Announcement: Our Next Four Selections

Are you ready? Here are the next four selections of our book club:

Deb (Kahakai Kitchen) opens the series with Eat Joy: Stories & Comfort Food from 31 Celebrated Writers edited by Natalie Eve Garrett (published October 2019) for the December 2020 / January 2021 edition

Let's face it, this year has required a lot of comfort to get through. I have sought my comfort in my usual two places, in books and in the kitchen, so in carrying on with that theme as we end 2020 and enter 2021, I am picking Eat Joy: Stories & Comfort Food from 31 Celebrated Writers as our December/January book pick. Just the cover sparks joy in me and I like the idea of diving into short essays about food. 

From the Publisher:

This collection of intimate, illustrated essays by some of America’s most well-regarded literary writers explores how comfort food can help us cope with dark times—be it the loss of a parent, the loneliness of a move, or the pain of heartache.

Lev Grossman explains how he survived on “sweet, sour, spicy, salty, unabashedly gluey” General Tso’s tofu after his divorce. Carmen Maria Machado describes her growing pains as she learned to feed and care for herself during her twenties. Claire Messud tries to understand how her mother gave up dreams of being a lawyer to make “a dressed salad of tiny shrimp and avocado, followed by prune-stuffed pork tenderloin.” What makes each tale so moving is not only the deeply personal revelations from celebrated writers, but also the compassion and healing behind the story: the taste of hope.

There are recipes included with the essays or maybe it will inspire us to make the food that most comforts us! 

Aloha,
Deb

Deadline for contributing your post is Sunday, January 31, 2021

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For the February / March edition, Claudia (Honey from Rock) chose Where I Come From: Life Lessons from a Latino Chef by Aaron Sanchez (published October 2019)

I am going for a memoir by this Latino chef, and the food he brings to it, based on very good reviews, since I haven't had a chance to read it yet, plus the fact that we haven't done Mexican at Cook the Books yet, to my knowledge, and that it's one of my favorite cuisines.

From the Publisher:

America's most prominent Latino chef shares the story behind his food, his family, and his professional journey.  Before Chef Aaron Sanchez rose to fame on shows like MasterChef and Chopped, he was a restless Mexican-American son, raised by a fiercely determined and talented woman who was a successful chef and restaurateur in her own right--she is credited with bringing Mexican cuisine to the New York City dining scene. In many ways, Sanchez, who lost his father at a young age, was destined to follow in his mother Zarela's footsteps... 

In this memoir, Sanchez delves into his formative years with remarkable candor... revealing how he fell in love with cooking and started a career in the fast-paced culinary world. Sanchez shares the invaluable lessons he learned from his upbringing and his training... and offers an intimate look into the chaotic and untraditional life of a professional chef and television personality.

From the Library Journal: 

In addition, the book contains several delicious recipes, including one for seafood étouffée. VERDICT Highly recommended for foodies and memoir aficionados.

Aloha,

Claudia

Deadline for contributing your post is Wednesday, March 31, 2021

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For the April / May edition, Debra (Eliot's Eats) has chosen the novel Honeysuckle Season by Mary Ellen Taylor (September 2020)

The book tells the tales of four women. 

• Sadie, a moonshiner's wild child, is trying to help make ends meet while her older brothers are away fighting WWII. 
• Olivia, a new bride, has escaped London and the Blitz by marrying a rich American doctor, one of the "landed gentry."
• Libby, a wedding photographer, returns to her hometown to escape a failed marriage and three failed pregnancies.
• Elaine, the current curator of the estate, is working hard to restore the once massive and elaborate gardens and greenhouse.

The place setting is a large estate in rural Virginia and the surrounding community. The time setting alternates between the 1940s and today.  

These four women's lives are intertwined with a shared history that will be revealed. Besides revolving around these connections, the plot also deals with class stigma, the plight of the poor (especially women), eugenics and certain prejudices in the rural South in the 1940s.

There's plenty of food in the novel of the comforting, downhome kind and the author provides a few recipes at the end:  Buttermilk Pie, Honeysuckle Syrup, and Lemon Cake. This was a quick and enjoyable read. (It's free if you have Kindle Unlimited and only $4.99 to purchase the ebook. I usually don't rate my "free" Kindle books high but this was a five star review.).  

Debra

Deadline for contributing your post is Monday, May 31, 2021

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To round up the list of selections, for the June / July edition Simona (briciole) picked 97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement by Jane Ziegelman

Among the proposals on our blog's Suggested Reading page, I found this title quite appealing [Thank you, Lynda!] and decided to add to our club's selections providing a historical perspective on the foods we bring on our table.

From Publisher's Weekly

Ziegelman puts a historical spin to the notion that you are what you eat by looking at five immigrant families from what she calls the "elemental perspective of the foods they ate." They are German, Italian, Irish, and Jewish (both Orthodox and Reform) from Russia and Germany—they are new Americans, and each family, sometime between 1863 and 1935, lived on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Each represents the predicaments faced in adapting the food traditions it knew to the country it adopted. From census data, newspaper accounts, sociological studies, and cookbooks of the time, Ziegelman vividly renders a proud, diverse community learning to be American. She describes the funk of fermenting sauerkraut, the bounty of a pushcart market, the culinary versatility of a potato, as well as such treats as hamburger, spaghetti, and lager beer. Beyond the foodstuffs and recipes of the time, however, are the mores, histories, and identities that food evokes. Through food, the author records the immigrants’ struggle to reinterpret themselves in an American context and their reciprocal impact on American culture at large.

Simona

Deadline for contributing your post: Saturday, July 31, 2021.

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Remember that membership in our book club is open to anyone and we hope you will join us by reading these selections and creating inspired recipes. For more information about participating, click here.  

As always, specific announcement posts can be found at Cook the Books at the beginning of each two-month period and the current selection is always shown on the right side of the homepage.

To recap:

December 2020 / January 2021: Eat Joy edited by Natalie Eve Garrett (hosted by Deb at Kahakai Kitchen)

February / March 2021: Where I Come From by Aaron Sanchez (hosted by Claudia at Honey from Rock)

April / May 2021: Honeysuckle Season by Mary Ellen Taylor (hosted by Debra at Eliot's Eats)

June / July 2021: 97 Orchard by Jane Ziegelman (hosted by Simona at briciole)

Happy reading and cooking!

October/November selection: The Secret, Book and Scone Society

The novel The Secret, Book and Scone Society by Ellery Adams (October 2017) caught my attention first because of the words "book" and "scone" in the title (aren't they perfect together, a book in one hand and a scone in the other?),  then because it revolves around a bookstore, and finally, because it is a mystery.

The bookstore's owner, Nora, having once been healed by books, has chosen to do the same to other people. But healed from what? (I cannot say: it's part of the mystery)

Besides Nora, the society of the title includes three other women, quite different from each other, each with a secret to share, a story to tell. One of them is a baker with a special gift (which you will find out about when you read the novel). 

From the author's website:

Miracle Springs, North Carolina, is a place of healing. Strangers flock here hoping the natural hot springs, five-star cuisine, and renowned spa can cure their ills. If none of that works, they often find their way to Miracle Books, where, over a fresh-baked “comfort” scone from the Gingerbread House bakery, they exchange their stories with owner Nora Pennington in return for a carefully chosen book. That’s Nora’s special talent—prescribing the perfect novel to ease a person’s deepest pain and lighten their heaviest burden.

The novel is therefore a mystery on more than one level: there is a murder to be solved, but there are also the mysteries of the women's past, which are slowly revealed, just as the plot that led to the murder is also slowly revealed. 

There are no recipes in the book, but food and hot drinks play an important role in it and I hope the story will inspire you.  

Simona

Deadline for contributing your post: Monday, November 30, 2020.

Leave a comment below with a link to your post or email me at simosite AT mac DOT com.

Remember that anyone can participate in Cook the Books: simply pick up a copy of the selection from your local bookstore or library, take inspiration from said reading, cook and post the inspired dish. We look forward to having you read and cook along with us in this selection period and beyond. New participants are always welcome. (Leave a comment here or check out our Guidelines page if you have any questions.) 

Announcing Our Next Four Selections

Just in time for the Holidays, here are the next four selections of our book club:

Deb (Kahakai Kitchen) opens the series with Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers by Sara Ackerman (published February 2018) for the December 2018 / January 2019 edition

I have long wanted to host a Hawaii-set book for Cook the Books and so I’m excited to pick this historical fiction set during WWII on the Big Island. 

From the Publisher: 

Hawaii, 1944. The Pacific battles of World War II continue to threaten American soil, and on the home front, the bonds of friendship and the strength of love are tested.

Violet Iverson and her young daughter, Ella, are piecing their lives together one year after the disappearance of her husband. As rumors swirl and questions about his loyalties surface, Violet believes Ella knows something. But Ella is stubbornly silent. Something—or someone—has scared her. And with the island overrun by troops training for a secret mission, tension and suspicion between neighbors is rising. 

Violet bands together with her close friends to get through the difficult days. To support themselves, they open a pie stand near the military base, offering the soldiers a little homemade comfort. Try as she might, Violet can’t ignore her attraction to the brash marine who comes to her aid when the women are accused of spying. Desperate to discover the truth behind what happened to her husband, while keeping her friends and daughter safe, Violet is torn by guilt, fear and longing as she faces losing everything. Again.

Author Sara Ackerman was born and raised in Hawaii and studied journalism, earning graduate degrees in psychology and Oriental medicine. When she's not writing or practicing acupuncture, you'll find her in the mountains or in the ocean. Here are links to her website and to her Instagram account where she posts lovely photos of Hawaii and books. 

Deadline for contributing your post is Thursday, January 31, 2019

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For the February/March edition, Claudia (Honey from Rock) chose Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

As I am currently at number 184 on the library list, and have no personal reportage to present, we will go with clips from the Publisher Weekly Review and the NY Times. Needless to say, the novel has plenty of people eating interesting food. 

From Publisher Weekly Review: 

Kwan's debut novel is a fun, over-the-top romp through the unbelievable world of the Asian jet set, where anything from this season is already passe and one's pedigree is everything. When Rachel Chu's boyfriend, Nick Young, invites her home to Singapore for the summer, she doesn't realize how much gossip she's generated among Asian socialites around the world. To Rachel, Nick is a sweet, intelligent history professor-and the first man she's imagined marrying. To the Asian billionaire set, he's the gorgeous heir apparent to one of China's most "staggeringly rich" and well-established families who virtually control the country's commerce with their ancient fortunes. As soon as she steps off the plane, Rachel is ushered into the opulent world of castle-like estates and mind-boggling luxury. As if the shock of realizing the scale of Nick's wealth is not enough, she must also contend with a troupe of cruel socialites who would absolutely die before they let Singapore's most eligible bachelor get snapped up by a no-name "ABC" (American-born Chinese). There is also Nick's family: his imposing mother, Eleanor, who has exact ideas about who Nick should be dating; his beautiful cousin Astrid, who the younger girls dub "the Goddess" for her stunning fashion sense (she was "the first to pair a vintage Saint Laurent Le Smoking jacket with three-dollar batik shorts"); and Nick's cousin, the flamboyant Oliver, who helps Rachel navigate this strange new world. A witty tongue-in-cheek frolic about what it means to be from really old money and what it's like to be crazy rich. 

From the NY Times: 

Mr. Kwan knows how to deliver guilty pleasures. He keeps the repartee nicely outrageous, the excess wretched and the details wickedly delectable. Who knew that an Asian menu might boast of “Giant South Sea Scallop Consommé With Washington State Ginseng Vapors and Black Mushrooms?” (“Go figure,” writes Mr. Kwan, in a footnote about why the ginseng is imported.) Who knew that an Asian socialite might include Save the Shahtoosh among her favored fashionable causes? 

This should be a fun and food inspiring selection.

Deadline for contributing your post is Sunday, March 31, 2019

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For the April/May edition, Debra (Eliot's Eats) has chosen Buttermilk Graffiti by Edward Lee
  

Buttermilk Graffiti by Edward Lee is a good companion piece coming off our reading of The Cooking Gene by Michael Twitty. Lee not only traces his own food comforts and influences, but also all Americans as he travels the country looking for a national cuisine — ”that tension between two vastly different cultures creates something new” (Kindle location 129). Even the title talks about the melding of Edward:

The title of this book, Buttermilk Graffiti, is poetic shorthand for my life. Buttermilk is the iconic ingredient of the American South, one that I not only learned to cook with, but grew to love. Graffiti is the art form that first inspired my identity, the thing that connects me to the memories of my youth in Brooklyn in the 1980s. (Kindle location 102) 

I devoured this book in record time and I am confident the CTB members will as well. (Lee was an English major and I think it’s evident in his writing and style.) Lee travels on his quest to Louisiana, Massachusetts, Brooklyn, Michigan, Florida, Appalachia (with Ronni Lundy), the Mississippi Delta, Alabama, Connecticut, Washington, Texas, New Jersey, Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Illinois. I’ve listed the states/regions he visits here, but Lee is journeying to each area for specific cuisines in specific cities (like the slaw dog and or food of specific cultures). 

Edward Lee is the author of Smoke & Pickles and Buttermilk Graffiti. He is the chef/owner/culinary director of numerous restaurants in Kentucky, Maryland, and D.C.. I first became aware of Lee through his role in the Emmy Award-winning series The Mind of a Chef. Fermented, a feature-length documentary is another recent project (2017). He splits his time between Louisville, KY and Washington, DC.

Deadline for contributing your post is Friday, May 31, 2019

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To round up the list of selections, for the June / July edition Simona (briciole) picked Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton 

This book was suggested to me recently and I am excited to read it with you all and see how the reading inspires us.

From the publishers' page:

Before Gabrielle Hamilton opened her acclaimed New York restaurant Prune, she spent twenty hard-living years trying to find purpose and meaning in her life. Blood, Bones & Butter follows an unconventional journey through the many kitchens Hamilton has inhabited through the years: the rural kitchen of her childhood, where her adored mother stood over the six-burner with an oily wooden spoon in hand; the kitchens of France, Greece, and Turkey, where she was often fed by complete strangers and learned the essence of hospitality; Hamilton’s own kitchen at Prune, with its many unexpected challenges; and the kitchen of her Italian mother-in-law, who serves as the link between Hamilton’s idyllic past and her own future family—the result of a prickly marriage that nonetheless yields lasting dividends. By turns epic and intimate, Gabrielle Hamilton’s story is told with uncommon honesty, grit, humor, and passion.

Deadline for contributing your post: Wednesday, July 31, 2019.

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Remember that membership in our book club is open to anyone and we hope you will join us by reading these selections and creating inspired recipes.  For more information about participating, click here.  

As always, specific announcement posts can be found at Cook the Books as the current year ends and the new one marches on.

To recap:

December/January: Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers by Sara Ackerman (hosted by Deb at Kahakai Kitchen)

February/March: Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan (hosted by Claudia at Honey from Rock)

April/May: Buttermilk Graffiti by Edward Lee (hosted by Debra at Eliot's Eats)

June/July: Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton (hosted by Simona at briciole)







Happy reading and cooking!

October/November selection The Cooking Gene

I was glad to see  The Cooking Gene, A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South by Michael Twitty mentioned on our suggestion page, as it was already on my to-be-reading list. I have had the pleasure to meet Michael Twitty in person and listen to him: he is an engaging speaker. I am thrilled to read his book and share the experience with others.

The Cooking Gene is "Michael’s personal mission to document the connection between food history and family history from Africa to America, from slavery to freedom." (source)

The Cooking Gene has won the 2018 James Beard Foundation's Book Of The Year Award.

From the publishers' page:

A renowned culinary historian offers a fresh perspective on our most divisive cultural issue, race, in this illuminating memoir of Southern cuisine and food culture that traces his ancestry—both black and white—through food, from Africa to America and slavery to freedom... 

As he takes us through his ancestral culinary history, Twitty suggests that healing may come from embracing the discomfort of the Southern past. Along the way, he reveals a truth that is more than skin deep—the power that food has to bring the kin of the enslaved and their former slaveholders to the table, where they can discover the real America together.

A quote from Twitty can be seen on the walls of the Sweet Home Café at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (you can see it and read the details in this post).

Simona

Deadline for contributing your post: Friday, November 30, 2018.

Remember that anyone can participate in Cook the Books: simply pick up a copy of the selection from your local bookstore or library, take inspiration from said reading, cook and post the inspired dish. We look forward to having you read and cook along with in this selection period and beyond. New participants are always welcomed with open arms! (Leave a comment here or check out our Guidelines page if you have any questions.) 

This selection brings to a close the current set of four: be on the lookout for a post where we announce the next four selections.

Our December/January Cook the Books Selection: "Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals That Brought Me Home" by Jessica Fechtor

I am always fascinated by the power of food and the way the aroma, the flavors, the recipes, and the memories they conjure up can bring us back--and as in the title of this book, even bring us home. In our December/January Cook the Books selection: Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals That Brought Me Home, Jessica Fechtor shares her experiences when a aneurysm burst in her brain while running a treadmill at a hotel gym at a conference. That aneurysm burst apart the life and career path she was planning and had her enduring numerous surgeries, losing her sense of smell and the eyesight in her left eye. It was food, cooking, and her memories of favorite recipes and food experiences, that along with her friends and family, pulled her through the dark times. 

From the book jacket: “Jessica’s journey to recovery began in the kitchen as soon as she was able to stand at the stovetop and stir. There, she drew strength from the restorative power of cooking and baking. Written with intelligence, humor, and warmth, Stir is a heartfelt examination of what it means to nourish and be nourished. “

I first came across the audio of this book after reading a review of it on a favorite book blog (Beth Fish Reads) and checking it out from the library. Listening to Jessica's story and her wit and warmth in telling it made me a fan and I wanted to share it with my Cook the Books friends. Although the subject matter is serious and Jessica's story often heart-wrenching and moving, there is enough humor and inspiration to lift it up, rather than bog it down in sadness. I bought the book so I could read the words this time and see the twenty-seven recipes woven in throughout the book. (Note: If you want to listen to the audiobook, they provide a link to the recipes and many of them can be found on her blog, Sweet Amandine.)

I hope you enjoy this memoir as much as I did and I can't wait to see the dishes it inspires--whether you pick one of Jessica's recipes or make a favorite dish that always brings you back home.

 

Submissions for this round of Cook The Books are due by end-of-the day Tuesday, January 31, 2017. Anyone can join by reading the current selection, preparing a dish inspired by its contents and writing about it. Let me know when your entry post is up by commenting on this post and/or sending me an email at: debinhawaii@gmail.com. 
 

New to Cook the Books? Check out our About and Guidelines pages or leave a question in the comments on this post. 
 

Aloha and Happy Holidays! 

 

Deb

Our October/November Pick: Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots

Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots is a title that invited me to take a closer look at the book. Reading a brief description of the novel by Jessica Soffer made me choose it as my selection for Cook the Books. 

Lorca, the troubled teenage girl who is one of the novel’s protagonists, sets out to find a recipe for Masgouf, an Iraqi dish that her mother, a chef, once said was the most delicious thing she had ever tasted. Lorca’s quest leads her to Victoria, a widowed Iraqi-Jewish immigrant who can teach her how to make the dish. The two bond over the simple act of cooking together. 

I don't want to tell you more about the novel. Through its cast of characters, the story talks about immigration, parenting, teenage angst, and, of course, food. 

I found this interview with the author particularly interesting. At the beginning, she says:

For the most part, I am inspired by characters and by images. The story was born from Lorca (a teenage pain addict, whom I’d written a story about while I was in graduate school) and an image that suddenly came to me and persisted: two people—an old woman and a young girl—cooking together in a kitchen. What grew out of that, around that, was a way of situating those elements.

Don’t you want to find out what Masgouf is, what Lorca and Victoria cook together and how it all unfolds? I hope so. Join us then in this edition of our very special book club.

"Bukra fil mish mish," the Arabic saying goes. Tomorrow, apricots may bloom."

Submissions for this round of Cook The Books are due by end-of-the day Wednesday, November 30, 2016. Anyone can join by reading the current selection, preparing a dish inspired by its contents and writing about it. Let me know when your entry post is up by commenting on this post and/or sending me an email at: simosite AT mac DOT com. 

New to Cook the Books? Check out our About and Guidelines pages or leave a question in the comments on this post. 

Simona of briciole

Our June/July Cook the Books Selection: The Wedding Bees

A few years ago, I read the novel Blessed Are the Cheesemakers by Sarah-Kate Lynch and quite enjoyed it. In fact, I featured it in a post on my blog. As a home cheesemaker, I particularly appreciated the descriptions of making cheese and also the musings on life by one of the characters. 

Therefore, when I read Betty's note on our suggested reading page mentioning another novel by Sarah-Kate Lynch, The Wedding Bees (2013) I took notice. My usual readings are fairly dark, as I have a passion for crime novels, but every now and then I enjoy reading a sunny, sweet story. 

Sugar Wallace did not believe in love at first sight, but her bees did. . . .
Every spring Sugar Wallace coaxes her sleepy honeybee queen—presently the sixth in a long line of Queen Elizabeths—out of the hive and lets her crawl around a treasured old map. Wherever the queen stops is their next destination, and this year it's New York City.
Sugar sets up her honeybees on the balcony of an East Village walk-up and then—as she's done everywhere since leaving South Carolina—she gets to know her neighbors.

I don't associate NYC with hives and honeybees, so this introduction got piqued my curiosity. Would you like to know what happens to Sugar, her queen and her motley crew of neighbors? Then get hold of a copy of the book and join the Club this month and the next as we read it. The novel does not include recipes but it mentions a number of dishes and celebrates a precious ingredient, honey, which can be used to make a variety of dishes. I am looking forward to seeing what Sugar's story inspires you to make.

Submissions for this round of Cook The Books are due by end-of-the-day Monday, August 3, 2015. Anyone can join by reading the current selection, preparing a dish inspired by its contents and writing about it. Let me know when your entry post is up by commenting on this post and/or sending me an email at: simosite AT mac DOT com. 

New to Cook the Books? Check out our About and Guidelines pages or leave a question in the comments on this post. 

Simona of briciole

The Next Four Cook the Books Selections for the 2014 Reading Season

Even as we travel through historic and contemporary America through the pages of our current CTB book selection, "Twain's Feast" by Andrew Beahrs, it is time to plan ahead for some other great reading to fill out the rest of the year.

To heighten the drama before this biblio-unveiling, I wanted to mention the changes that are happening with our Cook the Books band of bloggers. 

First, Heather of Girlichef, is regretfully leaving as a Cohost, though she notes that she will still join the group from time to time as her schedule allows.  I know I have always enjoyed Heather's writing and recipes, so I hope she can squeeze some time in for us and for some great reads in the coming months. The good news is that Debra of Eliot's Eats will be stepping up to the plate as our Fourth Cohost so we will still have a lot of "flavor and spice" represented in our foodie book selections. 

The second big change at Cook the Books is that we are doing away with the Guest Judge and winning post feature to our blog. While we have had a long line of wonderful Guest Judges and savored their comments about our posts, it is sometimes a mad scramble for the Cohost to secure a Guest Judge in cases where we've picked a very popular author that doesn't respond to our invitations (or an author who is deceased). We will still post a roundup of blog posts about our featured book, but there will be no Cook the Book winner. If an author wants to comment about our roundup, we'll pass it on. 

Now, onto the next four Cook the Books picks. 

Simona, Rachel, Deb and Debra have picked out the following books for upcoming rounds of Cook the Books. Here are what we have picked and why we chose it in the host's own words: 

April/May 2014 Round hosted by Rachel of The Crispy Cook

Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America by Firoozeh Dumas (2003)

This witty memoir is by an Iranian-born author who emigrated to southern California with her family in 1972, when she was a little girl. The essays about growing up with an engineer father who thinks he knows more about America and the English language than he actually does, adjusting to cultural differences in school and at-large, and marrying into a French family are full of humor and sparkle. And of course, there are some descriptions of lots of 
luscious Persian cooking to inspire us in the kitchen.

-Rachel

Deadline: Sunday, June 1, 2014


June/July 2014 Round hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen:

The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen a Memoir by Jacques Pépin (2003)

Whenever I catch an old episode of Jacques Pépin on PBS or find him on a talk show or serving as a judge on a cooking show like Top Chef, I am struck by what a class act he is. Always respectful, thoughtful and with a true passion for food and for sharing his knowledge of cooking. Now 78, Pépin is a prolific chef, teacher and author, writing over 20 cookbooks and hosting or co-hosting 13 different cooking shows over the years. Several years ago a good foodie friend gave me her copy of his memoir, "The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen" and I reveled in his tale of growing up in France and working in his mother's kitchens, his time spent training and cooking in Paris, and his move to the United States in 1959. 

Stumbling over a copy the other day, I wanted to revisit this book myself and share it with all of you. Spanning several decades, his stories of how today's cooking scene evolved and his friendships with some of the greats like Julia Child, Craig Claiborne and James Beard make this book a charming and engrossing read for any foodie. (Anthony Bourdain called it "an instant classic!") The book itself includes some of Pépin's favorite recipes, and along with his array of cookbooks and online recipes, there should be plenty of inspiration and dishes to choose from. 

-Deb

Deadline: Thursday, July 31, 2014


August/September 2014 Round hosted by Debra of EliotsEats: 

A Thousand Days in Venice, by Marlena De Blasi

I cannot remember why I picked up A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena De Blasi.  I am sure it had something to do with the books tagline of “An Unexpected Romance” and obviously because it was set in Venice.   But, I soon became intrigued with the life De Blasi begins in Venice.  The thousand days of the title include her moving from St. Louis to Venice to start a life with a new and unexpected love.  It chronicles her spontaneous decision to live life and share her heart with Fernando (“the stranger”) and immerse herself in the food, culture and people of the city that is to be her new home.  Thousand Days in Venice is a love story between a man, a woman and a truly beautiful city.  Rest assured there are some authentic recipes included such as Prugne Addormentate (Sleeping Pears), Pappa al Pomodoro, and  Porcini Brasati con Moscato (Wild Mushrooms Braised in Late-Harvest Wine).  It has been a number of years since I have read this book so I am looking forward to rereading it.   Please note that De Blasi continues her adventures with Fernando in A Thousand Days in Tuscany and The Lady in the Palazzo:  An Umbrian Love Story. She also writes about other’s loves in That Summer in Sicily and Antonia and Her Daughters. These books are all full of food, bittersweet tales, love, and beautiful descriptions of Italy and its people.    

De Blasi is also the author of two cookbooks:  Regional Foods of Northern Italy (a James Beard Foundation Award finalist) and Regional Foods of Southern Italy.

I hope everyone enjoys this trip to “The Floating City.”

Deadline: Tuesday, September 30, 2014

-Debra

October/November 2013 Round hosted by Simona of Briciole: 

That Old Ace in the Hole, a novel by Annie Proulx (2002)

Although set very far away from the Newfoundland of The Shipping News, this novel shows some parallel to Proulx's earlier novel.The protagonist is a shy man confused about his place in the world, who finds himself transplanted into a new environment full of interesting characters and rich in local customs.

Adding to his clumsiness there is the fact that he is on a mission — to buy land to establish a hog farm— opposed by many of the people who also show him kindness.There are no recipes in the novel, but many dishes are mentioned and I hope that some elements of the story will inspire you. Above all, I hope that you will enjoy following Bob Dollar's adventure in the Texas Panhandle.

-Simona

Deadline: Tuesday, December 2, 2014

As always, we welcome everyone to join us for one or more of these Cook the Book rounds. The only requirement to join in the fun is to read the book and blog about it, including making a dish inspired by its pages.  Please join us.

-Rachel