Makan by Elizabeth Haigh withdrawn from publication after controversy

In May's New Cookbook Review, I wrote the following: "Makan: Recipes from the Heart of Singapore by Elizabeth Haigh: The author is a Singaporean-born chef who competed on MasterChef in 2011 and went on to win a Michelin star at the Hackney-based restaurant Pidgin. She has since launched Kaizen House a creative space where chefs and eaters can gather through residencies and other… read more

The Great British Bake Off / Baking Show Recap – Episode 3 – Bread Week

Darcie, Jane and I are back again for another recap. A reminder that narrative not labeled as Darcie or Jane was written or compiled by Jenny. I don't think I have laughed as much during an episode as I did this week. My only regret is that I wish I had thought of taking a shot each time a baker… read more

This week: Cookbook news, EYB features, GBBO recaps, online classes, recipes and more

Earlier this week several social media sites were down for roughly five hours inspiring Darcie to write Things to do when Facebook and Instagram are down. This post was a good reminder of some of EYB's features both old and new. How to Make EYB work better for you is another great reference for our members. Even after working for… read more

Giving thanks in 2021

Canadian Thanksgiving is October 11 and the US holiday follows, landing this year on November 25. As many of us gather again after a year or more with no large get togethers, we have extra reason to be thankful. Thanksgiving also means it is time to gather recipes for family favorites as well as check out new items for this… read more

Jialin Tian – Ph.D. Pastry Chef – Cookbook Giveaway

Back in July (how is it already October?), I wrote about a diamond of a recommendation from Amazon. Lightning does strike twice and thanks to another recommendation I discovered Jialin Tian a few weeks ago. The cover below tempted me to take a deep dive into Jialin's work. I reached out and requested review copies of her books, ordered an… read more

World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2021

After a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic, World's 50 Best has returned and released its list for 2021. Landing in the top spot was René Redzepi’s Noma. That restaurant will now be placed on the 'Best of the Best' list and will no longer be eligible to be named in the top 50 again. Despite efforts toward inclusivity and a… read more

The Modern Preserver’s Kitchen Cookbook Giveaway

Enter our US/UK/AU/NZ giveaway to win one of three copies of The Modern Preserver's Kitchen: Cooking with Your Preserves by Kylee Newton. With over 30 recipes for jams, chutneys, ferments and pickles, and 70 dishes in which to use them, The Modern Preserver's Kitchen is the ideal cookbook for those who want to make the most of each season's offerings.… read more

Things to do when Facebook and Instagram are down

Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp (along with other sites) went down for several hours today, throwing people into a tizzy. My Twitter feed was filled with people either happy or vexed about the outage. Reading that was no fun, so I thought of a few things to do when social media programs are down: Go through your cookbooks and 'I want… read more

Food news antipasto

As the holidays creep closer, people who love to bake are gearing up for their favorite time of the year. Trays of cookies, celebratory cakes like bûche de Noël, and Thanksgiving and Christmas pies all beckon. If you are living in the United States and are looking forward to holiday baking season, you might want to buy your flour now,… read more

The Great British Bake Off / Baking Show Recap – Episode 2 – Biscuit Week

Before we begin our recap of this week's episode, I have a few notes: a member mentioned it took her a long time to find last week's recap. To locate the recaps quickly, I have tagged all 2021 GBBO related posts with #gbbo2021 - so bookmark that link. You can also use "Search this Blog" from the blog page -… read more

The ins and outs of buttermilk

Pancakes, Southern biscuits, cornbread - all benefit from the tangy punch of buttermilk. But not all buttermilks are the same, according to an article from Eater. The dairy product has morphed from its origins as a byproduct of butter making to a cultured product akin to kefir or yogurt. Food historians theorize that buttermilk originated in eastern Europe as animal… read more

The last two weeks: Rice, rice and more rice, EYBD Previews, cookbook giveaways and more

Hello members. We skipped the roundup last week due to the monthly newsletter's publication as we like to keep our emails to our members to a minimum. (And, if truth be told, September's new cookbook review was a bit exhausting and I needed a few days to recover!) If you missed the newsletter in your inbox, you can always find… read more

Food and Wine editors on the top cookbooks of the season

If you would like to practice using the new EYB Wishlist feature, I have another enabling post for your consideration. This time it is the picks for top cookbooks of fall 2021 from the editors at Food and Wine. Get ready to click the Wishlist icon frequently - F&W has listed twenty-three essential books. I have a few of these… read more

Bittman talks to José Andrés

In the first episode of Season 2 of his podcast Food with Mark Bittman, the food writer talks with chef-cum-humanitarian José Andrés. The episode starts with a recounting of Bittman's favorite Andrés recipe, one that involves Santorini lentils, before he begins the interview. The ever ebullient chef talked with Bittman for nearly an hour on a number of subjects, including… read more

Gourmet Traveller 2022 Restaurant Awards finalists announced

Like many other restaurant awards, the Gourmet Traveller awards went on hiatus during the pandemic, but they have now returned in full force. Well, almost full force, as the planned awards dinner has been cancelled and instead the winners will be announced online on Sunday, 24 October. The announcement precedes Gourmet Traveller's November Celebration Special print issue, which will highlight… read more

Amber & Rye Cookbook Giveaway

Enter our US/UK/AU/NZ giveaway to win one of four copies of Amber & Rye: A Baltic Food Journey: Estonia • Latvia • Lithuania by Zuza Zak. Amber & Rye: A Baltic Food Journey: Estonia • Latvia • Lithuania by Zuza Zak was published in the UK and AU in June. Zuza is the author of Polska: New Polish Cooking (2016), a… read more

September 2021 New Cookbook Review

Hello members, it's me, the broken record, once again telling you that many of this month's cookbooks have been bumped to October, November or beyond. So I offer this caveat - as of this writing, the books below are published or are to be published by September 30th. But those dates can change at a moment's notice. Shipping delays, paper… read more

Food news antipasto

empty wineglasses on a tray
Michael Ruhlman's book Ratio opened my eyes to understanding how so many recipes work, ranging from custard to pastry crust. That is why I enjoyed this useful chart of six essential baking ratios from Taste of Home. Print it out and keep it handy when comparing recipes. Can you get too much GBBO? Nah, we don't think so. This week… read more

The Great British Bake Off / Baking Show Recap – Episode 1 – Cake Week

"Don't bake my tart, my flaky pastry tart." This year Darcie and I are going to give our personal recaps on each episode of GBBO. Below each challenge - I have linked to online recipes on the GBBO site. I have printed out the mini roll cake recipe to make for guests on Tuesday and will come back and post… read more

Bowls & Broths Cookbook Giveaway

Enter our US/UK/AU/NZ giveaway to win one of three copies of Bowls and Broths: Build a Bowl of Flavour From Scratch, with Dumplings, Noodles, and More by Pippa Middlehurst. Bowls and Broths: Season, Layer and Build Soothing Dishes From Scratch by Pippa Middlehurst is a super-fresh collection of broth-based recipes that will teach you how to season, layer and create versatile… read more

September 2021 EYB Cookbook Club Summary

Each month we offer at least four cooking options in our Eat Your Books Cookbook Club. This month we have been cooking from: Main option: Cook This Book: Techniques That Teach and Recipes to Repeat by Molly Baz or Jew-ish: A Cookbook: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch by Jake CohenBaking option: Modern Baking: Cakes, Cookies and Everything in Between by Donna Hay or A Good Bake: The… read more

The difference between crispy and crunchy

There are some words that food writers avoid, whether because people tend to have strong opinions about them (like moist), because they are overused , or because their meanings aren't clear. For food writer Maggie Hennessy, two adjectives give her pause for the last reason. Hennessy says she is confounded by the differences between crispy and crunchy. Both terms imply… read more

What’s your favorite GBBO recipe?

Now that those in the UK have been able to get their GBBO fix and others are but a few days away, it is time to revisit some of our favorite recipes from the GBBO, as The Telegraph has done. Since that article is behind a paywall (and I have already used my free trial), I will share my favorites… read more

You don’t want to miss these showdowns

Most of us love a good competition - which is why we'll be glued to our screens as soon as the Great British Bake Off returns tomorrow (we have to wait longer here in the US so no spoilers, please). There is another friendly competition that ticks the boxes for us cookbook lovers can be found at Book Riot, which… read more

Food news antipasto

After 18 long years, it has finally happened - chef René Redzepi and his restaurant Noma have received a third Michelin star. In an Instagram post, the restaurant said "We want to thank our wonderful guests for their support over the last 18 years and a huge shout of course to all our collaborators—farmers, winemakers, foragers—everyone that’s been a part of… read more
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