Cookbooks and books about cooking

I love to cook, I’m not gourmet chef by any stretch of the imagination but what I lack in talent I make up in enthusiasm. I also love to eat which is handy, and my sister has been trying to get me to love to run which would be helpful counterbalance to all the eating. I also love to read about cooking, some of my favourite books featuring food at the moment include one that led me to this gorgeous creation in Paris...

‘Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen’ and ‘More Home Cooking: A writer returns to the Kitchen’ by Laurie Colwin

These two books are like a conversation with the author conducted over many hours, by a log fire with more than a few cups of coffee and slices of warm homemade gingerbread. Made up of a collection of essays detailing her triumphs, disasters and food obsessions it is easy to relate the author and reminisce about ones own memorable meals, kitchen failings and loved unusual food combinations.

I don’t always make things out of pile of cookbooks I own, I use them more as inspiration for doing my own thing. Although I did make the gingerbread featured in this book, I’ve never been a fan of the stuff but the way it was described tempted me. It may taste better the day after its made but it disappeared much too quickly for me to confirm this. The delightful sounding Black Cake has featured on my lengthy ‘To Make’ list for quite some time.

‘The Flavour Thesaurus: Pairings, recipes and ideas for the creative cook’ By Niki Segnit

Bloomsbury publish the most exquisite books, the plum edges of the pages are not only pretty but also make it extremely easy to find on my chaotic shelves. This is quite an ambitious project detailing compatible flavours, the book serves as inspiration for the experimental cook. It is by no means definitive and as taste is highly subjective it doesn’t guarantee success. The book offers reminders of faithful flavour marriages such as; coffee and chocolate or apple and pork, and inspires you to try more unusual ones such as; blackberry and beef or watermelon and chilli.

The writing is witty and the format perfect for a random flick through the pages. Sprinkled with recipes, restaurant recommendations and names of other cookery writers to investigate. This is a book I love to look through before running off to the supermarket.

'Boiled or steamed artichokes can be a tough match for wine, but fried they’d go nicely with a fresh, acidic, dry Prosecco, if you can handle the social stigma of being slumped under a tree with a bottle of booze and a brown paper bag.’

Can I handle the stigma? I’d sure like to try.

‘Sound Bites: Eating on Tour with Franz Ferdinand’ by Alex Kapranos

I have a not so secret desire to be a member of a moderately successful touring band. Not a lead singer, too much of the limelight, preferably an unrecognizable bass player or drummer. The fact that I cannot play either of these instruments does nothing to faze my dream. And so the lead singer of Franz Ferdinand Alex Kapranos makes me quite envious not only being the member of a successful band but also being a gifted writer.

The book details food memories and eateries the world over, including some from down under, which make you want to shove the book in your handbag and run straight to the restaurant. A collection of short ditties makes this the perfect size to cart around and dip in spare moments.

'Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly' by Anthony Bourdain

I re-read the chapter on Japan one night shortly before a trip there and ended up staying up till the wee hours having re-read the whole book. ‘nuff said.

'Coltide’s Edible Adventures in Paris' by the lovely Colitde Dusolier of Chocolate and Zucchini

The first time I did Paris was a whirlwind of sight seeing, with food a second though grabbed at tourist haunts. The second time my sister, friend and I spent our days wandering through the beautiful wintery streets of Paris from cafes to bistros, drinking in the sights as we negotiated the busy streets.

We stayed on the top floor of a little hotel, in one of the rooms in the roof with the adorable windows, our little hotel happened to be one street away from a bakery recommended in this volume. We frequented this bakery daily, manned by a French woman with the most gusto for life I’ve yet seen. She spoke to us in fluent English, we replied in extremely shaky French. Literally the best bakery I’ve ever been to, and luckily I’ve dug up a couple of delightful photos of their pastries.

Mish

Life a User's manual

[Kent Rogowski]

The title of my all time favourite novel has somewhat unfortunate connotations- Life a User's Manual. While it sounds like a soppy self help book, George Perec’s 1978 novel provides little in the way of intentionally helping its reader, rather he dives straight into the calamity of events that is life.

The book is unlike a conventional novel; it isn’t bound by conventional constraints such as a linear narrative or clear distinctions of reality or allusion. It’s a tangled mess of tangent and loosely woven series of events.

Set in a Parisian apartment block, each short chapter describes a random room and it’s occupants or a past occupant or even someone the occupant once meet.

One of the main threads of the whopping big novel, is the story of Bartlebooth

First, he spends 10 years learning to paint watercolours under the tutelage of Valene, who also becomes a resident of 11 Rue Simon-Crubellier. Then, he embarks on a 20-year trip around the world with his loyal servant Smautf (also a resident of 11 Rue Simon-Crubellier), painting a watercolor of a different port roughly every two weeks for a total of 500 watercolors.

Bartlebooth then sends each painting back to France, where the paper is glued to a support board, and a carefully selected craftsman named Gaspard Winckler (also a resident of 11 Rue Simon-Crubellier) cuts it into a jigsaw puzzle. Upon his return, Bartlebooth spends his time solving each jigsaw, re-creating the scene.

Each finished puzzle is treated to re-bind the paper with a special solution invented by Georges Morellet, another resident of 11 Rue Simon-Crubellier. After the solution is applied, the wooden support is removed, and the painting is sent to the port where it was painted. Exactly 20 years to the day after it was painted, the painting is placed in a detergent solution until the colors dissolve, and the paper, blank except for the faint marks where it was cut and re-joined, is returned to Bartlebooth.

It knocks my socks off with how amazingly bizarre Bartlebooth is.

23 on the 23rd

[image via: From me to You]

The night is slipping away. Tick. Tick. Tick.

Tomorrow is the 23rd and I will turn 23. There is a strange romance to simple symmetry.

Slice of Sydney. Piece of Paris

I've got plans.

Big plans.

Travel plans.

A year of travel equates to a year of scrimping, saving, selective sky larking and weekends of penniless Tom Foolery.Unfortunately i haven't been strict on myself as i stimulate the economy essential purchases of magnetic fishing toys, mini Putt-putt putters, cheesecake and sparkling white wine.

With my "to read" book pile breaching occupational health and safety standards, as it perches precariously close to avalanche proportions - i've "unfortunately" stumbled across a treasure trove of delicious books at The Little Bookroom, with it's deft selection of travel guides claiming to capture the character of a city.

My heart pounds at the thought of purchasing

Luckily for me i've found one such way of scratching the travel itch and keeping the purse strings tied - that's by finding out the true character of my home town - Sydney.

As a creature of habit i've stuck to the same parts of Sydney for the past 20 odd years. It's time to branch out and shameless copy Louise's idea of 52 Suburbs and explore new parts of Sydney

Though i'm much lazier than Louise and won't even pretend that i'll attempt to visit a new suburb a week, so maybe i'll just buy the book...