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Tag: Cookbooks

My Favourite Books of 2011: Siobhan (Marketing)

by Siobhan
Art & Photography + Craft + Food & Drink + Gift & Stationery / December 20, 2011

Yesterday Dan talked about his favourite book of 2011. I can't quite narrow it down to ONE, so instead I've picked one favourite book for each day of the week... plus a little something extra for Sunday. This is essentially my ideal week, in book format.

Monday. We all know what Mondays are like. The day you need a hit of inspiration. And a cup of coffee. This book will give you a double shot of the former (sorry, you'll have you grab your own latte.) Paper Cutting: Contemporary Artists, Timeless Craft is totally gorgeous and full of amazing work by talented artists working with paper.

 

 

Tuesday is when you really start to wake up for the week. And you'll need your wits about you when you grab your scissors and a fresh sheet of paper, then fold, pleat and crumple your way to creating the incredible shapes in Folding Techniques for Designers: From Sheet to Form.
(P.S. If you're into paper folding, you'll love this documentary I recently saw on the Knowledge Network, Between the Folds.)

 

Wednesday is a funny day. Come on, hump day. Time for the brilliance and hilarity that is Hark! A Vagrant. If you don't already know Kate Beaton from her website, trust me, your life will be better once you do.

 

 

By Thursday, your work week is in full swing, and you can take on anything. You can even build a toaster... from scratch! As in, hey, let's dig up some precious metals out of the ground with my own two hands and make some wire, then figure out how to make plastic... Or at least you can read about a guy who really did this in The Toaster Project: Or a heroic attempt to build a simple electric appliance from scratch.
 

 

Friday is when you start to wind down, dream about the weekend that's oh-so-close.... a dream which involves owning a big old house in the country with chickens running around the yard, and your husband making you breakfast in bed, with poached eggs laid by your very own chickens. (Reality: let's just go out for brunch downtown.) Chicken and Egg: A Memoir of Suburban Homesteading with 125 Recipes is full of lovely design and photos,  stories about keeping chickens, and recipes for both cooking up eggs ... and chickens (sorry, chickens!)

 

A Saturday behind the pottery wheel is a good, good day. If you don't have clay or a kiln on hand, check out The Ceramics Bible: The Complete Guide to Materials and Techniques.

 

Sunday is a perfect treat. Much like Miette: Recipes from San Francisco's Most Charming Pastry Shop. These are some of the cutest, most perfect looking cakes you'll ever see (and maybe even bake). The book's pages are also scalloped for an added dose of cuteness.

 

 

And last but not least, for a litttle extra on Sunday (cause you know everyone wants to extend the weekend just a little bit more), I'm also going to include my favourite non-book item from 2011. I am admittedly biased here, but hey, this is my list. Shoegazing Notecards were put together by the gorgeous and always inspiring UPPERCASE magazine, based on a photo story they did in their magazine: UPPERCASE asked readers to send in photos of their feet. I was lucky enough to have a couple of photos in the spread... and now UPPERCASE partnered with Chronicle to put 20 of those photos onto notecards. Mine's the one on the red carpet with all the brightly coloured shoes. A friend of mine also has her feet on one of the notecards, wearing her roller derby skates. Here's the spread from the magazine - the notecards are also super cute and designed with classic UPPERCASE style.

So, that's my week in books for 2011. Looking forward to 2012!

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Winner of the Back to the BBQ Cookbook Contest!

by Danielle
Contests + Food & Drink / June 24, 2011

 

Yay to Karen! Please email me at danielle [at] raincoast.com with your address and I'll send over all your winnings! Congrats and happy grilling!!

~ Danielle

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Back to the Bbq Cookbook Contest!

by Danielle
Contests + Excerpts + Food & Drink / June 17, 2011

With BBQ season finally here I though it would be fun to give a couple of our cookbooks away. I'm also including a couple of spice rubs courtesy of Chef Salt. Yum!

To be entered to win 1 copy of Fire it Up, 1 copy of Eat Like a Man and a couple yummy spice rubs.

Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)

Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)

“I entered to win Raincoast Books' Back to the Bbq Cookbook Contest courtesy of #raincoastbooks #chroniclebooks!"

I will draw one winner at random from all entries on Friday, June 24th, at 12:00pm (PST). I will be in touch if I draw your name.

Gin and Juniper T-Bone with Green Olive Tapenade
Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS
1 large T-bone steak (2½ to 3 pounds), about 2 inches thick
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup pine nuts
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons drained capers
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ cup Juniper Rub
¾ cup gin

Juniper Rub
Best with beef, veal, pork, game birds, game meats, shellfish

3 tablespoons juniper berries
1 tablespoon whole almonds
1 teaspoon green peppercorns
2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
1½ teaspoons ground coriander
1½ teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1½ teaspoons coarse salt
½ teaspoon ground cloves

Put the juniper berries, almonds, and green peppercorns in
a spice grinder and grind coarsely. Or put them in a zipperlock
bag, press out the air, and crush the spices in the bag
with the bottom of a heavy skillet. Pour into a cup and mix in
the thyme, coriander, lemon zest, salt, and cloves. Store in
tightly closed container for up to 1 month.

Green Olive Tapenade:
1½ cups fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves and small stems
1 cup pitted brine-cured green olives such as Arauco, Sicilian, or Spanish olives

DIRECTIONS:
Spoon 2 tablespoons of the rub into a 1-gallon zipper-lock
bag. Add all but 1 tablespoon of the gin. Drop in the steak
and press the air out of the bag. Seal and refrigerate for 4 to
8 hours, turning occasionally.

For the tapenade: Combine all of the ingredients in a food
processor. Pulse until the ingredients are finely minced but
not pureed into a paste, 10 to 15 seconds.

Remove the steak from the marinade and pat dry. Coat all
over with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and then sprinkle the
remaining rub all over the steak. Let stand at room temperature
for 30 minutes before grilling.

Light a grill for bilevel high/low heat, about 500+/275°F
Brush the grill grate and coat with oil. Grill the
steak directly over high heat until darkly crusted, 4 to 6 minutes
per side. Reduce the heat to low on a gas grill, or move
the steak to the low-heat area on a wood or charcoal grill.

Cover and grill for another 10 to 15 minutes for medium-rare
to medium (135 to 145ºF). Transfer to a platter and let rest for
5 minutes.

Douse the steak with the remaining 1 tablespoon gin and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Make 4 servings by cutting the meat from each side of the bone and dividing each section of meat into 4 pieces. Or, you can slice the meat ¼ inch to ½ inch thick, and then divide the slices so each guest receives some tenderloin and some top loin. Serve with the tapenade.

Recipe courtesy of Chronicle Books' Fire it Up by Andrew Schloss and David Joachim.

 

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Heather Reisman’s Eat Like a Man pick on Canada AM

by Danielle
Food & Drink / June 08, 2011

Heather Reisman (CEO at Indigo) was front and centre on Canada AM this morning talking about her top picks for the Summer. One of her suggested reads is Eat Like a Man! Thanks Heather!

Here is a link to the segment.

 

 

 

Banana-Bread French Toast
SERVES  1

2 slices banana bread (preferably dried out)
2 large eggs
1 tbsp milk
pinch of cinnamon
1 tbsp unsalted butter
maple syrup
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 to 3 tbsp sour cream

• Start with thick—like 2-inch-thick—slices of banana bread. Beat the eggs, milk, and cinnamon until well combined.
• In a nonstick skillet, heat the butter until barely foamy. Thoroughly coat the bread with the egg mixture (dripping off excess), add to the pan, and cook about 2 minutes on each side.
• Meanwhile, warm the maple syrup with the vanilla bean—throw the seeds and the pod in with the syrup.
• Top French toast with the syrup and a big spoonful of lemon sour cream—the cool tartness will balance the sugar. (To make it, add the lemon zest to the sour cream and whip until thickened, so the cream won’t just melt and fade away when it hits the hot bread.)

TIP: For a bigger batch of vanilla syrup: Split and scrape a whole vanilla bean into a can or bottle of maple syrup, close, and shake a bit. After a while, it will be ready to go.

 

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Easter Books to Usher in Spring

by Siobhan
Animals & Nature + Art & Photography + Humour / April 20, 2011

Growing up in Northern Ontario, I always thought the image of Easter you see on TV was a bit off... I mean, how could you possibly have an Easter egg hunt outdoors when the ground is still blanketed in snow — or worse, slush? (Wearing poufy pastel dresses, no less.)

And then I moved to Vancouver... and now I get it (except for the pastel dresses; I think I may be a bit old for that now). While some (most?) of the country is still bracing for snow, it's feeling quite Spring-like and Easter-y here in Vancouver. The cherry blossoms are out and it's bright and sunny outside. There are daffodils poking up all over the place. Sorry, rest-of-Canada, but it's true.

But there's hope yet. In the spirit of Easter, here are a few books to usher in Springtime, no matter how cold, wet or snowy it may be outside. Just curl up with a book that's full of Springtime goodness, and use your imagination... Chocolate eggs also help.

 

Chicken and Egg is one of my personal favourites from Chronicle's Spring list. In it, food writer Janice Cole shares her adventures of deciding to take on raising chickens in her backyard. This book is not only lovely to look at (thanks to the crack design team at Chronicle), it's also topical, as allowing "urban poultry" seems to be an issue that's been raised in several Canadian cities in the past couple of years, and also downright delicious... Did I mention that the book also includes 125 recipes for delicious chicken and egg dishes?

Read a guest post by the author on the Chronicle blog.

Read the spread on Chicken and Egg in a recent issue of HELLO magazine (PDF).

 

Another gorgeous book with a Springtime feel is Nests: Fifty Nests and the Birds that Built Them. This book featuresamazing photography drawn from the collections of the California Academy of Sciences, the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at UC Berkeley, and the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology. Close-up photos of nests are accompanied by short portraits of the birds that constructed them. The variety and detail is fascinating. Here are a few spreads from the book... (Click on the images below to see them larger.)

 

And for something that's just plain fun(ny), check out One Chick to Another. Full of quips and funny one-liners paired with cute photos of, you guessed it, chicks.

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Announcing the winner of our “Cook Bake, Blog!” contest…

by Siobhan
Contests + Food & Drink / January 14, 2011

Finally -- after siome delays trying to catch up after our move -- I'm able to announce the winner of our "Cook Bake, Blog!" contest ... drumroll please ...

Congratulations, Suzie Ridle from Nova Scotia!

Suzie, aka Susie the Foodie, will win $500 (CDN retail) worth of cookbooks of her choice, published by Chronicle Books, Quirk Books or Gibbs Smith.

Check out Suzie's test-kitchen reports from trying out recipes from The Geometry of Pasta here and here (her delicious results are pictured below) -- and also watch this video of Suzie's brave husband concocting a brew of Mad Scientist Mix-Up from Little Monsters Cookbook!

ALSO ... congrats to the fabulous Cadboro Bay Book Company in Victoria, BC, who is the winner of our bookstore cookbook display contest!

 

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Cook, Bake, Blog ... You could win $500 worth of cookbooks!

by Siobhan
Food & Drink / October 15, 2010

You could win $500 worth of cookbooks from Chronicle Books, Quirk Books and Gibbs Smith!

It's easy ... and delicious!

There are two ways for Canadian foodies to enter:

1) Cook, Bake ... Blog!
Make a recipe from any cookbook published by Chronicle Books, Quirk Books or Gibbs Smith, then blog about it. Photos are encouraged! To enter, comment below and leave us a link to your blogpost about your culinary adventures with the recipe or cookbook. (This option counts as two entries!)

2) Share your faves.
To enter, comment below and leave a comment about your favourite cookbook published by Chronicle Books, Quirk Books or Gibbs Smith. Which cookbook is your favourite and why? What's the one recipe that everyone definitely needs to try out? (This option counts as one entry.)

You have until January 1, 2011 to enter!
The contest is open to Canadian residents only.

Contest Details: Winners will be drawn at random on January 5, 2011. Winners must live in Canada. Multiple entries (with different recipes!) are accepted. Prize will be $500 CDN retail worth of cookbooks published by Chronicle Books, Quirk Books or Gibbs Smith, as selected by the Winner from a list provided by Raincoast.

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Be inspired ... at the market, in the kitchen, and at the table!

Here are a few new cookbooks — with some videos and sample recipes! — to get your tastebuds fired up. Click on the covers to learn more about each book.

 

Recipe for Leo's Classic Sugar Cookies from Blackbird Bakery Gluten-Free Baking

 

Recipe for Cupcake Bites from Cake Pops

 

 

Recipe for Baked Beets with Fresh Citrus and Herbs from The Homesteader's Kitchen
Recipe for Pear Sherbet and Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Shortbread Bars from The Commonsense Kitchen

 

Recipe for Kadota Fig Tart with Mascarpone Cream  from The Winemaker Cooks

 

 

 

 

Recipe for Ajvar from D.I.Y. Delicious

 

Recipe for Wagon-Wheel Pasta and Goat Cheese from Time for Dinner
Recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken with Plums from Time for Dinner
Recipe for One-Pot Coconut Chicken Curry from Time for Dinner

 

Listen to an interview with the creators of The Geometry of Pasta on  NPR.
Recipe for Penne All'arrabbiata (Spicy Tomato Sauce) from The Geometry of Pasta
Recipe for Gnudi Al Ragu D'Agnello (Lamb Sauce) from The Geometry of Pasta
Recipe for Gemelli Al Fagiolini (Green Beans) from The Geometry of Pasta

 

Recipes for Bloody Sundae and Mummy Pops from Little Monsters Cookbook

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Chronicle Books receives two finalist awards for the IACP 2010 Cookbook Awards!

by Danielle
Food & Drink / March 04, 2010

Raincoast Books is extending their congratulations to Chronicle Books' finalist nominations for the IACP 2010 Cookbook Awards!!

Chronicle Books has received two finalist nominations for the International Association of Cookbook Professionals’ 2010 Cookbook Awards.  The IACP is like the Golden Globe Awards in the food publishing world (with the James Beard Foundation Awards being akin to the Academy Awards).  Out of hundreds of books that are submitted, it’s a huge acknowledgement from the food professionals on the nominating board to select just three cookbook titles per category as finalists. 

The two fabulous book up for this prestigious award are:

BAKING: SAVORY OR SWEET category:
ALL CAKES CONSIDERED

INTERNATIONAL category:
MASTERING THE ART OF CHINESE COOKING

Here's a great video on the book

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Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking

by Dan
Food & Drink / February 01, 2010

Lovingly designed inside and out with stunning colour photographs by Susie Cushner, brush calligraphy by San Yan Wong, and detailed line drawings, Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo is just one of the most beautiful cookbooks I have ever seen.

But it's not *just*a coffee-table book. Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking includes more than 100 recipes, and Lo – an acclaimed chef with decades of experience – guides you step-by-step through the techniques, ingredients, and equipment of new and old Chinese cuisine.

It's an amazing book and surely a 'must-have' for Chinese cuisine aficionados.

Just watch this fabulous video for the book:

 

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Chocolate-Ginger Crinkle Cookies recipe!!

by Danielle
Food & Drink / October 19, 2009

Who says gingerbread is just for the Holidays? With this unique and inspiring cookbook, gingerbread can be enjoyed for breakfast or dessert on any day of the Year!

Here is a recipe for Chocolate-Ginger Crinkle Cookies. Excerpted from one of my fave new Chronicle cookbooks, GINGERBREAD: TIMELESS RECIPES FOR CAKES, COOKIES, DESSERTS, ICE CREAM, AND CANDY

¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
½  teaspoon salt
1 ½  teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
7 ½ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
Confectioners’ sugar for rolling

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt,
ginger, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

Combine the butter and 3 ounces of the chocolate in a medium,
heat-proof bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan filled with about
11/2 inches of simmering water (being sure not to let the bottom
of the bowl touch the water) and stir occasionally until the
chocolate and butter have melted and the mixture is smooth.
Remove the bowl from the saucepan and set aside to cool
slightly, about 10 minutes. (You can also melt the mixture in the
microwave, heating it at about 20-second intervals and stirring
periodically until it is melted and smooth.)

Stir the granulated and brown sugars into the melted chocolate
mixture, using a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula. Drop in
the eggs, one at a time, mixing briskly until smooth. Stir in the
vanilla extract and gradually incorporate the flour mixture. Fold
in the remaining 41/2 ounces of chocolate and the crystallized
ginger. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator
to chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven
to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Shape the chilled dough into walnut-size balls, roll in confectioners’
sugar, and arrange them about 2 inches apart on the
prepared baking sheets. (If your kitchen is quite warm and
the dough becomes too soft, return it to the refrigerator until
chilled and fairly firm.) Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the
cookies have spread and the tops are cracked.

Cool the cookies on the baking sheets set on wire racks for
about 2 minutes before removing them to the racks to cool
completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container or in a
zip-top bag for up to 4 days.

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