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The Unofficial Cookbook for Fans of Gilmore Girls

Bonnie Matthews, Photographer

When my daughter was in middle school, we used to watch the Gilmore Girls together. That lasted a season or two, probably 5 & 6. When it moved to the CW, we stopped watching.

With all the excitement about Netflix picking it up, I decided to go watch them all, beginning to end. It took a few weeks of not reading or watching anything else – back in the day, a season was 21 episodes, not like today’s 6-10 episode seasons. And I got completely hooked, I loved it. So when I heard about the cookbook, I was like, yes please! It is adorable.

So like many of us, Kristi Carlson is a big fan. But lucky girl lives a few blocks away from Stars Hollow – the real one, on the Warner Brothers lot. She even finagled an invitation to watch them filming once.

Kristi came up with the idea for a cookbook and put it on Kickstarter where it generated  quite a bit of excitement. Next thing she knows a real publisher comes calling and voila, a book is born. There are lots of contributors and recipe testers  and you can read all about them in the book, including their favorite episodes, a very nice, much appreciated touch. Testers are the unsung heroes of most cookbooks. Kudos, Kristi – you are a class act.

The chapters:

Feature: Coffee, Coffee, Coffee!
Cocktails, Mocktails & Other Assorted Beverages
Pancakes, French Toast, Omelets & Cereals
Muffins, Rolls, Breads & Scones
Soups, Sauces & Butters
Burgers & Sandwiches
Pasta & Rice Dishes
Appetizers & Side Dishes
Meats, Seafood & Main Dishes
Cookies, Cakes & Ice Creams
Feature: Cakery

There is also an author’s note, reference guide, index, conversion charts and a recipe guide.

The best thing about the book is how every recipe is related to something in the show. Chilaquiles are on the menu, as they were when Caesar served them up at Luke’s Diner while Luke was away. Emily’s famous Salmon Puffs, served at every one of her events, Rory’s favorite, Parker House Rolls, Sookie’s guilt induced Ratatouille, made with Jackson’s competitor’s vegetables, and even Butter – yes, really, a recipe for butter along with a nod to Emily kicking Richard out to the pool house because he didn’t ask her if she wanted any.

If none of this makes sense to you, you are not a Gilmore Girl fan and there is no use trying to explain. If you understood the previous paragraph, you probably want to buy this book, and you should.

There are many cookbooks based on TV shows and I’m not talking about actual cooking shows on Food Network or Cooking Channel or even PBS. I mean TV shows like the Gilmore Girls, Game of Thrones, Modern Family, Orange is the New Black, and Outlander (soon to be reviewed here.) Some are much more successful than others, and I’m happy to report that Eat Like a Gilmore is a good one. And Amazon.com (click on the book cover above) has some of the recipes on the website, so you can take a peek.

11/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

EAT LIKE A GILMORE by Kristi Carlson. Skyhorse Publishing (October 25, 2016). ISBN 978-1510717343. 288p.

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A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Ina and Jeffrey have been captivating our attention for years via her Food Network’s Barefoot Contessa show. I am a huge fan and many of her recipes have become staples in my home. I was at the American Library Association Annual Conference this summer, and was thrilled to get my hands on an advance copy of this cookbook. (Thanks, Sharon Parker!)

Jeffrey doesn’t cook, like some TV cooking show husbands, but he often makes appearances; he goes shopping (at times a bit hesitantly, remembering occasions when he bought the wrong thing,) or meets up with Ina at restaurants or the beach or best of all, at home.

Ina dotes on Jeffrey, and he on her – their relationship is one of the things I like best about the show. Me and a gazillion other fans, to be sure. I, too, have a husband who doesn’t really cook (okay, he makes incredible pizza but I generally make the dough, the sauce, shred the cheese and then he puts it all together and cooks it in the pizza oven he built in my backyard.) But what I really relate to is Jeffrey’s appreciation for everything Ina cooks because that is how my husband makes me feel. too.

Garten proclaims herself a home cook, but someone who owned a gourmet food shop for twenty years feels like a bit more than just a home cook to me. I do understand what she means; she doesn’t make fussy or difficult food, she prepares food that people actually like to eat at home. All of her cookbooks are wonderful and prior to this one, I would have been hard pressed to pick a favorite, but this book is truly outstanding.

It’s more than just the recipes, which are always fabulous. This book is her love letter to her husband and it shows on every page. The pictures are enchanting, including a wedding photo (they’ve been married more than 40 years!) I loved all the stories about their lives together, too.

The only quibble I have is a recipe for Roasted Meatballs, which cook for half an hour in the oven and then are transferred to a pot of marinara sauce FROM A JAR. A good jarred sauce, Rao’s is recommended, but I’m sorry, I really object to this. In the time those meatballs are cooking, you could easily make your own sauce with scarcely more work than opening a jar.

Slam a couple of cloves of garlic with a knife, thrown them in a bit of olive oil until you can smell them, dump in a can of tomatoes, a little salt and crushed red pepper and if you like, a pinch of dried oregano and you are off to the races. If you want to get fancy, dice a small onion and sweat it first, then do the garlic and tomatoes. Throw in some fresh basil when you’re ready to serve and trust me, you’ll never open another jar of sauce again. This is really a pet peeve of mine, I just don’t understand why anyone buys sauce in a jar. There seems to be some sort of fear about it and the feeling that you have to cook sauce for hours, but that’s just silly. You can make a really simple, delicious sauce in the time it takes you to cook your pasta. Or your Roasted Meatballs.

Also included are some really terrific staples like Skillet-Roasted Lemon Chicken, Brisket with Onions and Leeks, and Peach Cobbler. Then there are some newer dishes, like Roast Chicken with Radishes, Kale Salad with Pancetta and Pecorino, Salmon Tacos, and Fig and Goat Cheese Bruschettas, which are incredible.

I’m sure there will be some people who feel like Ina has stepped back to the 1950’s housewife here, and maybe she has a little, but let’s not forget that Cooking for Jeffrey is her tenth cookbook and Garten has never been “just a housewife.” She is a superstar, and I am happy to admit that I am a fan.

10/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

COOKING FOR JEFFREY by Ina Garten. Clarkson Potter (October 25, 2016). ISBN 978-0307464897. 256p.

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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.