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BOOKS FOR THE COOK
What could be better than a glass of something by the fire and one (or two or three) of these cookbooks to peruse. Joseph Blake picks his favourites for 2018.
he holiday season is traditionally a happy time, but it can also be a time when we become acutely aware of the losses of the passing year. As I write, CNN is launching the final episodes of Anthony Bourdain’s TV series Parts Unknown; it's
a comfort that I can still watch Tony’s funny, insightful shows. I’ve included in this shopping list of cookbooks Bourdain’s breakthrough literary debut, Kitchen Confidential, a must-read memoir. Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly Anthony Bourdain ($16.95, Bloomsbury Publishing, originally published in 2000)
One of my all-time favourite culinary memoirs (the others are Gabrielle Hamilton’s Blood, Bones and Butter and Bill Buford’s Heat), Kitchen Confidential is a behind-thescenes look at the modern pirate ship galley that veteran chef Bourdain remembers from his 25 years in New York kitchens. His heroin-plagued years of self-abuse may have foreshadowed his sad ending, but like Jack Kerouac, Hunter S. Thompson and other macho literary forefathers before him, Bourdain packs his culinary memoir with incendiary anecdotal images and memorable insights. His singular advice to learn Spanish when considering working in American kitchens, because that will be the language of your co-workers, rings in my ears when I hear some of the news from south of the border these days. Bourdain’s warning to stay away from fish dishes on Monday (too often the weekend’s leftovers) is also a valuable lesson. Kitchen Confidential is rich with culinary truth. Highly recommended.
Nova Scotia Cookery Then and Now
Edited by Valerie Mansour, photography by Len Wagg ($22.95, Nimbus Publishing) Halifax-based food writer Valerie Mansour researched Nova Scotia archives for recipes dating back to 1765 and dug through old community cookbooks and other historical sources. Then she matched those vintage recipes to Nova Scotia’s current top chefs, who used the province’s roots as a starting place to inspire and create 80 recipes that showcase Nova Scotia’s past and present multicultural cuisine. Nova Scotia Cookery Then and Now also includes chef biographies, black and white historical photos and Len Wagg’s stylized colour shots of the new creations. It’s a beautiful publication resonant with maritime history, indigenous-inspired creations, and modern mash-ups like Jalapeño and Smoked Gouda Cornbread. Lots of comfort food too.
The Wickaninnish Cookbook
Joanne Sasvari ($45, Appetite/Random House)
Born to Cook: A Passion for Flavour Victor Bongo ($40, Bongo Group)
Here is a beautiful, exotic addition to any kitchen library. This summer I discovered Victor Bongo (and his cookbook) at the Village Grounds Cafe in the Okanagan Valley’s Naramata Village. The book is dedicated to his Congolese mother and includes Pan-African recipes from Moroccan Lamb Lollipops to Ethiopian Crusted Albacore Tuna Salad, to Congolese Tilapia. Born to Cook also features chef Bongo’s take on all-world favourites like Chilled White Asparagus Soup, Thai Shrimp Flatbread, Fennel-Crusted Venison Carpaccio, Latin-Style Seared Scallops and Mulligatawny Indian Curry Soup. My favourite so far is Bongo’s Exotic African Peanut Soup, but all of the well-travelled chef’s uncomplicated recipes reflect his kitchen experience—from Holland America Line cruise ships to an award-winning stint at Yukon’s Raven Hotel and Resort. He launched his culinary career working in Vancouver’s Marriott Pinnacle Hotel, the Four Seasons Hotel and Bacchus Restaurant in the Wedgewood Hotel. He now partners with Naramata’s Serendipity Wines to produce his own Bongo Wines too. Highest recommendation.
Subtitled “Rustic Elegance on Nature’s Edge,” this beautifully designed cookbook from Tofino’s famous oceanfront inn and acclaimed The Pointe Restaurant is this season’s premier new cookbook. From its simulated adze-carved cedar cover to Makito Inomata’s mouth-watering food photography, to a series of the inn’s resident chefs’ favourite recipes, this is a gorgeous and valuable cookbook. With a foreword by Rod Butters, the Pointe’s first chef, an insightful introduction by the Wick’s managing director Charles McDiarmid, and in-depth historical notes from the book’s author, The Wickaninnish Cookbook includes chapters of recipes for breakfast and brunch, soups and breads, salads and grills, casual fare, seafood, meat, poultry, vegetables, desserts, wine and cocktails, and vinegars, oils and preserves. From chef Butters to current executive chef Warren Barr, The Wickaninnish Cookbook offers 100 unique meals grounded in the inn’s local focus—the west coast’s farm- and oceanfresh ingredients. Some are simple. Some are elaborate. Lots feature Tofino’s famous salmon and crab fishery. This cookbook is a treasure.
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2018-10-23 11:20:10 AM