Exploring Sicily’s culinary traditions

May 8, 2017 by
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  While today Sicily is part of Italy, its traditions, architecture, and more have been influenced over the centuries by various North African and Middle Eastern cultures just as much as that of the Italian mainland. In an article that will make you want to book  the next available flight to Sicily, Marisa Raniolo Wilkins (writing for indexed blog Great British Chefs)… read more

A sneak peek at Rose Levy Beranbaum’s upcoming book

May 7, 2017 by
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Fans of Rose Levy Beranbaum have become better bakers thanks to her exquisite and thorough baking books, starting with Romantic and Classic Cakes, the groundbreaking The Cake Bible, and 2014's The Baking Bible. Rose is not content to rest on her laurels, however, and is busy working on another project titled Baking Basics. She recently posted about the photo shoot for… read more

Spice support: fenugreek

May 6, 2017 by
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Many plants perform culinary double-duty: their leaves and their seeds are both used for various culinary purposes. That is the case with today's selection, fenugreek. The Latin name for the herb is quite a mouthful - Trigonella foenum-graecum - and comes from the Latin "Greek hay", according to Harold McGee in On Food and Cooking. It is also known as… read more

The Splendid Table talks to Samin Nosrat

May 5, 2017 by
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Samin Nosrat has taught cooking for many years. To give you insight as to how well she's done in that endeavor, know that Alice Waters has declared her "America's next great cooking teacher". Nosrat has distilled her knowledge into a new cookbook, named after the simple philosophy that she employs in her teaching.  The book is titled Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat,… read more

A musically-inspired cookbook

May 4, 2017 by
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It's not often that a hit Broadway show contains food as a main feature. However, the Tony-nominated musical The Waitress does, as pie plays a major role in the production. In the cult classic movie-turned-Broadway production, the eternally optimistic protagonist expresses her hopes, dreams, fears, and frustrations through the whimsically named pies she bakes each morning. Now a new tie-in cookbook… read more

Grant Achatz is working on a new cookbook

May 3, 2017 by
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  Over 500 EYB Members have a copy of Alinea by Grant Achatz on their Bookshelves. Alinea  was one of the first books to bring molecular gastronomy to the masses, written by a groundbreaking chef who continues to push boundaries in the restaurant world. Now Achatz is working on another cookbook, although this one isn't based on the restaurant, but rather… read more

James Beard chef and restaurant awards

May 2, 2017 by
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Yesterday the James Beard Foundation announced the winners of its chef and restaurant awards. Previously they announced the nominees and semi-finalists, with many contenders from across the United States competing in various regional and national categories like Best Chef Midwest or Outstanding Restaurateur. You might recognize some of the chefs and restaurateurs who have written successful cookbooks, like Michael Solomonov of… read more

Cookbook culling: easier said than done

May 1, 2017 by
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  People in the Northern Hemisphere must be doing a lot of spring cleaning. That is the best explanation I have for the recent rash of articles and posts about paring down cookbook collections; the latest is from San Francisco, where Elaine Corn discusses the pros and cons of culling her 1,000+ cookbook library.  Corn, a former news editor turned food… read more

How eating habits are changing in Australia

April 30, 2017 by
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  We've reported on changing food habits and food trends on the blog before, but most of the stgories have been about US consumers. Now we will turn our sights to Australia, and find out if the trends we've seen in other places are holding true down under.  The changes do seem to reflect those found elsewhere. Australians are eating… read more

Spice support: loomi (black lime/dried lime)

April 29, 2017 by
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Today's installment of our weekly series on spices and herbs arrives via a Member request. After purchasing loomi (aka black limes or dried limes) for a recipe, she was curious as to other uses for this spice, so we hit the books to see what we could find out about this Persian flavoring agent.  As the alternate names for loomi… read more

A guide to rice in Indian foods

April 28, 2017 by
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  Rice is not only a frequent companion to Indian food, it is also an integral part of Indian culture. It is used ceremonially, and is frequently the first solid food fed to infants. There are many different varieties of rice that serve different purposes and have varying culinary uses. If you've ever wondered which type to use when, head… read more

The case for not clearing out your cookbooks

April 27, 2017 by
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  By now most everyone is familiar with Marie Kondo's 'KonMari' method of cleaning and organizing. It is a great way to reduce clutter and relieve the stress that can accumulate along with one's possessions. Some people have items that are off limits to this method, however, as Maria Spiedel explains to indexed blog The Kitchn. Maria explains why she… read more

JBF announces 2017 media award winners

April 25, 2017 by
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  At a gala held this evening, the James Beard Foundation announced its 2017 James Beard Media Award winners. This year will definitely go down as the Year of the South in American cookbooks. While Deep Run Roots was the runaway winner in the IACP awards, Ronni Lundy swept the JBF, winning in the American Cooking category as well as… read more

How eating ‘ugly food’ can help the environment

April 24, 2017 by
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Why don't we eat more octopus? What about gurnard and other ugly fish? Cheeks, feet and offal are cheap and delicious, but people prefer steaks and chops. What about rabbits and squirrels? And what's wrong with ugly vegetables? These are the types of questions that spurred Tim Wharton and Richard Horsey to write their cookbook Ugly Food: Overlooked and Undercooked.… read more

The unicorn food trend

April 23, 2017 by
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Have you had a Starbucks Unicorn Frappucino? If so, you participated in the hottest food trend of the moment: unicorn food. The fad got its start last year, thanks in part to health and wellness blogger Adeline Waugh from Miami, Florida. Ms. Waugh didn't plant to start a trend, however. She was merely experimenting with a natural food dye -… read more

Spice support: kaffir lime leaves

April 22, 2017 by
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Due to the positive responses from last week's post on sumac, we have decided to offer a weekly post that explains an herb, spice, or spice blend. If there is a particular spice, herb, or blend that you are interested in learning more about, send an email to Darcie and she will try to include it in the series. This… read more

Explore Chinese cuisine with excellent teaching cookbooks

April 21, 2017 by
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  Browsing the EYB Library, it is easy to become overwhelmed. If you are looking for a cookbook to use as a springboard for learning a particular cuisine, you probably have hundreds from which to choose. Finding one that strikes the correct balance between history, instruction, and authenticity can be a challenge. For someone learning Chinese cuisines, a recent article… read more

Impractical kitchen gadgets that we love anyway

April 20, 2017 by
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  Every day it seems my inbox is filled with advertisements for shiny new kitchen gadgets that promise to save time or outperform older models. A kitchen scale is so much more accurate than that old set of measuring cups, and by using the tare feature I can get those cookies in the oven faster. That heavy-duty blender will make… read more

Is this a golden age of desserts?

April 19, 2017 by
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  For many years - decades , even - desserts at restaurants were often an afterthought. Only in the finest dining establishments would you find a dedicated pastry chef who would put together a well-considered, challenging, and delicious dessert menu. In the aftermath of the financial crisis in the late 2000s, even those restaurants began to cut their pastry programs.… read more

Browse cookbooks in a hotel lobby

April 18, 2017 by
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  If you are planning to visit New York City, we found a hotel that you may never want to leave if you love cookbooks. Matt Sartwell, the managing partner of Kitchen Arts & Letters has opened a branch of the culinary bookstore in the lobby library of the Park South Hotel in NoMad. The site will feature a wide variety of… read more

Meet the new Queen of Ice Cream

April 17, 2017 by
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  Unlike the recent spate of ice cream cookbooks, Hello, My Name is Ice Cream by Dana Cree isn't a book from an iconic local shop or specialty label ice cream manufacturer. As indexed magazine Saveur explains in its interview with Dana, the cookbook is more of "a single-subject edition of Modernist Cuisine, or a biochem textbook where the at-home exercises reward you… read more

The ultimate guide to Italian bakeries

April 16, 2017 by
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EYB Members, being very worldly, are likely familiar with a great many Italian baked goods and desserts like biscotti, pannetone, and cannoli. But these delicious treats are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Italian baking. Dozens more fried doughs, cookies, and frozen treats hail from Italy, with intriguing names like zeppole, cassatini, and pasticiotti. If you… read more

What is sumac?

April 15, 2017 by
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  It seems like Middle Eastern food is becoming more popular by the minute. As people focus on the cuisine of the region, they will undoubtedly encounter a few spices and herbs that are unfamiliar to them. One of the newer (to Western palates) spices to emerge recently is sumac. Let's take a quick look at this versatile spice.  Sumac… read more

Pale foods can be nutritious too

April 14, 2017 by
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  We've all heard the mantra from health professionals: for optimal nutrition, eat brightly colored foods. Dark green, vivid orange, deep purple - all of these rich colors are associated with foods high in vitamins and beneficial compounds. Despite this correlation, many pale foods are healthy, too. The Toronto Globe and Mail explains, discussing five colorless foods that are good for… read more

Food for Soul

April 13, 2017 by
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When chefs become famous, they usually work to expand their restaurant empire by opening new locations, often in far-flung places. Celebrated chef Massimo Bottura of Osteria Francescana, located in Modena, Italy and one of the world's top restaurants, has chosen a different path. Instead of creating more eateries, he is focusing his energy on an initiative to ameliorate the growing… read more
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