MENU

January 5, 2015

From The Hold Shelf (Or What I'm About To Read)...


"Dominique Ansel: The Secret Recipes" by Dominique Ansel
Dominique Ansel is the creator of the Cronut™, the croissant-doughnut hybrid that has taken the world by storm. But he’s no one-hit wonder. Classically trained in Paris, responsible for a four-star kitchen in New York, and now the proprietor of New York’s highest rated bakery, Ansel has become a modern-day Willy Wonka: the creator of wildly creative, extraordinarily delicious, and unbelievably popular desserts.  

Now, in his hotly anticipated debut cookbook, Ansel shares the secret to transforming the most humble ingredients into the most extraordinary, tempting, and satisfying pastries imaginable. Dominique Ansel: The Secret Recipes reveals the stories and recipes behind his most sought-after creations and teaches lovers of dessert everywhere how to make magic in their own kitchens.


"Bouchon Bakery" by Thomas Keller & Sebastien Rouxel
Baked goods that are marvels of ingenuity and simplicity from the famed Bouchon Bakery. 

The tastes of childhood have always been a touchstone for Thomas Keller, and in this dazzling amalgam of American and French baked goods, you'll find recipes for the beloved TKOs and Oh Ohs (Keller's takes on Oreos and Hostess's Ho Hos) and all the French classics he fell in love with as a young chef apprenticing in Paris: the baguettes, the macarons, the mille-feuilles, the tartes aux fruits.     

Co-author Sebastien Rouxel, executive pastry chef for the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group, has spent years refining techniques through trial and error, and every page offers a new lesson: a trick that assures uniformity, a subtlety that makes for a professional finish, a flash of brilliance that heightens flavor and enhances texture. The deft twists, perfectly written recipes, and dazzling photographs make perfection inevitable.

•   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •


"Sunday Suppers: Recipes + Gatherings" by Karen Mordechai
With her dinner series Sunday Suppers, Karen Mordechai celebrates the magic of gathering, bringing together friends and strangers to connect over the acts of cooking and sharing meals. For those who yearn to connect around the table, Karen’s simple, seasonally driven recipes, evocative photography, and understated styling form a road map to creating community in their own kitchens and in offbeat locations. This collection of gatherings will inspire a sense of adventure and community for both the novice and experienced cook alike.

"Bread Revolution" by Peter Reinhart
Renowned baking author and instructor Peter Reinhart has always been on the forefront of the bread movement—from his seminal work, The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, to today. In Bread Revolution, he explores the cutting-edge developments in bread baking, with fifty recipes and formulas that use sprouted flours, whole and ancient grains, nut and seed flours, alternative flours (such as teff and grape skin), and allergy-friendly and gluten-free approaches.  

A new generation of bakers and millers are developing innovative flours and baking techniques that are designed to extract the grain’s full flavor potential—what Reinhart calls “the baker’s mission.” In this lushly photographed primer, Reinhart draws inspiration from these groundbreaking methods to create master recipes and formulas any home baker can follow, including Sprouted Sandwich Rye Bread, Gluten-Free Many-Seed Toasting Bread, and Sprouted Wheat Croissants.  

In many instances, such as with sprouted flours, preferments aren’t necessary because so much of the flavor development occurs during the sprouting phase. For grains that benefit from soakers, bigas, and sourdough starters, Reinhart provides the precise guidance that has made him such a trusted expert in the field.    

Advanced bakers will relish Reinhart’s inventive techniques and exacting scientific explanations, while beginning bakers will rejoice in his demystification of ingredients and methods—and all will come away thrilled by bread’s new frontier.

•   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •


"Sugar Rush" by Johnny Iuzzini
James Beard–award-winning pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini returns to basics, sharing his expert tips on fundamentals such as making caramel and mixing butter cakes, with accompanying step-by-step photographs, before moving on to recipes for Salted Caramels and Sticky Caramel Date Cake. After mastering the simple method for making light-as-air meringues, anyone can make ethereal espresso marshmallows, mile-high soufflĂ©s, and chewy French macaron sandwich cookies. Readers can finally expand their cake and ice cream horizons to embrace flavors as thrilling as those in Brown Sugar-Molasses Layer Cake and Bitter Orange Ice Cream. The 250 photographs include both instructive technique shots to reassure bakers at every turn as well as stunning photographs of the ready-to-eat treats. With Sugar Rush, baking at home has never been easier—or more inviting.

"French Comfort Food" by Hillary Davis
In France, people take pride in preserving the recipes of their regional heritage and deeply rooted traditions. What has remained true over time is that the French have a determined hold on their beloved regional classic dishes, the ones they grew up with that their mothers and grandmothers and grandmothers before them made--French comfort food. 

Collected here are recipes from friends and acquaintances Hillary Davis has made while living in France, recipes handed down through the years as well as modern family remakes of the originals. With these resources, plus referring to her hundreds of well-worn cookbooks, Davis has brought together her favorite comfort food recipes from France, with a hope that they will inspire and charm you, showing just how fabulous good home-cooked food from France can be. 

Hillary Davis , food journalist, cooking instructor, and writer and creator of the popular food blog Marche Dimanche, is a long-time food columnist and restaurant critic for New Hampshire Magazine, and her work has been featured in many national and international magazine and website articles. She is also the author of Cuisine Nicoise and has been a food and travel lecturer on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cruise lines.

•   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •


"Influence" by Mary-Kate Olsen & Ashley Olsen
Influence includes interviews [done by Mary-Kate and/or Ashley Olsen] with: 
Peter Beard 
Alexandre de Betak 
Bob Colacello 
David Collins 
George Condo 
Francisco Costa 
Diane von Furstenberg 
John Galliano 
Lauren Hutton 
Karl Lagerfeld 
Peter Lindbergh 
Christian Louboutin 
Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez 
Margherita Missoni 
Robert Lee Morris 
Ashley Olsen 
Mary-Kate Olsen 
Jack Pierson 
Richard Prince 
Terry Richardson 
Giambattista Valli 
Evan Yurman

•   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •

In terms of last edition, I love love loved "How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are" by Anne Berest, Audrey Diwan, Caroline de Maigret & Sophie Mas and I read it in about an hour or so. It is a very tongue in cheek kind of book and just an overall fun read. I honestly enjoyed the book so much I am going to pick up a copy the next time I go to the book store. But that being said, I don't necessarily think that this book is everyones cup of tea. If you are seriously looking for tips on how to be Parisian you are better off booking a one way trip to Paris.

2 comments :

  1. Replies
    1. They are! I mean, I'm still going through them plus I got some more in today but the ones I've flipped through have been good.

      Delete