Review Atlanta » Cookbooks

The Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show

michele — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:00:43 +0000

Seafood of Southeast Asia

michele — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 20:03:29 +0000

Seafood of Southeast Asia
By Alan Davidson

Binding: Softcover

Type of Cookbook: The first 50% of this book is a catalogue of fish and shellfish species native to Southeast Asia. Simple black and white illustrations accompany each type of fish and shellfish. The remaining 50% covers a listing of 150 authentic recipes listed by country. Recipes from Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore are included.

Photography: None (simple black and white illustrations only)

Level of Cooking Skills Required: Basic to Intermediate… Creativity and a willingness to make substitutions with local seafood are also required.

Contents: 368 pages – approximately 115 pages of recipes

Pros: The recipes are incredibly effective in creating unigue and complex flavors with authentic ingredients and techniques true to their origins.

Cons: Asian markets or a really good farmer’s market will be mandatory to find ingredients like cilantro with the roots still intact, water spinach, and makrut lime leaves. Also, a good fish market is mandatory to find ingredients like fresh grouper roe and fish livers.

Favorite Recipes: Grouper in banana leaf, spicy snapper with candlenuts, and snapper in a Malaysian curry

Verdict: This a great cookbook for someone willing to search out specialty ingredients and fresh seafood from a well-stocked fish market.

Savoring Southeast Asia

michele — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:21:22 +0000

Savoring Southeast Asia
By Joyce Jue

Binding: Large Softcover

Type of Cookbook: A “Best Hits” of Southeast Asian cuisine, this book glimpses into the cuisines of Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. And, I do mean glimpse. While 130 recipes may sound comprehensive, spread over 9 cuisines it’s just enough to give you a taste of each.

Photography: Many breathtaking shots of Asia illustrate this book in addition to the food photography. And, the food photography is mostly top-notch.

Level of Cooking Skills Required: Mostly basic… The real challenge for some might be obtaining specialty ingredients.

Contents: Over 256 pages, 130 recipes and coutless photographs grace almost every page.

Pros: Authenticity and approachabilty are the hallmark. The recipes are relatively easy and explicit. And, the gorgeous food photography jumps off the page, begging you to try and taste. I was motivated to try and recreate a number of the recipes.

The “Best Hits” approach of featuring restaurant favorites of 9 countries make this a go-to book. And, if bookshelf space is limited, this is a priceless addition to your cookbook collection.

Cons: Recipes are listed by type (Small plates and soups, Vegetables and Salads, Rice Noodle and Breads, Main Dishes, and Sweets) instead of ethnicity. And, there is no recipe list by country in the index. So, looking for a particular recipe requires searching through the appropriate section. The index could also be more thorough.

Another issue may be finding specialty ingredients. Even in Atlanta, I might have trouble finding fresh Pandanus leaves (but, I do know that I can find the extract) or prahok (a Cambodian fish sauce). Personally, I enjoy the challenge to seek out these ingredients by exploring every ethnic market in the city or scouring the internet.

This isn’t a comprehensive catalogue of recipes. It is more of a scenic guidebook to Southeast Asia with recipes. Most of the usual suspects are represented and executed astutely. But, some countries get more attention than others.

Favorite Recipes: Cashew Salad, Fried Shrimp with Tamarind, Stuffed Crab Soup with Bamboo Shoots, Festive Golden Rice, Stuffed Gold Purses, and Grilled Fish in Banana Leaf.

Verdict: This is a great cookbook with beautiful photographs and authentic recipes.

Taste of Atlanta — Atlantic Station

michele — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:46:01 +0000

Taste of Atlanta’s 2-day outdoor food festival will take place on the streets of Atlantic Station this weekend Saturday, October 11th and Sunday, October 12th.

Over 70 Atlanta Area restaurants will be participating in this event. Live cooking demonstrations, live entertainment, street performers, food samples(available for purchase with taste coupons) and a Kid’s Avenue are available with a General Admission ticket. And, The Wine Experience and a Bowling & Brews event will be available to those purchasing VIP tickets.

Participating Restaurants include: 255 Tapas Lounge, Artistry, Asam House, Atlantic Grill, Bhojanic, Boneheads, Cafe 458, Cafe Circa, Cafe Intermezzo, The Capital Grille, Chicago’s Very Own, Copeland’s Cheesecake Bistro, The Depot, Desta, Dolce, Einstein’s, Fado, The Feed Store, Food101, Garrison’s Broiler & Tap, Geisha House, The Grape, Highland Bakery, Hot Stix Stir-Fry Kitchen, Hudson Grille, Ibiza, Imperial Fez, Jim-N-Nick’s BBQ, Johnny Rockets, Joli Kobe Baker & Cafe, Legal Seafood, Lobby at Twelve, Loca Luna, Maggiano’s, Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament, Mediterranean Grill, The Melting Pot, Metrotainment Bakery, Neo, No Mas Cantina, The Oceanaire, OK Cafe, Prime Meridian at the Omni Hotel CNN, Rathbun’s, Rise, Rob’s Caribbean Cafe, Room at Twelve, Rosa Mexicano, Sal Grosso, Sambuca, Six Feet Under Pub and Fish House, Skeeters, Sogno Gelato, Straits Atlanta, Strip, The Sun Dial Restaurant Bar & View, Sweet Auburn Bread, Taco Mac, Taqueria del Sol, Taverna Plaka, The Tenth Thai Cuisine and Lounge, Thrive, Trader Vic’s, Uptown Restaurant and Lounge, Vickery’s Bar and Grill, Vine, West Egg Cafe, Wolfgang Puck Express, and Zaya

Two Ticket Types are Available:

General Admission Ticket: $25 Advance or $35 Day of Event
– Includes 10 Taste Coupons

VIP Ticket: $75 Advance or $95 Day of Event
–Includes 20 Taste Coupons
–VIP access into both the Wine Experience at the TWELVE Hotel Ballroom and Bowling & Brews in Ten Pin Alley.

*The first 500 VIP patrons at the event each day will receive a Taste of Atlanta gift bag.

Children 12 and under are free when accompanied by a ticketed adult with a wristband.

Restaurants will be serving menu items for 1, 2 or 3 Taste Coupons. Additional 5 or 10 Taste Coupons may be purchased on-site in $5 and $10 increments, provided you have an event wristband. Come enjoy the event activities and food from the participating restaurants. Tickets are limited, so buy yours early!

Atlanta Greek Festival — Now thru October 5th

michele — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:10:12 +0000

The Atlanta Greek Festival offers Greek music, dancing, food, pastries, coffee (Greek & regular), drinks and shopping for Greek specialty items. Jewelry, gold, ceramics, books, cookbooks, clothes, and other handcrafted items will be available in the various gift shops.

One of the highlighs at the festival this year is a special preview of Georgia Shakespeare’s production of Antigone. This special sneak preview will be tonight ( Friday, October 3rd) at 8pm. Selected scenes will be performed by the Georgia Shakespeare cast.

HOURS
11am – 11pm on Friday & Saturday
12pm – 7pm on Sunday

LOCATION
Greek Orthodox Cathedral
2500 Clairmont Road, N.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30329
Exit #91 off I-85
(On Clairmont Rd. between Briarcliff Rd. and LaVista Rd.)

ADMISSION
$3.00 for Adults, $1.00 for children under 12 years of age.

BUY ONLINE TICKETS
Tired of standing in line? Buy your tickets online at a special discount.

PARKING
FREE PARKING & SHUTTLE BUSES from Century Center Office Park on Clairmont Road, adjacent to I-85.

CAUTION ON PARKING – VERY IMPORTANT!
Please do NOT park on the side streets around the church, which have the “No Parking” signs. Cars will be towed away from these areas. Please use the areas indicated above for parking and the free shuttle buses. THANK YOU!

DRIVE – THRU
A Taste of Athens in Minutes: The Atlanta Greek Festival Drive-Thru. Click here for the drive thru menu!

Decatur Book Festival 2008

michele — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 21:05:15 +0000

This Labor Day weekend 250 authors will be visiting Decatur to attend Decatur’s Third Annual Book Festival and Street Fair. So, come visit Decatur’s square to meet one of your favorite authors, eat some festival food, check out the street fair and try out one of Downtown Decatur’s great restaurants. There are a number of great restaurants within walking distance to Decatur’s Square. Don’t miss it!!

For Direction to Downtown Decatur, click here.

For a Map of Decatur’s Downtown Square with Event Details, click here.

Cucina of Le Marche

michele — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:02:54 +0000

Cucina of Le Marche
By Fabio Trabocchi

Binding: Hardcover

Type of Cookbook: Regional Italian dedicated to the Marchesan cuisine

Photography: The photography consists of a handful of family photos and two sets of gorgeous color photo inserts.

Level of Cooking skills required: basic to a handful of moderately advanced recipes (ex: porchetta)

Contents: Over 200 pages of recipes listed by course and 10 pages of “the basics” including a tomato sauce recipe, two pasta dough recipes and three types of stock (chicken, veal and fish)

Pros: This cookbook possesses a treasure of Marchesan recipes that define the originality and rustic charm of the region. While the flavors that we know and love of Italy are all present, we also see exotic touches that are unique to this region. While the Porchetta (a recipe for Porchetta Ascolana is included here) might be the crowning glory in Marchesan cuisine, there are dozens of everyday recipes that I can’t wait to try. Even the tomato sauce listed in the “basics” section shines. The incorporation of salt pork in a basic tomato sauce is something that I have never tried.

Cons: None

Verdict: This cookbook is a MUST HAVE item for anyone interested in regional Italian cuisine.

Recipes to try: Quail risotto with prosciutto, pappardelle with wild boar ragu, turbot in smoky hay, drunken tuna, langoustines with fried cauliflower, Porchetta Ascolana, braised spareribs with polenta, beef tenderloin with fondue, and veal chops with honey — And, for dessert, carnival fritters with lemon and orange zest and Polenta di Mosto.

660 Curries

michele — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:10:28 +0000

660 Curries
By Raghavan Iyer

Binding: Identical books with identical cover art available in both hardcover and paperback

Type of Cookbook: Indian

Photography: Limited photography, only a handful of color food photography at the begining

Level of Cooking skills required: basic to intermediate

Contents: 660 recipes — most recipes offer regional information, cooking tips and serving suggestions

Pros: This book offers a seemingly endless source for authentic curry recipes with some biryanis, pickles, relishes and raitas. The recipes possess layers of flavor with the use of pre-mixed regional spice blends. And, many unique ways to incorporate those blends to make an array of curries.

Cons: The scope of this cookbook is limited to curries only. For a book offering such an array of delicious curries, you’d think they would offer many ways to sop them up. But, there is a very limited number of recipes for bread… less than 10 flatbreads and 1 steamed bun recipe. AND There are only 2 dessert recipes. One cheesecake… and one custard. That is so sad. Why bother offering any when it is clearly such an afterthought?

Verdict: As the name suggests, this is really just a CURRY cookbook. It is a very good curry cookbook, but, you will need other resources to fill in the voids. If you plan to make your own flatbreads, pooris, and papads you will need another cookbook. There is no recipe for dosai and only one for vadai. And, the 2 dessert recipes appear to be an afterthought. Another resource is needed for sweets, pastries, and other desserts.

Classic Home Desserts

michele — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 22:57:01 +0000

Classic Home Desserts
By Richard Sax

Binding: Hardcover with dust jacket

Type of Cookbook: Classic, old timey and historic desserts cookbook

Photography: Limited, color food photography

Level of Cooking Skills Required: simple to intermediate

Contents: 350 recipes of varying lengths — English baking is strongly represented. Many of which have been passed down through the generations to find new life in updated and adapted American recipes. A number of other ethnicities are also represented. However, except for a few nods to Carribean baking, this book primarily contains European desserts and adaptations. There is a small chapter on World Pasteries, but, it is also devoted to European style pasteries. Most of the recipes start with a brief paragraph or two including historic information, nostalgia, recipe tips, or serving suggestions.

Pros: This is an amazingly large collection of quality recipes that possess Old World flare, but, have been adapted to meet modern standards of baking. They aren’t needlessly elaborate or too simple (to me this means a simplified ingredient list with missing spices…I refuse to sacrifice quality for a shorter ingredient list). Adaptations are done with considerable style, elegance and a respect to the original. And, I see this book easily working its way into my top 5 baking books.

Cons: For me…none. However, I could see some criticizing the photography. I enjoy the vintage feel that the photos portray. And, I find this very appropriate for a book on old timey recipes.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book. I know I will enjoy the recipes the way that they’ve been printed. And, maybe even more for the adaptations that I will experiment with over time. I cannot believe that this book is no longer being published. It contains a collection of recipes that every good baker should have at his or her fingertips. I love the massive size and scope of this book. It is an amazingly brilliant blend of English baking, that turns to early American baking and then on to modern American baking. As well as, the Old World recipes that our grandmothers and great grandmothers passed on through the generations to be loved by all today. Some of these recipes might be saved for special occasions or holidays due to the traditional blanket we throw over them. But, they deserve to be baked every day. Why save such wonderful taste memories and delicious traditions to a couple times a year??

Verdict: A must-have cookbook that fills a very specific niche… and fills it brilliantly.

Prashad – Cooking with Indian Masters

michele — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:40:08 +0000

Prashad – Cooking with Indian Masters
By J. Kalra and Gupta Singh

Binding: Hardcover with dust jacket
Type of Cookbook: Indian
Photography: Limited color food photography and b/w photographs of the authors
Level of Cooking Skills required: A range of basic to intermediate skills required
Contents: 212 pages of recipes broken down into several categories and also by local regions
Pros: Authentic and intricate curries fill the pages. Spice laden recipes lead to incredibly rich dishes. And, the complex spice blends give each dish many layers of flavor that blend harmoniously.
Cons: The binding and printing quality is a bit rustic with imperfections seen in both. There is no index. The table of contents lists all the recipes by their Indian names with only three chutneys and the appendices giving an English translation.

This cookbook certainly has a few flaws. But, the real test of any cookbook is the quality of the recipes. And, by that standard, this is one book that shines brightly above all the rest. While, I don’t doubt that there are better Indian cookbooks written in their native language. For those of us needing an English translation, this is one book that gets added to a very short list of cookbooks that give us a hint of the true Indian cuisine we all hope to duplicate in our own kitchen. My only real complaint for this book is the short length. A country the size of India and with its culinary diversity, the authors could easily fill a cookbook twice this size. We’re left wanting more… and hoping for a sequel!

Verdict: This cookbook is a MUST HAVE for anyone interested in producing high quality Indian cuisine.