Cookbooks as promised...

In my last post I promised some pictures of my cookbooks...well I'm not going to obviously take pictures of all of them (I just don't have that kind of time!) but thought I'd share some of the newer ones I've been into lately.

This book I saw in the title in a magazine and thought..cute title and put it in my watch lists on various sites. Up it came (cheap of course!) and this copy has obviously suffered some sort of water damage but because the paper was of good quality it seems to have survived relatively unscathed.

It's called "America Cooks" by The Browns. It's really a sweet book - a compendium of recipes for all 48 States (well it was back then only 48!). It's got a lot of English recipes (as it should do!), along with some very unusual ingredients (possum, squirrel to name but two). I haven't made anything from it but it sure does get the culinary juices flowing that's for sure!


Then this one I found in my travels...it's called "La Bonne Cuisine de Madame E. Saint-Ange". I got it a while ago but have only recently begun going through it. While written originally in French it now has been translated into English. I have the French version which is old - not sure by how much but the binding is starting to go but still it has Character with a capitol C!

Finally, this is the book that began my collection...it was my grandmother's and then of course my mother's and then mine. It was the only cookbook that was in our house. My mother had a recipe box but otherwise cooked from memory, just about how I cook now. A bit of this, a bit of that...how great to have something different each time!

And finally...not a book at all but just some clippings. I found these amongst some recipes that were my Aunt's. Unfortunately, they are in Polish and I'm not all that fluent in the language. Shame! Someday I hope to get them translated but until then they are in safe keeping. Just full of character!
So there you have it a snippet of the books I'm travelling through...enjoy!

What the Easter Bunny Baked...and then left!

Well these are the double-chocolate hot cross buns I made for Easter. I have never been one for the traditional buns - all that fruit just isn't my thing. But figured this was different enough to give it a go and see if its any good.

I found the recipe in Country Living last year which I only happened upon a bit ago when trying to sort out all my recipe cuttings. I finally put them all in a notebook so that at least I could note which ones I tried and liked. I would then of course write it up in my other written book so that I had notes all together of what I did differently from the original recipe. As with just about anything in life tastes change and you alter slightly things (in this case recipes) to suit the time and place. Well at least I do...what do you do? So to end your anticipation here is a picture of all my current recipes - yes, way too many but what would you expect from moi? I always aim to please! =)

Off to enjoy those buns with a nice cuppa as they say...

Childhood food memories...

I must admit I have a large cookbook collection probably in excess of 300 or so books. I began collecting many years ago (more than I probably care to admit about now!) but I have since begun to refine my tastes and am now quite discriminating on what books I will buy.

I tend to go off on tangents and when really into something I would get all the best books on the subject. For instance, once when in the bookstore, I saw this book on chocolate - it was like porn for chocolate lovers. I could not put the book down. I did not get it that day but of course, it only took me a few days to go back and get the book. What was it you ask? Death by Chocolate by Marcel Desaulniers. I remember then finding a show on one of the cooking channels back home - how I wish I had kept the videos I had taped, I taped over them with Martha Stewart. While I am happy to have some of her older shows (they were the best if you ask me) it would have been useful to keep his shows too. Hindsight is 20/20 as they say.

Anyway, despite having the book I made only one item in it for a long time (probably more out of fear than anything else - the recipes often are intimidating to read through let alone make). I then, when moving to England, found that cakes here were nothing like our American counterparts. Icing here is usually fondant but I think it is such a super-sugar rush that I cannot stand it. They really do not do icing as we do. Therefore, I began to broaden my baking horizons and started making most of the items in this book. My particular favourite is the White and Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cake. It really is the best frosting by far and has just the right amount of sweet, chocolate taste.

Now for the reason for the posting - see I am already on a tangent! I made yesterday a loaf of bread - nothing unusual in that but instead of the usual loaf I made a sweeter type of bread more akin to a brioche but not as sweet. I got the recipe from my Dough cookbook (another one I recommend) and this got me to thinking of my childhood and how we had gotten this type of bread usually for our Easter dinner.

I then began to think of all the other breads I had that I cannot now find and one was a poppy seed confection that really was out of this world. Therefore, I naturally turned to a cookery book that I saw in the States about 7 years ago called Polish Heritage Cookery, what a gem this book has turned out to be. Eventually I found a recipe, which sounds similar to what I remember but of course, it will be a lot of work. I will have to gather a number of ingredients for it but I'll report back when I have made the item. I hope that I can get the camera to work and take a picture of it as well. I must admit I am a techie but working that thing is often beyond me.

Now this is a rather long post but I find it is often food that transports us back to our childhood and to relive those pleasant memories gone by. I am lucky to have many of my family recipes that my grandmother made. I so wished that she had written them down even if they were in Polish - it would be something. I do have her cookbook but the date in it is well past when she would have begun cooking so I can only assume it was a present. I can see some similarities to the recipes of some items I make but they are never the exact - nor are the ingredients.

I tend to cook the same way - I will synthesise a number of recipes and tackle it my own way. I sometimes have flops but then again life is a learning curve. Hopefully, I’ll have a bit more to pass on when I am gone as I try to keep a record of the recipes I like and have adapted. At least I hope there will be someone in my family that will enjoy cooking and getting the best they can from their food. We shall see…