The New American Herbal by Stephen Orr

price: $27.50

isbn: 978-0-449-81993-7

release: Sep 30th, 2014

format: Trade Paperback

category: Gardening - Herbs

From modern garden master Stephen Orr comes a new, definitive book on herbs to finally replace the dusty and outdated classics. Here are entries on hundreds of plants that are extraordinarily useful in cooking, homeopathy, and more; dozens of recipes and DIY projects; and beautifully styled photographs so you know just what you're growing.

My next review book, can't wait for it's arrival as I have been interested in herbs and their uses for awhile now. It will be wonderful to see Stephen Orr's work.

A Masterpiece

Relae: A Book of Ideas by Christian F. Puglisi

As soon as you pick this book up, your thoughts are "A Masterpiece". It is as a dictionary of old, the thumb indents per chapter and ideas, so simple but elegantly constructed. The book is divided into three chapters with an appendix.

Chapter 1: Groundwork (six essays)

Chapter 2: Ideas on a Plate
Liquids (four essays)
Animal (six essays)
Land (thirteen essays)
Sea (seven essays)
Manipulations (ten essays)
Textures (nine essays)
Flavor (six essays)
Theory (thirteen essays)
Inspirations (nine essays)

Chapter 3: Dishes
Snacks (seven entries)
Herbivorous Starters (six entries)
Omnivorous Starters (eleven entries)
Herbivorous Seconds (nine entries)
Herbivorous Mains (eight entries)
Omnivorous Mains (seven entries)
Cheese and Desserts (thirteen entries)

Appendix: Recipes

If you are a beginner cook you may be overwhelmed, this book is not for the light of heart in any culinary sense. Puglisi's essays are intriguing and educational from vinegars to olive oil and butter. He tells of his experiences, his life and shares his knowledge.
The recipes are far from American normal meals, they are more like an expensive restaurant meal with small servings of many plates making up the one meal, you can easily think of one of those restaurants you need to make reservations far in advance, we are talking months.

This is more a book of ideas and theories than a simple cookbook. Your normal home cook does not own a dehydrator to dehydrate vegetables to rehydrate to get a specific texture, so it is best to look at learning techniques from Puglisi's book than looking at it as a cookbook with recipes, though there are a few.

I highly recommend it for the 'experienced' cook and restaurant chef. My kitchen isn't the average with 4 convection ovens and 10 burners, (5 electric and 5 gas). My husband and I enjoy cooking tremendously and yes I own a dehydrator (really 2). I must admit if you are into learning more techniques and applications this is the book for you, and your bookshelf. If you are just starting out it may be to much, but well worth having on your shelf for reference and learning after you get the basics down.

My only concern is the light color of the book itself, sitting on my counter may get stained a bite with use.

 "I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

Awaiting this wonderful book from Blogging for Books

price:

$50.00

isbn:

978-1-60774-649-2

release:

Nov 11th, 2014

format

Hardcover

category:

Cooking - Scandinavian

Chef Christian F. Puglisi opened restaurant Relæ in 2010 on a rough, run-down stretch of one of Copenhagen’s most crime-ridden streets. His goal was simple: to serve impeccable, intelligent, sustainable, and plant-centric food of the highest quality—in a setting that was devoid of the pretention and frills of conventional high-end restaurant dining. Relæ was an immediate hit, and Puglisi’s “to the bone” ethos—which emphasized innovative, substantive cooking over crisp white tablecloths or legions of water-pouring, napkin-folding waiters—became a rallying cry for chefs around the world.

Today the Jægersborggade—where Relæ and its more casual sister restaurant, Manfreds, are located—is one of Copenhagen’s most vibrant and exciting streets. And Puglisi continues to excite and surprise diners with his genre-defying, wildly inventive cooking.

Relæ is Puglisi’s much-anticipated debut: like his restaurants, the book is honest, unconventional, and challenges our expectations of what a cookbook should be. Rather than focusing on recipes, the core of the book is a series of interconnected “idea essays,” which reveal the ingredients, practical techniques, and philosophies that inform Puglisi’s cooking. Each essay is connected to one (or many) of the dishes he serves, and readers are invited to flip through the book in whatever sequence inspires them—from idea to dish and back to idea again. The result is a deeply personal, utterly unique reading experience: a rare glimpse into the mind of a top chef, and the opportunity to learn the language of one of the world’s most pioneering and acclaimed restaurants.

Blue Ribbon Baking from a Redneck Kitchen:  By Francine Bryson, Foreword by Jeff Foxworthy

Francine Bryson has brought down home baking to a new level in her recent book Blue Ribbon Baking from a Redneck Kitchen.
The book is divided up into 8 chapters.
The first chapter involves everything pies, from her nana's Lard Crust to her granny's Butter Crust recipes you feel as though you are in the kitchen cooking with them. The most decadent pies you can imagine, including Peaches and Cream and a White Chocolate Banana, 8 pie crusts along with 18 recipes for pies.

The second chapter brings you to Cookie and Bar baking, 17 recipes from Best Ever Chocolate chip cookies to Classic Southern Lemon Bars. Francine Bryson brings the ole south baking recipes to life here and adds her personal touches to add a little more magical touch to them.

In chapter 3 she brings us to the world of  Cakes like Granny Made, 15 recipes that seem to top each other. It takes you bake to the good ole cakes, the ones you wish you had your grandma's recipes that was lost over the years, and she had found it for you. Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Sauce, Old Fashioned Carrot Cake and Classic Pineapple Cake to name a few.

Chapter 4 brings you into the world of Cheesecakes, personally my downfall, can't resist a good cheesecake, but then who can. There are 12 recipes, Apple Caramel Cheesecake and key Lime Cheesecake I believe top the list here.

In chapter 5 called Sunday Go To Meeting you find a variety of recipes 15 in all, ranging from Apple Crisp to Rice Pudding, Peach Cobbler and something new Crock Pot Monkey Bread. she makes all her recipes so easy to use  with detailed explanations and hints.

OK, chapter 6 is Baked Goods to Show Off and I think it says it all in those words. Eleven wonderful recipes from Lemon Tiramisu and Upside Down Apple Pecan Pie are definitely guest impress desserts to die for.

Chapter 7 is Biscuits and Bread, really Mama's Corn Bread and Biscuits Like Nana Made bring you right into their kitchens, 15 recipes in all of comfort breads and biscuits.

Candy and Truffles are Chapter 8, containing 11 wonderful recipes from Southern Pralines to Liquored Up Fudge, you will just have to read the book to find out how that fudge got so liquored up.

All the recipes are down home good, if you are scared to cook with butter or lard, well you just never learned the flavors they impart, Francine Bryson makes you want to go out and buy pounds and pounds of each. My only regret in her cook book is that she did not include more pictures of her wonderful Baking. her stories and tips are delightful. I give this cookbook a top rating for decadence in a Down Home Redneck Way.


 "I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

Peter Reinhart has done it again!! Bread Revolution

Peter Reinhart has done it again!! Bread Revolution World-Class Baking with Sprouted and Whole Grains, Heirloom Flours, and Fresh Techniques is a winner.

No matter a novice in bread making or a well seasoned baker, you will find this book filled with information, recipes, stories. Mr Reinhart has taken baking bread to a new level. The book encompasses helping novices learn ingredients and measuring to seasoned bakers learning how to work with old and new grains, not limiting one to wheat and oat flours alone.

The book is beautiful, full of wonderful photos, you know we all love photos of what our baking should look like.
I am most intrigued with the variety of starts he presents in the book, not just plain sour dough starter, from pineapple to raisin. He explains the function, the reason and use. When using his recipes it is always an education in itself.

I am excited to get into the kitchen and try my hand at one of his many recipes, I just can't decide which first, from Apricot Almond Quick Bread, Cinnamon Raisin Bagels, English Muffins to Focaccia to Onion Rye Bread, he covers it all, a little of this and a little of that. You will not be disappointed in any of the book, guaranteed you will find something you fall in love with.

High praise goes to the work Mr Reinhart has put into this book.
I highly recommend it.

"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

I decided to make a loaf of Pumpkin Yeast Bread, it took over 18 hours to rise and another 2 hours after folding it over. One thing I did find out was it taste a lot better warm. I think it needs a tad bit more yeast added to the recipe and some sugar, so when I perfect the recipe I will post.

Today is Apple Day!  I had a half bushel of Apples on my counter looking at me. Yesterday I made an overflowing Apple Crisp.

Well, today I have 9 quarts of Apple Pie Filling canned, and at present there is approximately 4 quarts of Apple Syrup cooking down on stove top.

I hate to waste anything, so after peeling all the apples I placed the peelings and cores into a pot on stove, just covering the peelings with the water.
I simmered the mixture for 30 minutes before straining in my sieve lined with cheesecloth.
I measured the mixture out and for every cup of liquid I added 1/2 cup of sugar. Brought it up to 218 degrees and cooking it till it has a syrupy consistency and will water bath can afterwards for 20 minutes. Can't say no to Apple Syrup on pancakes and French toast. Plus just think, it was all made with what you normally toss into compost or trash. The strained peelings can now go out to the compost pile, or chickens.

The other week a gentleman posted on FreeCycle that he had Black Walnuts to pick off his lawn. My son and I picked 3 bushels worth, he then took them home and he and his children drove over them a few times to break the husks off. After peeling the husks off he placed the walnuts on driveway and sprayed them down good to wash them off.

Now they are sitting on porch floor drying for the week before hammering them open and pulling the nut meat out for us to can.

Everyday seems to bring a new wonderful experience. I feel good knowing my Grandchildren are learning.