THE GRUB REPORT: Cooking the Books: The Gourmet Cookbook
My name is Tricia, and I'm a magazine addict.
I admit it.
I have to keep a pretty tight rein on my urge to subscribe, so I have pretty high standards there. A publication has to wow me every time if I'm going to lock myself in.
But during a trip to the bookstore -- or even down the grocery checkout aisle -- the temptation can be just to much to resist.
Beautiful covers on home-, food- and lifestyle-centric magazines can pull me in almost every time. But once I get them home, and excitedly peruse the contents within, I'm often with left with unfulfilled expectations.
That's where this week's book comes in.
I admit it.
I have to keep a pretty tight rein on my urge to subscribe, so I have pretty high standards there. A publication has to wow me every time if I'm going to lock myself in.
But during a trip to the bookstore -- or even down the grocery checkout aisle -- the temptation can be just to much to resist.
Beautiful covers on home-, food- and lifestyle-centric magazines can pull me in almost every time. But once I get them home, and excitedly peruse the contents within, I'm often with left with unfulfilled expectations.
That's where this week's book comes in.
The Gourmet Cookbook
, as I mentioned in last week's Ingredient of the Week post, was a gift from Steve's mom.
It's not likely that I would have picked this one up off the shelf -- I'm usually more intrigued by a region- or cuisine-based recipe collection -- but I'm so glad she did.
This book is everything good about Gourmet magazine. It is a collection of what the editors considered the best of the best, culled from years of recipes that have run in the magazine. So, unlike a single magazine, which can build my expecations up and then leave me disappointed when the featured recipes don't quite measure up, there's enough in the book to intrigue and delight me for years to come.
And the almost academic flair Gourmet magazine brings to its study of food and culture is here in the book too: From advice on throwing the perfect cocktail party to a discussion of the provenance of various ingredients, there's plenty of fodder for all-around food fans like me.
And it is, true to the magazine's asthetics, a beautifully designed book. I don't know that I've seen a single-color scheme utilized quite so well in quite a while. And the fact that the color is yellow is all the more impressive. This is one of those cookbooks that I occassionally just sit down to read, to admire, to let it inspire me.
I'll be trying out a recipe for some sweet or another soon. (I promised a coworker I'd bring in some tasty treats.)
And the Parsnip Apple Puree was a hit for Thanksgiving.
Can't wait to try more!
(And next time I'm tempted to buy a magazine, maybe I'll just pull out this book instead.)
Originally posted to The Grub Report by Patricia Gibson on December 10, 2007 12:21 PM
, as I mentioned in last week's Ingredient of the Week post, was a gift from Steve's mom.It's not likely that I would have picked this one up off the shelf -- I'm usually more intrigued by a region- or cuisine-based recipe collection -- but I'm so glad she did.
This book is everything good about Gourmet magazine. It is a collection of what the editors considered the best of the best, culled from years of recipes that have run in the magazine. So, unlike a single magazine, which can build my expecations up and then leave me disappointed when the featured recipes don't quite measure up, there's enough in the book to intrigue and delight me for years to come.
And the almost academic flair Gourmet magazine brings to its study of food and culture is here in the book too: From advice on throwing the perfect cocktail party to a discussion of the provenance of various ingredients, there's plenty of fodder for all-around food fans like me.
And it is, true to the magazine's asthetics, a beautifully designed book. I don't know that I've seen a single-color scheme utilized quite so well in quite a while. And the fact that the color is yellow is all the more impressive. This is one of those cookbooks that I occassionally just sit down to read, to admire, to let it inspire me.
I'll be trying out a recipe for some sweet or another soon. (I promised a coworker I'd bring in some tasty treats.)
And the Parsnip Apple Puree was a hit for Thanksgiving.
Can't wait to try more!
(And next time I'm tempted to buy a magazine, maybe I'll just pull out this book instead.)
Originally posted to The Grub Report by Patricia Gibson on December 10, 2007 12:21 PM
Labels: food, grubreport
posted by Tricia at
3:36 AM
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