u/Icy_Conference_564 — reddlx

Too often, restaurant cookbooks are either vanity projects or collections of chefy excess. Neither of those is true of this week's selection. As enjoyable to read as it is to follow in the kitchen, Chef Paul is committed to sharing his passion and knowledge in a thoroughly accessible manner. Enjoy!

Chez Panisse Cooking (Random House Inc., 1988)

By Paul Bertolli

Alice Waters has always surrounded herself with incredibly talented individuals for every aspect of operations at Chez Panisse, and Paul Bertolli was certainly no exception. Executive chef for a decade beginning in 1982, he rose to prominence developing expertise in handcrafting ingredients - balsamic vinegar and salumi to name a couple. His insistence on using fresh, ripe, seasonal, unadulterated raw products perfectly meshed with Waters' philosophy of offering a unique daily menu based on the best of whatever was available. From the beginning, Chez Panisse cultivated relationships with dozens of farmers and local producers resulting in a seemingly endless abundance of fresh produce, seafood and heirloom meats, each delivered at the moment of perfection.

Paul collaborated with Alice to produce this masterwork, sharing their years of experience and expertise in beautifully written prose. Each recipe is a self-contained gem, providing everything you need to know to succeed...and a whole lot more. Reading one is a beautiful journey into the thorough process behind it - Which ingredient should I select? Where do they come from and how do I know when they are ready? What is the best way to handle them to ensure maximum flavor? And always, always "why". These are not just instructions to get through the preparation - they are lessons to be remembered and applied over and again as you build a life in tune with the bounty of the earth and the cycle of the seasons.

One of the hallmarks of Chez Panisse's cuisine is that most dishes are simplicity personified, enabling those perfect ingredients to shine. The explanations around each are virtual essays on vision and technique. The great food writer Richard Olney said of Paul's cooking that it was "a celebration of purity" and that concisely sums up this marvelous work.

For more thoughts from my personal collection of 8,200+ titles, check out my Substack at Cookbook Chronicles' Culinary Archive. Subscribe for free and receive each weekly post delivered to your inbox.

- - Rick - Cookbook Chronicles

“Cookbooks feed your head”

I moved to New Orleans as soon as I graduated from college and, though I was only there for a decade, I immediately recognized it as my spiritual hometown. That appreciation has never waned, and cookbooks on all aspects of Creole cuisine have formed a major subsection of my collection. Casting a broad net, this is one I most treasure.

The New Orleans Cookbook (Alfred A. Knopf, 1975)

By Richard and Rima Collin

Before I moved to New Orleans in the 70's, my primary exposure to the city had been through the Creole and Acadian volume of Time-Life's Foods of the World series. I was intrigued and even used it as a guide during my two brief visits before relocating there. The world I had glimpsed in its pages was real and turned out to be even more fantastic than I had hoped. Once I was ensconced in the Crescent City, however, I realized I needed more depth of detail if I were to thrive.

I needed a bible, and I found it in two forms, both written by the same husband & wife team, Rima and Richard Collin. They were both professors at the University of New Orleans, specializing in comparative literature and American culture, respectively. But those were just their day jobs. Following in the footsteps of the classic 1933 Gourmet's Guide to New Orleans and drawn from his weekly restaurant review column in the New Orleans States-Item, Richard compiled his own contemporary guide entitled The New Orleans Underground Gourmet. As a newbie to the scene, it was a virtual checklist to help me get my food legs and remained my go-to reference over the subsequent decade.

Their most significant accomplishment, though, was to write The New Orleans Cookbook which introduced folks all over the country to the secrets of authentic Creole and Cajun cuisine. New Orleanians love to entertain and, when they aren't dining out, they cook at home and invite everyone they know. This book became my one-stop reference for all things culinary and, to this day, remains solidly on the short list of those that can never be allowed to get out of my sight from the kitchen. I realize it has a very personal significance for me, but I'm not so blinded by memories that I can't also recognize one of the great publications in American food lore.

- - Rick - Cookbook Chronicles

“Cookbooks feed your head”