April 2019 Cookbooks

Bread Baking for Beginners by Bonnie Ohara

Bonnie Ohara started out making bread for her family because she was trying to cut back their food budget and was trying to make as much of their food herself as she could. That turned into a real passion for baking bread that is now a full-time business as owner and baker of Alchemy Bread Co. She created this book because she was self-taught, but found many of the books were either too simple or too complicated. She does a really good job of giving an overview of the process of baking bread, common terms and definitions, different types of bread (knead or no-knead), basic equipment needed, etc. Then she gets into the recipes and starts with easier types of bread, then moves into more complicated breads. Overall, this is book that you would want to buy because there is way too much information to just photocopy a recipe or two. My only complaint would be that I wish she would give the ingredient measurements in both weight and measurement (like cups, teaspoons, etc.) because by only giving weights you HAVE to have a food scale to try any of these recipes.

The Honey Companion: natural recipes and remedies for health, beauty, and home by Suzy Scherr

Honey is a miracle product and if you didn't already know that Suzy Scherr will help convince you with this book. In the introduction Scherr gives the history of honey, how bees make honey, other bee products that are used in this book, and how to source local honey. Then she gets into the recipes - the majority are food related, but there are also chapters on honey for health, honey for beauty, and household uses for honey and beeswax. She also briefly mentions how to actually get started keeping your own bees, but there are tons of other books (and classes) out there solely about beekeeping. Overall, if you're a beekeeper this could give you more ideas of things to do with your honey, but if you don't want to or can't keep bees you can still benefit from all that honey has to offer. There are definitely a few recipes I'd like to try.

The Food in Jars Kitchen: 140 ways to cook, bake, plate, and share your homemade pantry by Marisa McClellan

I've seen other cookbooks that are half canning and half recipes using the canned ingredients, but this one is very unique. McClellan talks about the value of canning produce at peak season and using those canned products in a variety of ways, but her recipes aren't tied to specific canning recipes. They say things in the ingredient list like "fruit butter," "any runny jam," "any well set jelly," etc. It makes using these recipes MUCH easier and it's based on what you've canned or like to eat. She also emphasizes that it doesn't have to be home-canned, it could be canned products from the farmers market, a friend, or the grocery store. I think this makes for a much more well-rounded cookbook. There are also several recipes I'd like to try.

In Pursuit of Flavor by Edna Lewis

This is a new edition of Miss Edna's classic cookbook. You would never know if picking it up for the first time that it's not brand new. Each section of recipes starts with an introduction from Lewis about how she grew up eating and the importance of finding fresh ingredients. Although much of her career was in New York she still loved the classic Southern dishes she grew up with. The introductions before each section of recipes are written like you're just having a conversation with her on a front porch. There are TONS of recipes and several I plan to try out myself. If you're a fan of Southern food or want a good start with Southern cooking this is the cookbook for you.

A great quote:

"Good cooks always put up their own food. It is the only way we can be sure of the quality of our fruits and vegetables all year round. If we garden, we can select the seed, raise the plants without chemicals, and when the time is just right, pick the fruit or vegetable and preserve it at its peak - whether we choose to can, pickle, or freeze it." (p. 177)

Earth to Table Every Day by Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann

Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann both worked in restaurants and dreamed of opening their own place someday. Jeff wanted to open a pizzeria and Bettina wanted to open a bakery and out of their dreams Bread Bar was born. They wanted to focus on high-quality, local ingredients so they started making connections to local farmers and eventually started an organization called Farm Start that provides land for farmers to learn on and practice while also providing produce for their restaurant. This cookbook is a compilation of recipes from Bread Bar and also their many other food and restaurant influences. There are SO many recipes I want to try from this cookbook! Each section of the cookbook has an introduction about an inspiration or influence related to some of the recipes or theme of that chapter. Overall, this is a great cookbook that will inspire you.

Soul: a chef's culinary evolution in 150 recipes by Todd Richards

Todd Richards grew up in Chicago, but often visited his father's family in Arkansas where he was exposed to Southern food and culture. Often African-American chefs are pigeonholed in "soul food," but Richards worked for French chefs and Japanese chefs and wanted to incorporate all the foods he loves into his food and this cookbook. Hence the name Soul - celebrating the soul of great food. I also like that he organizes the recipes by ingredient instead of a more typical cookbook organizing by appetizers, main courses, sides, etc. Each ingredient chapter starts with an introduction by Richards about that ingredient. Overall, a very solid cookbook and definitely a few recipes I want to try out.