Some highlights from our collection of books relating to food in Chinese culture include books by the wonderful Martin Yan:
Martin Yan's Chinatown Cooking.200 Traditional Recipes from 11 Chinatowns Around the World. 2002, 1st ed., inscribed; as always his recipes are so well-researched, with an extensive list of ingredients, or Chinese Pantry. Call to order (831) 251-9218 or visit www.cooksbookcase.com
We’ve got lots of books about the history of New Orleans Restaurants - influences from both urban and rural Creole, Cajun and traditional French cuisines. I always enjoy reading Alton Brown’s 2008 book Feasting on Asphalt: The River Run - stories & photos of where he scouts out great places to eat in Louisiana, with recipes included! The photo below is by Jean Claude Dhien of a typical Crawfish boil – 50 pounds at a time! Simply visit www.cooksbookcase.com
In her newest novel, The Care and Management of Lies, NY: Harper, 2014, Jacqueline Winspear creates a new character for her fans, Kezia Brissenden, who gradually learns how to cook!
She runs a large farm, learns to develop recipes, writes them down in mouth-watering detail in letters to her husband Tom, a soldier on the frontlines of World War One. He reads the letters aloud to his mates in the trenches, as she describes the addition of herbs in a sauce, the aroma of a succulent lamb stew, the crust for an apple pie etc. Kezia is an ordinary woman on the homefront, but the author typically brings the young woman's personal troubles, and her farm kitchen to life. Ms. Winspear is the author of the fabulously popular Maisie Dobbs mysteries.
At each chapter heading there is a brief quote from Florence B. Jack’s The Woman’s Book: Contains Everything a Woman Ought to Know, published in 1911. It is a wedding present from Kezia’s best friend Thea (Tom’s sister) and is one of those single volumes containing a multitude of suggestions for household duties, regularity of cleaning rooms, cooking, the larder, menu planning, and general feminine decorum.
the Cook’s Bookcase has for sale many similar one-volume Woman’s Books for sale, including Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management, The White House Cookbook, The Settlement Book, Woman’s Home Companion’s Household Book etc. Call for more info (831) 251-9218
I'm now a member of the Independent Online Booksellers Association, IOBA. Helping to ensure the preservation of traditional bookselling values and high standards for you, the customer!
If you love books, you can imagine how fun it would be to have a bookshop all to yourself. Liz Pollock, owner of the Cook’s Bookcase, let me live that dream by inviting me into her cozy home store that specializes in food literature of all kinds. Having grown up with food (“Julia Child was my babysitter,” she joked), Pollock has brought her love for food, print, and community together to create her store.
A culinary enthusiast and book lovers dream…
The books span topics from seaweed (a whole BOOK about seaweed!), to French cooking, to local cooks like Gayle and Joe Ortiz of Gayle’s Bakery. Pollock stressed that she wants people to USE her books, even if they are classics or collectables. Her dream is that the books she sells will help people learn to cook. After getting a little help finding the right book, I decided to do just that.
My book of inspiration…
I grabbed some beets from Live Oak Farmers Market, and set out to make oregano biscuits and beets with tahini.
How beautiful is this leafy dough?
Being my first time cooking with beets, it didn’t take long for me to really get the whole “turning beet red” phrase. I just kept thinking, “Wow, my hands really are BEET RED!” It was reminiscent of the first time I got the whole, “it’s like learning how to ride a bike,” thing.
Delicious, fresh and inspired!
There were a couple mistakes along the way (like realizing that I had used the wrong measuring cup, only after blaming the recipe for not using enough flour. Everyone does that, right?), but in the end I had a delicious meal. If Liz Pollock’s hope is for people to learn to make great food from her books, then I like to think that in a small way I helped to realize that dream.
The Cook’s Bookcase is a fantastic place to find unique and inspiring recipes that can make any seasoned or aspiring chef shine. Explore books full of recipes, techniques & information on gastronomy & wine that will bring your kitchen to life and introduce new flavors into your home. Let new recipes impress your holiday guests or find a one-of-a-kind gift for any book lover or aspiring chef on your list. Shop online here and begin browsing the aisles!
So happy to meet everyone at the recent "Gastronomy & Fine Print Symposium"!
The Book Club of California in SF really put on a wonderful show last weekend; I enjoyed hearing all the presentations and panel discussions! If there is a book you saw and would like to order from the event, please call me (831) 251-9218.
