef until all are browned. Stir in the optional sliced carrot and brown briefly (2 minutes), then transfer with a slotted spoon to casserole. Pour browning fat out of frying pan and discard; pour a cup of wine (my preference) or stock into pan, bring to simmer, scraping up coagulated browning juices, and pour this liquid over the beef. 

Set casserole over heat; add the optional wine and enough stock (or boullion/scraps/bones) barely to cover the meat. Add the bay, thyme and orange peel; wash the tomato and chop it roughly, and add it to the beef along with the tomato paste and the unpeeled garlic cut in half. Bring to the simmer, taste, and salt if necessary (maybe because of the low sodium broth, I added at least a Tbs of extra salt). Cover and cook at a slow simmer either on top of the stove or in the oven (I used the stove top and constantly adjusted heat to keep it simmering but not boiling) - for oven cooking, start at 350 degrees, then lower heat in 20 to 30 minutes to 325 or even 300 degrees. 

The stewing process for me lasted about a 90 minutes, but according to Julia is based on cut of meat. She says "it must not overcook and fall apart when served, but it must be tender enough for a pleasant chew." At 60-minutes in, I started the next tasks. 

(After peeling the pearl onions) Pierce a cross 3/8 inch deep in root ends to prevent them from bursting during cooking. Place in a heavy saucepan, add 1/2 inch of water, a pinch of salt and the browned lardons. Cover and simmer slowly, tossing occasionally, for about 30 minutes or until onions are just tender when pierced with a knife. Set aside. 

Leave (mushrooms) whole if 3/4 inch across or less; halve or quarter lengthwise if larger. Film a frying pan with oil, heat to very hot but not smoking, and add enough mushrooms to cover the bottom of the pan; toss (shake pan by handle) over high heat for 2-3 minutes until mushrooms are lightly browned. Add them to the cooked onions and proceed with the rest of the mushrooms (if any in the same manner). 

When beef is tender, set a large colander over a sauce pan and pour contents of casserole into colander. Wash out casserole and return meat to it. Press juices out of remains in colander, and discard residue. Skim fat off cooking liquid in saucepan, and taste liquid very carefully for strength and seasoning. You should have about 3 cups of delicious meaty rich stock. Boil down rapidly if weak, to concentrate flavor adding a bit more stock or boullion or wine, herbs, garlic or tomato paste if you feel them necessary (5 minutes-ish). Remove from heat blend the beurre manie into the liquid with a wire whisk (beat until you see no more lumps and butter has melted). Bring to the boil, stirring, as it thickens into a light sauce (2 minutes tops), check seasoning. 

Arrange the onions, mushrooms and lardons over the beef in the casserole along with any onion cooking juices. Pour on the sauce and let simmer 5 to 6 minutes, basting meat and vegetables with the sauce to blend flavors. Stew is now ready to serve, or may be set aside and re-heated.