Book Club
One of my many passions in life, aside from cooking, is reading. Novels, magazines, cereal boxes, it doesn’t matter — if it has text, I’ll read it! Over the years, I’ve acquired a large collection of well-loved and often-turned-to cookbooks, that without, would leave me feeling lost in the kitchen. I always have my eye out for new ones, and when I find a real gem, you better believe I’ll be curled up on the couch reading it from cover-to-cover as one would a novel. In this monthly segment, I outline a few of my most recent favorites, along with some other fun reads to keep you entertained while you’re not slaving away in the kitchen. Don’t forget to check back next month for my newest Book Club picks!

January 2014

COOKBOOK:

Pure Flavor by Kurt Beecher Dammeier

You don’t have to be a Seattleite to enjoy this Northwest-based cookbook. The author, and creator of Beecher’s Handmade Cheese located in Pike Place Market, gives the reader 125 recipes for every type of home cook, plus tips on buying and preparing select ingredients. Bonus: if you are a Washingtonian or are planning a trip to the area, be sure to read the Northwest Food Icon sections (intermittently dispersed throughout the book) for suggestions on outstanding local food purveyors. Check out Pure Flavor on Amazon or visit Beecher’s Handmade Cheese website for info on his other products.

Recipes to try:
Butter-Rubbed Salmon with Blueberry Sauce
Apricot-Dijon-Glazed Pork Tenderloin
Roasted Parsnip Puree
Fruit Salad with Vanilla Syrup
Deep-Dish Cinnamon Buns

FOODIE BOOKS:
Not cookbooks, per say, but other books (memoirs, novels, short essays) centered around the joys of cooking and eating.

My Life in Paris by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme

This humorous, and sometimes touching, memoir by Julia Child gives you an inside look into Child’s transformation from housewife, to cooking goddess, all the while touring you through Europe and beyond. Read a full synopsis on Alex Prud’homme‘s website — he’s not only the co-author, he’s Julia Child’s nephew as well!