Congrats to forkmtn, grahamred, manali98, chcannon, and french tart. Winners have been notified by email and also appear on our Contest Winners page. Thanks to everyone who entered last week's Cook the Book!
Posted by Lucy Baker, August 25, 2008 at 1:00 PM
From classic cakes, tarts, and cookies, to newfangled churros, marshmallows, and pain perdu, the recipes in this week's Cook the Book selection all have one key ingredient in common: chocolate, and lots of it.
In Chocolate Epiphany, fêted French pastry chef François Payard (owner of New York's acclaimed Payard Pâtisserie & Bistro and author of two previous cookbooks, Bite Size and Simply Sensational Desserts) turns his attention exclusively to chocolate, in all its luscious incantations.
The 100 recipes range in difficulty from simple-yet-impressive chocolate crème brûlées and chocolate-honey madeleines (perfect for beginner home cooks) to show-stopping chocolate gâteau de crêpes with green tea cream and chocolate pavlovas with chocolate mascarpone mousse (a sumptuous challenge for ambitious bakers). According to François, his purpose in writing this book was to "give you options to explore chocolate at whatever level you with to make irresistible desserts for loved ones."
In addition to chapters devoted to Breads and Brunch; Cookies and Petit Fours; Candies and Chocolates; Custards, Mousses, Meringues and Ice Cream; Tarts; Cakes; and Plated Desserts, François includes special sections devoted to "The Many Shapes of Chocolate" (such as bars, chips, and nibs), and tips on how to store chocolate, prevent seizing when melting, and properly temper it for a perfect, glossy finish.
Win 'Chocolate Epiphany'
We’ll be excerpting a recipe from Chocolate Epiphany each day this week. In addition, you can enter to win one of five (5) copies of this delectable dessert compendium. Simply tell us in the comments section below: if you could eat chocolate only once more in your lifetime, what would you have?
Five (5) people will be chosen at random from among eligible comments below. Comments will close Monday, September 1 at noon ET. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Congrats to Cataroo, MrKnish, beausdorei, kathyvegas, and MerMade07. Winners have been notified by email and also appear on our Contest Winners page. Thanks to everyone who entered last week's Cook the Book!
Posted by Lucy Baker, August 18, 2008 at 1:00 PM
From Memphis to Texas, Alabama to the Carolinas, every region in America thinks its style of barbecue is best. And while they may not agree on spices, smokes, or sauces, one thing's for sure: They all believe that barbecue is a quintessentially American cuisine.
In fact, they couldn't be more wrong. Barbecue is, as this week's Cook the Book author Rick Browne states, "a universal language" that spans six continents and more than 20 countries.
For his latest cookbook, The Best Barbecue on Earth, Browne (the creator, executive producer, and host of the popular public television program Barbecue America) traveled the globe interviewing, photographing, cooking, and—most important—tasting the world's most flavorful recipes for grills, pits, and smokers. The result? The ultimate compendium on outdoor cooking, a book that brings the entire world into your backyard and onto your dinner plate.
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Congrats to huddlestonh, spitfyr323, fangirl, passion4eating, and tracyw. Winners have been notified by email and also appear on our Contest Winners page. Thanks to everyone who entered last week's Cook the Book!
Posted by Lucy Baker, August 11, 2008 at 1:15 PM
In honor of the Beijing Olympics, this week's Cook the Book selection is The Shun Lee Cookbook: Recipes from a Chinese Restaurant Dynasty, by chef, restaurant owner, and culinary visionary Michael Tong.
Until the 1960s Chinese food in America consisted of bungled Cantonese dishes like egg foo young and barbecued spare ribs. But that all changed when Tong opened his first restaurant in New York City. He introduced spicy, regional recipes for crispy sea bass, dry sautéed string beans, and red cooked chicken. In the process, he elevated the status of Chinese food from takeout to fine dining. (Restaurants don't get much more elegant than Shun Lee West, with its arresting red-eyed dragon that winds around the ceiling.)
Intimidated by the idea of preparing Chinese food at home? Don't be. All the recipes in The Shun Lee Cookbook have been adapted for home kitchens, resulting in an exotic-yet-approachable collection of dishes made from everyday supermarket ingredients. In addition to classics such as hot and sour soup and pan-fried pork dumplings, there are innovative new dishes like Hunan lamb with scallions and soft shell crabs with black bean sauce.
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Posted by Lucy Baker, August 2, 2008 at 1:00 PM
Some Food Network stars may be just a flash in the pan, but true, well-trained and passionate celebrity chefs will always endure. Since the debut of Boy Meets Grill in 1996, Bobby Flay has stood as an example of what it means to be famous for food: he is the owner of five acclaimed restaurants, the talent behind three television shows (not to mention the food correspondent for The Early Show on CBS, and a regular guest on Iron Chef America), and a best-selling cookbook author. While many insiders and professionals scoff at culinary celebrities claiming they care more about cash than they do about cooking, Bobby has always been heralded for his innovative southwestern cuisine.
This Week's Cook the Book selection is Bobby Flay's Grill It!, his eighth title and the first ever that is fully illustrated and full-color. Bobby understands that home cooks think "I want salmon for dinner," not "I want to prepare an entrée on the grill." To that end, the chapters in Grill It! are divided by ingredient rather than by course, and cover everything from basic burgers and chicken breasts to show-stopping lobster and lamb chops (of course, there are veggies and desserts, too). Additionally, the book includes an exhaustive grill guide for resources, ingredients, indispensable grilling tools, and the pros and cons of gas versus charcoal.
Win ‘Bobby Flay’s Grill It!’
In addition to excerpting a recipe each day this week, we’re also giving away five (5) copies of Grill It! To enter for your chance to win, just tell us in the comments section below, if you could hire any Food Network star to cook you dinner in your home kitchen, who would it be?
Five (5) people will be chosen at random from among eligible comments below. Comments will close Monday, August 11th at noon ET. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Congrats to gillsnthrills, laralin2266, pwhite98270, tcjanes, and Sisterrae. Winners have been notified by email and also appear on our Contest Winners page. Thanks to everyone who entered last week's Cook the Book!
Posted by Lucy Baker, July 28, 2008 at 1:00 PM
All cherished recipes are, in a sense, memoir. Preparing a time-honored dish is a way to revisit the past, and sitting down at a table with others to savor the results is a way to extend that memory—be it of a specific time, place, or person—into the future. While there are many foods that can invoke strong recollections, perhaps none are as powerful as those bought on by pie.
This week's Cook the Book selection is Sweety Pies: An Uncommon Collection of Womanish Observations, With Pie by Patty Pinner. Filled with amusing anecdotes that typify her childhood in Saginaw, Michigan ("an unhappy husband will ask for toasted snow"), Patty's book is as much a story of love, friendship, and community as it is about baking desserts. Each recipe, from Miss Annie Dugan's Grape Juice Pie, to Aunt Helen's Pineapple Pie, and Cousin Eunice's Grated Carrot Pie, tells the story of the woman who created it.
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Congrats to hmneilson, caviarandcodfish, apisoni, namepl, and swaaaan. Winners have been notified by email and also appear on our Contest Winners page. Thanks to everyone who entered last week's Cook the Book!
Posted by Lucy Baker, July 21, 2008 at 3:45 PM
Words by Lucy Baker | I am an unabashed lover of all things Ina—her cookbooks, her brownie mix, and most of all, her television show, The Barefoot Contessa, which I TiVo daily. What I like best about her recipes is that they emphasize two things: easy methods and quality ingredients. I'm willing to dump half a bottle of pricey Burgundy into her coq au vin because I'm confident that, even though I'm an untrained home cook, the final dish will turn out delicious.
Like me, Ina never attended professional culinary school. She became an accomplished cook simply through practice, and by absorbing the knowledge of those she admired—perhaps no one more so than Anna Pump, owner of the famed gourmet take-out shop in Bridgehampton, New York, Loaves & Fishes.
Paging through Anna's new cookbook, Summer on a Plate, it is easy to see how and why she was Ina's mentor. Her elegant, no-fuss dishes emphasize fresh vegetables, simply grilled meats and fish, and rich indulgences, such as Asparagus Salad with Roasted Peppers and Goat Cheese, Chicken in Basil Cream, and Coconut-Lemon Layer Cake.
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Congrats to bndraldy, ch121, cbradford, gala2, and boover57. Winners have been notified by email and also appear on our Contest Winners page. Thanks to everyone who entered last week's Cook the Book!
Posted by Lucy Baker, July 14, 2008 at 1:30 PM
Here in New York, one of the most expensive cities in the world, good deals on food can be hard to find. After all, this is the home of the original World's Most Expensive Cocktail, not to mention a $1,000 ice cream sundae that is only available by appointment. Ask any Manhattanite or Brooklynite, however, and they are sure to tell you—in hushed tones, lest others find out—about their favorite place for a steal of a meal.
My number one bargain buy? The lobster roll at the Fairway Café in Red Hook, Brooklyn. For just $7.99, you get a buttery bun filled with big, sweet chunks of lobster meat (light on the mayo), chips, coleslaw, and a snappy deli pickle. Plus, the patio view of the Statue of Liberty is unparalleled.
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Posted by Lucy Baker, July 7, 2008 at 2:00 PM
I love going out to lunch alone. I bring a good book or the latest issue of one of my favorite magazines, and try to snag a seat by the window. At the restaurant I frequent most, I order a large iced tea, a bowl of soup, and a beet salad with goat cheese and extra croutons, dressing on the side. I eat leisurely, savoring every last bite, and leave a generous tip.
I am a firm believer that every meal—whether it's a Pop-Tart and orange juice at 6:00 a.m. or a four-course, three hour dinner—should be a time to take a break and focus on your body, providing it with the nutrition it needs, plus a little indulgence (chocolate chip cookies, anyone?). It doesn't matter if you are dining alone, or if you are part of a party of ten.
Too often, people view cooking for one as either an annoyance, or, worse, a waste of time. But whatever your circumstances—whether you are a recent college graduate, or a stay-at-home dad—at one point or another, you will find yourself preparing a single serving meal. This week's Cook the Book selection, Serves One by Toni Lydecker, aims to prove that solo dining can be simple, satisfying, and fun.
Win 'Serves One'
The recipes range from simple salads such as Warm Spinach, Orzo, and Pistachio that are perfect for lunch, to show-stopping entrees like Roast Baby Hen with Root Vegetables that will make you feel like you are dining at a multi-starred restaurant. We’ll be excerpting a recipe from Serves One each day this week. In addition, you can enter to win a copy of the book. Just tell us in the comments section below, what is your favorite dish to prepare when you alone?
Five (5) people will be chosen at random from among eligible comments below. Comments will close Monday, July 14 at noon ET. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Lucy Baker, June 30, 2008 at 3:30 PM
Summertime is cocktail time. When the weather heats up, who wants to be weighed down by dark, heavy beers or glasses of lukewarm wine? Icy, blended drinks made from high-quality spirits and exotic fruits such as lychees, Asian pears, and kumquats are much more appealing.
This week's Cook the Book selection, Margaritas, Mojitos, & More by Jessica Strand, is full of tempting recipes for classic summer cocktails with a twist. Author Jessica Strand shows you how to make any drink your "signature" by mixing and matching flavored vodkas, spices, and garnishes like fresh rosemary and sliced black plums. In addition to the lethal libations, there is a chapter dedicated to Calming Coolers—nonalcoholic drinks such as Blended Peach Creams and Pomegranate Tingles—that are perfect poolside refreshers for children of all ages.
Just in time for your 4th of July celebration, we'll be excerpting a tantalizing cocktail recipe from Margaritas, Mojitos, & More every day this week. Forget about boring brews and white wine spritzers—it's time to bust out your blender and shaker and get the party started.
Win 'Margaritas, Mojitos, & More'
For a chance to win one of five copies of Margaritas, Mojitos, & More tell us in the comments section below: what is your favorite cocktail garnish? (Mine is olives, and lots of them!)
Five (5) people will be chosen at random from among eligible comments below. Comments will close Monday, July 7 at noon ET. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Lucy Baker, June 23, 2008 at 1:15 PM
Once again, this week's Cook the Book selection focuses on grilling. But with temperatures skyrocketing and the 4th of July right around the corner, it hardly seems like overkill. Besides, who ever really tires of charred chicken, smoky salmon, and crispy, caramelized vegetables? We certainly don’t.
Neither does award-winning food writer Diane Morgan, author of Grill Every Day: 125 Fast-Track Recipes for Weeknights at the Grill. Unlike other books on the market that approach grilling as a novel, only-for-special-occasions cooking method, Morgan demonstrates how preparing charbroiled foods can be as easy as ordering take-out or defrosting a frozen meal.
Along with the recipes, Morgan includes helpful tips for novice grillers on types of grills, cleaning methods, safety tips, and tools. Plus, there is a special Grill Planner chapter devoted to transforming leftovers from last night's dinner into tomorrow's lunch (Mustard-and-Rosemary-Crusted Lamb Steaks are incorporated into a composed Greek salad, cold grilled vegetables are tossed with penne, fresh basil, and Parmesan).
Win 'Grill Every Day'
In addition to excerpting a recipe each day this week, we're also giving away five copies of the book. For a chance to win one for your own kitchen collection just tell us in the comments section below, what is your favorite dish to prepare in celebration of our Independence Day?
Posted by Lucy Baker, June 16, 2008 at 1:45 PM
This week's Cook the Book selection, Screen Doors and Sweet Tea, brings to life the people, landscape, and traditions of the Mississippi Delta. Born and raised outside Yazoo City, author Martha Hall Foose left her southern roots to attend the prestigious École Lenôtre pastry school in France. She returned five years ago—"homesickness brought me back." Today she lives on her family's farm in Tchula, Mississippi, and serves as the executive chef at the Viking Cooking School.
The dishes in Screen Doors and Sweet Tea marry southern charm with contemporary flair. Of course, there are classic recipes for fried chicken, biscuits, and gumbo. But there are also newfangled creations such as Catfish Ceviche, Sweet Potato Dumplings, and Cantaloupe Daiquiris. In addition, Foose shares poignant and hilarious tales about her home—don't miss the one on page 66 about the homemade mayonnaise contest.
Win 'Screen Doors and Sweet Tea
We'll be excerpting a recipe from Screen Doors and Sweet Tea every day this week. In addition, you can enter to win a copy for your own collection. Just tell us in the comments section below: from lemonade and sweet tea to mojitos and frozen margaritas, what is your favorite summertime beverage?
Posted by Lucy Baker, June 9, 2008 at 1:30 PM
Inspired by tough-guy chefs like David Chang, Mario Batali, and Bobby Flay, men are cooking now more than ever. This year for Father's Day, why not skip the fussy cuff links, the itchy sweater vest, and the expensive golf equipment, and give Dad...a cookbook?
He probably already knows how to char a burger to medium-rare and blister a hot dog until its crisp and juicy. Now with New South Grilling by Robert St. John, he'll learn the secrets to preparing hearty, bold backyard barbecue favorites inspired by the vibrant flavors of the deep south. As the Executive Chef/Owner of the Purple Parrot Café, Crescent City Grill, and Mahogany Bar in Mississippi, St. John is at the forefront of cutting edge Southern cuisine.
Win 'New South Grilling'
We'll be excerpting a recipe from New South Grilling every day this week. In addition, we're giving away five copies. To enter for a chance to win a book for your own collection, just tell us in the comments section below: what food or drink most reminds you of your father?
Posted by Lucy Baker, June 2, 2008 at 1:30 PM
American Public Media's syndicated radio program The Splendid Table is like This American Life for foodies. Each week, award-winning host Lynne Rossetto Casper and producer Sally Swift lead their audience on an enlightening culinary journey from farm to store, kitchen to table. More than just a cooking show, The Splendid Table explores the relationship between food, culture, and politics, and introduces listeners to the people who are shaping our collective, contemporary appetites.
In their new cookbook, The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper, Lynne and Sally offer up a collection of recipes for easy weeknight cooking that goes far beyond the standard repertoire of spaghetti marinara and tuna casserole. While the dishes are simple and homey (think sautéed chicken breasts and roast salmon), they are also innovative and unusual (classic vinaigrette made new with a hint of Asian fish sauce, Deviled Eggs browned in a pan to caramelize and crisp their filling).
Win 'The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper'
We'll be excerpting a recipe from The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper every day this week as part of our ongoing Cook the Book series. In addition, you can enter to win a copy of the book for your own collection. Just tell us in the comments section below: if you could interview anyone in the food industry (chef, TV personality, vintner, etc.) who would it be and what is the first question you would ask?
Posted by Lucy Baker, May 26, 2008 at 1:00 PM
Flipping through this week's Cook the Book selection, Top Chef: The Cookbook, is a sensory experience. And not just because of the up-close and personal photographs of memorable dishes such as Dave Martin's Truffle and Cognac Macaroni and Cheese from season one, or Hung Huynh's Sous-Vide Duck from season three. The book itself is wrapped in a canvas cover made from the same material as the jackets worn by the contestants on the show. Pretty cool.
More than a collection of recipes, Top Chef: The Cookbook is a backstage pass to the hit television show. Tour the kitchen and pantry to discover what staples Top Chefs always have on hand, or learn how to open a bottle of Champagne with a knife a la season one's Stephen Asprinio. There are insightful interviews with producers and judges, plus lighthearted inserts devoted to the "Top Coif," and the Anthony Bourdain Insult-O-Meter.
Win 'Top Chef: The Cookbook'
From perfectly executed classics to outlandish, newfangled creations, we'll be excerpting a recipe from Top Chef: The Cookbook every day this week. In addition, you can enter to win a copy for your own collection. Just tell us in the comments section below: If you were in a cooking competition, what dish would you prepare?
Posted by Lucy Baker, May 19, 2008 at 1:45 PM
Memorial Day weekend is all about grilling. This Friday, all over America, home cooks will dig barbecue tongs, forks, and spatulas out of their kitchen drawers, and wheel dusty Webers out of their garages. Supermarkets will set up mountainous displays of charcoal, only to sell out in minutes, along with shrink-wrapped hot dogs, sacks of hamburger buns, and economy-sized bags of chips. Not to mention six-packs of beer.
Memorial Day food isn't fussy or fancy. (This isn't the time to break out your new Kugelhopf pan, or test a recipe for salmon mousse canapés.) Instead, when the flames fire up and the iron grate starts to sizzle, people want to heap their paper plates full of food with big, bold flavors. Who better to look to for menu suggestions than bad-boy celebrity chef Mario Batali?
In his new cookbook, Mario Batali Italian Grill, Batali offers up eighty recipes for appetizers, pizzas, fish and shellfish, poutry, meat, and vegetables, plus sixty full-color photographs. Italian grilling isn't about thick barbecue sauces and heavy basting; instead, the flavors are light, but they still pack a punch (think good olive oil, red wine, garlic, chili flakes, citrus, and fresh herbs).
Win Mario's Book or a Chance to Tailgate with Mario
If you'd like a chance to win to tailgate with Mario at the Texas Motor Speedway on November 2, visit this page and submit your grilling recipe and video demonstration of it. Grand prize winner will grill with Mario and grab two VIP tickets to the Dickies 500 race in Fort Worth.
In addition to that, you can enter to win one of five copies of Mario Batali Italian Grill from Serious Eats for your own backyard library. Just tell us here on this post what your favorite grilling condiment is and why.
Five (5) people will be chosen at random from among eligible comments below. Comments will close Monday, May 26 at noon ET. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Lucy Baker, May 12, 2008 at 2:15 PM
When it comes paring food with wine, cheese is just the beginning. All over Europe, in cities like Seville, Barcelona, Lisbon, and Athens, wine bars match native grapes with small dishes made from local ingredients. Perfect for afternoon or after-work, these plates are straightforward, robust, and meant to be shared.
In Wine Bar Food, this week's Cook the Book selection, Cathy Mantuano and Tony Mantuano, award-winning chef of Chicago's Spiaggia, show you how to recreate these rustic Mediterranean dishes in your own kitchen, and offer tips on choosing interesting, affordable bottles. Don't worry if your supermarket's international aisle leaves much to be desired—these recipes are more about fun and flavor than exacting authenticity.
Pour yourself a glass and get cooking!
Win 'Wine Bar Food'
We'll be excerpting a recipe every day this week from Wine Bar Food. In addition, you can enter to win one of five copies of the book. Just tell us in the comment section below: what is your favorite thing to eat while drinking a glass of Champagne?
Comments will close Monday, May 19 at noon ET. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Lucy Baker, May 5, 2008 at 2:00 PM
Trust me: you mom has a wild side. It may not be as extreme as what-happens-in-Vegas-stays-in-Vegas, but she has definitely fantasized about trading in her prim office heels for a pair of beaten-up cowboy boots, and her calming mug of herbal tea for a killer watermelon margarita.
That's just what chef and food writer Paula Disbrowe did when she left the skyscrapers of New York City for the wide open plains of rural Texas. In Cowgirl Cuisine, this week's Cook the Book selection, Paula presents a collection of big-hearted, bold recipes, from breakfasts, soups and salads, to burgers, barbecue, and seductive desserts. All the dishes are composed of healthful ingredients such as whole grains and fresh local produce, but this is not a diet cookbook. Cowgirls don't have time to count calories.
'Win Cowgirl Cuisine'
We'll be excerpting a recipe from Cowgirl Cuisine everyday this week that's perfect for preparing for your mom, so on Sunday you can surprise her with brunch in bed, or better yet, a decadent, whiskey-spiked chocolate cake. In addition, you can enter to win her one of five copies of the book. Just tell us in the comments section below: what is the most memorable meal your mother has ever prepared for you?
Posted by Lucy Baker, April 28, 2008 at 2:15 PM
This week's Cook the Book feature is Lidia's Italy by Lidia Bastianich, famed restaurateur, Public Television personality and—as of last week—Papal chef. In her latest culinary compendium, Lidia takes home cooks on a whirlwind gastronomic tour of ten different places in Italy, from northern Piemont and central Rome, to southern Puglia and the island of Sicily.
These are the regions that Lidia loves best, and the ones that have most informed her own cooking. As she writes in her introduction: "Now I ask you to come with me to some of my favorite places in Italy. I want to introduce you to my friends and to some of the very fine food artisans who are keeping the Italian culinary tradition alive. I want you to meet some of the special people who make up the heartbeat of the cities in Italy, to experience the way they enjoy life, to see how they shop, and how the cook with these traditional products."
Win 'Lidia's Italy'
The 140 recipes are homey and diverse, from traditional pasta and fish dishes (think tomato ragu and brodetto), to innovative antipastos and desserts (roast peppers stuffed with tuna and anchovy, babàs with limoncello). We'll be excerpting one every day this week as part of our ongoing Cook the Book feature. In addition, we're giving away copies to five lucky readers. To enter for a chance to win, simply tell us in the comments section below: when you're cooking to impress, what dish do you prepare?
Posted by Adam Kuban, April 21, 2008 at 3:30 PM
Oprah Winfrey probably isn't the first name you think of when you reach for a recipe or cookbook, and the omnipresent TV show host would be the first to tell you, in the intro to her new cookbook, that she's not the best in the kitchen ("Though I do a pretty mean corn fritter," she says). Still, one thing that Oprah knows exceedingly well is how to surround herself with talented folks who can deliver the goods to her audience. Since 2000, she's been doing just that with her magazine, O, which features recipes from top-name chefs and food writers. In The Oprah Magazine Cookbook, she's collected many of those recipes—from the likes of Marcus Samuelsson, Leah Chase, April Bloomfield, and 60-some others. We're featuring it as our Cook the Book entry this week, and we'll be highlighting one recipe a day from it until Friday. The first one will be up shortly, but let's take care of some business here:
Win The Oprah Magazine Cookbook
All you have to do to win is tell us in the comments section of this post—oh, I don't know ... tell us what TV talk show host you'd most like to break bread with and what meal you'd share with him or her.
Three (3) people will be chosen at random from among eligble comments below. Comments will close Monday, April 28 at noon ET. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Adam Kuban, April 16, 2008 at 1:30 PM
This week's Cook the Book is another from the great River Cottage book series. The author, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, is a celebrity chef in Britain, known for such series as TV Dinners and, after he moved full-time to his country home, River Cottage, for several shows based around the sustainable-farming lifestyle he cultivates there. The River Cottage Cookbook brings elements of his previous books under one roof, and provides detailed guidance on everything from gardening to choosing and keeping livestock. In fact, it's organized into four parts—gardening, livestock, fish, and hedgerow—based on the provenance of the featured ingredients.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, March 24, 2008 at 5:45 PM
This week's Cook the Book featured cookbook is Nigella Lawson's Nigella Express. The subtitle of the book is "130 Recipes for Good Food, Fast," and with the exception of a handful of recipes in this title, it's a pretty accurate description—with dishes that are either assembled and finished quickly or those that are assembled quickly and then finished in the oven, allowing the appliance to do most of the work while you lounge or take care of other more pressing matters.
Win 'Nigella Express'
We'll be excerpting a recipe a day this week as part of our ongoing Cook the Book feature. The first of those will be up shortly, but for now it's time to let you in on how you can enter to win a copy of this book. Simply share your favorite time-saving tip in the Comments section below.
Five (5) winners will be chosen at random from among eligible comments, and comments will be open until noon ET, Monday, March 31. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Adam Kuban, March 17, 2008 at 4:00 PM
If there are two cuisines Arthur "The Food Maven" Schwartz knows best, they're Jewish and Italian. He's already done an Italian book, so he tackles the likes of latkes, kreplach, knishes, and kugel in Arthur Schwartz's Jewish Home Cooking. If you're not lucky enough to have grown up with a bubbe fussing over you and cooking you some of the most amazing comfort food ever, then this book can help you approximate the experience yourself.
Win 'Jewish Home Cooking'
We'll be excerpting a recipe a day this week as part of our ongoing Cook the Book feature. The first of those will be up shortly, but for now it's time to let you in on how you can enter to win a copy of this book. Simply tell us what your favorite Jewish food item is in the Comments section below.
Winners will be chosen at random from among the commenters, and comments will be open until noon ET, Monday, March 24. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Adam Kuban, March 10, 2008 at 2:00 PM
If you're a food lover, you've asked and answered the question. Many times. You reevaluate your answer every so often, refining it with each meal. At Serious Eats, we even include it as a field in everyone's profile page: Last bite on earth?
My Last Supper is a book that takes that meme to the people you'd most want to hear from on this subject—50 of the best-known and most-loved chefs in the world. It's a beautiful book—almost equal parts portraiture, interview, and cookbook. Each chef is photographed by author-photographer Melanie Dunea in an environment that befits his or her personality, accompanied by an interview with Dunea, and, toward the back of the book, a recipe.
Win 'My Last Supper'
We'll be excerpting a recipe a day this week as part of our ongoing Cook the Book feature. The first of those will be up shortly, but for now it's time to let you in on how you can enter to win a copy of this book. Simply tell us what your last meal story is. What would you eat, with whom, and where?
Winners will be chosen at random from among the commenters, and comments will be open until noon ET, Monday, March 17. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Adam Kuban, March 3, 2008 at 1:30 PM
The featured tome in this week's Cook the Book is one I've been looking forward to trying out since we got it in the office a few weeks ago. Panini Express: 70 Delicious Recipes Hot Off the Press, by Daniel Leader and Lauren Chattman gave me an excuse to do something I've been thinking about for a while now—buy a panini press for the office and get to town making sandwiches for lunch. So for today and the rest of the week, we'll be excerpting one recipe from the book daily and bringing it to you as an overview of the book.
Among the 70 sandwich recipes are some familiar panini and some unexpected ones. And they range from vegetarian options to the range of meats and cheeses. Daniel Leader was one of the earliest proponents of artisanal bread-baking in the U.S. and is the owner of Bread Alone in upstate New York, so the book includes not only panini recipes but a handful of instructions for breads as well.
Win 'Panini Express'
As is always the case with our weekly Cook the Book feature, we've got five (5) copies of this book to give away to our readers. Simply name your favorite panini sandwich in the Comments section below.
Winners will be chosen at random from among the commenters, and comments will be open until noon ET, Monday, March 10. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Adam Kuban, February 19, 2008 at 2:45 PM
This week's Cook the Book volume is Jamie Oliver's Cook with Jamie. I've admired Oliver's work over the years; I mean, what's not to like? Not only is he a good cook, he places education and betterment at the heart of his mission, whether it's through his Fifteen foundation and restaurant or his attempt to bring better school lunches to Britain's kids.
Cook with Jamie carries on that tradition. And even though it's Oliver's seventh book, it's the one he says he feels he should have written first, since it's a "basics" book. It's textbooklike in size and heft, with beautiful photographs and handsome type design—so much so that you'd almost feel bad about staining the pages as you cook from it.
We'll be featuring excerpted recipes adapted from Cook with Jamie over the course of the week. The first one will be along shortly. Until then ...
Win 'Cook with Jamie'
Anyway, as is always the case with our Cook the Book feature, we've got five (5) copies to give away. All you have to do to have a chance to win one is answer the following in the comments section below:
Who taught you to cook?
Winners will be chosen at random from among the commenters, and comments will be open until noon ET, Monday, February 25. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by The Serious Eats Team, February 4, 2008 at 5:00 PM
Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so with the next two Cook the Book selections we will concern ourselves with sweets appropriate for the occasion. The first of our cookbooks for exploration is Alice Medrich's Chocolate Holidays: Unforgettable Desserts for Every Season
. The book is geared toward people who love baking but might not have the time to devote to it, so each of its recipes has been chosen for brevity and ease of preparation.
The first of these will be along in a few minutes, but first, we'd like to let you know you can win a copy of this book. All you have to do is answer in the comments below: How do you indulge in chocolate? Hot cocoa? Chocolate cake? A rich and creamy pudding? Chocolate bars?
Winners will be chosen at random from among the commenters, and comments will be open until noon ET, Monday, February 11. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Adam Kuban, January 28, 2008 at 2:30 PM
This week's Cook the Book is one we chose with the Super Bowl in mind. You see, chili, nachos, and bean dips are Super Bowl parties, and Robb Walsh's The Tex-Mex Cookbook is chockfull of great ideas for these dishes. We'll be bringing you some of these recipes this week as we lead up to the game.
Along with the recipes, though, what really makes this book is all the great historical information that Walsh packs into it. From the history of chili joints and "chili queens" to the birth of the nacho, The Tex-Mex Cookbook will give you fodder for small talk during time outs and dud commercials.
And, as always, we're giving away five (5) copies of Tex-Mex this week. All you have to do is answer in the comments: What is your favorite Super Bowl snack?
Winners will be chosen at random from among the commenters, and comments will be open until noon ET, Monday, February 4. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Adam Kuban, January 21, 2008 at 1:15 PM
This week's Cook the Book again mines the healthy theme that's in keeping with the month of January (resolutions, diets, better eating) with Lorna Sass's Whole Grains: Every Day, Every Way.
With this book, Sass won the healthy-focus cookbook category in the 2007 James Beard Awards. And with good reason—Whole Grains aims to help readers put its namesake foodstuff into everyday dishes in ways that are not only good for us but that are actually healthy and delicious.
Win This Book
As is the case with our weekly Cook the Book feature, we've five (5) copies to give away. All you have to do is tell us in the comments: What whole grain do you find easiest to incorporate into your diet?
Five winners will be chosen at random from among the commenters. Comments will close at 3 p.m. ET, January 28. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Adam Kuban, January 7, 2008 at 5:30 PM
This week's Cook the Book is an enabler for those of you who have made resolutions about eating healthy this year. It's Mollie Katzen's The Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without, which came out somewhat recently—in October of last year.
Katzen is renown for having made vegetarian cooking mainstream through her work at The Moosewood Café in Ithaca, New York, and via The Moosewood Cookbook, which was inducted into the James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame last year.
Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without is at once whimsical and serious. The whimsical, courtesy of sketches by Katzen and a typeface that looks handwritten.* And the serious, courtesy of Katzen's vegetable side dish recipes, of which there are just about 100—the first of which will be along shortly. Until then, amuse yourself with this ...
Win a Copy of This Book
We've got 5 copies of Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without to give away this week. To win a copy of this book, simply tell us here in the comments on this entry: What vegetable dish can't you live without?
Winners will be chosen at random from among the comments, and comments will close at 3 p.m. ET, Monday, January 14. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
* Normally I scoff at kitschy script typefaces, but this one makes the book feel like you're reading a book chockfull of downhome DIY goodness.
Posted by Ed Levine, December 31, 2007 at 3:00 PM
Like just about everyone else, the folks at Serious Eats world headquarters invariably end up eating way too much during the holidays. So like lemmings we all end up in the same place in the new year, watching our weight and wanting to take off a few pounds (or more).
That's why we were thrilled when we received a copy of The Food You Crave, by the Food Network's Ellie Krieger, in the mail. Unlike many other healthy, light cookbooks, Krieger's book actually has lots of dishes that sound great and normal. You don't find too many healthy cookbooks with recipes for a meatball and pepper hero. So we figured a great way to start the new year's Cook the Book columns is with The Food You Crave.
We have five copies of the timely book to give away. Just comment on this post telling us what healthy food you crave. You have until next Monday, January 7, at 3 p.m. ET to enter. Standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Adam Kuban, December 24, 2007 at 2:00 PM
Last week's Cook the Book was The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classics. This week, we're highlighting its companion book, The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics. The New Classics expands upon the original book, offering a range of tried and true recipes from the more recent years of Martha's 16-year run.
As always, we'll be giving away five (5) copies of the book. All you have to do is tell us, in the comments here, if you've ever cooked from a Martha recipe and, if so, what.
Five winners will be chosen at random from among the commenters, and the comments will remain open until Monday, December 31 at noon. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Adam Kuban, December 17, 2007 at 1:45 PM
This week's Cook the Book is The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classics. Having worked at Martha Stewart Living magazine for a number of years in my pre–Serious Eats days, I know firsthand the amount of exacting work that went into creating, testing, and editing these recipes, many of which are from Living magazine's articles throughout the years. They've been the source of a number of delicious meals and treats I've made for myself and others over the years. I might also add that the recipes here are not only a pleasure to cook from but reside in a book that features some wonderful art direction—with elegant typefaces and beautiful and helpful photos. As always, we'll be highlighting some choice recipes from this cookbook this week.
And, as always, we'll be giving away five (5) copies of the book. All you have to do is tell us, in the comments here, if you've ever cooked from a Martha recipe and, if so, what.
Five winners will be chosen at random from among the commenters, and the comments will remain open until Monday, December 24 at noon. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Adam Kuban, December 10, 2007 at 2:15 PM
This week's Cook the Book has a title that almost guarantees it success with a certain large and very vocal subsection of the population: The Bacon Cookbook. See? You're already interested.
It's by James Villas and features 150 recipes inspired by bacon dishes from around the world. We've picked our five favorites from the book and will be featuring them all these week.
Win This Book
Monday's recipe will be up in a bit, but first we'd like to give you a chance to win one of five (5) copies of this cookbook. All you have to do is tell us:
What is your favorite bacon dish?
Winners will be chosen at random from among the commenters here. Comments will be open until noon Saturday, December 15. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Ed Levine, November 26, 2007 at 5:23 PM
I've been eating Susan Spicer's spectacularly delicious food in New Orleans first at the Bistro at Maison de Ville, then at her own Bayona, for more than 20 years now, and frankly I could never figure out why she'd never written a cookbook. With the publication of Crescent City Cooking my days of wondering are now over. Spicer has always had a way of combining classical French cooking techniques and traditional New Orleans food preparations and ingredients into her own effortlessly elegant cooking style. She manages to elevate comfort food into something special without tricking it up.
We've got eight copies of Crescent City Cooking to give away.
To enter: Tell us what your favorite New Orleans dish is when you comment on this post. Spicer's beautiful, picture-filled book has 170 recipes, everything from a Classic N'Awlins Remoulade to Elegant Oyster and Artichoke Soup to Bayona Extra-Cheesy Spoon Bread. Sounds delicious, doesn't it? Standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Ed Levine, November 19, 2007 at 5:00 PM
When it comes to satisfying, full-flavored vegetarian cooking Greens Restaurant founding chef Deborah Madison is everyone's go-to person. So who better to write the book on hearty, filling vegetarian suppers than Madison. Even a devoted carnivore like me was drooling with anticipation after leafing through Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison's Kitchen. Dishes like the sweet potato gratin with onions and sage, the pasta and chickpeas with plenty of parsley and garlic, and the eggs baked on a bed of sauteed mushrooms and croutons, will make your mouth water.
Thanks to the good folks at Broadway Books, we've managed to snag five (5) copies of Vegetarian Suppers to give away. Just tell us what your favorite vegetarian main dish is. Winners will be chosen at random from among the comments. You have until 3 p.m. ET Saturday, November 24, to comment. Regular Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Ed Levine, November 12, 2007 at 1:08 PM
In a culinary world filled with people cooking "con-fusion" food it's good to be reminded how good fusion cooking can be in the right chef's hands. Jean-Georges Vongerichten is not only the seminal Asian-French fusion chef, he is also inarguably the best. Exhibit A for this thesis is this week's Cook the Book tome, Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges. Included in the book are 175 recipes, including some of Jean-George's signature dishes from Vong and Spice Market.
Thanks to the good folks at Broadway Books we're giving away five (5) copies of Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges. Just tell us what your favorite Asian noodle or rice dish is.
Winners will be chosen at random from among the comments. You have until 3 p.m. ET Saturday, November 17, to comment. The standard contest rules apply.
Posted by Ed Levine, November 5, 2007 at 2:45 PM
Conventional wisdom in the food world is that desserts in Italian restaurants are an afterthought. All I can say is that the people spouting that conventional wisdom have never had Gina DePalma's desserts at Babbo in New York City. I have had the privilege of eating DePalma's desserts since the restaurant opened. I have over the years sampled every dessert on the menu at least once, and I can tell you there isn't a loser in the bunch. Now that DePalma has written Dolce Italiano: Desserts From the Babbo Kitchen, we can all try to replicate the magic that comes out of Mario Batali's tiny kitchen at Babbo every night. What's really cool about Dolce Italiano is that DePalma herself wrote every word with the exception of Mario's introduction. It turns out the woman can write and cook.
Win One of Five Copies
As you may have guessed, Dolce Italiano is this week's featured Cook the Book entry. Like all Cook the Books, we have five (5) copies to give away. Just tell us what your favorite Italian sweet is.
Five winners will be chosen at random from among the comments. You have until 3 p.m. ET Saturday, November 10, to comment. The standard contest rules apply.
Posted by Adam Kuban, October 29, 2007 at 2:00 PM
This week's installment of Cook the Book features Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. (We figured you could use a counterpoint to last week's selection.)
Bittman is, of course, known for his Minimalist column in the New York Times dining section, for his popular How to Cook Everything series of cookbooks, and for his cooking show on PBS—all of which stress an informal style of cooking, as befits the Minimalist title.
This book, obviously, puts Bittman's spin on vegetarian cooking. The first recipe we'll be highlighting from it will be along shortly, but, as always, let's take care of business.
We've got five (5) of these to give away this week. Simply tell us in the comments: What's your favorite vegetarian recipe?
Winners will be chosen at random, and commenting will close at 3 p.m. ET Saturday (November 3). The usual Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Adam Kuban, October 22, 2007 at 1:30 PM
As promised, here's the place where you can throw your hat in the ring to win a copy of Fergus Henderson's Beyond Nose to Tail, which Serious Eater Cathy just weighed in on.
The first recipe from the book will be up in a few minutes, but for now, if you'd like to win a copy, just tell us what your favorite offal dish is.
We'll be giving away ten (10) copies, choosing the winners at random from among the comments below. Commenting will close at noon ET Saturday, October 27. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Adam Kuban, October 15, 2007 at 2:45 PM
We've had these books sitting around the office for some time now, but we were waiting for apple season before featuring John T. Edge's Apple Pie: An American Story as a Cook the Book installment. Apple Pie is one of four books in a series that explores iconic American food (Donuts, Hamburgers & Fries, and Fried Chicken are the others).
Apple Pie is both a history, a guide, and a "little black book" that will lead you to the best examples the nation has to offer. Of course, no apple pie book would be complete without recipes, and Edge has plenty—five of which we'll be bringing you over the course of the week. The first one will be along shortly, but now's the time that I mention our obligatory win-this-book contest.
We've got five (5) copies to give away. To enter to win, all you have to do is answer the following in the comments here:
Where do you go for the best apple pie? Could be a restaurant, a diner, grandma's house, your own kitchen, or wherever. Just share it with us, and you're good to go.
Winners will be chosen at random from among the comments, and commenting will close on Saturday, October 21 at 3 p.m. ET. The usual Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Ed Levine, October 8, 2007 at 1:30 PM
I've actually never met Anissa Helou, the author of Savory Baking From the Mediterranean, but I'm sure she's annoyed with me for not including her pizza piece in A Slice of Heaven. Anissa, my humblest apologies. I just forgot. If you send it to me again, we'll post it on Slice, our pizza site. But in the meantime, we're going to be giving away five copies of Anissa's new book this week in this installment of Cook the Book.
Savory Baking From the Mediterranean is filled with simple recipes that don't require the reader to be an expert bread baker. If you've ever wanted to make focaccia, pita bread, or even your own French milk rolls, stay tuned, because we'll be featuring recipes for the above-mentioned breads all week here.
And, as always, we're giving away this week's book. We have five copies this week. To enter, just tell us what your favorite kind of flatbread is.
Five winners will be chosen at random from the comments below, and commenting will be open until Saturday (October 13) at noon ET. The usual Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Ed Levine, October 1, 2007 at 2:30 PM
For those of you too young to know about James Beard, he was a food writer, cooking teacher, and television food personality who in many ways legitimized American food. He wrote many wonderful books, including this week's Cook the Book, Beard on Food. Who was James Beard and why should everyone passionate about food know about him? Here's Mark Bittman from the book's introduction:
Other people gave your recipes, sometimes detailed (Julia Child), sometimes spare and functional (Craig Claiborne). James Beard gave you logic, emotion, history, and consideration. He gave you confidence, and he let you relax. In a time when serious cooking meant French cooking. Beard was quintessentially American, a westerner whose mother ran a boarding house, a man who grew up with hotcakes and salmon and meatloaf in his blood.
And this:
Beard's most valuable legacy is his recipe writing. His recipes worked, but he also had a way of letting you move within them that inspired creativity and learning....Beard didn't make a big deal out of anything, it seemed. He encouraged the use of good, often simple ingredients. He taught that a recipe could be tweaked an infinite number of ways, and that for the home cook, confidence, experience, and relaxation in the kitchen were far more important than training or detialed instructions. His passion, his knowledge, his easgoing erudition were instrumental in bringing good cuisine back to America.
We have ten copies of Beard on Food to give away. Just tell us who your greatest cooking inspiration is.
Winners will be chosen at random from among the comments, which will close on Saturday, October 6, at noon ET. The usual Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Adam Kuban, September 17, 2007 at 2:00 PM
It's been a while since we've done a strictly dessert Cook the Book, so this week we're featuring Alice Medrich's Pure Dessert.
Medrich first came to fame in the 1970s as founder of Cocolat, her San Francisco Bay Area chocolate and dessert store. After selling the business, she went on to write three award-winning dessert cookbooks (Cocolat, Chocolate and the Art of Low-Fat Desserts, and Alice Medrich's Cookies and Brownies).
Here, in Pure Dessert, chapters are arranged by flavor—among others, sections highlight the use of milk; grains, nuts, and seeds; chocolate; and herbs and spices. With beautiful photography and extensive notes, it look like just the book to cook from now that fall is upon us and thoughts turn to baking.
To win a copy (we have ten to give out), just tell us what dessert you like making most.
Winners will be chosen at random from among the comments, which will close on Saturday, September 22, at noon ET. The usual Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Ed Levine, September 10, 2007 at 3:30 PM
Occasionally what looks at first glance to be a conventional guidebook transcends the genre in surprising ways. John T. Edge's Southern Belly: The Ultimate Food Lover's Companion to the South is just such a read. Yes, you can use it like the discerning guide to eating in the South that it most assuredly is. But Southern Belly is also a book filled with so much heart, soul, and good writing that it demands to be read cover to cover like some John Grisham page-turner.
Edge blessedly doesn't shy away from discussions of race and class, and the result is a narrative that's compellingly thoughtful and real. It's not a cookbook per se, but Edge manages to judiciously sprinkle enough recipes throughout that we decided to make Southern Belly a worthy candidate for Cook the Book.
As always, we've got a number of these books to give away—five (5), to be exact. Just tell us what your favorite Southern restaurant is and what you eat there.
Winners will be chosen at random from among the comments. Comments will remain open until 3 p.m. EST Saturday. The usual Serious Eats rules apply.
Posted by Ed Levine, September 8, 2007 at 1:00 AM
As a bonus to this week's Cook the Book that featured the Lobels' Prime Time Grilling, we've got a gift certificate to give away this weekend only, courtesy of Lobel's. Not just any gift-certificate, either. A gift certificate for a huge, prime, dry-aged, bone-in ribyeye, our favorite cut of beef. This baby will feed two serious carnivores or four normal people. I have had one of these bad boys, and to eat one is a primal beef-eating experience.
The gift card covers one (32-to-36-ounce) cowboy steak from Lobel's of New York. Don't live in New York? No biggie, pardner. Lobel's does mail-order; shipping is included here.
To enter to win, answer the following questions in the comments: What's your favorite steakhouse and what do you order there?
The usual Serious Eats contest rules apply.
You must comment before Monday morning at 8.a.m. to be eligible to win. So get your steak knives ready and enter now.
Posted by Adam Kuban, September 4, 2007 at 4:00 PM
You know, I realize that Memorial Day and Labor Day are great bookends for summer here in the U.S., but as a rather literal-minded person, I've always had a problem with that. They both occur well before the official start and end of the season. But what really gets me is that they're both used to mark the opening and closing of "grilling season," what with numerous newspaper and magazine articles trumpeting the arrival of grilling season and then a whole other flurry urging you to light your grill while you still can.
Anyone who's a serious griller, however, knows that the whole year is grilling season. And that's why we've chosen
