Cooking

Comfort Me With Apples

Author: Ruth Reichl
Published: 2001
 

Sequel to Tender At The Bone, interesting if more centered on Reichl's personal life and less on cooking.

Tender At The Bone

Author: Ruth Reichl
Published: 1998
 

Interesting memoir of how Reichl's early experiences growing up informed her cooking and her work as a restaurant critic. Book is sprinkled with recipes. The one for warm potato salad was very good.

Alice Waters & Chez Panisse

Author: Thomas McNamee
Published: 2007
 

Nice biography. The emphasis on it being authorized made me wonder if it pulled punches a little bit. Half-way through, I wanted to read more about Ms. Waters and less about the restaurant since the former was growing in her quest and the latter was settling in as an institution. Overall a good read.

As They Were

Author: M.F.K. Fisher
Published: 1983
 

Collection of essays and articles that span much of the 20th century. Fisher often focused on food and the eating and preparation of it. Also in this book are detailed descriptions of the places she lived in France, Switzerland, and California.
 

The writing is beautiful and certainly of a long past age. Worth checking out even if one isn't all that into food.

The Devil In The Kitchen

Author: Marco Pierre White with James Steen
Published:2006
 

The sub-title is "Sex, Pain, Madness, and the Making of a Great Chef". The book certainly delivers on that description.
 

This is an account of White's life and rise to fame as perhaps the first rock-and-roll chef of the current era. While sometimes profane, it is an enjoyable look into the European restaurant scene. White admits his mistakes and follies of his youth but makes no apologies for his approach to creating the best culinary experience possible for his guests.
 

Well written with co-author James Steen and an easy read if one is interested in the topic.

 

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