LUCY BURDETTE: I have been obsessed with cookbooks for as long as I’ve been cooking, starting back in my 20s. If you looked at my shelves, you'd be tempted to say I have enough, especially considering the fact that I often use the New York Times cooking app to find the recipe I will make next.
But consider that I am (and probably lots of you are) cooking more than ever because of the pandemic. And besides, I'm on a mission to continue to support indie bookstores. And finally, most of these are tax-deductible because I honestly do use them in my work. So I keep buying, somewhat to John’s chagrin. I thought I’d share some of my recent scores and get your suggestions.
Alison Roman's NOTHING FANCY is a new favorite, worth the price of admission if only for her perfect and amazing slow roasted chicken. Lots of other great recipes here too that don’t require gourmet cooking skills to produce.
DRINKING FRENCH by David Lebovitz is mostly all about beverages as you can tell by the title. I bought it as soon as it came out because I follow David avidly. I haven’t used it yet but my friend and fellow Francophile Carol worked her way through many of the recipes during the pandemic. I might start with a tangerine twist...and I suspect we could find our Jungle Red Writers Christmas cocktail in this book.
While we were in Scotland, I saw the OUTLANDER KITCHEN in a gift shop, which bases recipes on Diana Gabaldon's series. Of course I needed it because Hayley Snow would need to cook from it for her report on Scottish food. Besides, it’s a beautiful book and has snippets from all the Gabaldon books that fans will especially enjoy.
Our Jungle Red friend Grace mentioned Diane Mott Davidson‘s cookbook, GOLDY'S KITCHEN COOKBOOK, based on her caterer Goldie's mystery adventures. That reminded me that I probably needed this. I’m really enjoying reading the text, as it’s very personal and gives a good sense of the author behind this series.
Okay that's all the damage I've done recently, though I'm almost ready to order Melissa Clark's DINNER IN FRENCH. How about you guys? Any new or particularly beloved cookbooks to add to this list?
