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Cookbook Week – Day 3! Plus a giveaway

Cookbook Week - Day 3

I’m often drawn to specific cookbooks for their particular aesthetic and/or design. Whether it’s the stunning photography, the design of the interior or just the way the author creates his recipes in a unique individual way, cookbooks nowadays are more than just a collection of recipes. This collection of cookbooks typifies exactly what I love in contemporary cookbooks from the gorgeous aesthetic of Sweet Paul in his book Eat & Make to the luscious photos in The Flavour Principle to the infographic style of Michael Ruhlman’s Egg. Stick around to the end of this post as well for a chance to win a copy of Josey Baker Bread, a beautiful cookbook from an individual who’s enthusiasm for baking bread shines through and is positively infectious.[This giveawy is closed and over!]

Josey Baker Bread

A few months ago there was an explosion of articles about the “ridiculous” $4 toast that was being sold here in San Francisco. People wrote about how elitist is was, and how it was the perfect example of the absurdity of living in San Francisco. Completely blown out of proportion, the man behind the toast is none other than the down-to-earth Josey Baker. His book Josey Baker Bread is probably the antithesis of elitism, full of down-to-earth personality and easy step-by-step recipe with specific details about what sort of equipment is needed for baking the beautiful bread that he sells. For anyone who has been intimidated by making bread or want try their hand at baking artisan bread, this book makes it all seem doable. From the photos of what the bread looks like when it’s underbaked, overbaked and baked just right, to the casual writing that makes you feel like you’re hanging out with a pal, this cookbook is geared toward the beginner bread baker though more experience bread bakers would also get some pretty nifty tips, technique pointers and excellent recipes.

Eat & Make by Sweet Paul

I’ve always had a bit of a crush on the Sweet Paul magazine every since a friend of mine showed it to me. The simple but elegant recipes! The easy but impressive crafts! And those drop dead gorgeous photos! It’s the sort of magazine that makes everyone’s life a just a little more fun when you read it. Paul Lowe, the man behind the darling site Sweet Paul and his new book Eat & Make is exactly what you imagine it to be, with easy recipes that actually sound great (Finnish rye bread; breakfast pizza with pancetta, eggs & potatoes; roasted plum bellinis). His kitchen crafts actually look pretty doable (and I say that as someone who is NOT a crafty person) and not in the least bit ridiculous (you know what I’m talking about, oh unattainably difficult to make Pinterest craft boards). Though I’m probably more likely to get in the kitchen and make his orange and hazelnut cake than his no-sew apron made from a kitchen towel (though the no-sew part is pretty appealing).

Meringue Girls

You know you’re in for fun when you see a colorful book cover with a giant neon pink circle in the middle and the title Meringue Girls knocked out in graphic white type. I’ve never really given meringues serious thought in terms of their versatility as a confection. But Meringue Girls (Alex Hoffler and Stacey O’Gorman) made me rethink that with basic tips on how to make meringue, ideas on various flavors and some awesome recipes that use meringue like summery eton mess, pretzel and chocolate marshmallow meringue tart and lemon meringue cake. With their enthusiasm and spunky attitude (yeah, I just used the word spunky), this is the fun and festive sort of book that will have you whipping up a sweet and sticky storm in your kitchen.

Egg by Michael Ruhlman

Taking the single subject cookbook a step further, Michael Ruhlman’s Egg is an example of how one ingredient can be explored in numerous ways. From basic information about the sort of egg you are buying and what all those various labels mean, to how to cook the egg by itself, to the multitude of recipe that need the egg as an integral part (quiche, eggnog, mayonnaise) this cookbook covers all the basics and more so. Don’t be mistaken that this cookbook is all about the basics though. With recipes for egg ravioli with chevre, brown butter and thyme, poached duck egg on duck confit hash and a spectacular looking lemon cream cake filled with jam and frozen berry pieces, Egg is a great resource for anyone wanting to learn more about one of the most versatile and powerful common ingredients in the kitchen.

The Flavour Principle

When I’m in the kitchen, I’m always trying to figure out a way to punch up the flavor of dishes so when The Flavour Principle by Lucy Waverman and Beppi Crosariol came out I was excited to see what it was all about. Organized about eleven distinctive tastes like bitter, tart, umami, the book has over thirty menus with various recipes that match each other flavor. With a wide range of approachable contemporary recipes like fennel and turnip soup, mushroom ragu with polenta, lamb from Puglia as well as suggestions about wine pairings, this cookbook is the sort of sophisticated resource for creating memorable meals inspired by global cuisine and the spices from all over the world. With notes interspersed about herbs, spices as well as tips on cooking techniques, The Flavour Principle is a bound to be one of those go-to cookbooks in my library for inspiration and recipes.

Chronicle Books has generously offered to give away a copy of Josey Baker Bread to one lucky reader. To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment below and tell me what your favorite loaf of bread is. Are you a white sandwich bread sort of person or do you crave crusty baguette? For me it’s my local bakery Tartine’s Sesame Loaf, crusty and flavorful. But now that I have Josey Baker Bread I might have to start making my own artisan bread more often now.[This giveaway is closed and over! Thanks for entering!]

The fine print – PLEASE READ
By leaving a comment below to enter, you are agreeing to the Official Rules.
▪ NO PURCHASE NECESSARY
▪ VOID WHERE PROHIBITED
▪ You must be over the age of 18.
▪ This contest is only open to U.S. Citizens. Sorry non-US people!
▪ The contest starts as of today, and will run until Wednesday August 27, 2014, 9am PST.
▪ The retail value of Josey Baker Bread is about $27.50.
▪ The winner will be chosen by a randomly selected comment. All comments will be numbered and I will use Random.org to pick a random number.
▪ The number of eligible comments below determines the odds of winning.
▪ If there’s a problem with contacting the winner, I reserve the right to award everything to someone else randomly chosen. So in other words, make sure you type in your correct email address if you want the membership and respond within a week to me when I contact you or I’ll give everything to someone else.
▪ The prize is being delivered directly from Chronicle Books. If they have not delivered the prize to you within three weeks of me notifying you of winning, please reach out to me again and I will do follow up to make sure everything is OK. Please keep in mind we are all human and things happen. I will do everything within my power to make sure the prize is delivered in a timely manner.

Special thanks to Chronicle Books, Harper Collins, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and  Little Brown for review copies of the books in this post. Though they provided the books complimentary, I was not monetarily compensated for this post and all opinions above are my own.

This blog currently has a partnership with Amazon.com in their affiliate program, which gives me a small percentage of sales if you buy a product through the links above (with no added cost to you). If you are uncomfortable with this, feel free to go directly to Amazon.com and search for the book yourself and purchase it that way.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Debbie D says

    Favorite bread? There are so many. However, off the top of my head, a warm, crusty sourdough loaf (end piece please) with butter dripping off of it. YUM!

    Reply

  6. rachel says

    my favorite loaf to buy at the moment is Little T Baker’s baguette. perfect shattering crust, perfect chewy middle.

    Reply

  9. Scott_D says

    My favorite for morning toast is my own miso-rye, but a good baguette is hard to beat also. I really like Milton’s Multigrain sliced loaf to keep around for sandwiches. Makes a really good grilled cheese. There’s always a load of it in my freezer.

    Reply

  16. Kristan MacKay says

    It depends on what I’m eating the bread with. A great buttermilk white bread for PB&J, wheat with meat sandwich, Italian or French bread with spaghetti, and a great artisan bread with soup. Can’t forget pumpernickel with raisins with butter. I love my bread!

    Reply

  23. Eileen says

    How can I choose just one bread? Our standard everyday bread is sprouted wheat, and that’s excellent and everything, but have you eaten any of the Manresa breads? Their einkorn bread is possibly the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!

    Reply

  31. Allison says

    I love my weekly homemade challah. Cinnamon-raisin bread comes in a close second. Nothing makes the house smell as good as that.

    Reply

  33. Anne Dacey-Lucas says

    Swedish limpa…a dense and slightly sweetish bread made with molasses whhach is variously flavoured with anise, caraway, orange or fennel and made into small individual loaves that have been perfect, so far, for 59 years of backpacking/camping trips as it holds up well and is delicious.

    Reply

  34. Joan A says

    A hearty multi-grain is my fav., but a sourdough is also great! Need to get back to baking my own! Thanks for the chance to own this!

    Reply

  36. Jeannie Heller says

    I love a crusty whole wheat bread. Also love it for sandwiches or breakfast with butter and jam.
    But, my all time favorite is my mom’s potato rolls she fixed every holiday. They sound extra delicious right now with a little peppery beef tenderloin and horseradish!

    Reply

  38. Hannah M. says

    Pretty much anything hot out of the oven will do…but it’s hard to beat a good sourdough boule. Silver Moon Bakery in NYC makes an excellent one (as does my father, when he has time).

    Reply

  39. Lorraine Healy-Smith says

    A crusty baguette, sliced ALMOST all the way through in 1.5″ slices, with a sliver of garlic between each slice and a mixture of half butter and half wine drizzled between each slice and over the top so it’s sitting in a pool of winery, buttery goodness, then baked @400 for 20 minutes until the bottom is crunchy. Divine!

    Reply

  42. Nowal says

    Cottage cheese – dill loaf bread! Delicious with every meal and any type of sandwich, yummmmm 🙂

    Hand me over a cookbook already lol

    Reply

  43. Annie says

    Homemade challah. My son is always nagging me to make it but if I do he just eats the whole thing in one day. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all just eat all the bread we wanted? And sourdough, which I have never been successful in making, though I admit I haven’t really tried all that hard. No-knead bread that’s fermented for a while is a passable substitute, though.

    Reply

  46. Jill says

    I just returned from living in Sicily for 3 years and the fresh semolina breads there were satisfying, but I have been thoroughly enjoying whole grain breads again, like the raisin pecan loaf. My favorite though is the Harvest Grain Quinoa loaf with rosemary. Yum!

    Reply

  48. Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says

    Pugliese Bread – because that’s my maiden name — that’s Pugliese not Bread. What a treasure trove of cookbooks!! I could spend weeks just drooling and studying the pictures and recipes. WOW!! Thank you Irving for being so generous.

    Reply

  54. Yas N. says

    In terms of traditional bread, I am a large fan of whole wheat olive oil bread usually in the shape of a baguette (Recipe from “Healthy Artisan Breads in 5-minutes a day”) . Whether I want to make pizza or just have a slice with some fresh nut butter, this would probably be one of my top types of bread. Regarding non-traditional types, I like this Life-Changing Loaf made with nuts, seed, and oatmeal (Recipe from “My New Roots” blog), which I find to be quite hearty and delicious.

    Reply

  58. Holly says

    I love rosemary focaccia when it’s still hot and crusty out of the oven and dipped in good olive oil, salt, and black pepper.

    Reply

  62. Michael Flanagin says

    I spent some time in Austria, and loved the fresh brown bread that I could buy in the corner store, still warm and gooey on the shelf. So delicious with a slab of butter and some cheese!

    Reply

  67. Darlene says

    It’s so hard to choose!! I’m currently nurturing a sourdough starter, so I think sourdough is my favorite at the moment. But I’m dying to work out a great yeasted pumpkin loaf-for sandwiches and soup-dipping.

    Reply

  74. Caroline says

    My favorite loaf is an Armenian Easter bread called, “choereg”. I make it every so often throughout the year. My family adores it. With some soft butter and a great jam…it’s like comfort food.

    Reply

  77. Tanya says

    Nancy Baggett’s recipe, “Cheddar and green chiles” bread. Now I’m craving it – I’d better go start a loaf!

    Reply

  82. Katrina says

    Favorite kind of bread? Right now that’s like stabbing me in the heart. 😉 For health reasons, I went off gluten last year. I MISS BREAD! I’m not against cheating if I come across something like a really good crusty Italian bread. But the kind I dearly miss the most is a really good homemade multi-grain bread.

    Reply

  85. jessicaisbaking says

    I need a nice chewy crust and flavorful interior. All bread must stand up to a lovely salted butter!! YUM

    Reply

  86. Nicole says

    Depends on my mood. Sometimes I have a craving for a crusty baguette and other times I just want to drive to my favorite local bakery and grab a loaf of their croissant bread.

    Reply

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