By: Tessa,
on 9/22/2015
Heidi Swanson, author of the fantastic Super Natural Every Day, doesn't disappoint in this newest collection inspired by her travel journals. Her vegetarian recipes contain influences from Japan to Italy to Morocco to India and are delicious, inventive without being complicated, and, as a bonus, fairly healthy. Books mentioned in this post Near and Far: [...]
By: Tracey T.,
on 9/4/2015
New cookbook releases come in slow and easy during the summer, giving us all a chance to kick back, dig around in the garden, and maybe even work on our salad skills to eat a little healthier. Or in my case, work on corn-on-the-cob eating skills where I try not to cover my entire face [...]
By: Tracey T.,
on 9/1/2015
Beloved Portland restaurant The Country Cat is this city's go-to for rustic yet elegant Midwestern farmers fare. Chefs Adam and Jackie Sappington call Heartlandia, "glorified gramma food." Restaurant-proven recipes are made nicely manageable for the home cook. Now we can enjoy "The Cats" savory goodness at home and in our jammies. Books mentioned in this [...]
By: Cara Nicoletti,
on 8/19/2015
Note: Join us at Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing on Wednesday, September 16, for an author event with Cara Nicoletti. As a kid, I read for two reasons: the first, and most common, was to escape from my everyday life by imagining a different one — to read about people and places that I [...]
By: Rhianna Walton,
on 7/10/2015
Hugh Acheson's The Broad Fork is Southern cooking by way of the farmer's market. Short chapters are devoted to one fresh ingredient, like broad beans, prepared in several simple, elegant ways. These humble broad beans with tomatoes and fatback were a huge hit at our potluck and would be a worthy summer accompaniment to grilled [...]
By: Tracey T.,
on 7/10/2015
The Broad Fork is from Southern chef Hugh Acheson — although he's actually Canadian. He followed his American wife to the South and fell in love with the food, so The Broad Fork has a touch of the American South in its recipes. Inspired by farmer's markets and community-supported agriculture boxes, he concentrates on recipes [...]
By: Tracey T.,
on 7/10/2015
Are we ever cooking from this cookbook! Author Anna Jones presents a fine, fat cookbook (352 pages) of creative vegetarian recipes. I've already made the Gentle Brown Rice — twice. Filled with nuts and loaded with aromatic spices, I've served this to guests and family alike. The second time I made the Gentle Brown Rice, [...]
By: Gigi Little,
on 7/10/2015
What's not to love about yummy stuff on toast? I was excited to have chosen Better on Toast as my potluck recipe cookbook because of the sheer variety of delicious and exotic ingredient combinations. It was fun to try more than one recipe and bring it in for tasting, but it also spurred on some [...]
By: Tracey T.,
on 7/10/2015
There is nothing as satisfying as a really good sandwich. Better on Toast celebrates the sandwich cousin, the open-faced sandwich. Author Jill Donenfeld ALWAYS starts with really good bread. (This isn't a baking book; it's all about the topping. Nevertheless, she includes one bread recipe — and a gluten-free recipe at that.) Step two in [...]
By: Kim T.,
on 7/10/2015
It was so hard to choose a recipe from this wonderful cookbook knowing that each one comes from the best of the best. During the summer months, who better to advise on combining fresh veggies from the garden and the best way to cook them than Alice Waters. Her easy and heavenly version of ratatouille [...]
By: Tracey T.,
on 7/10/2015
Genius Recipes is from the popular food blog Food52. Kristen Miglore heads their column of near-perfect recipes culled from various sources: well-known chefs, bloggers, and cookbook authors. Here are some reasons why you'll want this cookbook: 1. These recipes really are genius. They are tried and true; you can count on them. 2. Miglore does [...]
By: Tracey T.,
on 7/10/2015
First off, this is a beauty of a cookbook. The fruits and flowers on the cover are gently embossed. What is a picnic without a few ants? Don't miss the tiny guests at the bottom of the cover. This attention to detail is carried along throughout the book: Deviled Eggs with Chorizo Strips, Shocking-Pink Beet [...]
By: Aubrey,
on 7/10/2015
The Picnic is like a hidden secret, full of wonderful summer food preparations and easy but innovative, already-familiar recipe ideas. For example, the salad on a stick is pure genius, and can be made and enjoyed anywhere — I put together the caprese variation at work in our kitchen, only moments before it was served! [...]
By: Genevieve A.,
on 6/17/2015
The Brooklyn-based small-batch ice cream makers reveal the secrets of their amazing, all-natural recipes in this detailed and enticing book. From old favorites like vanilla and chocolate to exotic flavors such as black sesame, stout beer, and masala chai, there's something for everyone — vegans included! Books mentioned in this post Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice [...]
By: Tracey T.,
on 5/22/2015
Spring is a heady time for cookbook releases. There are so many new cookbooks that it feels like Christmas; we even had an early spring mini potluck lunch for a taste testing. We have so much love for many of these new cookbooks. Missing from these reviews are a number of dessert cookbooks; there were [...]
By: Tate,
on 5/20/2015
In Proof, Rogers distills the science and history of booze into a fascinating, thoroughly enjoyable book exploring alcohol's most basic elements (yeast, sugar, smell and taste) along with its neurological effects and even the dreaded hangover. You'll gain a new appreciation for one of humankind's most alluring creations. Books mentioned in this post Proof: The [...]
By: Mark Bittman,
on 5/12/2015
People ask me all the time what they can do to help improve the food system. Given that some of the problems that need fixing (like unsustainable agriculture, mistreatment of workers and animals, hunger, and diet-related disease, to name just a few) are so complex, widespread, and downright daunting, it's easy to overlook the things [...]
By: Tracey T.,
on 4/8/2015
Chef Dave Robertson was born to teach cooking. Dirty Apron, the eponymous cookbook from his Vancouver, BC, deli and cooking school, celebrates recipes both funky and grand. Robertson's thoughtful presentation makes cooking easy for beginners yet also intriguing for the experienced cook. This is the rare cookbook that everyone will love. Books mentioned in this [...]
By: Tracey T.,
on 3/19/2015
I love when a title accurately pinpoints what a book is about. The American Plate: A Culinary History in 100 Bites is one such title. Written by the lead historian at the History Channel, author Libby H. O'Connell has given us a very readable excursion through time focusing on the American foodway, with some foods [...]
By: Tracey T.,
on 3/3/2015
Most of the new cookbooks released in January and February tend to fall into the "healthy" and "diet" arenas. Luckily, we live in a time when healthy cooking can be so delicious and filling that we hardly know we are dieting. Not in the mood to diet? There is a short list of dessert cookbooks [...]
By: Tracey T.,
on 2/3/2015
Editor's note: If there's one thing that's as delightful and delectable as books, it's bacon. Here, our cookbook specialist and On the Table writer Tracey shares her soon-to-be-famous Baked Bacon recipe. Step One: Do not preheat oven. (This is the most important step to remember.) This ensures the bacon has the long, slow cooking time [...]
By: Tracey T.,
on 12/8/2014
As the cookbook buyer for Powell's Books, I am the lucky one who gets to choose every new cookbook that comes into our stores. This means I have a pretty sweet cookbook collection, but I try to keep my shelves under control by limiting myself to only one bookcase of cookbooks. When a new cookbook [...]
By: Tracey T.,
on 11/9/2014
October/November is a favorite time in our offices. These are the months when scads of cookbooks are released, a deluge of cookbooks, a tornado of cookbooks. To judge by my desk, it's a perfect (or, rather, imperfect) storm of cookbooks. I have over 50 newly released books piled up, with another pile of yet-to-be-released titles [...]
By: Rhianna Walton,
on 10/17/2014
I'd assumed that buying The Portlandia Cookbook for its recipes would be like reading Playboy for the articles, but Brownstein and Armisen's latest book is the real thing: a collection of delicious, inventive recipes inspired by local restaurants and seasoned with a perfect blend of the gentle satire and city love that's made Portlandia a [...]
By: Tracey T.,
on 10/17/2014
Chef Brock is a storyteller. His tales take the form of recipes deeply steeped in the American South. The Southern cuisine in Heritage is honest and proud, based in history and a back-to-the-roots approach. Whether diner fare, Sunday supper, or neighborhood seafood boil, these thoughtfully conceived recipes have a glorious stick-to-your-ribs goodness. Books mentioned in [...]
