Getaway by Renee Erickson with Sara Dickerman

 
 

Even though I get lots of cookbooks out from the library (saving myself heaps), I rarely find one good enough to post about.  Well this one really stood out.

 

The cover doesn't really do it justice.  The photography is simply stunning.

 

And it doubles as a travel book as well.  There are 6 locations – Rome, Paris, Normandy, London, Baja and Seattle.  You really get the authentic feel of these places and their food – as judged by the first 4 – I haven't been to Baja or Seattle.

 

So to journey with food without leaving home give this one a go.

Bella by Annabel Langbein

 

Annabel Langbein is a Kiwi celebrity chef.  I got her newest book, Bella, from the library thinking it was a cookbook.  There are a few recipes (60) but basically it is a memoir.

 

She writes well and has a colourful past.  So I enjoyed this, particularly all the photos. Whereas I have sometimes felt she was a bit 'posh' in her TV series (The Free Range Cook etc), her background is variegated to say the least.

 

I ended up with a lot of respect for what she has done in her life. Amongst many things she is New Zealand's most successful self published author.

A Kitchen in France by Mimi Thorisson

I recycle here a post about this book.  It might be just the thing to take you away from your worries for a wee while.

A Kitchen in France is not just a cookbook – although there are lots of good recipes in it.  The author is a food blogger who moved with her family to the Medoc – a remote area of France – and who then cooked her way through the year.  The dishes are documented by her photographer husband – along with their lives generally.

This is a beautiful book for those who love French cooking or France.  I particularly loved this Garden Cake – which is spectacular – it is similar to a pavlova – the styling is out of this world.

Midnight Chicken by Ella Risbridger

The subtitle of Midnight Chicken is "& Other Recipes Worth Living For".  This book is not a memoir but is also not at all a standard cookbook.

The author pulled herself out of depression by learning to cook.  She writes quirky recipes and there are no photos.  But there are charming illustrations.

On the cover there are Things to Remember

"This book has three main morals, and I urge you to remember them and apply them liberally

1 Salt your pasta water

2 If in doubt, butter

3 Keep going"

I've copied  5 recipes – which isn't too bad – for Pocket Potatoes, Trashy Ginger Beer Chicken, Marmite Spaghetti, Miso Ginger Aubergine and Lemon Possets.

A lot of the recipes include lashings of garlic, otherwise I would have tried many more.

Give this a go – I think you will be drawn in by this engaging book.

The Forest Feast Mediterranean by Erin Gleeson

Ok, I'm going to get bossy now…  You have to get your hands on The Forest Feast Mediterranean.  It is a simple and spectacular cookbook.  The photos are out of this world.  The recipes are vegetarian and simple.  The layout and graphics are fab too.

Here is an example pic.

Here is an example of the layout.

Get it from your library – or ask for it as your next gift.  There are a number of books in the series.  This is the latest.  There is also a Forest Feast Website and Blog.

James Martin's French Adventure

James Martin's French Adventure is a delightful tv show and this is the accompanying cookbook.  It is colourful, vivacious and best of all stuffed with recipes that are interesting.

Get this from the library to immerse yourself in France and its cuisine in a light self deprecating way.

The old car on the cover was once owned by chef Keith Floyd.

Cookbooks

I have a difficult relationship with cookbooks.  I get a lot of them out of the library and generally only find a small handful of interesting recipes in each one.

I do own a small number of cookbooks (less than 10) – I used to have a lot more but gave most of them away when I got into using the library.

The ones I own include:

Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan (also one of my Top 20 Books)

The Really Quite Good British Cookbook

Curry Easy by Madhur Jaffrey

Edmonds Cookery Book – a Kiwi staple

The Cook's Companion by Stephanie Alexander

Spirit House Thai Cooking

In addition to these I would recommend a few others to you as well:

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat

Coming Un Stuck by Sarah Tuck

Everyday Harumi

I hope this gives you some inspiration.  What are your favourite cookbooks?