A Foodie’s Favorite Cookbooks by Emily

I’m not sure exactly what it is, but I just can’t stop thinking about food lately.  Maybe it’s because it feels like spring is right on the tip of my tongue.  The sun comes out, I realize that it’s already March, and suddenly I can almost taste the bounty of delicious fruits and vegetables that are about to be in season.  I’m suddenly inspired to cook fresh, delicious, and healthy food.  The library has been getting in several cookbooks that have been seducing me from the shelves for a while now.

I love, love, love Yotam Ottolenghi’s food.  “Jerusalem ” is his third cookbook and it is truly a work of art.  He co-wrote the book with his restaurant partner Sami Tamimi.  They run the Ottolenghi food shops in London, which I have had the privilege of visiting.  They are tiny little store fronts jeweled with the most beautiful pastries you have ever seen and home to the most delicious vegetable dishes that this girl has ever eaten.  This book focuses on traditional Jewish and Muslim cuisines.  If you’re looking to try something new that still feels comfortable and homey this is a great book to check out.  

I’ve been a big fan of Deb Perelman’s amazing food blog for years now.  I still vividly remember the crisp September morning I first stumbled across her recipe for apple pancakes.  Yum.  She is incredibly adept at taking complex, expensive recipes and modifying them for the home cook.  Her first published a book of recipes simply titled “The Smitten Kitchen” after her blog came out last fall and I’ve been dying to get my hands on it.  It almost never stays on the shelf so you’re going to have to get on the wait list for this one.

Street food is terribly popular right now.  I love the simplicity and the creative fusion of different flavors and cultures.  “The Truck Food Cookbook”  by John Edge offers up recipes inspired by famous food trucks across the states.  There are so many recipes for tacos! 

This just scratches the surface.  There are several cookbooks that will be coming to the library soon that I can’t wait to get my hands on.  “The Bouchon Bakery”  by Thomas Keller combines American and French baking and “The Science of Good Cooking” by America’s Test Kitchen will teach you basic scientific concepts to improve your kitchen skills.  Keep checking the new bookshelf for cookbooks.   I promise you won’t be disappointed.