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I want to learn how to make the perfect tomato sauce, like my grandmother used to make.

It seems like the most impossible thing to perfect!

Red sauce is SUCH a matter of memory and personal taste...

Give yourself over to Marcella Hazan, or the kinder gentler Biba of "Biba's Taste of Italy" . . . except if you have some Italian-American thing in mind, that might not be it at all. In the end, I found I liked the *real* Italian variations I learned in cookbooks as well as I liked all my various aunties' brilliant ragu.

Ever since reading Christine's post re Chai Cookies, I've spent about month looking for a recipe for green tea cookies. Finally, I developed my own by taking a chocolate ginger snap recipe which called for 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder & substituting green tea powder - they were very good and had the intense green tea taste that I was looking for! And they are small & elegant!
I would love to learn how make Japanese food, more than what I already know how to make.
Leeds

I want to create the perfect chocolate cake recipe, since I'm dissatisfied with all the ones I currently have (they're all too dry for my taste).

Christina,
I made this chocolate cake a few months ago- it's good.

http://foodtv.ca/recipes/printrecipes/printrecipe_2635.asp

I took it to the birthday party of a chocolate lover and she adored it! Extra frosting which had settled onto the plate was very quickly scooped up (it was a very hot day...!)

Marie- no matter the recipe ALWAYS use Italian canned plum tomatoes from the town of San Marzano. Pefect sauce every time.

I think it would be great to have readers' lists of cookbooks that they constantly refer to & would not want to do without.

I absolutely LOVE all the Barefoot Contessa cookbooks! There are 4 of them now. Everything I've ever made from them is perfect and delicious! I love her show on the food network, too!

i'm still trying to perfect my matzo ball soup recipe. i have the right texture, now i'm looking for shape.

Leeds – nice idea about cookbooks. Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone and Local Flavors are my favorites. Also, Donna Hay’s cookbooks have simple recipes and are beautifully photographed.

I’ve recently been inspired by Paul Pitchford, author of Healing With Whole Foods. I’d like to become more adept at preparing “food as medicine” in a tasty, yet simple way, including the use of a slow cooker. I’m looking to expand my repertoire beyond brown rice, beans and kale.

I love Mark Bittman's book "How to Cook Everything". It is a great basic recipe book with lots of info. for beginning cooks. Plus, it's just so big, and yellow! America's Test Kitchen's new family cookbook is also great.

Perhaps when Sara Kate returns she can initiate something re: people's cookbooks. Sounds interesting.

Re: Chocolate cake - I'm going to try the recipe listed above. However, I have made the cake recipe on the back of the Hershey's cocoa can a ZILLION times with a few changes. I've not only had compliments, but I made a few for sale. I just don't want to bake for a living.

What I do: Poke tons of holes in each layer top once out of oven. Microwave raspberry seedless preserves with a bit of water. Use half a bottle. Pour over the many holes. Cool. Make the frosting on the can. (Make double the frosting)

Putting cake together: (1)One layer on plate after moistening plate with some of the raspberry stuff.(2) 1st layer. Cover in frosting and then put some walnuts and semi sweet choc chips(3) 2nd layer. Frost. Decorate with walnuts and more chips. Pour some raspberry stuff on the plate around the outside of the cake. Put some fresh raspberries around. Serve at room temp, never chilled.

You can also do the same with orange marm instead of raspberry. It just has to be really good quality seedless preserves and be generous.

Oh - and - I saturate the cakes with the raspberry liquid. That's what makes a very moist cake.

Regarding tomato sauce, earlier post... I am working on that one as well this year! I've resolved to spend some time getting back to my Italian roots, and have complied some family recipes to share.

http://www.spoonandstem.com/2006/01/marinara-sauce.html

Cookbooks currently in hand to help get things started:
* The Silver Spoon
* Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan
* Gastronomy of Italy by Anna Del Conte
* Everyday Italian by Giada de Laurentiis

I second the recommendation of Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything.

Yeah, that Bittman HTCE is tops.
I just got his new one as a gift, and the new Gourmet compendium (which is pretty fabulous so far, and I don't much care for the mag, so I am happily surprised)
and
the Japanese Home Cooking book, "Washoku"
(Leeds, I'm with you on the Japanese tip)

If I was taking one book to a desert isle...
Mai Pham's "Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table"

if I got a few more choices...
+ Bittman HTCE
+ Biba's Taste of Italy
+ Bayless Mexico One Plate At A Time or Diana Kennedy (depends...love to read Kennedy, digging the recipes in Bayless)
+ Angelica's Kitchen (from the vegan restaurant)
+ David Lebovitz "Room For Dessert"

funny . . . a couple years ago I never opened a cookbook
and I cooked all the time!

i collect cookbooks, especially old and vintage books, but recently i've found that the one that i cannot live without is the Stonewall Kitchen Cookbook (celebrating the bounty of the seasons)
its broken into four categories
From the Garden
From the Sea
From the Root Cellar and
Fruits of the Earth

it has become indispensible as a reference book (ie. i wanted to roast a chicken, but not follow a recipe, yet, i still needed a point of ref for cooking time/temp) but it is also CHOCK full of GOREGOUS simple recipes and beautiful, inspiring photos

for those of you looking for tomato sauce recipes, theres an intriguing (not very italiany but yummy sounding!) roasted tomato sauce made in a hotel pan in the oven

mmmm... hungry!

Stonewall Kitchen, as in fancy jam and marinades in bottles?
I love that stuff....the jams anyway.

I would love to get it together, the time required especially, to make tamales (have never tried it!) For New Year's Eve I did make Latin snack foods for friends: guacamole, refried beans, yuca, chicharron, plaintains, small homemade tortillas (I made them 3" in diameter), marinated chipotle stuffed pork loin, cheese, salsa, etc.

Great cookbook hints! Will submit mine soon.
Guido-I recently read a review on a cookbook:
Harumi's Japanese Cooking
which won Best Cookbook of the Year according to Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2004. It included a recipe for Deep Fried Tofu with Japanese Dressing (looks good!) Home style Japanese cooking,I think. I'll have to buy this book. Thanks for your recommendation(s). Will try to check them out & the other recommendations as well (already have HTCE but never used it! Was looking at the new Gourmet cookbook yesterday, seems good.)
Re: never having opened a cookbook before...
isn't it a great joy to try a recipe outside your usual repertoire and have it be completely successful/delicious?
I felt a sense of great satisfaction at the assortment & look of the sushi I made the first time a couple of years ago.

New Year's Cooking Resolutions:

-learn mom's japanese homecookin' comfort foods (japanese style curry, gyoza, and noodle soups are about all i currently know)

-master the art of the bento box lunch!

-try one new recipe per week from the various cookbooks i have acquired over the past year and have not used yet! (incl. but not limited to Gourmet Slow Cooker, Silver Spoon, and Kebabs & Curries)

-organize a monthly supper club amongst my friends

well howdeeee do guido, you are correct sir!
i had absolutely no idea they were a serious new england brand
i was given the book as a christmas gift last year and had no idea even what stonewall kitchen is
looks like they're not just a resto, but as noted, sell jams, and all sorts of fun kitchen-y foodie things
click my name for a link to their website
seems we learn somethign new every day :-)

Tomato sauce: The best sauce I've made is with the fresh tomatos from my dad's garden in Sonoma. But the rest of the year, to avoid the bottled types, I've taken to this quick "cook's secret":

Simply roast some slices of bell peppers under the broiler in a bit of olive oil (I buy a mix of red, green, orange, yellow at the Chelsea market Fruit market salad bar for $1.50), then add to some canned sauce in a saucepan (I prefer canned sauce without any spices added), heat, and puree.

This is infinitely adaptable if you have other ingredients on hand (chopped mushrooms, a bit of anchovie, dark olives, a swirl of cream), but the roasted peppers are what elevate the sauce to something that's fresher-tasting than the bottled sauces.

Cookbooks: It may sound ridiculous, but Karl Lagerfled's diet book has some intriguing recipes--pared down ingredient lists for classic French fare.

I discovered Stonewall Kitchen's Roasted Onion and Garlic Jam about 6 years ago through gourmet friends. Not only is the stuff great on a cracker but it is excellent to marinate (with some oil/balsamic/wine) chicken, lamb and pork in.

I've noticed their prices have consistently risen however and are beginning to be a bit much for what a good cook could do themselves. But they're great and some of the best marketing I've seen.

Have any of you ever read M.F.K. Fisher's "The Art of Eating"? For those who are serious cooks and serious readers, this is something to curl up on the sofa with on a rainy night.

Done...for now.

my goal this year is to practice making pasta. i have the attachment to the kitchenaid and i'm ready to go. i want to make all sorts of pasta including the stuffed variety. i rather make my own and freeze them buy the cheese laden ones in the store.

Does anyone know any other good cookbooks that are organized by season?

chrisB
the Slow Food cookbook (a gift last year...) feels like it's organized by season, even tho strictly speaking it is not.

dani
good fun! I used to assist in this procedure alot as a kid. put a clean sheet over your bed as a place to dry the pasta.
it's just what people do . . .

chrisB
Lorenza de Midici has a 'Seasons' cookbook (I'll check the name of it at home tonight.

Corey
Not ridiculous. I too have found gems in diet-type cookbooks. Reducing fat, & some sugar,is always something to strive for! I use Grazing: Portable Snacks & Finger Foods for Anytime, Anywhere by Julie Rosendaal a lot for everyday cooking/baking, it's a lower fat cookbook.

minipanda
love all your ideas, especially trying one new recipe per week. I'll add that that to my list! lucky you re Japanese comfort foods.

Yeah, M.F.K Fisher rocks!

"Art of Eating" is wonderful. I spent last summer trying many recipes, some of which are pretty kooky, but always smart. The chapter about her doomed voyage on a ship from Europe to America (vis a vis South America) and the bizarre birthday cake the pantry-challenged ship's cook concocted for MFK's daughter is great reading.

I don't know about seasonal cookbooks, but have heard that eating by season has some New Age adherents, so you might try a metaphysical bookshop or good health food store with a cookbook section.

I FINALLY organized all my downloaded and cut-from-magazine recipes into a big binder with clear plastic pages. Along the way I got rid of duplicates and weeded out things that I know I will never cook. It felt good to get that monkey off my back.

chrisB – Local Flavors by Deborah Madison is a wonderful seasonal cookbook. Sample chapter titles are: Vegetable Fruits of Summer: Eggplants, Tomatoes and Peppers; and Winter Fruits: Citrus and Subtropicals. The book teaches you how to shop and cook from America's farmers’ markets.

on the seasonal cookbooks...

the new star chef book "Sunday Suppers at Lucques: Seasonal Recipes from Market to Table" by Suzanne Goin

I really liked her segment on Bittman's show...and the book looks great.

I have entirely too many new cookbooks right now. And I'll prolly have this one sooner or later.

Thanks everyone on the seasonal cookbook ideas. We have a really good farmers' market here in the summer, and I want to take better advantage of it. I looked up "Local Flavors" and "Sunday Suppers at Lucques"on Amazon, and they look like really good possibilities. Let me know if anyone else has some suggestions.

chrisB - I hope you try and like Local Flavors. I'm just recalling the simplest and most delicious dish I made last summer. You basically throw in a bunch of summer veggies (esp. good tomatoes), fresh herbs and olive oil into a pot and simmer for about an hour. I have the Santa Monica farmers' market where the choices are overwhelming all year long! This book has made sense of it all.

The one thing I really want to get right this year.. the one thing I'm still really lacking in is the fine art of making a damn fine loaf of bread.

I mean.. I can make a pretzel that'll make a grown man weep, but a well crumbed chewy non oily, high strong loaf of bread evades me.

Anyone know of a good place to get a hands on lesson here in LA?

For those of you in Chicago (with some post-holiday $$), Blackbird restaurant in the West Loop is hosting a book signing with Suzanne Goin (author of Sunday Suppers at Lucques) on January 12th.

$110 inludes a four-course dinner with paired wines and a copy of the book.

in re cookbooks
i almost forgot to point out one of my favorite cooking book ever (its not really a "cook" book per se, its more a book that helps you get it together in the kitchen)
its called Appetite by Nigel Slater (put it in my name too in case this is too long)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0609610783/qid=1136553104/sr=8-2/ref=pd_bbs_2/104-4938917-1587957?n=507846&s=books&v=glance
i guess he's a bigshot in the UK (jamie oliver says he's a genius) but it is a WONDERFUL for both beginners and experts alike
he doesn't really give recipes, just ideas, how to get a jumpstart on the ideas and many variations
for example, he'll give you the basic recipe for a reviving chicken soup, and then variations that go vietnamese, indian, eastearn european, etc, etc, its BRILLIANT

Cookbooks I recommend, where every single recipe seems excellent:
Asian Cookbook, Charmaine Solomon (recipes arranged by country, comprehensive)

A Spoonful of Ginger, Health Giving Recipes from Asian Kitchens, Nina Simonds
(this is definitely one for you, Edie! It has 6 pages in the Introduction of charts/explanations on what foods are recommended for each season, what organs of the body each season affects...)

Seductions of Rice, Jeffrey Alford & Naomi Duguid
(cuisines of different countries featured & not just rice! It's like taking a tour along with the writers & has lovely photos..)

-Cookbooks I love for everyday quick cooking:
Grazing, Julie Rosendaal

the line of Food & Wine cookbooks called "Quick from Scratch" - I have One-Dish Meals, Pasta, Soups & Salads, & Chicken

On the subject of seasonal cooking, I have Lorenza's Italian Seasons, Lorenza de Medici, I think the set up of the book is not great& have not used it, so therefore I don't recommend it)

karizman - good job! I'm trying to organize all my recipes as well, it's a daunting task!

minipanda -
If you would *like* to share the recipes for one or all three of the dishes you mentioned, I for one would not mind receiving them.... :))
Oh, and what is Gyoza?

WOW! Thanks, Guido, for the great idea. I was trying to think how I would dry pasta without going into gadget hell.

Leeds: I think that's the real problem at the root of "learning" mom's recipes - there are no recipes! Also, she's out of the country at the moment.

I suppose one more thing to add to the resolutions list will be:

-Write down/draft recipes of the japanese foods I DO know how to make.

Gyoza = japanese dumplings (a.k.a. potstickers). Yum! I make them by the 100 and freeze them. I've come across a couple sites that have covered the gyoza process well.

One is:
http://maki.typepad.com/justhungry/2004/08/is_my_blog_burn.html

The other is kind of a recipe in pictures:
http://www.gyoza.org/index.html

I think the key to japanese homecooking is that really, a recipe is always a framework (like it is for all other cuisines). You can modify and adapt to suit your own tastes (unlike baking, which is why I'm a TERRIBLE baker). Find a nice little recipe book for the basic ingredients and methods; then, experiment!

minipanda
Great dumpling recipe, and thanks for the advice!
hmm, I'm a good baker... Note to self: experiment more!!
Thanks again; I have high hopes for Harumi's Japanese cookbook which I will buy.

fans of Ms.Goin . . .
she is the guest chef for a night of Sunday Suppers at Prune (NYC in the E.Village.)
THis Sunday Jan 8th.
There are three sittings, 5 7 and 9, must reserve...

I just saw this on Craigslist and thought some of you here might be interested in the culinary history part.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/fct/tfr/123169278.html

I second the recommendation of How To Cook Everything. I make a lot of recipes from Cook's Illustrated Magazine. Recently I tackled the chocolate cupcakes and dark chocolate mousse. Whever I have an ingredient I'm not sure what to do with, I search on Epicurious.com. I've found a ton of amazing recipes there lately, from white bean and kale soup to braised bok choy with sesame butter sauce to yummy gorgonzola mashed potatoes I made for christmas.

My culinary resolve for this year is to get an organic box. We just signed up with Eatwell Farms, a CSA in our area. I'm so excited to get my lovely box of farm fresh veggies twice a month!

I rely on How to Cook Everything a lot as well. I made a Lentils and Elbow Macaroni (i didn't want to head to the store, i had them sitting in the pantry so I fell into this recipe.) It was pretty good.

Then I tried a Lentils with Rice recipe to use up the rest of the lenitls yesterday. Yuck, it didn't work. Got very dry and mealy.

I'm still learning how to cook with beans.

There used to be a webpage that illustrated how to cut vegetables in the proper french-cooking school kind of way.

It has since disappeared - but I would love a photo illustrated/animated guide on how to cut different kind of veggies.

I guess meat techniques might be nice for meatlovers out there.

Also, if I've had a dish at a restaurant - I sometimes go home and attempt to recreate it. That might be a fun feature - to recreate dishes you don't have a recipe for.