r/CookbookLovers

My favorite thing to do on Sundays is browse through the cookbook stash and pick out recipes for the week. This is today’s pile of cookbooks. Any great suggestions from these? So far the list includes some favorites - like the turkey meatloaf and ranch potatoes from Smitten Kitchen and the lemon cauliflower soup from By Heart. There are also some new contenders, like Melissa Clark’s ratatouille and the peach vinaigrette from By Heart.

(I'm using u/ehherewegoagain's PITA (pain in the ass) and outcome (quality of finished dish) rating system.)

1. Pea Egg-Drop Macaroni Soup from Tenderheart by Hetty Lui McKinnon

This soup comes together quickly with pantry/freezer staples but it is definitely more than the sum of its parts. As with most pasta soups, the pasta will soak up most of the broth in any leftovers you might have, so consider having some extra broth on hand. If I had spinach or bok choy lying around, I probably would have thrown some in too. (PITA: 1, Outcome: 8)

2. One-Dish Halibut with Summer Vegetables from Dad, What’s for Dinner? by David Nayfeld**

I don’t have the budget for halibut, but cod worked nicely in its stead. The shishito heat roulette game was strong with this batch—and I’d used more than the recipe called for—but we enjoyed how they and the other veggies turned out in this low-and-slow sheet pan meal. (PITA: 2, Outcome: 9)

3. General Tso’s Tofu from Chinese Homestyle by Maggie Zhu*

This is a pretty straight-forward stir-fry, though marinating the tofu does add an extra step and a bit of time. My kids ate it, which is always a win, with only a bit of a fight about the included veggies. (PITA: 3, Outcome 7).

4. Tomato Salad with Tahini and Mint from Lemon, Love & Olive Oil by Mina Stone*

I forgot the mint, but it was still an OK tomato salad. Unfortunately, the lemon—which may have been added simply because it’s in the book’s title—made it all a bit too acidic and we didn’t quite finish it. This salad paired nicely with fried halloumi. (PITA: 2, Outcome: 6)

5. Za’atar Crumbed Halloumi from Feasts by Sabrina Ghayour***

When she says use fine breadcrumbs, she means it. Panko breadcrumbs are way too big to adhere well to the halloumi. If that’s all you have, grind them up in a food processor first, don’t just rush on like I did. That all being said, we really enjoyed this, both on its own and as a complement to the tomato salad. (PITA: 4 [I hate frying], Outcome: 8)

6. Whoopie Pie Bundt Cake from Bake from Scratch: Volume 10 by Brian Hart Hoffman*

I made this for my daughter’s 7th birthday. She picked it out, but wasn’t a huge fan because it was too sweet (marshmallow filling) but also not sweet enough (chocolate glaze made with bittersweet chocolate). Sad for her, but great for the rest of us as it was really good. This cake is definitely best eaten day of, as the marshmallow will ooze out over time, but I’d make it again. Rounder, simpler Bundt pans are better than more complex ones for this recipe. (PITA: 5, Outcome 9)

7. Speedy Salsa Spaghetti from Simply Jamie by Jamie Oliver*

This is indeed a speedy dish. It all comes together in the time it takes to cook the pasta. I didn’t have spaghetti, so I used small elbow macaroni and ate it more like a pasta salad. It tastes like bruschetta crossed with tapenade. Jamie calls for Parmesan, but I preferred the dish without it. (PITA: 1, Outcome: 8)

8. Turnips with Lemon Ricotta and Hazelnuts from Six Seasons of Pasta by Joshua McFadden

First off, I did not buy agrumato, the super trendy citrus-infused olive oil that McFadden and other restaurant chefs love these days; I just couldn’t justify spending $25+ on a bottle. If I had, agrumato is used in both the whipped lemon ricotta component as well as a drizzle over the finished dish. Instead, I subbed olive oil and some of the preserved lemon liquid in the ricotta. I had lovely hakurei turnips and greens from my farmers’ market and they shone in this dish. When we sat to eat it, my husband and I agreed this felt like we were eating a really good restaurant meal. The leftovers were pretty darn good too. (PITA: 4, Outcome: 10)

9. Earl Grey Cake with Meyer Lemon Curd and Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream from Baked to Order by Ruth Mar Tam

This was my birthday cake and I was fortunate to have several uninterrupted weekend hours to make this. I combined elements from two recipes (as suggested in the book): the cake from the Earl Grey Bundt Cake (which normally receives a simple syrup soak and a glaze) and the curd and frosting from the Almond-Buttermilk Layer Cake. Rather than use a Bundt pan, I made two 8” layer cakes. If I’d had the time/patience, I might have sliced each layer in half, but I went with two layers with curd in the middle, all covered with buttercream. There were a lot of components—Earl Grey-infused butter, cake, curd, and Swiss meringue buttercream—but Ruth’s recipes are very well written and everything worked as it was supposed to. I absolutely loved the cake and curd, but the frosting is a bit one note. (PITA: 6, Outcome: 9)

10. Sungold Tomato & Rotisserie Chicken Enchiladas from San Francisco by Season by the San Francisco Chronicle (recipe by Christian Reynoso)*

This was another case of “My kids don’t want to eat this? Oh well, more for me!” My husband and I really enjoyed these enchiladas. I used the chicken drippings from the bottom of the rotisserie chicken container to amp up the onion broth used for the tortillas. If you still have access to sungolds wherever you live, make this before they disappear until next year. (PITA: 3, Outcome: 9)

11. Three-Seed Porridge with Caramelized Banana from Sesame by Rachel Simons* I’m normally a cold cereal person, but I had some time one morning and decided to give this a try. Regular oatmeal will always be easier, but I really liked the additions of chia and sunflower seeds and of course the caramelized bananas were infinitely more exciting than a sliced raw banana. (PITA: 2, Outcome 8)

12. Dilly Double Beans and Farro from Salad Freak by Jess Damuck*

I don’t know why it took me so long to make this recipe, but it was an excellent weeknight dish. I made it before running off to an evening event, eating my portion in the car; my husband had his an hour later and it was just as good, if not better after marinating a bit. The leftovers are great for lunch too. (PITA: 2, Outcome 9).

Honorable mentions (recipes I forgot to photograph):

13. Elote Potato Salad from Let’s Make It by Alfredo Garcia*

There was nothing fancy about this salad, but it hit the spot on warm night—and the lunches that followed (straight from the fridge). (PITA: 2 (4 if using fresh corn), Outcome: 9)

14. Stir-Fried Tofu with Ginger Green Beans from Milk Street Cook What You Have*

This was easier than the General Tso’s Tofu and I think we all liked it more. My 7yo loved the green beans! Fun fact: deep purple string beans turn green when cooked. (PITA: 2, Outcome 8)

15. Super Green Sheet-Pan Soup with Pesto Grilled Cheese Croutons from Crowded Kitchen by Beth Sinclair and Lexi Harrison*

I had never heard of these mother/daughter bloggers prior to finding their book at the library; however, this recipe looked simple enough and I hoped my kids would try it, given the soup is topped with pesto-grilled-cheese croutons. The method is easy: chop veggies, roast them in the oven, blend with broth into soup. Unfortunately, my blender didn’t like the roasted leeks and the texture never ended up as smooth as I would have liked. I had to hand off the sandwich-making to my non-cook husband—and made assumptions about his kitchen knowledge that proved false. All that to say, the adults ate it, the kids refused it, and my partner bungled the leftovers by putting the leftover croutons in the leftover soup. I might make this again, but if I do, I’ll cook the whole thing from start to finish. (PITA: 4, Outcome 6)

16. Creamy Cauliflower and Onion Gratin from Nothing Fancy by Allison Roman* This was one of those recipes that was extra satisfying because I had all the ingredients on hand (enough to make a half recipe). I liked this and think it would be great as a Thanksgiving side dish; however, I don’t think the sesame breadcrumb optional topping is necessary, especially as it got quite soggy on the leftovers. (PITA: 2, Outcome: 7)

*I borrowed these books from the San Francisco Public Library.

** I borrowed this book from the Daly City Public Library.

*** I borrowed this book from the Dublin City Library way back in 2019 when I was living in Ireland.

I got Fuchsia Dunlop's new cookbook The Five Tastes: The Magic of Flavour in a Chinese Kitchen a couple of days ago and thought I'd share some impressions.

I already have The Food of Sichuan and Every Grain of Rice in my collection and have cooked quite a few dishes from those books. Fuchsia's style is clearly evident in the new recipes, although I find them to be leaning more to Euro-Chinese fusion (in the best possible sense). The majority of the dishes is weeknight-friendly and comes together rather quickly. As you can see, the sections are pretty much what you would expect from a Chinese cookbook. I only glanced at the theoretical/introductional part (a good 70 pages), which explains what basic flavors are traditionally recognized in the Chinese cuisines and how they come together in a particular dish.

After going through the pages I felt inspired to try new ingredients (e.g., fermented tofu) and to try new versions of dishes I made from other cookbooks (e.g. peanut butter noodles).

All in all, it's a keeper for me. Does anyone have it as well? Any recommendations?

First of all, I am no fan of that cover, to say it friendly. (I absolutely hate it and I cannot understand how THIS was chosen 🤯)

I love the cookbook collection posts and always zoom in, but I think I have never seen this book, which is quite surprising considering it won a James Beard. Not saying that makes it a good cookbook, but it had some attention to it. Does anyone here have it? How do you like it? What have you cooked from it?

From what I have seen in the list of recipes, some sound quite interesting.

Thanks!

In America, one name will quickly come to mind when Indian food is mentioned, and that is this author. I wanted to highlight her for a couple of reasons. One is to bring her remarkable story into view. If you are only aware of her as a cookbook author, you are missing an equally important part of her life. Secondly, I wanted to highlight her most significant works as she has been prolific and, if you are looking to explore the cuisine, it can be daunting to know a good place to begin.

This author of 30+ cookbooks is generally considered to be the doyen of Indian cookery writers, yet while growing up this hardly appeared to be the career path her life would follow. Born in 1933 in Delhi into a prosperous family, she virtually never set foot in a kitchen before moving to London in 1955 to attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art… and even then it was only in reaction to the dismal state of British food and Indian restaurants. In desperation, she asked her mother to send her recipes for the food on which she had grown up and she began to teach herself to follow them.

In 1958, she moved to New York City, continuing to act in theater, primarily in Off-Broadway productions. That same year, she met Ismail Merchant who had just arrived from Bombay to attend New York University. In 1959, she introduced him to James Ivory and she subsequently appeared in a number of their films.

In 1966, an article appeared in The New York Times describing her as "the actress who could cook" which lead to a contract for her first cookbook, An Invitation to Indian Cooking (1973), with Judith Jones at Alfred A. Knopf as her editor. The book was an immediate success and she began teaching classes in Indian cooking at the James A. Beard School of Cooking and in her Manhattan apartment throughout the 1970's. In 1982, she hosted a cooking program for the BBC, Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery, followed by two more series in 1989 and 1995.

For 50 years, Madhur has been publishing cookbooks on every aspect of Indian cuisine. Several of her most notable titles include Madhur Jaffrey's Flavors of India (1995) Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian (1999) and From Curries to Kebabs (2003). Seven of her books have won James Beard Foundation Awards and, in 2004, she was named an honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

Throughout this time, she remained active as an actress on both stage and screen though, at the age of 90, she has now retired from that aspect of her career.

Significant publications:

• An Invitation to Indian Cooking (1973)
• Madhur Jaffrey's Flavors of India (1995)
• Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian (1999)
• From Curries to Kebabs: Recipes from the Indian Spice Trail (2003) [also issued under the title Ultimate Curry Bible]
• At Home with Madhur Jaffrey (2010)

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For more thoughts on cookbooks and authors that deserve greater attention, check out my free Substack, Cookbook Chronicles' Culinary Archive. My window is the past 140 years, and I draw from my personal archive of 8,300+ titles. I’m sharing my experience in hopes of instigating an exchange of ideas. Subscribe for free and receive each weekly post delivered to your inbox.

- - Rick - Cookbook Chronicles

“Cookbooks feed your head”

Paid $1.50-$3 for each of these! If I don’t end up loving them, they go into my Little Free Library for someone else to enjoy 😊

Chocolate mochi bars with sambal oelek and Cheesecake cookies with black sesame (the pallid ones).

I hadn't made any mochi bakes before, and this was a great first recipe. 5/5 for the simple process (a blender batter recipe) and 5/5 for flavour and texture.

The black sesame cookies were another first for me, as I'd never made filled, enclosed cookies before. The process was considerably more involved, with cooling and freezing different components - 2/5 on simplicity. The outcome was good in terms of texture and gets 4/5 on flavour. If I make them again I'd up the miso or add a little soy sauce - I was expecting more oumph.

I've previously made the Chinese sausage (lap cheong) cookies, where I wasn't happy with the sausage component. Next time I'll refrain from pre-frying the sausage, and chop it into tinier pieces. A fun and fairly simple recipe though.

I really like this cookbook and I'm sure try out more recipes.

Hi cookbook lovers, I got the digital version of this book for a few dollars this week! It looks like a fun book and I'm planning on trying the bolognese sauce this week! Anyone has any recommendations for other things to try out?