4.02.2012

# Cooking # Lessons from Madame Chic

My Favorite Cookbooks

Hello everyone, I hope you had a wonderful weekend.

As some of you may have noticed, Lessons from Madame Chic is not currently available on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. I will be making an announcement about this shortly, (hint: it’s good news!) but until then I suppose I can look at the whole matter as enhancing my air of mystery… ☺ Thank you in advance for your understanding.




And now for this week's video, My Favorite Cookbooks. I have many favorite cookbooks but in this video I share with you the ones I use the most in my everyday cooking. If you are unable to see the above embedded video, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or visit my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

I hope you enjoy! And I would love to know... what are your favorite cookbooks?

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21 comments:

Priscilla said...

Interesting cookbooks you shared with us. I just recently read Julia
Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" for techniques. I have been using Lucinda Scala Quinn's "Mad Hungry" for new recipes I have been trying.

I am awaiting shipment of your lessons book from Amazon. Guess I got it under the wire. And I am looking forward to your new mystery. I love a good mystery book.

Luli said...

My favorite cookbooks are the ones by The Barefoot Contessa. Have you ever read her books or tried her recipes? Have a great week!

Melissa U said...

I also really enjoy The Barefoot Contessa's series of cookbooks, especially Barefoot In Paris! In addition, I also love Giada de Laurentiis' cookbooks. I use Giada's recipes most often because I have a Roman husband!

Melissa U

Monique said...

Ina Garten has influenced my cooking more than anyone else, love all her books.

Sandra Sallin said...

I also second or third the recomendation of Ina Garten's books. Always delicious and usually easy. Do give her a try.

Sandra Sallin said...

I also second or third the recomendation of Ina Garten's books. Always delicious and usually easy. Do give her a try.

Christine said...

Okay, I'm a "cookbook connoisseur":) However, my top 3 in the frequent use category have to go to the Williams-Sonoma "Bride & Groom Cookbook" (the chicken noodle soup is delicious), Nigella Lawson's "Nigella Express", and Giada de Laurentis' "Everyday Italian". I have a few "Barefoot Contessa" cookbooks; however, they are usually only pulled out for special occasions.

The Sonoma Diet Cookbooks are really full of wonderfully healthy, flavorful dishes as well. The "French Women Don't Get Fat" books have some tasty recipes, too.

If you only knew how many cookbooks I have! "Veganomicon" and "Vegan with a Vengeance" are also parts of the library. And, I'm dying to try one of the recipes in Heidi Swanson's "Super Natural Every Day". (I believe her blog is 101 Cookbooks.)

I could talk for hours when it comes to cookbooks!

Faye Curtiz said...

There are lot of advantages for a woman when she knows how to cook. Good that you share you resources and I know a lot will appreciate it.



___________________
Faye of Best Eye Cream

Dee J said...

My sister just gave me Veganomicon! It looked good at first glance, but now you've encouraged me to take time to try it. My 1st cookbook + most solid reference is Joy of Cooking.

Videos, food blogs + magazines help me equally with cookbooks. My top 2 influences are Jamie Oliver + Alton Brown. My fave cooking magazine is Delicious. Martha Stewart Everyday Food helps me get ideas + basics to build upon.

I love to check out cookbooks from the library too- there are hundreds! Some recent good reads were Laura Schenone's The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken (then I made ravioli-fun!!); Gwyneth Paltrow's My Father's Daughter (great balance of simple/elegant health/taste); and Olives & Oranges by Sara Jenkins + Mindy Fox.

I'm enjoying all these recommendations! ~Dee J.

Maureen said...

Like some others here, my favorites are the Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa series. I have never made anything from one of her books that has been less than outstanding. One other cookbook appears on my kitchen counter regularly--the Williams-Sonoma Eat Well Cookbook. The recipes make delicious food, and it's an added bonus to know that the food you're putting on the table is healthy and loaded with nutrition.

luckylass319 said...

Interesting - though the view on meats is very "un French." I myself lived in France for a year and we always had meat served at least twice a day at the various homes I visited. It was good, quality meat, not the processed junk so common in America, but it was meat none the less. Furthermore,I never met a single vegan/vegetarian during my stay in this very healthy (compared to the United States) country.

Joni said...

Interesting cookbooks, Jen! My favorites are: The New Basics Cookbook by Rosso & Lukins; The Foods You Crave and So Easy by Ellie Krieger; French Tastes by Laura Calder; and Patricia Wells at Home in Provence.

Tracy said...

My absolute favorites are by Mireille Guiliano, French Women Dont Get Fat series. She actually inspired me to take up cooking, which was no small feat. The recipes are simple yet elegant. For someone who grew up eating out, the recipes even make me look like a gourmet chef.

Jane said...

"The Bonne Femme Cookbook" by Wini Moranville has "simple food that French women cook every day." I have made many of the recipes and they have all been delicious. I also enjoy Ina Garten's cookbooks.

Karena said...

Oh I love Vegonomicom, My Kansas City Jr League, Beyond Parsley, and Above and beyond Parsley. Adore Ina's cooking style!


xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena

The Daily Connoisseur said...

Evening everyone! Thank you for sharing your recommendations... It's funny I have so many of the ones you already recommend (I have sooo many cookbooks). I love Ina too and have all of the Barefoot Contessa books but like some of you have said, I only use hers on special occasions. I find the portion size way too big for just the three of us. Thoughts? I also have Wini Moranville's Bonne Femme Cookbook but have not used it yet. I've just earmarked a lot of the pages but am looking forward to trying some of her French recipes. Like I mention in the video, I will probably have a lot of sequels to this post because I have so many cookbooks I enjoy. Thanks again for sharing with all of us! Jennifer x

Unknown said...

My favorite cookbook is 60-Minute Gourmet by Pierre Franey. I still make the Eggplant in creole sauce on page 111. Thanks for sharing your cookbooks!

Anonymous said...

I love cookbooks. LOVE COOKBOOKS! My favorite cookbook ever - ready? Trisha Yearwood! The country superstar! She has 2 cookbooks, and I use them constantly. They're full of good, down-home recipes. It's funny, I remember seeing her first one in the bookstore, and thinking, "Good grief, another celebrity thinks that they can just do whatever the heck they want and the masses of us will just fall down and say, 'thank you, thank you, thank you for being YOU and making us feel like you're special enough to have your own book, of course you MUST be a good cook, too'. Something like that, anyway. I mosied over to see it because I couldn't help myself and was sucked in. They all sounded good, and to my surprise, after cooking many of them, they are truly stellar.

Anonymous said...

Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child's and a book of recipes put together by my Creole grandmere, and given to Mr on my wedding day.

Unknown said...

My go-to cookbook these days is called Simply in Season. It focuses on using seasonal produce and really enjoying the flavor that fresh, in-season items have. Most of the recipes are vegetarian, but you could easily add meat if you wanted to. It's actually a Mennonite cookbook, which surprised me when I got it because the amazon notes didn't say anything about that!

Interestingly, I also use recipes from the magazine Cooking Light a lot of the time, and I tend to keep the issues that have lots of things I like in them. I still have some from the '90s that I continue to use!

Anonymous said...

Ok, I am a French lady.
So, my point of view may not be the American one.

Never mind, I can share my favorite cookbooks (for whom reads French).
My favorite cookbook of all is "La cuisine du divorcé", from Antoine Isambaert. This man has written this book after he divorced. He didn't even know how to cook an egg !
What I like in this book above all is that before starting the recipes, they explain to you the basics basics, like how long you cook pasta...
My hint, for the very beginners, is to start with easy cooking cookbooks. Otherwise, you discourage yourself very easily.

Currently, I am learning how to cook food with a kettle, which is very convenient when you are in a hotel or the kitchen cannot be used. It is more difficult, but it is a very useful skill when no kitchen is available.