Hot Weather Foods

            Here are some ideas for hot weather meals, bound up in some recently published cookbooks.

            Cool Smoke: The Art of Great Barbecue is written by Tuffy Stone, a World Record-breaking champion pit master who has traveled throughout the world on the competition circuit. He provides tips on how to handle smoke, fuel, and fire during the cooking process, and then continues with recipes for rubs, sauces, brines, mops and sprays and dishes made of pork, beef, poultry, and seafood. Recipes for some sides, salads, and desserts round up the collection. Colorful photos and clear text simplifies meal preparation.

            Great Vegan BBQ without a Grill: Amazing Plant-Based Ribs, Burgers, Steaks, Kabobs, and More Smoky Favorites is written by Linda and Alex Meyer, who are the authors of the food blog Veganosity. Using a grill pan or cast iron skillet instead of an outdoor grill or smoker you can prepare plant-based barbecue, burgers, kabobs and other entrees along with sides and salads, dips, sauces and rubs.

            A la Mode: 120 Recipes in 60 Pairings: Pies, Tarts, Cakes, Crisps, and More Topped with Ice Cream, Gelato, Frozen custard, and More is written by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarborough, popular cookbook writers and QVC favorites. Not just apple pie and vanilla ice cream, this book features more unusual recipes and combinations to please your palate.

New Cookbooks

Here are a few new books that we have added to our cookbook collection.

The Chew Approved: The Most Popular Recipes from the Chew Viewers, edited by Ashley Archer, is a collection of recipes endorsed by the hosts of this TV show. On the show, hosts Mario Batali, Carla Hall, Clinton Kelly, Daphne Oz, and Michael Symon work with audience members to prepare dishes. Of the recipes in this book, some are the most popular from the viewer audience and some are from the hosts themselves; all of them are available to viewers through computer download. There are five chapters entitled: 1. Breakfast Bonanza; 2. Amazing Appetizers; 3. Weeknight Wonders; 4. Fabulous Weekend Feasts; and 5. Sensational Sweets. All of the recipes include ingredients, cooking instructions, number of servings, prep time, and cook time. The names of recipe contributors, comments from hosts, and many color photos also are provided.   

The book Preserving Italy: Canning, Curing, Infusing, and Bottling Italian Flavors and Traditions is written by Domenica Marchetti. The recipes in this book go beyond the typical American jams and relishes. Through the author’s collection of family recipes and her travels through the different areas of Italy, we are given a variety of foods – those preserved in oil, or in vinegar, or in alcohol – those featuring tomatoes and sauce – confections – simple cured meats – and more; all preserved at the peak of their flavors and ready to enjoy year-round. 

A La Mode: 120 Recipes in 60 Pairings: Pies, Tarts, Cakes, Crisps, and More Topped with Ice Cream, Gelato, Frozen Custard, and More is written by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough. The authors have been featured on various TV shows and QVC, host a cooking podcast Cooking with Bruce and Mark, and have written several cookbooks and magazine articles. The combinations of pastries and frozen treats are out-of-this-world. Calorie counts are not included (why would you want them?) Color photos accompany the text.

Best Salty Sweet Snacks: Gooey, Chewy, Crunchy Treats for Every Craving is written by food writer and editor Monica Sweeney. Five chapters are comprised of five different types of snacks: 1. Gooey Snacks – such as salted butterscotch fudge; 2. Savory Snacks – such as peanut butter bacon cookies; 3. Crunchy Snacks – such as chocolate marshmallow popcorn balls; 4. Chocolaty Snacks – such as chocolate-covered potato chips; and 5. Nutty Snacks – such as salted almond brittle. Ingredients, instructions, number of servings, and color photos are all provided.

Baked Delights: Part Two

            Some more books on baking:

Flour Water Salt Yeast: the Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza, written by Ken Forkish, shows the reader how to bake excellent breads and pizzas. You can adapt the baking time to your personal schedule by choosing from one of three types of dough: straight, pre-ferment, or complex levain.

Bouchon Bakery, written by Thomas Keller and Sebastien Rouxel, presents recipes from the chain of five bakeries that are part of the Thomas Keller Group headed by Keller with Rouxel as the executive pastry chef. Their baked goods are jointly inspired by French and American cuisines.

Tart it up!: Sweet and Savory Tarts and Pies, whose author, Eric Lanlard, is a British master pastry chef, presents a combination of recipes, some for more advanced students and some easier ones using pre-made dough. Lanlard is well-known for his TV career and for Cake Boy, his cake emporium and baking school.

The Joy of Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Baking: 80 Low-Carb Recipes that Offer Solutions for Celiac Disease, by Peter Reinhart, is a collection of 80 recipes for the wheat sensitive, diabetics and low-carb/low-sugar dieters. Selections include breads, pastries, cookies, cakes, and more.

Vintage Cakes: Timeless Recipes for Cupcakes, Flips, Rolls, Layer, Angel, Bundt, Chiffon, and Icebox Cakes for Today’s Sweet Tooth presents updated recipes for more than 50 classic cakes, some of which were in their heyday almost 100 years ago. Julie Richardson is the author.

Joy the Baker Cookbook: 100 Simple and Comforting Recipes is written by Joy Wilson, a caterer and blogger. Here she presents recipes on everything sweet: pancakes, pies, pudding, cakes, brownies, cookies, snacks, and frosting.

Baked Delights: Cookbooks to Please the Palate

     Here are some new books featuring baking; some are written for beginners, some for the experienced, and the rest for everyone else.

Seasonal Baker: Easy Recipes from my Home Kitchen to Make Year-Round, written by John Barricelli, contains over 100 baking recipes using fruits and vegetables available by season. The author is the owner of the SoNo Baking Company in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Your Time to Bake: a First Cookbook for the Novice Baker is written by Robert L. Blakeslee. This is a beginner’s text that explains it all: definitions, needed equipment, techniques, baking products and their substitutes, and more. There are over 1500 photos used with the step-by-step instructions for 150 recipes.

Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook: More than 100 Recipes from the Best Little Bakery in the South. The authors, Cheryl and Griffith Day, are the owners of a bakery in Savannah, Georgia that is celebrating its tenth anniversary. Their desserts and breads have been highly praised by Chef Paula Deen, who writes the foreword for this book.

The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook: Sweetness in Seattle, by Tom Douglas, includes stories, photos, recipes and more. The author is a prize-winning Seattle restaurant owner and chef.

A Year of Pies: a Seasonal Tour of Home Baked Pies is written by Ashley English. She starts with the basics and then continues with 60 recipes for pies and tarts, based on ingredients available seasonally.

Sweet Home: Over 100 Heritage Recipes and Ideas for Preserving Your Family History, by Rebecca Miller Ffrench presents Norwegian-based baking recipes, while focusing on activities family members can enjoy while preserving their culinary heritage.

Cupcakes: The Latest Trend in Baking

Why are cupcakes so appealing? Because they’re easy to decorate! And you can create a different look for every one! And they are portion controlled – unless you eat more than one! Here are some recently published books about cupcakes.

Cake Pops by Bakerella: Tips, Tricks, and Recipes for More than 40 Irresistible Mini Treats is written by Angie Dudley, who hosts the blog site Bakerella.com. Here she presents forty different cake pops, with accompanying photos and clear step-by-step instructions.

Celebrate with Cupcakes: Designs and Techniques for Creating 30 Gorgeous Cupcakes, written by Lindy Smith, a professional baker and baking author who lives in Great Britain. Her book includes the basics of baking, decorating and painting the cupcakes, then progresses to the creation of seasonal/holiday and animal-modeled examples.

The Cupcake Diaries: Recipes and Memories from the Sisters of Georgetown Cupcake is written by Katherine Kallinis & Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne, authors and sisters who recount their life story here. Both college graduates, Katherine and Sophie left promising careers to open a cupcake shop, DC
Cupcakes that took off. They now have a second shop and a hit television series on TLC. Their stories are interspersed with recipes and photos.

Two-bite Cupcakes , written by Viola Goren, presents 70 cupcake recipes that range from those that include special fillings, to toppings, to chocolate and to savory ingredients. Celebration cupcakes for holidays and special events also are given. The importance of proper equipment and correct ingredients are emphasized. Easy-to-follow instructions and photos accompany each recipe.

Books on Baking: Ban Those Winter Blues

The book Bake!: Essential Techniques for Perfect Baking, written by Nick Malgieri, is an ideal selection for beginning and intermediate bakers. Each of its twenty chapters highlights a different baking technique; its 125 recipes include numbered steps and many photographs.

Baked Explorations : Classic American Desserts Reinvented, written by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, is the second book from the owners of the Brooklyn bakery Baked. (They now own a second bakery in Charleston, South Carolina.) Seventy-five recipes are distributed in chapters featuring breakfast, tarts and pies, cookies and bars, cakes, confections and pastry. The authors have appeared often on television with Oprah, Martha Stewart, and on the Food Network.

The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free, written by Anne Byrn, is one of several Cake Mix Doctor books from the author. Using gluten-free cake mixes in combination with a variety of other items, Byrn produces cakes, cupcakes, brownies, bars and cookies, frosting and more from over seventy-five recipes. Byrn often appears on television shows' cooking segments.

Sarabeth's Bakery : from My Hands to Yours, written by Sarabeth Levine with Rick Rodgers, is the first cookbook from the longtime Manhattan bakery owner. Scones, muffins, croissants, cookies, and other classics, often paired with the spreadable fruits for which Sarabeth is known, are featured in her step-by-step recipes accompanied by photos. More advanced recipes are presented too.

Recipes for a Tasty Christmas

Here are three cookbooks to help you prepare for the Christmas holiday season.

“Christmas Cookies: 50 Recipes to Treasure for the Holiday Season” is a collection of a variety of Christmas cookies, along with guidelines on the baking, storage, and mailing of them. There also is information on how to host a holiday cookie swap and a cookie-decorating party.

“Southern Living Christmas Cookbook: All-New Ultimate Holiday Entertaining Guide” presents more than 350 holiday recipes, from appetizers to desserts, as well as 32 menus for the holidays and for parties during the rest of the year. You can host dinners, brunches, buffets, cocktail parties and more.

“Woman’s Day Christmas Cookies, Candies and Cakes” includes an abundance of recipes, with accompanying color photos, of a variety of shaped, drop and bar cookies along with those for cakes and candies.