Just learned all about chef Eric Ripert

I just finished listening to the audio book 32 Yolks: From My Mother's Table to Working the Line.  It's an awesome memoir by chef Eric Ripert (pronounced REEpear).   

This book follows Ripert's childhood and young adult years in Southern France and Andorra as he learns to love food, cooking, and the freshest of ingredients.  His inspiration comes from his mother and grandmothers. The only thing that made me sad is that it ended too soon. This memoir only covers his life through age 24. 

Road trip idea: Chartered bus to his NYC restaurant, Le Bernardin!


P.S. PBS produced a show with Ripert called Avec Eric. Watch the episodes here.

--Nathalie

                                                                          

Ina Garten on WBUR's On Point

I just heard WBUR's Tom Ashbrook interview Ina Garten about her newest book, Cooking for Jeffrey.  Have a listen or read the transcript here. --Nathalie

Cookbook club is growing!

Thanks to the 16 people who cooked and shared their dishes at yesterday's meeting.

We had a delicious lunch and great conversation about what went well and what was challenging during the preparation of our recipes.  There were mixed feeling about the how the recipes are written in The Nantucket Holiday Table. But everything tasted delicious!  Highlights for me were Harvard beets, curried parsnip soup, turkey-avocado-bacon sandwiches, and the ham chicken croquettes.

Cheddar & Cranberry Conserve-butter Sandwiches

Harvard beets with capers and orange twist

Turkey, Bacon, Avocado sandwiches on Portuguese bread

 I look forward to seeing everyone again in January for Paleo Lunches & Breakfasts by Diana Rodgers.  The best part: Diana might be with us to discuss her career as a cook and author! So, stay tuned!

Registration for the January 5 meeting starts on Thursday, December 22. Copies of the book will be available starting on Dec. 22 also. Starting on Dec. 22, click here to see which recipes have already been claimed.   And click here to report which recipe you've selected.

Check out the Cookbook Club blog for all the details.  You all can post comments on some of the blog pages (including Home, List of Claimed Recipes, Cookbooks Discussed). 

You can also subscribe to the blog via email...so don't miss new posts and comments in between our meetings.  I'll be posting about our newly arrived cookbooks and other cooking/food related topics throughout the month. (see the Follow by email section in the right hand column). 

Six new cookbooks & one more gem

Come in to the library straight away to snag one of these newest books! Click on the book covers for more information about each, including links to reviews. This is where you can place a hold if our copy is checked to someone else.

  I plan on trying the macaroni and cheese dish in Anthony Bourdain's Appetites!

Wrap up of our 2nd meeting

 This past Thursday we had the second meeting of our new Cookbook Club.  Thirteen people feasted on recipes from Food Gift Love by Maggie Battista.  Maggie was there and told her amazing story of how she got started with food writing and cooking. She is the founder of Eat Boutique and plans to open a large permanent Eat Boutique space in Allston.  And we hope to charter a bus to Allston when this food market opens!

We had a delicious lunch and great conversation about what went well and what was challenging during the preparation of our recipes.  Click here for a list of dishes we sampled.  

We look forward to seeing everyone again on Thursday, December 1st for Nantucket Holiday Table by Susan Simon. 

Registration for the December 1 meeting starts on Thursday, November 17th. Copies of the book will be available starting on Nov. 17 also. Click this link to see which recipes have already been claimed.   And click here to report which recipe you've selected.

Check out the Cookbook Club blog for all the details.  Do you have questions about Cookbook Club?  Just click here for Frequently Asked Questions.

You can also subscribe to the blog via email...so don't miss new posts and comments in between our meetings.  I'll be posting about our newly arrived cookbooks and other cooking/food related topics throughout the month. (see the Follow by email section in the right hand column). 

**If you would like to write food/cooking-related posts on the Cookbook club blog, just let me know and I'll add you as a guest contributor.

Thank you all for your enthusiasm and participation in this new club! --Nathalie

Another batch of new cookbooks!

 There is something for everyone in this newest batch.  I can't wait to read Ruth Reichl's My Kitchen Year.    Come and get them!

Brand new book for bakers!

We just unpacked and cataloged Marbled, Swirled, and Layered by Irvin Lin: 150 Recipes and Variations for Artful Bars, Cookies, Pies, Cakes, and More by Irvin Lin. Check out Irvin's food blog.

This book arrived at the perfect time for the holiday baking season!  It includes some very interesting cheesecake recipes.   Come and get it! --Nathalie

New Ina Garten book!

We just received our copy of Ina Garten's newest cookbook, Cooking for Jeffrey!  Jeffrey is Ina's husband.  The recipes in this book are the for dishes that Jeffrey and their friends request most often.

It includes everything from cocktails to soups to dessert. And, of course, it's loaded with stunning photographs. Can somebody make me the Filet Mignon with Mustard and Mushrooms?!

This book is too new to do for Cookbook Club. Once the hype dies down a bit (maybe in six months or so), we can consider it for a meeting.  In the meantime, if you'd like to take a peak at it,  click here to place a hold on a library copy. You can also read the Atlantic magazines review of the book here.

Happy cooking,

Nathalie

Discovering Ruth Reichl

I've recently discovered books by cook and food writer, Ruth Reichl (former editor of Gourmet magazine).

I just finished listening to the audio version of Garlic and Sapphires, a memoir of her time as the New York Times restaurant critic.  This book was very well written but also funny and touching at the same time.  I fell in love with Ruth's young son Nick, who completely embraced his mother's lifestyle of eating out in disguise.

Now, I'm listening to Comfort Me with Apples. This is Reichl's second memoir and describes how she landed her first job as a restaurant critic for a magazine in Berkeley, California. This author is a wonderful storyteller and there are great recipes throughout her memoirs.  I can't wait to try her cheesecake recipe from Garlic & Sapphires (with lemon zest....yummy!).

I wonder if Ruth would be willing to visit Ipswich?!

Our first meeting was supper yummy!

Thanks to the 10 "charter members" of our new Cookbook Club!

We had a delicious lunch and great conversation about what went well and what was challenging during the preparation of our recipes.   We all agreed that we love Ina Garten's cookbooks.  Wish we could get her to visit Ipswich someday!

Look forward to seeing everyone again in November for "Food Gift Love" by Maggie Battista.  The best part: Maggie will be with us and will discuss her career as a cook and author! So, bring your questions for her!  Registration for the November 3 meeting starts on Thursday, October 20th. Copies of the book will be available starting on Oct. 20 also.

Kudos to Kathy Moore for taking and sharing the photos!

Caesar Salad with Blue Cheese & Bacon

Spinach & Ricotta Noodle Pudding, Tri-Berry Crumble, Peas with Prosciutto

Tomatoes & Burrata

Registration is now open!

Our first meeting is only two weeks away!  You can now register to attend the October 6 meeting, pick up a copy of the book, and pick a recipe.

All the tabs/links above will help you get started.

I can't wait to sample all the different dishes.  Maybe I'll skip breakfast that day!

Ipswich Library launches cookbook club!

You may have heard about cookbook clubs at other libraries around the state. Well, now Ipswich Public Library is starting its own club!

Do you love to cook, share and sample recipes, and talking with other avid cooks?  This club is for you!

How it works: we select a cookbook each month and get a bunch of copies of it. You borrow a copy, bring it home, select and prepare a recipe from it, and bring it to the meeting to share.  Yummy!

Meetings are on the first Thursday of each month. The first meeting is on October 6th at noon in the Collins Room.   Due to space limits and popularity of this program, registration is required. Registration begins on Thursday, September 22nd. Copies of the book will be available on Sept. 22 also.  Please register to attend using the library's online calendar.

Check out the FAQs page on this blog for all the details. If you have more questions not covered in the FAQ page, feel free to contact Nathalie Harty at nharty@ipswichlibrary.org or 978-356-6648.

The first cookbook is Make it Ahead by Ina Garten.   See you there!