PrintWhich book would you cook?
I am currently enjoying the book Julie and Julia, about how Julie Powell spent a year trying to make (with a lot of success, if you ask me) the various recipes of Julia Child's tome, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Now, I love to cook, but not really French food - however, I love to bake.
So, if you were to conduct the same experiment - trying to make every recipe from a single book - which one would you select? I just received (the Easter Bunny loves me) the Blue Ribbon Baking book by Marjorie Johnson, the queen of state fair baking competitions, and I have already made one of her recipes (with success, too!). I think that I would choose that one.
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7 Comments:
Funny...I just started re-reading the Julie/Julia book yesterday. If I were to do the same experiment, I would cook my way through all the Barefoot Contessa books. Nothing earth shattering but at least I know everything would be delicious!
hammondcheese at 1:36PM on 03/25/08
Well, I'd seriously consider "Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen," even though I know the high-fat content of many/most dishes would give Paula Deen a run for her money. I have the PP book, and often refer to it, but have never cooked from it. Usually when wanting New Orleans-style dishes, I turn to my old, reliable "The New Orleans Cookbook," by Rima and Richard Collin. My well-used copy dates to 1982, although there have been newer reprintings. Their red beans and rice recipe is my all-time favorite. But only if I can find what *I* consider to be the perfect red beans (not kidney, but small red beans....very hard to find where I live).
P.S. I read the Julia/Julie book a few months ago. I remember wanting more information about the food, and less about her personal life.
CheesePlease at 3:02PM on 03/25/08
Lately I'm very happy with all I've made from Baking Illustrated, by Cooks Illustrated. I think I could make my way through all of it, and I just might!
Also most of Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. I have had great success with her recipes, and only use her pie and tart dough recipes, but I'm not a huge chocolate fan, so I stay away from those recipes.
I'm 2 books away from starting Julia and Julia and have heard only great things about it.
bobcatsteph3 at 6:43PM on 03/25/08
I too, would cook and bake my way thru The Barefoot Contessa cookbooks( the truth is, I probably already have). I love the Cook's Illustrated books, but they are so long, it might take years to get done. I read the Julia/Julie book and enjoyed it. But, as an aside, I just finished all the Ruth Reichl books, and was astonished at how much I enjoyed them. I never particularly liked her, but I have a new found respect after reading about her.
Mich23 at 8:25AM on 03/26/08
River Road Recipes...a community cookbook from the Junior League in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Oxmoor House's Southern Living Homestyle Cooking. They may not be impressive or gourmet, but my family would certainly eat well as I cooked my way through!
SouthCook at 9:01AM on 03/26/08
"The Secrets of Baking" by Sherry Yard. If you don't know how to to bake, you will by the end of this book. She gives a master recipe at the beginning of each chapter that is the building block for many sophisticated desserts.
giordano1956 at 10:17AM on 03/26/08
I'd probably pick one of Rick Bayless's books. I've made a few of his dishes, and what I love is that I don't always know what the end product is going to be, exactly, but so far it's all been good. Of course, I'd probably get tired of Mexican food after about 6 months.
What would probably be fun is making every recipe in a cookie cookbook I've got. Nothing earthshaking, probably not a lot new to learn, but I'd probably have a lot of fun giving cookies away to everyone I know.
dbcurrie at 11:42PM on 03/26/08