I’m not one to start a meme—heck, memes are so five minutes ago—but let’s just say that I had an idea tonight and if you like this idea you should take it and use it on your own website. The idea involves taking a picture of all your cookbooks grouped together and then giving awards to these cookbooks in various categories. We shall call these the “1st Annual Cookbook Awards.” Jessica Alba will be our host.
So without further ado, let’s bring out the cookbooks!
[If you want to study my cookbook shelf in greater detail, click the picture.]
Yes, I have quite a few cookbooks to say the least. It’s hard to remember which was the first: I think it might have been Nigella Lawson’s “How To Be A Domestic Goddess.” That was certainly one of the earlier ones. That and, of course, The Barefoot Contessa. I actually remember sitting in the Borders in Atlanta copying recipes out of The Barefoot Contessa books on to index cards. The first one I tried was her herbal iced tea. The second was her turkey meatloaf. Notice I haven’t repeated that turkey meatloaf on the site: it was big enough to feed an army. And the army I live with recently shipped out.
Studying my shelf above, you may see a method to my madness. The top shelf has Italian and French cookbooks; the second and third shelves have a random assortment and the bottom shelf has dessert/pastry/baking books. I am a man of great organization.
And now for the awards. I was actually going to call this post “My Desert Island Cookbooks” but then I came up with a few more categories. But let’s start with that one. You can bestow up to five awards in each category. Every nominee is a winner. (Hear that Susan Lucci?)
Desert Island Cookbook Awards
These are cookbooks I would take to a desert island, assuming the desert island was well-stocked with wonderful ingredients. In other words: these are my top five favorite cookbooks. I will explain my choices beneath each one.
1. The Gourmet Cookbook
I was thinking tonight about making paella. I playfully opened the Gourmet cookbook, immediately found a recipe, decided it was too involved and then started looking at pie recipes to make now that I’ve graduated strawberry/rhubarb school. The pies looked wonderful: sour cherry pie with an almond paste lattice crust? That’s when I knew this book was more than just an archive of Gourmet recipes; it’s an incomparable resource. It basically offers the best possible versions of any dish you can imagine. And they’re not boring standard versions like you’d find in a Betty Crocker cookbook; they’re fabulous, glittery complex and exciting versions. Everything has a little twist, a little tweak. It’s intimidating to flip through it but once you start, you’ll mentally bookmark about a thousands recipes. It’s at the top of my list.
2. Chez Panisse Cooking
This is my mystical, magical “if I were a witch, I’d use this cookbook” cookbook. This is the book that tells you to roast a chicken on a spit, to make an elixir out of green garlic and chicken broth, to sacrifice a lamb to the gods. [Ok, the last one’s a lie.] I imagine those Will Ferrel and Rachel Dratch college professor characters reading this cookbook and arousing each other with promises of “goose juice” and “moussaka.” It’s a sensual cookbook. It reminds me of the book Sebastian finds in the bookshop at the beginning of The Neverending Story. There’s mystery to it, a real aura. It gets me excited about cooking. And whenever I cook from it (a rare occurrence, I must confess) the results are exotic yet soothing and comforting. This is food that feeds the spirit. Top five!
3. The Babbo Cookbook
Babbo is my favorite restaurant. The food is unlike any food I’ve ever eaten–everything about it is special. And this cookbook, the Babbo cookbook, betrays all of their trade secrets. Mario is very candid about this in Bill Buford’s articles about Babbo (now turned into the awesome I’m reading-it-now book “Heat.”) He says that the Babbo cookbook is so revealing that when it comes out (the article was written in 2002) they’d have to completely change their menu. I believe it: everything is in here. And thus far everything I’ve attempted has been sheer perfection: most impressively, the short ribs I made with Diana a few months back. This is the book I cook from when I want to feel mighty and powerful in the kitchen. It’s not easy, but it’s not as hard as you think. Pretty soon I’ll be making fresh pasta from it, I swear.
4. The Gift of Southern Cooking
When I told Craig the story of Scott Peacock and Edna Lewis he gushed and said, “Oh my God, that would be such an awesome screenplay.” For those not in the know, Scott Peacock–a young gay Atlantan chef–was recruited by Emily Sailers of the Indigo Girls to be the chef at her new restaurant, Watershed. He said he’d do it on one condition: that they bring on Edna Lewis, the prominent black chef and granddaughter of slaves. What resulted, the restaurant Watershed, is an Atlanta landmark and one of the happiest restaurants I’ve eaten in. And the story of what followed–how Scott Peacock let Edna Lewis move in with him so he could take care of her in her old age, and how her family fought against it–would indeed make a powerful movie. Sadly, Ms. Lewis passed on earlier this year. But what remains is a terrific restaurant and an even more terrific cookbook: this cookbook, The Gift Of Southern Cooking. I hope my desert island has lots of chicken, buttermilk and flour so I can finally make their famous fried chicken.
5. Tie: Cooking for Mr. Latte & Sunday Suppers at Lucques
It’s been a long time since I’ve read “Cooking for Mr. Latte.” I remember liking the stories and the short, easy to read chapters. Yet, what makes this book essential for me are the recipes–the wonderful, perfect, I can’t believe how good they are recipes. Seriously, I can’t begin to tell you how many recipes from this book have become standards for me: the almond cake, oh my Lord the almond cake. (For a video representation, watch my movie “Miracle Almond Cake.”) I’ve made it like six times. Once a teacher even PAID me to make it. Yes, it’s that miraculous. Additionally, there’s the vanilla bean loaves (also terrifically awesome), the curried chicken breasts, the chopped salad, the Pearl Caesar… I could go on and on. To the desert island it goes!
But I can’t leave behind my new favorite, “Sunday Suppers at Lucques.” This book is staggering in its depth, in its beauty and in its utility. This is the book that teaches you what to find at market, how to tell if it’s good and then how to use it in the very best way possible. It’s organized by season, which makes so much sense. And the recipes can be wildly time-consuming and complex but the payoff is oh so worth it. The deviled chicken thighs on braised leeks took forever and was worth every minute. The panna cotta was much easier and lasts forever in your freezer, where mine is now–waiting for me to cut off another heavenly sliver. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
HEY! Where’s The Barefoot Contessa on your list? Why aren’t you taking her to a desert island?
This is painful for me to talk about. You better sit down. Look, I love The Barefoot Contessa as much as the next guy. She’s wonderful, she’s fun, she has more gay friends than Dorothy. (“Friend of Ina” should be the new euphamism.) But the thing about her recipes is that they’re not exotic, they’re not transportive: they merely take standard, every day recipes and make them much much better. That’s very useful at home when you want to make an excellent turkey meatloaf or the world’s best lemon bars. But on a desert island when you have all the time in the world and every ingredient at your disposal? That’s when you want to take it to the next level and as much as I love her Ina isn’t the next level. But I’ll give her an award anyway. Let’s see…
Lifetime Achievement Award For Best Easy To Make At Home Recipes: The Barefoot Contessa
This is the book that taught me that making things from scratch with lots of butter and lots of olive oil makes them oh so much better. I give this lifetime achievement award to Ina for showing all of us that even though we don’t live in the Hamptons, even though we don’t have snappy catch phrases (“How bad could that be?”) we’re all entitled to behave and eat as if we do. Thank you for the laughs, the table decorating tips and the brief glimpses we get of your palatial home. Oh, and thanks for recommending Olio Santo olive oil. I use it all the time.
Most Beautiful Cookbook Awards
These are awards for cookbooks that I love to look at, even if I don’t use them as much. If this were Miss America, these cookbooks would win the swimsuit competition.
1. The River Cafe Cookbooks
These cookbooks are just gorgeous to look at. Almost every page has an illustration and the use of graphics and graphic design make this a real stand-out. My favorite professor from college (Rick Rambuss) and his partner Chuck turned me on to these books. They invited me and some classmates over for a feast once and they cooked from them and the meal was fantastic. I’ve had mixed results with them—the asparagus risotto I made from one of these books was terrific; asparagus with anchovy butter, though, was a little gnarly. No matter. I love flipping through these books–they’re excellent examples of the artistry that goes into making a cookbook. You almost want to hang them on your wall.
2. Saveur Cooks Authentic French
When I was in Paris, several Americans-cum-Parisians recommended this book. When I got home I immediately ordered it on Amazon and it instantly became (after it arrived) one of my most prized cookbook possessions. This book is art. It’s enormous–it’s up there with The French Laundry and Bouchon as one of the largest cookbooks in my collection. But this, unlike those, is instantly transportive. Where those focus on the importance of the restaurants they represent, this book has the lofty goal of capturing all of France between its pages and it does so beautifully. The photography is stunning. The recipes work quite well too. So far I’ve made Pissaladière and it worked quite well but that doesn’t even seem to matter. What matters is that this book captures the allure of France and French cooking in ways that other French cookbooks can only dream of. It’s the sexpot sister of Julia Child’s “Mastering The Art….” Sure, you know which one you’d marry, but these are the beauty awards. This is the one you take home to shtup.
3. Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook
Oh Martha. Oh woman, you so fine. You in your bright orange shirt and your hair just so. And that cake perfectly layered, the fruit perfectly placed–you make me growl with lust, woman. And then the pages open and all those pictures, oh those pictures–growl!–and the recipes, damn girl. This is porn. Hardcore pastry porn. A better return has never been staged. Your old cookbooks (which I’ve studied at The Strand) are prim and proper. But here you let your hair down and you create the sexiest dessert cookbook yet imagined. I’ve got a rolling pin with your name on it, woman.
Glad To Own Them But Barely Use Them Awards
These are the books I’m quite happy to own but whose covers I barely ever crack. I don’t know why. We’ll explore that a bit below.
1. Mastering The Art of French Cooking
Julie Powell I am not. This book, which I bought many years ago, sits on my shelf and frowns down at me. “Silly child,” it says. “Why not open me? I’m a wonderful resource!” Yes, I know you are. And I’ve watched all your shows, Julia, on Netflix. I loved them. But the few times I’ve cracked your pages I’ve left them completely uninspired and hardly in the mood to cook. Blasphemy! Yes, I know. Maybe I’ll come around some day. But for now I’m just happy to have you on the shelf, there to keep all the other books company. You are good company, after all.
2. Cooking By Hand
This book is such a nice idea. It’s a meditation by one of the forces behind Chez Panisse on all things culinary—big blocks of text mixed in with recipes. The pictures are mostly black and white, occasionally there’s one in color. It’s quite a strange book. I pull it down now and then when I’m feeling generous or optimistic. Then I start reading and I’m intrigued but then I get to a recipe and I scratch my head and I wonder if I can find a better one in another book. Then I put it back. But I’m not sorry it’s there. One day, maybe I’ll be ready for it.
3. The Zuni Cafe Cookbook
More blasphemy! I know. I’ve made the chicken with the bread salad. True, I didn’t do it the right way but to be honest I don’t really want to. All I want to do is fly to San Francisco and actually eat at The Zuni Cafe. Otherwise, this book intimidates me. There’s so much in it. Whereas “Sunday Suppers at Lucques” has an eclectic, carefully chosen selection of recipes, this is like a treatise and a phonebook all rolled into one. And honestly a recipe for a fresh nectarine with green almonds and prosciutto doesn’t make me swoon, it kind of makes me roll my eyes. That’s not really what I’m looking for when I buy a cookbook.
4. Nancy Silverton’s Books
Oh Nancy. How many times I attempted your caramel corn. And how awful was it when I made your coffee cake? Those memories are horrible. Yet, I’m still glad you’re around. Hey, you’re the one who taught me how to make sourdough bread from a natural yeast starter. But you’re such a perfectionist! And there’s no humor in your books. I haven’t opened them in months, years even. But every so often I get that urge and that’s why I’m glad you’re there. Maybe we just need couples counseling?
Best For A Specific Purpose Awards
1. Jewish Cooking in America
When the high holidays come around and the guilt-inducing phone calls start pouring in from my mother and grandmother, this cookbook comes off the shelf and I start reading about the history of the Jews, the best recipe for kugel and then I put it back and order Chinese food. But, no, there was that time I made a Passover dinner and I made lots of stuff from this book and it worked really well. I love books that give you a historical, cultural context as well as recipes from reputable sources. This book has it all.
2. The Sopranos Family Cookbook
Kirk bought this for me for my birthday and it’s a great resource for finding recipes to make on Sunday nights when people come over to watch the very show it promotes, The Sopranos, the best show on TV. The rigatoni I made from it with sausage and fresh basil was top notch. The others are classic American-Italian recipes that would please my family if they ever let me cook for them again.
3. License to Grill
One day I will have a house and I will buy a grill like the one described in this book, a book praised by many for its gourmet grilling recipes. When I lived in Atlanta I made chicken and grilled peaches from this book on a gas grill and though I had trouble controlling the heat, it was a glimpse of all the glory this book holds within its pages. If you do have a grill, I recommend it highly.
4. Mes Confitures
Clotilde turned me on to this book about jam making. Every jam in it is a jam you’d gladly spread on toast—the only problem is you have to make them first. The few times I’ve attempted a jam from this book—ok, it was only one time—the result was sublime. It was nectarine apricot jam and it gets me all giddy when I think of it. Plus, jam making is one of the few cooking endeavors that’ll pay off months and months later. It’s an investment, indeed.
Ok, I’m pooped. I hope you enjoyed these awards. If you make cookbook awards on your site, feel free to link to them in the comments here. I’d like to see what you come up with. Now cue the music: “Here she comes…Miss Amateur Gourmet Cookbook Award winner….”
This I might have to participate! If I can fit it into my drawing schedule. Fun, fun, fun! I like this meme stuff (I’m just always too late myself – things go so fast in teh internets :o)
How fun!!! It is always great to see what books other people are loving. It helps to decide which book I want to waste *I mean spend* my money on next.
De-lurking to say: This must be the week for taking pictures of cookbooks. I did the same on my site earlier. And a query: What about A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen? I love that book! If you haven’t tried them yet, I highly reccommend the Israeli Salad and Emerald Green Soba Salad. Too bad I can’t find mine anymore **sniff**.
I think there should be another category: best dessert cookbook! Mainly because you neglected “The Secrets of Baking” which is highly educational, and all the recipes I’ve made from it have come perfectly. Please, Please, Please!
Yep, Gourmet is my favorite! The Contessa’s recipes are consistently happy-making and I can’t wait to try the Chez Panisse and Babbo cookbooks.
Thanks!
Adam, thanks for including Ina. She is great for inspiration. She often has a simple twist on things which is great for us stay at home moms! We can’t cook anything *too* weird for the kids (and the picky husbands.) Plus we can look at the “friends of Ina” who are always attractive, even if they aren’t our type.
I’m glad you found someone who is your type, but please tell him if it doesn’t work out, I’m TOTALLY calling Ina. ;-)
Adam – I agree with you on so many levels (I own most of the books you listed). Julia, Ina, Judy… Anyway, you and Bill Buford are inspiring me to get my hands on the Babbo cookbook.
Fun post…I think my job this weekend will be ordering cookbooks, magazines, printed recipes, etc etc etc I feel guilty!
I do recommend making the sour dough starter from the La Brea book – I made it once, took something like 30 days to ferment, then didn’t take it with me one of the many times I moved as a student. I regret it to this day – it was an amazing sour dough base and I dream of having one of those crock pots in the back of my fridge that my family will discover well after I’m gone and continue on with the amazing bread!!!
This is a fun idea, Adam. I took your advice and did my own awards on my site. Here’s the link.
What a fun post! Since I move around a lot, my cookbook collection is necessarily limited, but Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art…” is one the books I always have with me, along with Marcella Hazan’s “Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking”. It’s easy to get intimidated by MTA’s layout with its many cross-references to master recipes and lack of inspiring photos, but after cooking through a good portion of it I can say that I’m consistently amazed at the ingenuity of French cuisine. If you’re looking for a good jumping-off point that’s TOTALLY worth the effort, check out the “Fricassée de Poulet à l’Ancienne” on page 258. It’s actually not too much different from a chicken dish you did a little while ago, minus the 40 cloves of garlic.
Your boyfriend is right – the Enda Lewis story would be a good screenplay and you should write it.
Cookbook-wise I agree with Anthony about Marcella and Julia. I also need to nominate Marian – The Fannie Farmer Baking Book is a wonderful resource for basic baking and the Fannie Farmer Cookbook also very good for a basic beginner cook. Craig’s NYT Cookbook is another excellent general resource. He is another screen play waiting to be written…
I’m a little sad not to see The Joy of Cooking on here. I know it’s not as fabulous as Gourmet (which I’m now convinced I need), but it has good, simple recipes for just about everything. i mostly use it for baking – several kinds of pie crust that come out perfect every time, great brownies, cakes, muffins, etc.. I also use it for basic meat & vegetable recipes to embellish on. It’s a pretty amazing resource, and the recipes are so easy to follow that even my boyfriend, who is pretty terrible in the kitchen, can do a credible job on mother’s day brunch once a year.
I also use Hiroko Shimbo’s The Japanese Kitchen quite a bit. And oddly enough, my reaction to Mastering the Art… is the polar opposite of yours. Every time I open either volume, I find myself inspired to plan out a week’s worth of meals. (Not that i make them all, of course, but it certainly puts me in the mood.)
holy crap you have a lot of cookbooks! i like to go on amazon and put about thousand books into my cart but never buy it bc i promised myself to cook at least cook a few recipes from each of the cookbooks i have. haven’t happened yet! but i do have the lucques cookbook and love it! probably my favorite.
There’s a recipe in that Gourmet Magazine collection cookbook for Boston Creme Pie. In culinary school I won first prize in a bake-off with that deliciously decadent dessert. And earned myself an “A” for the class! That is one of my favorite books. I still have more cookbooks than you, nyah, nyah! Love to read about your hi-jinx and hope you have a great day with your dad tomorrow! Ciao, Christine
so many of those I would like to own. Buying cookbooks is not in my budget these days. Great list. I have wanted that Edna Lewis one though really badly
so many cookbooks. so little time. i totally forgot that at one point i owned nancy silverton’s breads from the la brea bakery. one look at the method for the “starter” and i knew i had to return the book. i think it scared me!
Thanks for mentioning the Gift of Southern Cooking! I’d read a review of it when it came out, then forgot the title and never could find it again. Doing a search for “white boy and black woman cookbook” didn’t work, at least back then.
Maida Heatter’s Book of Chocolate Desserts (which I stole from my mother) and her Book of Great Desserts (which I am still trying to steal from my mother). The former is now Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Chocolate Desserts, but mine (ok, technically my mama’s) is the original version.
Oh, and The Great Hadassah WIZO Cookbook, both because hello, the name! And also because it has one of the best challah recipes ever. Still trying to sneak this one out of you-know-who’s kitchen…
I love when I forget to end an html tag. Italics for all.
OH MY GOD. Annoying.
I loved your cookbook idea! I write quite often about cookbooks on my blog, and have quite an extensive collection (started 25 years ago) but have never done a special entry about my Cookbook Awards. But since inspired by you, I will do this very soon.
You reminded me about my “Cooking for Mr. Latte” book by Amanda Hesser. I bought and read this when it first came out and LOVED it! I forgot that it had recipes in it though, and since I keep it with my regular book shelves rather than my cookbook shelves, I’ve never referred to recipes in it. BUT – after being reminded about it, I’m going to look it up now. I didn’t remember her Chopped Salad recipe. That might be dinner tonight!
Wow, Anthony you took the words right out of my mouth. I have Julia Childs – Mastering the Art of French Cook and the Marcella Hanzan book. Adam when you said Julie Powell, did you mean Julie Child’s or perhaps I didn’t get the reference. Anyway, please try something out this book as I have not tried anything since it was given to me by a friend. Please. ;)
I bought mr. Latte after reading so much about it here, and it´s great. Love the slowly simmered duck with ginger. Thanks for that!
Hi Adam – Love your blog, loved this idea! Here is my installment at my blog, Valley Victuals.
Hey AG: Your desert island picks just got picked up by slashfood, my second favorite food site (yours in number one).
o HELL yeah!
i’ll take a picture and hang onto it for the day (july 1) when my publicity blog morphs back into a food blog. I hope the oozy grime doesn’t show. small kitchen. they’re heaped above the cabinets, right above the line of fire.
Hi Adam,
This meme is a great idea. I had fun writing up my cookbook awards. Here is the link: http://www.aminglingoftastes.com/2006/06/cookbook-awards.html
I hope a good number of bloggers participate. I know reading other people’s favorites will send me on a buying spree. Can’t wait to see them.
Thanks,
Julie
I enjoyed reading your choices of cookbooks and the reasons why you chose them. I have some more cook books on my wish list now :) One of my personal favorites is the America’s Test Kitchen Cook Book–it’s quite versatile and has many different recipes in it (meat, fish, appetizers, salads, desserts, pasta, etc.) It even has some quick meals in there along with equipment and taste test recommendations. You should give it a shot; it’s one of my favorite cook books and TV shows.
Hey Adam!
Check out my cookbook awards – a little bit late, but anyway (it takes some time to draw these, you know… :o)
http://www.mostlyaboutfood.com/018MAF024.html
Howdy,
I sure hope that you do not end up on an island, with a kitchen located high above the ocean, for if you do, you will need my cookbook: BAKING AT HIGH ALTITUDE, a fun book full of incredible recipes, silly poems and massive tips for creating mouth watering treats in locations of higher elevations. Also includes a few special dietary recipes for those who need to eat less sugar or need to eat while maintaining a healthy heart, in addition to pure sugar-laced treats.
if interested please contact me!
Thanks for your time, BE well, smile and ENJOY
Randi/The Muffin Lady
Indian & Western Style Jewelry offers a unique collection of art, jewelry, artifacts, framed art, western home Jewelry and much,more.