NOTE: This post was the newsletter that I sent out to subscribers on August 15, 2019. If you’d like to get my newsletter sent to your inbox each month, just sign up at the bottom of my home page.
And, all of the sudden, it’s August. It’s corn and tomatoes and picnics, citronella candles, beaches, mountain hikes and back-to-school. And, once again, it all went whoosh! I hope you’ve been enjoying it.
Michael and I returned from Paris to our home in small-town Connecticut a month ago and one of the sweetest surprises was this story in The New Yorker by Helen Rosner. Helen chose the 10 best cookbooks of the century, so far – yes, I know, the century’s only 19 years old – and there, among books I love, was Baking From My Home to Yours! A surprise! A delight! An honor! A thrill! An all-around bonbon of happiness. Take a look at the list – the books would make a solid library for every home cook. I’m going to be using it as a gift-guide for weddings. Thank you, Helen.
And, speaking of books, it’s the season for great ones. I’ll be highlighting more soon, but here are a few to buy now or to look for in the coming months.
The newest Chief Inspector Gamache novel from my friend, the great mystery writer, Louise Penny, is due out August 27. It’s called A Better Man and be warned – once you start a Louise Penny novel you won’t put it down until you finish it. Don’t start it when you’re on deadline. I speak from experience.
And Elissa Altman has written a memoir about her mother, the beautiful narcissist, Rita, whom many of us have “met” on Instagram. It’s called Motherland and it’s a powerful reflection on a relationship that is difficult in the extreme. It’s a story told with love, compassion and humor by a remarkable writer.
And, in the world of food … So many good books have recently been published, among them:
Bake, by Rory MacDonald
Bake From Scratch, by Brian Hoffman
Baking at Republique, by Margarita Manzke
Dappled, by Nicole Rucker
Eat. Cook. L.A., by Aleksandra Crapanzano
Everyday is Saturday, by Sarah Copeland
Happiness is Baking, by Maida Heatter
Indian(ish), by Priya Krishna
The Italian Table, by Elizabeth Minchilli
The Nimble Cook, by Ronna Welsh
Ruffage, by Abra Berens
Simple Cake, by Odette Williams
And more coming soon from friends, among them:
Cannelle et Vanille, by Aran Goyoaga
From the Oven to the Table, by Diana Henry
Maangchi’s Big Book of Korean Cooking, by Maangchi
Midwest Made, by Shauna Sever
Nothing Fancy, by Alison Roman
Pastry Love, by Joanne Chang
Poilâne: Secrets of the World-Famous Bread Bakery, by Apollonia Poilâne
Sababa, by Adeena Sussman
Two Peas & Their Pod, by Maria Lichty
Women on Food, by Charlotte Druckman
As always, I know I’ve missed some friends and, for sure, I’ve missed many good books, so please, let me know what you’re loving these days.
August 15 is Julia Child’s birthday – it should be a national holiday, shouldn’t it? To celebrate, you might want to read the absolutely charming, My Life in France.
I returned to The New York Times Magazine last month to join the EAT Columnists. For my comeback column, I wrote about a tart that I love. I call it the Tumble-Jumble Tart, because the berries are just spooned onto a delicious crust that’s been slicked with some strawberry jam. It’s a lovely way to make a tart and it works with so many other fruits. The recipe is here at NYT Cooking(subscription required; photograph by Bobby Doherty).
And, because it’s corn season, how about Fresh-Off-The-Cob Corn Chowder? Here’s the recipe. (There are several other summer recipes in that link, including one for Tomato and Peach Panzanella – fun! Scroll down to find them all.)
Oh, and if you’ve got Everyday Dorie (please tell me you do), you might want to make the Butter-Poached Corn with Egg Noodles on page 218. I made it the other night and served it in small portions as a starter. I love this dish!
Hoping the rest of your summer is delicious.
Sending sweet wishes – xoxo Dorie
All pictures from Everyday Dorie are by Ellen Silverman