Let's Talk Cookbooks

I think I'd like to share my favorite cookbooks.  I admittedly have somewhat of a cookbook obsession and have quite a collection.  The 'Best Recipe' series, however, is my favorite!  These collections were created from the editors of Cook's Illustrated.  The basic premise is that they've gathered a plethora of recipes for the same thing (such as, Chicken Marsala) and then tried each recipe to come up with the best techniques and ingredients for each recipe.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Another of my favorite cookbooks, "Vegetables," is authored by James Peterson.  It's an oldy but a goody!  It was published in 1998.  And in writing this blog, I have just discovered that he has a new and updated version of this cookbook that will be available Tuesday, March 27.  I can't wait to get it!  Basically, the book is divided into sections first by each vegetable in alphabetical order.  He describes the attributes to look for when buying each, what the vegetable is like, how it's used, and, of course, recipes.  It's a great addition to your cookbook library.  Oh, and there are also illustrations demonstrating some of the lesser known techniques for preparing vegetables (such as, turning an artichoke).  I also have his "Fish & Shellfish" cookbook and have recently acquired "Cooking" but I haven't had a chance to use that one yet.

Last night's dinner was a bit on the, meh, side.  My husband prepared a recipe in the slow cooker that we hadn't tried before.  Hoison sauce is...interesting.  And probably not something I would use again.  The pork roast had an almost clove flavoring to it which I did not enjoy.  Also, the recipe said cooking time was 6-8 hours.  My husband was starving so we ate it right at 6 hours; it really needed the full 8, I believe.  The recipe was in "Crockpot Slow Cooker Bible" and was called 'Sherry Roasted Ginger Pork.'  Try it at your own risk.