Books to get inspired

[tzakiel]

I just posted a blog entry about 3-4 books that really got me inspired to learn more and be better... and realized it might belong here as well.

Books for Cooks | Arrivals and Departures - Jon Van Dalen's Food, Photography and Travel Blog

I hope you'll check it out, but in a nutshell:

Kitchen Confidential - got me started wanting more

After that I decided to learn starting with French cuisine, since it has so much history and technique behind it.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking - a great start and a classic
Les Halles Cookbook - learning "real" cooking
The French Laundry - pure heaven and a real challenge

 

[oneoffour]

Another way that has inspired me is to go to a really great resturant and have a dinner that is unforgetable. We come home and then try to duplicate favorite dish or the presentation.
The Inn at Little Washington in Virginia, Blue Hills at Stone Barn in New York, The French Manor in Pa and White Barn in Maine have been place we have enjoyed and added to our creative cooking.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I bought "The Pioneer Woman Cooks" the other day. It's worth it just for the photographs and the laughs, nevermind the wonderful recipes. I managed to read the enitire cookbook in a few hours, now DH is about halfway through it. It's the first cookbook he's ever picked up to read.

 

[ChefJune]

I just posted a blog entry about 3-4 books that really got me inspired to learn more and be better... and realized it might belong here as well.

Books for Cooks | Arrivals and Departures - Jon Van Dalen's Food, Photography and Travel Blog

I hope you'll check it out, but in a nutshell:

Kitchen Confidential - got me started wanting more

After that I decided to learn starting with French cuisine, since it has so much history and technique behind it.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking - a great start and a classic
Les Halles Cookbook - learning "real" cooking
The French Laundry - pure heaven and a real challenge

These are good books, but imho you should also have La Technique by Jacques Pepin.

Inspiration for me? Pepin's autobio, "The Apprentice,"
"Culinary Artistry" by Dornenburg and Page
"Simple French Cooking," by Richard Olney
"Simply French, the Cuisine of Joel Robuchon" by Patricia Wells
"In the Hands of a Chef," by Jody Adams
"Leon de Lyon" cookbook by Jean-Paul Lacombe.

and for Italian, anything by Anna Teresa Callen.

 

[Saphellae]

I am always on the lookout for appetizer ideas. I was at the library yesterday and decided to, on a whim, pull Martha Stuart off the shelf. Her book Hors D'oeuvres Handbook has some great ideas in there - they are very creative. From the book, I am trying to learn some techniques and ideas for presentation.

I love laying out a few different appetizers for myself and a glass of wine, while I read a book. I don't do it often, but when I do I LOVE IT.

 

[kadesma]

I am always on the lookout for appetizer ideas. I was at the library yesterday and decided to, on a whim, pull Martha Stuart off the shelf. Her book Hors D'oeuvres Handbook has some great ideas in there - they are very creative. From the book, I am trying to learn some techniques and ideas for presentation.

I love laying out a few different appetizers for myself and a glass of wine, while I read a book. I don't do it often, but when I do I LOVE IT.

Saph,
I have 3-4 Martha books that were gifts. I love her decorating ideas. They can be scaled down or bigger. When I made my anti-pasto trays they are always large and they do take time to do but I love the way they look. One of my favorite tings is to take a tiny miniature rose a piece of Maiden Hair fern and tie with a thin silk wired ribbon Put it where I feel it shows best.Dresses up a tray so nice. Some of the recipes are labor intensive, but I learned to make French onion soup her way and it's killer.
You can't go wrong with many of her ideas.
kades

 

[merstar]

This is a great book, filled with funny, warm, clever anecdotes, and excellent recipes:
Talk with Your Mouth Full: The Hearty Boys Cookbook:
Amazon.com: Talk with Your Mouth Full: The Hearty Boys Cookbook (9781584796404): Dan Smith, Steve McDonagh, Laurie Proffitt: Books

For anyone who loves chocolate (like me , this is a fantastic book:
Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate
Amazon.com: Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate (0791243651608): Alice Medrich, Deborah Jones: Books

 

[ChefJune]

I am always on the lookout for appetizer ideas. I was at the library yesterday and decided to, on a whim, pull Martha Stuart off the shelf. Her book Hors D'oeuvres Handbook has some great ideas in there - they are very creative. From the book, I am trying to learn some techniques and ideas for presentation.

I love laying out a few different appetizers for myself and a glass of wine, while I read a book. I don't do it often, but when I do I LOVE IT.

The best thing Martha Stewart did with that book was take a whole bunch of other people's great recipes and put them together under one cover. The worst thing she did in that book was not acknowledge where she got all those recipes!

 

[Saphellae]

I have no doubt about it June!!! But nonetheless, all of those wonderful things under one "roof" sure helps!!

 

[Gennie32]

cook books

when we had things from other source we should acknowledge it. Find some interesting cook books over here - Inspirational Cook Books | PLEASANT SPOT