People generally fall into two food groups: those who like to cook and those who like to eat (but don’t cook). These categories have that yin-yang approach to the kitchen that the words “gourmet” and “gourmand” do. Of course, many people fall into a third category: those who simply love food. They can talk about it, shop for it, read about it, study it, cook it. These food lovers — aka epicures, foodies or connoisseurs — are lifelong fans.
Food books, too, have different readers. Some cookbooks are for professional chefs, while others are written for the home cook. Some belong on the coffee table. Others are gift books that go unused. Beloved cookbooks are easy to spot: most have sticky pages and splattered covers. This holiday season, you may be looking for a gift for the food lover in your life. What follows is a suitable group of books aimed at cooks and eaters alike.
ANYONE WHO COOKS at home is always looking for a cookbook bursting with stunning, effortless recipes that produce full-blown flavors. Washington DC-based chef José Andrés — along with Richard Wolffe, a senior White House correspondent for Newsweek — has written such a cookbook. Tapas: a Taste of Spain in America, aimed at the home cook, entices the readers with such recipes as Tomato and Watermelon Skewers, Lobster Paella, Basque-Styled Stuffed Maryland Blue Crabs, Artichokes Sautéed with Serrano Ham and Marinated Idiazabal Cheese with Rosemary. Each recipe is accompanied by tight, high-definition shots of these dishes, some with clinging water droplets, all begging to be consumed. Andrés is the chief owner of seven DC restaurants, including the renowned Jaleo, and has been named Best Chef of the Year (Mid-Atlantic) by the James Beard Foundation.
Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America by José Andrés with Richard Wolffe (ClarksonPotter, 256 pages, $35)
Another big book about small bites is Nobu the Cookbook by famed New York chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa — the first internationally-known, one-name chef. Although he has a newer book out, this cookbook is a must-have for lovers of Japanese cuisine. Nobu features 50 recipes, including the chef’s signature dishes of Tiradio and Black Cod, as well as a section on sushi. Among the sushi recipes are those for his famed Soft Shell Crab Rolls. Throughout the book are fascinating cooking discussions, such as how to fillet an eel. (Impractical maybe, but fascinating nevertheless.) Also included are 14 recipes for his sauces, including Aji Amarillo (he once had a restaurant in Peru), Matsuhisa Dressing and Salsa, Linda Evans’ (as in Dynasty — Nobu lived in LA, too) Egg Sauce, and a Creamy Spicy Sauce, similar to a mayonnaise, for use on his Shrimp Tempura. This is another cookbook appropriate for the skilled home cook. And there is a listing of suppliers for those hard-to-find ingredients, but many, if not most, can be found in area Japanese markets.
Nobu: The Cookbook, by Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, Translated by Laura Holland, Photographs by Fumihiko Watanabe (Kodansha International, 200 Pages, $37)
Another extraordinary book about Asian cuisine is Mangoes & Curry Leaves: Culinary Travels Through the Great Subcontinent — Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. This couple is known for books on Southeast Asian cuisine but has now expanded into the Indian Subcontinent where the two have traveled on and off since the 1970s. Although Mangoes is destined for the coffee table, the recipes are worthy of the kitchen. Recipes include Chapatis, Dosas, Potato Curry, Chile Shrimp Stir Fry and Cashew Coconut Meatballs. Alford and Duguid’s book is a cross between a travel guide’s food section and a personal travel blog. Each recipe is accompanied by a chatty description of its origins or other elements of interest.
Mangoes & Curry Leaves: Culinary Travels Through the Great Subcontinent — Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid (Artisan, 381 pages, $45)
for food lovers who would rather read about food and who are politically motivated, Hungry Planet: What the World Eats will blow them away. The photojournalist authors studied the eating habits of 30 families in 24 countries (including a family from North Carolina). One is a Sudanese family of five, seated in front of their refugee-camp tent in Darfur with a only a few bags of grains (total weekly expenditure: $1.23). Another is a Greenland family of five in front of a table laden with some hunted food (walrus, polar bear and little auks), alongside boxes of Ritz crackers and Pringles (weekly expenditure: $277.12). The Carolina family of four sits with boxes of pizza, McDonald’s fries, ramen noodles and a large quantity of sodas (weekly expenditure: $341.98). In addition to discussions about the weekly food each family consumes, there are recipes, such as Greenlandic Seal Stew; photo essays about street food; meat markets (graphic pictures) and essays on the politics of food by Marion Nestle, Charles C. Mann and Alfred W. Crosby.
Hungry Planet: What the World Eats by Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio (Ten Speed Press, 287 pages, $40)
If your gift recipient is a recovering Atkins dieter, consider giving local baker Peter Reinhart’s award-winning The Bread Baker’s Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread. It’s a well-written, how-to book with the end result of bettering the average home baker’s output. Some of Reinhart’s signed books are available at Border’s. Reinhart is a chef at Johnson & Wales University.
The Bread Baker’s Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread by Peter Reinhart, photography by Ron Manville (Ten Speed, 243 Pages, $35)
Have a restaurant tip, compliment, complaint? Do you know of a restaurant that has opened or closed or that should be reviewed? Does your restaurant or shop have news, menu changes, new additions to staff or building, upcoming cuisine or wine events? Note: We need notice of events at least 12 days in advance. Fax information to Eaters’ Digest: 704-944-3605, or leave voice mail: 704-522-8334, ext. 136. To contact Tricia via email: tricia.childress@creativeloafing.com.
This article appears in Dec 14-20, 2005.
