May Cookbook Preview, Part 2

Hello, I’m back like a pesky telemarketer with another look at cookbooks being released this month. Last week, I covered a dozen titles in my first preview article and today’s list is pretty exciting itself – from Texas Steakhouse cuisine to recipes from Croatia’s Mediterranean coast. 

If you wish to buy any of these titles, using our BUY BOOK button helps support our indexing efforts by providing a small affiliate fee. Any of your purchases from our affiliate sites benefit that effort. Remember to be sure to enter all our giveaways we have open here – scroll through all two dozen of the giveaways!   
 

Knife: Texas Steakhouse Meals at Home by John Tesar shares the Top Chef alum’s secrets to cooking the most delicious steak you’ve ever tasted. The first eighty pages are devoted to all things steak providing the reader a thorough education. Following the primer on beef, the author serves up recipes for other proteins as well as his signature sides: Roasted Okra, Avocado Fries, and Bacon Jam. This is a bible devoted to Texas steakhouse classics and how to experience them at home. 

 

Tis’ the season for barbecue cookbooks and Jesus wants you to buy Praise the Lard: Recipes and Revelations from a Legendary Life in Barbecue by Mike and Amy Mills. It is fantastic and covers everything from “must knows” to sides, desserts and boozy laden drinks. The Burnt Ends recipe and photo almost made me tear up from joy – not a huge fan of beef – but for beautiful burnt ends – I would sing karoake in front of a packed stadium. If the ends made me tear up, the Savory Cheesecake, Grits and Collard Parfaits, and Mike’s From-Scratch Baked Beans made the angels sing. I will be cooking through this title for Memorial Day and will have a full review in our promotion shortly thereafter. The couple’s first title was Peace, Love and Barbecue which is indexed for our members.
 

So Good: 100 Recipes from My Kitchen to Yours by Richard Blais, another Top Chef alum, winner and now judge, hits the shelves this month. This book follows the success of his first title, Try This at Home, with more creative but unfussy recipes. Improved classics, options for adventurous cooking, nose-to-tail cooking and new favorites of his family are all shared. Look for a promotion on So Good soon.

Farm-to-Table Desserts: 80 Seasonal Organic Recipes Made from Your Local Farmers’ Market by Lei Shishak demonstrates how baking with locally sourced, organic ingredients is a satisfying and delicious habit. With more than eighty sweet recipes divided by season, this title shows readers how to create simple desserts using fresh and local ingredients at their prime. Recipes include a sweet corn panna cotta and a blood orange pot de crème that sound amazing. I will have this book soon and be able to provide you more detail in the monthly roundup. Lei has written two other titles Beach House Baking and Beach House Brunch. 

 

Master Recipes: A Step-by-Step Guide to Cooking Like a Pro by The Editors of Food & Wine will be the perfect bridal shower gift this season or the book that any new and even experienced cook will love. I would say I am an experienced cook – and I am loving the content herein. Master recipes include the Ice Cream Birthday Cake, Pork and Crab Dumplings, Tempura, Hand Cut Noodles and more. Making a turkey for the first time – it’s here, fried chicken, sauerkraut and even ramen – present as well. Food & Wine does it again with a book that will please any level of cook – those that wish to learn and those who wish to perfect their skills. I will have a full promotion on this gorgeous book soon. 
 

 

Full Moon Suppers at Salt Water Farm: Recipes from Land and Sea by Annemarie Ahearn is the debut title from the New York City chef who left her job in the big city and started a cooking school for home cooks in Maine. Salt Water Farm, her school, shares menus that reflect the treasures of each season and also the spirit of the celebrated moon. For instance, May’s Full Flower Moon has the table adorned with azaleas and daffodils and the meal starts with a fried chive blossom. A beautiful homey but elevated cookbook that shares recipes such as Marmalade Cake with Crème Fraîche, Red Wine Braised Chicken with Chicken of the Woods, Bacon and Savory Herbs, and Cinnamon Rice Pudding with Cara Cara Oranges, Medjool Dates, and Wildflower Honey. Annemarie has a full tour planned to promote her debut book.  A full promotion will be coming on this lovely ode to nature and cooking.

Green Plate Special: Sustainable, Healthy, and Delicious Recipes by Christine Burns Rudalevige is filled with the author’s wealth of knowledge on how we can eat greener – in the sustainability sense – and take advantage of more local fare. The style of the recipes and how they are written, the quality and uniqueness of the recipes and the photographs – all appeal to me. Bacon Bubble and Squeak Cakes, Savory Double Dutch Baby, Grilled Lemon Thyme Buttermilk Biscuits with Strawberries and Cream, and Bulgogi Burgers with Quick Pickles and Spicy Mayonnaise are a few examples of what you have to look forward to in this exciting new book. Look for a promotion soon on Green Plate Special! 

Ugly Little Greens: Gourmet Dishes Crafted From Foraged Ingredients by Mia Wasilevich, well-known foraging expert, is for the adventurous cook and is anything but ugly. Mia shares her vast experience on how to forage for, and cook with, nettles, cattail, watercress and more. Over 80 recipes as well as maps, color photos, and key identifying tips are all outlined in this vibrant get back to nature title. Lambsquarters Marbled Bread (a green that tastes like spinach), Nettles Benedict, and Cattail Pollen Madeleines are a few examples of the types of recipes found here. Elevated dishes with less than elevated but still delicious ingredients. 

Spanish Made Simple: Foolproof Spanish Recipes for Every Day by Omar Allibhoy was released back in September in the UK and now this gorgeous chef’s equally gorgeous cookbook has arrived stateside this month. Vibrant colors pop from each recipe which include Spiced Mashed Potatoes with Crispy Pork Belly, Slow-Cooked Pork Belly with a Sweet, Spicy and Sour Sauce, Piquillo Peppers Stuffed with Mushrooms (I thought I’d better get off the pork belly fixation and throw a veg in this list), and Orange and Almond Creme Caramel. We are working on a promotion on this book as well. The author’s first book Tapas Revolution: 120 Simple, Classic Spanish Recipes is a happy member of my cookbook collection. 

 

Prime: The Beef CookBook by Richard H. Turner, the king of meat, shares 150 recipes devoted to meat cookery. Turner was trained by the Roux brothers, Pierre Koffmann and Marco Pierre White – and now his talents are present in several of London’s restaurants – Pitt Cue Co., Hawksmoor, Foxlow and more – as well as being one half of Turner & George – the best-quality butcher/supplier of British rare breed meat. He is also the man behind the famed Meatopia festival. The man is the king of meat. There are so many recipes in this title that appeal to me (remember, I’m not the biggest beef lover by any means) – Burmese Beef Curry, Bone Marrow Dumplings, and Sichuan Beef. Turner’s vault of experience is spread throughout the pages between recipes and photographers that might tempt even the die-hard vegetarian.

Dalmatia: Recipes from Croatia’s Mediterranean Coast by Ino Kuvacic celebrates and offers traditional recipes that capture the fresh, simple cuisine of the Dalmatian region. The title page has a stunning aerial view of the coast line that captures my heart immediately – any place this mesmerizing surely must be home to beautiful cuisine as well. Earlier, I quipped about Burnt Ends in a book making me tear up, the photos here stir my soul. Until I can walk along these shores, I will be content to prepare and sample the dishes of this magical locale. Scampi in Garlic, White Wine and Tomato, Cabbage Sausages, and Croatian Apple Cake along with other sweets unlike any I have come across await us. My grandmother was Croatian and even though I do not have deep feelings with regard to much of my family this book somehow strangely brings me closer to her.

Sri Lanka: The Cookbook by Prakash K Sivanathan and Niranjala M Ellawala shares feather-light hoppers, fiery sambols, subtly spiced curries and unique ‘vada’ (fried snacks) in this definitive collection of Sri Lanka’s most authentic and vibrant recipes. Dig into 100 recipes that celebrate the island’s wonderful ingredients, from okra and jackfruit to coconut and chillies, and explore its culture through original travel photography of the country, its kitchens and its people. We are working on bringing you a promotion on this title and I hope to have more information for you at the monthly roundup.