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Simple Recipes for the Best Baking

I am a long time fan of Mark Bittman. I have given many a bride-to-be his How to Cook Everything, it’s one of my favorite basic cookbooks. With this new one, baking and all manner of desserts and breads become completely accessible.

The recipes are clearly laid out and many offer ways to change them up. For instance, Oatmeal Muffins offer several varieties, both sweet and savory, at the end of the recipe; Apple Spice Oatmeal Muffins, Oatmeal Raisin Muffins, Parsley Potatoe Muffins, Coconut Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins, Whole Wheat Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins and Orange Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins.

The book is a big honker – over 700 pages, and is divided into the following sections:

Kitchen Basics
Quick Breads, Muffins and Biscuits
Pancakes, Waffles, and Doughnuts
Cookies, Brownies and Bars
Cakes
Pies, Tarts, Cobblers, and Crisps
Frozens, Puddings, and Candies
Crackers and Flatbreads
Yeast Breads
Pastry
Savory Baking
Frosting, Fillings, and Sauces
Appendix (Favorite recipes, flavor combinations, and other handy lists and charts.)

There is a comprehensive index as well. The only drawback is the complete lack of photographs. There are drawings, a harking back to days of Joy of Cooking and the Silver Palate Cookbook, but I for one have not missed the drawings, I’d much rather have photos. I understand it adds to the cost and the weight of the book, especially in one this size, but that’s my preference.

A very good cookbook for bakers, beginners through expert. This is a fine addition to the Bittman cookbook empire.

10/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

HOW TO BAKE EVERYTHING by Mark Bittman. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 1 edition (October 4, 2016). ISBN 978-0470526880. 704p.

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Simple, Delicious Recipes for Family and Friends

I love Jane Green. I’ve loved her books since Jemima J, which came out while I was a bookseller at Borders and I sold tons of that book, and the ones that came after. Jane was kind enough to visit my library when she was on tour a few years ago, and while we were waiting in the green room, she told me of her plans to write a cookbook. And now it is finally here!

Jane is fond of entertaining at home and even spent a few weeks at the French Culinary Institute, but she is primarily a home cook. That makes these recipes accessible and perfect for the home cook, like me. Don’t get me wrong, there are some spectacular recipes here, this is not meatloaf and mac & cheese by any means, but rather beautiful, delicious food. I’m all in on this one.

The book is divided into three sections; Beginnings, Middles, and Endings, and has about 65 recipes. Right off the bat is a fantastic Spinach and Gruyere Crustless Tart that is super easy, pretty enough for company and really good. And I really need to mention the pictures – every recipe has a beautiful photo and I’m sorry to say I really had to dig to find out who took them. Buried in the thank yous at the back of the book are photographers Tom McGovern and Kyran Tompkins, along with many of the other people who helped bring this book to fruition.

I love the little stories that accompany many of the recipes, and the pictures of Jane’s family – 5 children! And her beautiful home. These are the little touches that make this cookbook feel so intimate. Who knew that was even possible.

I tried a couple of other “Beginnings.” I love cauliflower and the Roasted Cauliflower with Olive and Lemon Vinaigrette lets that humble veggie shine. The Tomato Tarte Tatin is a snap to put together using frozen puff pastry and is simply stunning.

The “Middles” are the main events and include a lot of one pot dinners, always a favorite, like Asian Orange Chicken and several curries – Jane is from the UK, after all. The Loin of Pork Stuffed with Figs, Prosciutto and Sage is elegant yet easy. I laughed out loud at the directions for cutting the pocket, which included the hint “Think of the Muppets, and you will get the idea.” I couldn’t resist Salmon (Preferably not from the Man with the Van) Parcels with Watercress, Arugula and Cream Cheese – a great story and a great recipe. I haven’t tried it yet but Wild Mushroom Polenta – “I made this for Hugh Grant when I ended up cooking lunch for him rather than conducting our planned interview” is next on my list.

I hope you’re getting the idea of what a terrific cookbook this is.

“Endings” are desserts, of course. Almost Flourless Orange Cake with Marmalade Glaze is another spectacular and fairly simple cake. There are recipes for some classic desserts, too, like Pavlova, Chess Tart and the infamous Eton Mess. Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle is one of the more complicated recipes here which came from her mother-in-law. You have to make the gingerbread, then the pumpkin custard and whipped cream and everything needs to be baked and cooled before being assembled. That said, Jane does offer the advice that making gingerbread from scratch is “absolutely bonkers…I would strongly advise a gingerbread mix.” Either way, it yields a beautiful dessert that can be mostly made ahead, always a plus when planning a dinner party.

As cookbooks go, this is a winner. Small enough to not be overwhelming, yet enough inspirational recipes that turn out dishes so beautiful that you’ll want to show them off. Good for all cooks, from beginners to experienced, especially anyone who loves to entertain. And a beautiful gift book, too. This is a keeper!

10/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

GOOD TASTE: Simple, Delicious Recipes for Family and Friends by Jane Green. NAL (October 4, 2016). ISBN 978-0399583377. 192p.

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Bake All Your Favorites with 30% to 50% Less Sugar

I am a long time fan of Christopher Kimball and the company he founded, America’s Test Kitchen. I had heard they were working on this cookbook, I think on the podcast, which, weirdly, I like even more than the PBS TV show. So when I saw an advance copy in the Random House booth at the American Library Association annual conference, I grabbed it (with permission, I’m not a book thief!)

My husband is diabetic and I don’t like using artificial sweeteners, so I was definitely interested. I am happy to report that they do not use chemical sweeteners or even Stevia, but rather sugar substitutes like honey and molasses, coconut sugar and one I’d never heard of, Sucanat, which Google tells me is “(an abbreviation for sugar-cane-natural) and has a stronger molasses flavor than refined white sugar and retains all of the nutrients found in natural sugar cane juice, including iron, calcium, vitamin B6 and potassium.” That appealed to me, so I purchased it from Amazon.

I haven’t had a chance to use it yet, but I have made a few of the recipes in the book. I tried the No Fuss Banana Ice Cream. It had no added sugar but rather frozen bananas blended and mixed with unsweetened cocoa. It wasn’t bad, sort of tasted like a banana split, but wasn’t fantastic.

I then made the Chocolate Pudding Cake. This also had no added sugar, just the sugar in the half a pound of semi-sweet chocolate that’s in the recipe. I used half bittersweet, half semi-sweet and it also had Dutch-process cocoa powder. I wasn’t sure I was going to like it, the batter had a bitter taste to it. It was made like most pudding cakes, if you’ve ever made one, in that you make a thick batter, then pour boiling water over the top before baking. It smelled amazing, the whole house smelled like chocolate. The finished product was pretty good, I thought it could have used a little sugar but I guess that would have defeated the point. It was very chocolaty and had streaks of a not very sweet pudding throughout, but it was the the little pockets where the chopped chocolate had been mixed in that gave it its deliciousness. This recipe took the usual 34 grams of sugar down about a third, so still not that low but certainly better.

The best thing I made was the blueberry pie, it was amazing, albeit a little messy. There was no added sugar either, which makes it even more miraculous. Instead, some of the fresh fruit is cooked down and that is used to sweeten the pie and it worked beautifully. Blueberry pie is one of my husband’s favorite desserts so he was absolutely thrilled with this.

The chapters:

Muffins, Quickbreads & Breakfast Treats
Cookies & Bars
Cakes
Pies & Tarts
Fruit Desserts
Puddings, Custards & Frozen Treats

I’ve noticed in some of the online reviews comments from people who were upset that butter and cream were commonly used ingredients. This is a baking cookbook, not a diet cookbook, people! It is a low sugar cookbook and that is quite a different thing.

As usual, America’s Test Kitchen has done a terrific job. If you like your desserts less sweet than what you typically get, or are cutting back on sugar for whatever your reasons, take a look at this book. I’m glad I did. Up next: chocolate chip cookies!

9/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

NATURALLY SWEET by America’s Test Kitchen. America’s Test Kitchen; 1 edition (August 23, 2016). ISBN 978-1940352589. 336p.

The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling

with Greg Blonder, Ph.D.

Several years ago, my husband and I decided we were tired of going out for ribs and wanted to try making them at home. We had a beautiful Weber gas grill that cost more than my stove did and we wanted to use it.

So I Googled the “best ribs” recipe. There were several recipes, Google is nothing if not generous with its results. But one intrigued me with its title, “Last Meal Ribs” on a website called AmazingRibs.com. I clicked through and found Meathead.

This wasn’t just a recipe. It was a story. And I loved that in the list of ingredients he included:

1 sauce brush, preferably one of those newfangled silicon jobs

1 good digital oven thermometer

1 six pack of beer (for the cook, not the meat)

1 lawn chair

1 good book and plenty of tunes

With links to places to buy these things, and reviews and recommendations. And best of all, detailed instructions on how to do everything necessary to make the best ribs. We’ve never looked back, and a couple of times a year we make these ribs. They come out perfect every time, and that’s all I can ask for.

The website has grown tremendously over the years and so has Meathead’s reputation. (And yes, that is his name. I believe he legally changed it.)

So the cookbook. That legendary recipe is in here, minus the beer, chair, and tunes. But this book is about half science, half cooking because the art of barbecue is really all about the science behind it. Meathead looks at all the myths we’ve heard over the years…

“The more smoke the better.”

“Soak wood chips and chunks for the most smoke.”

“Searing meat seals in the juices.”

“Cook chicken until the juices run clear.”

Then he goes about scientifically disproving them, and explaining the right way to do things. Listen to the man, he really did his homework.

Interestingly, the forward is written by another science forward chef, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, “Serious Eats” food blogger and author of one of my favorite cookbooks, reviewed here – The Food Lab.

The Table of Contents is seven pages long. Here are the chapters:

The Science of Heat
Smoke
Software
Hardware
Brines, Rubs, and Sauces
Pork
Beef
Ground Meats: Burgers, Hot Dogs, and Sausages
Lamb
Chicken and Turkey
Seafood
Sides

Just looking at this list, you can see this is not your typical cookbook, at least not for the first 150 pages. There is a lot of science here, but also a lot of humor, making it quite easy to digest. The recipes are really delicious and they work. I favor the Memphis Dust rub for my ribs, but how can you not love a recipe called “Simon & Garfunkel Rub” that starts off with the explanation, “Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme make a pretty good song as well as an all-purpose rub for pork, turkey, and chicken.”

There are tons of pictures, and not just the beauty shots of the food. For instance, Meathead recommends trimming and skinning racks of ribs, and there are step by step instructions with photographs, making it super easy to see how to do it. There is a great photo of “Brats simmered in dyed beer” that beautifully illustrates that a simmering liquid never gets any deeper than the outer 1-2 mm. There is a photo of a whole, unpeeled tenderloin (you’ve seen them at Costco) along with photos of it broken down into the tenderloin tips, Chateaubriand, and the chain. Alton Brown tried to explain this to me in his two part episode of Good Eats, “Tender is the Loin” but I have to tell you, this picture is worth a thousand words. I finally got it. And Meathead, like Lopez-Alt, is a big fan of the reverse sear, especially for such an expensive cut of meat.

Lest you were thinking, why do I need a science-y cookbook for ribs, I’ll tell you. There is way more to this book than just that. Want to cook a whole hog? Got you covered. Make a “Momofuku-inspired Ramen Bowl?” It’s here for you. Want to know what’s in a “Binghamton Spiedie Sandwich”? Grill a turkey or a lobster? Hot smoke salmon? How about impressing your guests with “Championship Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Shrimp”? This is the book for you!

Labor Day is in few days. I’m going to try out those stuffed shrimp and then go to my fallback, the Last Meal Ribs made with Memphis Dust rub. Maybe with a side of  slaw – yeah, that’s in there, too.

8/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

MEATHEAD by Meathead Goldwyn. Rux Martin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (May 10, 2016). ISBN 978-0544018464. 400p.

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An Apple-to-Zucchini Celebration of Impromptu Cooking

Photos by Jack Mathews

I am a farm to table kinda girl. I belong to a CSA (community supported agriculture) for most of the year, but it stops at the end of May as the heat makes growing anything here in summer very difficult. I have learned to can tomatoes, pickle beets, and make kale chips by the gazillion.

When I go out to eat, I will often choose a restaurant that offers healthier options and like many people, have fallen for the farm to table restaurant model. I say “fallen” for two reasons; I sort of fell in love with the idea, then found out I’d mostly likely been taken. If you haven’t read Laura Reiley’s article, “At Tampa Bay farm-to-table restaurants, you’re being fed fiction” please do. Or listen to her interview on the America’s Test Kitchen podcast. I don’t live in Tampa, but I can extrapolate that if 90% of the farm to table restaurants in Tampa are lying, I’m pretty sure that statistic will follow over to where I live. And it pisses me off.

So in retaliation, I am taking Michael Pollan’s advice to cook more at home, and this cookbook is a great way to get me inspired. And FYI, this is yet another cookbook born of a blog. I’m going to continue as if I haven’t given you several links that will take you away from here.

Donofrio offers some great advice; “cook backward” is my favorite. In other words, don’t go to the market with a list, go to the market with an open mind and find the freshest, most beautiful, seasonal produce you can, then go home and find ways to prepare it. Start with this book, which is organized by vegetable.

First up is the most basic suggestion for “what to make when you have many vegetables.” When I’m starting to feel a little overwhelmed by the CSA. When I have no more room in the fridge! Then it’s time to add all those veggies to eggs, pasta, tortillas, soup or a salad. Fruits are included, by the way, lest you wondered about the lemons in the title.

Does Apple, Brie & Thyme Crostini work for you? How about Avocado Breakfast Tacos with spinach, eggs and salsa? I loved the Sweet Chili Charred Broccolini, although to be honest I subbed regular broccoli, which worked well. There’s a whole chapter on cucumbers, which I need to use up in the next few days so I’ll be diving into Cold Sesame Cucumber Noodles for sure. Loaded Sweet Potato Nachos is another winner.

The back of the book is very cleverly laid out with pages for smoothies, pesto, hummus, guacamole and more, with several variations on each.

There are tons of beautiful pictures that are enticing enough to get me to try a lot of these recipes.

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The recipes are clearly laid out with ingredients that are easy to find in season, and most importantly, that are really delicious. This is a lovely cookbook, especially for summer.

6/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE LOVE & LEMONS COOKBOOK by Jeanine Donofrio. Avery (March 29, 2016). ISBN 978-1583335864. 320p.

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A Mostly Wholesome Cookbook

Mitchell has lost a bunch of weight and kept it off for over ten years, apparently by eating food per the recipes she includes in this book – mostly healthy, but definitely with an occasional indulgence. It’s a nice take on a cookbook, part diet book with a dash of reality thrown in.

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Mitchell wrote a memoir, It Was Me All Along, which was published in 2015. People magazine said it was “A charming memoir about weight loss and self-discovery.” Kirkus Reviews said, “A candid and inspiring memoir.” And she has a beautiful blog,  Andie Mitchell: Recipes & Inspiration for a Feel-Good, Balanced Life, with many of her recipes and weight loss tips. Plus she has a Facebook group, along with Gina Homolka of Skinnytaste.com, where you can cook along with her and find even more inspiration.

But back to the cookbook. Every recipe starts with a brief paragraph about the genesis of the recipe, or something about the ingredients or where it came from, or what to serve with it. These are often charming little vignettes about Mitchell’s family; her mother, her grandmother, and they add a special appeal to the book.

I like knowing what the dish is supposed to look like, and there are lots of pictures. I have a review copy, so my pictures are black and white, but I suspect the pictures are just glorious in color in the finished book.

The book isn’t as divided up as many cookbooks are, so the table of contents is pretty short:

Introduction

Starting Fresh

Lunchtime

Vegetables and Sides

Dinnertime

For Sharing

All Things Sweet

The recipes are realistic for most home cooks. I like things like Lightened-Up Pad Thai in Under 15 Minutes, which uses shredded cabbage instead of rice noodles and is really filling and delicious. I also liked the Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki & Feta, which takes a bit longer as you marinate the chicken for half an hour but still very easy and good. I haven’t tried the Turkey Burgers with Apple, Caramelized Onion & Goat Cheese yet but I will. Turkey burgers can be super dry unless additional fat is added but Mitchell uses a grated apple and some goat cheese instead. Mitchell insists her Brown Sugar & Chili-Rubbed Salmon with Avocado Crema would do the Barefoot Contessa proud, and I won’t argue with that.

There are some great salads and I especially loved the Bagel & Lox Salad – yes, you read that right. All the flavors including lettuce, red onions, lox and capers plus some pumpernickel crisps, and a dressing based on low fat Greek yogurt. I did add a tomato though. Another good lunch is the Tuna and Orzo Salad with Parmesan and Basil. It’s loaded with protein between the tuna and cannellini beans, and the simple lemon honey dressing pairs perfectly with the salad. Not all the lunches are salads though; I am intrigued with the Loaded Black Bean Burgers and will be giving them a try.

The Sharing chapter includes recipes that probably don’t belong in a healthy cookbook but again, it’s all about balance. The Cuban Pulled-Pork Sandwiches with Caramelized Onion and Thyme Mayo sounds fabulous. I’m not seeing the health benefits here but it is a slow cooker, can-make-it-in-the-middle-of-the-week-if-I-want recipe, so I may give it a go. I didn’t bother with the Sweets, I do enough of those but it is nice to have that chapter.

All in all, it is a good, mostly healthy cookbook with some interesting recipes. If you are looking for ways to eat healthier, (and really, who isn’t,) try this cookbook.

3/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

EATING IN THE MIDDLE by Andie Mitchell. Clarkson Potter (March 29, 2016).  ISBN 978-0770433277.  240p.

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Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat

with Adeena Sussman, Photographs by Aubrie Pick

There should probably be a sub-sub-title after “recipes for all the food you want to eat” that says “but you probably shouldn’t eat, at least not very often.” Most of the criticism leveled at Teigen about this book is that there is no way she can eat food like this all the time, and she admits she does not – but it is the food she likes. So take it from there.

In her introduction, Teigen addresses the issue:

“I don’t want to seem like one of those annoying ‘I can eat anything I want anytime’ chicks. It’s just that I wanted to be honest in this book about the kinds of food I love, the kinds of food I crave.“

So in case you’re even more out of touch than I am, Chrissy Teigen is a mega-celebrity supermodel, Lip Sync Battle TV host, and is married to John Legend. If you are a Teigen fan, or one of her 1.3 million Twitter followers, or one of her 5.5 million Instagram followers, then you probably already bought this book that debuted in the number one spot on the coveted NY Times bestseller list. If you are not familiar with her, you can take a look at her food blog, So Delushious, or her Instagram before deciding to buy – her voice is so unique and I am happy to say, is heard loud and clear throughout. It’s like she’s sitting there with you, making you laugh. While you cook. What could be bad about that?!

The book is divvied up into Breakfast All Day, Soupmaster, Salads (For When You Need Them), Noodles and Carbs, Thai Mom, Party Time, Sh*t on Toast, Vegetable Things, Things That Intimidate People but Shouldn’t, and Supper. There are lots and lots of pictures, and Chrissy and hubby John are in many of them.

Teigen instagrammed that the Lemon Arugula Cacio e Pepe is one of the top five recipes in the book, so it seemed a good place to start, especially since I just got a big bag of baby arugula from the farm. This recipe is simple and really delicious. Teigen’s mom is Thai, and the Thai recipes are explained so well that she makes it all look very approachable and doable. Shades of Christina Tosi emerged with the French Toast Casserole topped with salted Frosted Flakes, and that is very fine company to be in. And her soups – she is the self proclaimed “soupmaster” – are to die for, so I will happily concede her the title.

The book is edited by a food celebrity, former Top Chef Masters judge and award winning food writer Francis Lam, and apparently he was the one who put the idea of a cookbook in her head. So thanks, Francis!

This has to be one of the most charming and fun-to-read cookbooks out there, and the recipes are terrific, too. Add this one to your bookshelf.

3/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

CRAVINGS by Chrissy Teigen. Clarkson Potter (February 23, 2016).  ISBN 978-1101903919.  240p.

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