Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home by Jeni Brixton Bauer

Jeni Brixton Bauer, ice cream maker par excellence, started making ice creams 15 years ago when she was a mere 22 years old. Today she oversees Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, a Columbus, Ohio-based company that includes 10 stores and a thriving mail order and restaurant business. Her first book, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home, includes a cornucopia of unique recipes for artisanal ice creams and sorbets, all prepared with unusually creative combinations of ingredients and written with clear, easy-to-follow directions. Amazingly, her ice creams are made without eggs and include a bit of cream cheese to bind and add Continue reading

Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson

The creator of the awarding-winning blog, “101 Cookbooks,” as well as the James Beard award-nominated Super Natural Cooking, Heidi Swanson is a multi-talented member of the food community. For her latest work, Super Natural Every Day, she developed the delectable recipes that feature natural, healthy ingredients and snapped the striking photos that accompany them as well. She’s also a gifted writer whose enthusiasm for cooking naturally makes you want to rush into the kitchen and try every dish. After leafing through this collection, I had a sizable number of recipes tagged. I’ve already made Hard-Cooked Eggs with Dukkah (the latter is an Egyptian spice blend) and Continue reading

Meat – A Kitchen Education by James Patterson

A long-time fan of James Patterson’s award-winning cookbooks, I was not surprised by the breadth and encyclopedic details in his newest work. Meat – A Kitchen Education is a tome that all serious cooks as well as inexperienced ones should own. This collection includes more than 175 recipes and over 550 photos (of both recipes and step-by step techniques). You’ll find in it a cornucopia of information about familiar as well as under-used meats. There are entries for chicken, turkey, and duck along with those for quail, pheasant, squab, guinea hen, goose, and rabbit. Chapters devoted to pork, lamb, goat, beef, and veal, with detailed information about Continue reading

As Always, Julia – The Letters of Julia Child and Avis Devoto by Joan Reardon

A collection of letters written in the 1950s between Julia Child and her pen pal, Avis Devoto, this book reveals a fascinating correspondence between two women, both avid fans of French cooking, living on opposite sides of the Atlantic. Julia was in France when she read an article on knives in Harper’s magazine by Bernard Devoto (Avis’s journalist/ historian husband who taught at Harvard). In his piece he was crusading for American women to find good carbon steel kitchen knives, and Julia responded by sending him a French “couteau.” Avis wrote the thank you for her spouse, and the long correspondence began. A well connected book reviewer in the Boston area, Avis became Julia’s champion, Continue reading

Weeknight Fresh and Fast by Kristine Kidd

If you want to eat well during the week, but don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen, Weeknight Fresh & Fast, a new Williams-Sonoma book, is the answer. Kristine Kidd, former food editor at Bon Appétit Magazine, has assembled a mouthwatering collection of quick and healthy recipes that call for fresh seasonal ingredients. Conveniently organized by seasons, every chapter features 25 main courses, each accompanied by a full-page photo. From spring Risotto with Leeks and Sugar Snaps and summer Grilled Chicken and Corn with Smoked Paprika Rub to Molasses-Glazed Roast Pork and Sweet Potatoes for cold weather cooking, you’ll find a cornucopia of tempting entrees to try. There are also suggestions for side dishes and tips for putting leftovers to use later in the week.

Weeknight Fresh and Fast by Kristine Kidd
Weldon Owen Publishers 2011
$29.95