Way back when, someone gave me a copy of "The Joy of Cooking." This cookbook, now in its upteenth printing, explained everything, from making your own salad dressing to the best ways to prepare game. It was daunting and somewhat intimidating, despite the friendly tone the mother-daughter team strived for. It sat on the shelf, patiently waiting to be used on a regular basis, but it didn't happen in my kitchen. I had no time to make my own jellies and can my own meat.
The cookbook I picked up for myself was a food revolution between its covers. "The Silver Palate Cookbook" was spawned from the New York City gourmet food shop of the same name. The two authors had strong opinions, as all good cookbook editors should, about food , well ahead of their time.
Eating tomatoes in season? Always. Preparing food with the freshest ingredients you can find? Exactly. Taking the basic dishes, familiar ones like a sour cream coffee cake, and jazzing them up? Absolutely.
I refer again and again to that cookbook. I usually cook without a book, relying on the experience of preparing three meals a day for years on end, and improvise frequently with what happens to be in the cupboard or refrigerator. But when I want something different, something that requires precision, like a special cake, it's back to the Silver Palate.
Today I look to the many excellent online recipe sites and blogs for inspiration. It's a constant source of amazement to me how clever, creative and exciting some of these can be, particularly when you throw an ingredient at them, and see what emerges. Maybe it's mundane, but I had most of a package of sauerkraut (left over from hot dogs) that became a component of a really excellent pizza. I don't think I ever would have thought of that combo, but it was inspired eating. Sometimes I've tried out recipes that have been minor disasters, but it usually leads to something else.
Cookbooks are still hot sellers, and even old standbys like "Betty Crocker's Cookbook" keep going. What do you think? Do you like to use a cookbook? If you do, what is your current favorite? We'll talk about recipe and foodie blogs in a future post.