Friday, May 9, 2008

Food

Posted on Wednesday, March 26, 2008

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Newly Released Cookbooks Offer More Than Cooking Tips

By SHAUNA WONZER
Food Editor

Sometimes what our kitchens need is a little updating.

Not from installing granite countertops or a shiny new oven, but from a collection of recipes that creates a desire to get back into the kitchen and start cooking again.

If you are looking for that inspiration, take a glimpse inside the pages of these cookbooks. You can find them at your local bookstore.

The first, "Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook" (Vissi D'Arte Books, $45) is one of the most visually appealing and mouth-watering collections I have seen in a long while.

The 430-page hardback book includes color photography throughout. Its visual appeal would make it a conversation piece on anyone's coffee table. But it might not stay there long. It's sure to make its way into your kitchen for use. If you love New Orleans-style cooking, the recipes are ones you will find yourself using.

The book is divided into several sections, including a seafood cook's manual with chapters on crawfish, shrimp, oysters and specialities such as alligator, frog legs and turtle. There is also space dedicated to appetizers, gumbos and soups, salads, main courses and desserts. The basics are also included with chapters on stocks, seasonings, sauces and drinks.

Recipes for shrimp bisque, seafood-stuffed flounder with garlic butter sauce, redfish court-bouillon and chocolate bourbon pecan pie are sure to inspire you to become adventurous in the kitchen.

If you are looking to take a culinary travel adventure without leaving home, this is the perfect way.

SIMPLY ORGANIC

If you want a book that is a little more back to basics, give "Simply Organic" by Jesse Ziff Cool (Chronicle Books, $29.95) a try.

This softback book is divided into seasons and focuses on using local fare. The recipes incorporate local ingredients (even though some of them you will not find in East Texas.) The recipes are straight-forward and easy to follow. There are guides for recipes such as green goodness chicken and asparagus salad, beef stew with baby spring vegetables, stuffed pattypan squash, grilled green tomatoes and old-fashioned cream spinach. It's sure to take you back to your cooking roots.

PASSION FOR BAKING

If baking is more your speed, check out "A Passion for Baking" by Marcy Goldman (Oxmoor House, $29.95), who is a pastry chef and home baker.

This 320-page color book includes 220 recipes for everything from scones and biscuits to Jamaican banana layer cake. The book also includes more difficult to find recipes for things like chunky cheese bread, pancetta layered bread and cafe latte caramel biscotti. If you are a baker or want to give it a try, this is the book that will stir up interest for those more advanced cooks.

PRAIRIE TABLE COOKBOOK

If you looking for a serving of healthy beef, give "The Prairie Table Cookbook" by Bill Kurtis and Michelle M. Martin (Sourcebooks, Inc., $29.95) a try.

Kurtis, who is the host of American Justice on A&E Television, is also the founder of the Tallgrass Beef Company, involved in grass-fed cattle ranching.

Grass-fed beef comes from cattle raised in a pasture and who receive no growth hormones or antibiotics, according to his book.

His book includes recipes from the "Cowboy Table," "The Modern Prairie Table," and others inspired by American Indians and the military.

Recipes are for meatloafs, chilis and stews, pan fried steaks, cowboy beans and liver and onions.

There are also recipes from famous chefs, including Rick Bayless and others from Will Rogers, Gene Autry and Dale Evans.

FRANCE'S COUNTRY COOKING

If French is more your speed, "The Country Cooking of France" by Anne Willan (Chronicle Books. $50) offers a work filled recipes, writing and photography that offers a look into a rich culture.

For lovers of French cuisine, this book is a must have.

The book includes sections on soups, frogs and snails, eggs and cheese, fish and shellfish, fish stews, prime poultry, beef, lamb and veal, pork, game and game birds, sauces, pastas and potatoes, vegetables, breads, desserts and fruits.

The culinary knowledge in the book is extension, often offering insight to the recipes and ingredients above the list of basic essentials.

For example, atop a recipe for scrambled eggs with wild mushrooms, the author writes:

"In France, as everywhere else, cooks are spending less time in the kitchen and dishes like scrambled eggs and soft-boiled eggs are right in style..."

WINE ROADS OF TEXAS

In "The Wine Roads of Texas: An Essential Guide to Texas Wines and Wineries" Wes Marshall (Maverick Publishing Co. $21.95) takes a tour of Lonestar wineries.

In the book, he makes stops in the Big Bend, Panhandle Plains, Hill Country, Prairies and Lakes, the Gulf Coast and the Piney Woods. In areas where there are several wineries, there are multiple trips planned with several locations to visit in a day.

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