My Ten Favorite Cookbooks

My Ten Favorite Cookbooks
© Donna Cook – All Rights Reserved  

I'm a foodie. There, I said it. I have over 40 cookbooks marked with Post-its for recipes I want to try. Here they are on my kitchen counter. I don't even want to count the number of recipes I've gotten from magazines, newspapers and the Internet. Choosing just ten cookbooks is very hard. What about Lidia Bastianich, Rick Bayless, Burt Wolf, Julia Child, Martin Yan, Paul Prudhomme, and cookbooks from the New York Times, McCalls and Better Homes and Gardens?

Many of these cookbooks have newer versions or are out of print. This picture shows the books that I bought and use. 

My cookbooks can be divided into two groups, those on the kitchen counter and those in an improvised book shelf in the cabinet below. These are the cookbooks that I use the most and are on my kitchen counter. Enjoy!

"Betty Crocker's Cookbook"

© Donna Cook – All Rights Reserved  

Yes, that's duct tape holding my 1975 edition of "Betty Crocker's Cookbook" together. Did you know that Betty Crocker is a character, not a real person? The first edition of this classic cookbook was published in 1950 although the character was created in 1921 by General Mills. According to their Web site, the character was created in order to make responses to customers more personal. Check out the site for the complete story. Who cares if there wasn't an actual person named Betty Crocker? This is the cookbook I use the most.

"Betty Crocker's Cookbook" is the first cookbook I bought after I was married. It's still my go to cookbook for basics like roasting turkey, chicken, pork or beef. I do need to check if the internal temperatures needed for doneness have changed on the USDA Web site. The recipes are tried and true. Stuffing is always perfect. Cake and frosting are as easy as pie recipes.

The book certainly of a different era. A cake recipe for an 8" x 8" pan is called a "dinette cake for small families." Harvest gold, avocado green, and burnt orange form the color palette from the 1970's. I still have Tupperware in those colors! Convenience was a big deal at that time so there are a lot of prepared foods in the recipes, like canned soup.My favorite recipes are the coffee cake, stuffing, roasts, nut breads, and hot German potato salad.

"Crock-Pot Recipe Collection"

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I bought my Crock-Pot in the 1980's and it's still cookin' away. A small pamphlet of recipes came with it. Most of those overcooked the food and spices were cooked out.

Image credit: Donna Cook
My copy

I bought "Crock-Pot Recipe Collection" a few years ago and it is just terrific. There are lots of recipes from other countries like Persian Eggplant Dip, Jamaican Chicken and Cuban Pork Sandwiches. Italian and Mexican style recipes are represented in abundance. Don't worry, there are plenty of American favorites including Yankee Pot Roast, Clam Chowder, and Wisconsin Beer and Cheese Soup.

My favorite chapter is Soups and Stocks. I still need to make Italian Sausage Soup. It looks very much like a soup I've had called Italian Wedding Soup. The Chicken Tortilla Soup would be a perfect after school treat. I'm sure that the Hot and Sour Soup and Greek Lemon and Rice Soup is as good as any restaurant. No soup chapter is complete without a tasty minestrone!

"Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving"

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My copy

I didn't buy this canning book first but I should have. I call it the "grandmomma" of all canning books. I had put up two bushels of tomatoes before I realized how badly I needed the very best canning book of all time, first published in 1909. I live at an altitude of 5,203 feet in a Denver, Colorado suburb. I found too many different altitude adjustments in canning recipes from the Internet. The adjustments in the "Ball Blue Book" are conservative, like adding 10 minutes to processing instead of 5 minutes. I like that. I also like the detailed explanation of the importance acidity and preventing the growth of microorganisms. Although what I learned in college chemistry and biology is way outdated, pH and bug growth haven't changed (even if the names of the bugs have).

Water bath canning is covered in great detail and is probably the most popular type of canning. I would guess that tomatoes are the most popular food that is canned. I love the step by step directions at the end of chapters that show exactly how to can a particular food, especially tomatoes. There are recipes for tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce, salsa, and all things tomato. The chapter on jams, jellies, and fruit spreads really helped me as I now make low sugar jams and jellies. I am afraid of pressure cookers, but the chapter on canning low acid foods such as meats and vegetables was very informative. I live near a bunch of farm markets and the idea of canning my own vegetables is very appealing. Preserving by freezing and dehydrating are covered. Dehydrating is intriguing but I would get a book on that subject alone because I would like in depth coverage of that topic.

This edition may not be available now. I would suggest checking you favorite book seller for the most recent edition. 

Church Cookbooks for Authentic Cooking

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I treasure these two church cookbooks published in the early 1970's. My Volga Deutsch grandmother bought them at her church in Chicago and gave them to my mother who passed them down to me. I've labeled this "Authentic Cooking" because the recipes are mostly from immigrants from Eastern Europe or first generation daughters. I see German, Bohemian, Polish, and Hungarian recipes in abundance. There is a Bohemian egg bread with raisins called houska. I never learned to make it from my Bohemian grandmother. I've been able to adopt the recipe in one of these books to work with my bread machine. It's just like being with Babicka Kuchynka. The Fleisch Berok recipe makes me feel closer to all my Volga Deutsch relatives that live so far away.

I know that I'll never make the pig's knuckles with sauerkraut or the old fashioned liver sausage. However, kuchen and kolacky are on the cooking to do list, as are the sauerbraten and chicken paprika. This is not health food but everything in moderation.

"Betty Crocker's Best Bread Machine Cookbook"

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My copy

I received a bread machine as a gift over ten years ago. I haven't bought a loaf of bread from the grocery store ever since. My first attempts at yeast breads and rolls were terrific door stops and hockey pucks, so I started making quick breads to compensate for my yeast failure. The bread machine restored my yeast self esteem as did the discovery that there is a flour specifically for bread. I don't remember my grandmother having bread flour and my mom did not make bread, so how was I to know? I set out on a yeast mission and got about half a dozen bread machine cookbooks. Quite frankly, a lot of them had recipes that I would never make like dill bread. I love dill pickles not dill in bread did not appeal to me. Then I realized that what would be better than a Betty Crocker cookbook for a bread machine? Thank goodness that I did, because this is my favorite bread machine cookbook. A newer edition is available. 

Even the introduction is tremendously helpful with an explanation of the machine cycles, types of flour, and yeast. The photos of the failed loaves is worth the price of the book alone. The FAQ is a resource for either the newbie or the experienced bread machine user. The recipes range from basic white bread to rustic loaves and beyond. My favorite chapter is about sweet breads and coffee cakes. I just love the Cinnamon Roll recipe, although I use a glaze from my dear old Betty Crocker's Cookbook from the 1970's. I make the rolls as gifts only for very special people in my life.


"The Joy of Cooking"

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My copy

I first bought "Joy of Cooking" as a paperback when I was ready to venture beyond basics and into high falutin' recipes. Of course, Joy is a terrific cookbook and fabulous cooking reference. I broke down and bought the hardcover edition so that it would lay flat when I was using it.

There are 18 chapters with recipes for abalone to zucchini and everything in between. There are diagrams on how to eat with chopsticks and submerging the neck end of a goose in boiling water. I doubt that I will ever need to know how to cook emu but I know that "Joy of Cooking" has the directions. The pictures of orange roughy and mahi-mahi show rather unattractive but very delicious fish. Monkfish will never be in my kitchen. I only use a couple kinds of pasta but I can refer to the chart that shows 27 types with their cooking times.

I probably use the stocks and sauces chapter the most, although I'm still trying to master hollandaise and Bearnaise sauces. The marinades and rubs chapter is terrific for preparing meats to barbecue. I never grill meats anymore without marinating for the richer, deeper flavors. There are a lot of international recipes included in the newer editions reflecting the trend towards a world cuisine. I see that there is a 75th anniversary edition available with a predominantly red cover

Just a side note about the movie "Julia and Julie." I just loved the scene with Irma Rombauer where she told Julia Child what it was really like to get "Joy of Cooking" published.

"The New Professional Chef"

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My copy

Does the acronym CIA mean spies or cooking to you? The Culinary Institute of America was founded in 1946 and has trained many famous chefs such as Duff Goldman, Anthony Bourdain, Anne Burrell, Cat Cora, and Michael Symon. I was given "The New Professional Chef" by the Culinary Institute of America as a gift. It is one heavy duty cookbook weighing in at eight pounds. If you ever want to know anything about kind of food or technique, this is the cookbook to get! I have the 1996 edition and it's geared to towards future restaurateurs.

The recipes are set for 10 servings, which is great for large family, party or restaurant. Of course, the recipes can be cut in half. Fully one third of the book is devoted to safety, ingredients, equipment and basic techniques. This is the best cooking reference book that I have. There are diagrams, pictures and descriptions of knives, cookware, and cuts of all kinds of meat, poultry and fish.

My favorite section is The Raw Ingredients that has photos of an amazing amount of fruits, vegetables and spices as well as grains, nuts and beans. My next favorite section is Mise en Place which translates from French to "to put in place." I take it to mean preparation prior to cooking. Knife and cutting skill photographs will teach proper knife techniques. This section finally taught me the difference be between bouquet garni (herbs tied in a bundle) and sachet d'epices (herbs and spices in a cheesecloth bag.)

There are recipes for everything you can imagine in 10 serving sizes. There's just one recipe to each 8 1/2 x 11 page. The ingredients are listed in order and the preparation steps are numbered. I really should use this cookbook more. I have seen a new edition at my local bookstore. This cookbook will take your cooking to the next level!

Ball Blue Book and Kerr Canning Book from 1947

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I'm a pack rat and hold onto some things for years because I think I'll need them again. Sometimes I do! Occasionally, I run across stuff that I didn't even know that I had, like these vintage canning books from 1947. I kept the few cookbooks that my mom had and these were inside of one of them. I only discovered them last year. They are a precious reminder of my mother. I never saw her do any canning although now that I think about it she did have a couple of canning utensils. We had a peach tree in the back yard and there are food stains on those recipes.

I didn't know that there were jars with glass lids and separate rubber rings to seal them or jars with bail wires to keep the lids closed. There is enough sugar in the jelly and jam recipes to rot your teeth just from reading them. The recipes call for three to four cups of sugar to one cup of fruit. No pectin is added, just sugar. I was surprised that the jars aren't sealed with paraffin.

When I was a kid, my dad would take me to the butcher in the old neighborhood, Cicero, IL. There was a large Bohemian community in Cicero in addition to the gangsters you may have heard about. Organ meats filled one entire meat case in the butcher shop. There are canning recipes for things I remember seeing like pigs feet, sweetbreads, tongue, and sulc (head cheese-you don't want to know.) I didn't see a recipe for tripe.

These two cookbooks are a wonderful window on the past and just how far canning has come since then.

Jacques Pepin's Cookbooks

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My copies

I love to watch cooking shows. Before there was the Food Network and the Cooking channel, most cooking shows were on PBS on Saturday mornings in my home town of Chicago. Jacques Pepin shows were my introduction to French cooking. I love his practical methods that make gourmet cooking as easy as burgers. These are the two cookbooks from the 1990's that I have.

Jacques introduced me to the wonders of Herbes de Provence and ratatouille. I still make the Ragout of Potatoes. I would like to make the apple tart but don't have the patience to make the dough or lay out the apples. "The Short-Cut Cook" is my favorite of the two books with a newer edition available.

  

Charlie Trotter's Cookbooks

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My copies

You may remember the late Charlie Trotter from his 1999 PBS show, The Kitchen Sessions. If you didn't see the show, get "Gourmet Cooking for Dummies", which he authored. I never liked the For Dummies series of books until I got this one. Like all the For Dummies books, the subject is taken seriously but with a wry sense of humor. Flavors have many complex layers. My favorite is the Barley Risotto. "The Kitchen Sessions" is a feast both for the eyes and the palette. Most recipes have one whole page with a photo of the dish on the facing page. Right now I'm looking at the Sea Scallops with blended Chicken Liver Sauce and Braised Collard Greens. This is a terrific example of how Chef Trotter blended and layered flavors for unbelievable food.

I was fortunate to have eaten at his Chicago restaurant, Charlie Trotter's, for a couple of special occasions. His mother was at the restaurant and gave guests tours of the kitchen and the area where the TV show was shot. I'm still lusting after the 55 gallon stockpots.

Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls

© Donna Cook – All Rights Reserved  

Nothing says home like the smell of fresh baked cinnamon rolls! This recipe is adapted from the "Betty Crocker Bread Machine Cookbook." The icing is from a 1970's version of the classic "Betty Crocker Cookbook." I have nothing against the rolls from the refrigerated section of the grocery store. These are just more luscious, gooey and taste better!

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoon bread machine yeast
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons table sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Glaze

• 1/3 cup butter, 
• 2 cups confectioner's sugar, also known as powdered sugar
• As needed milk, to thin glaze
• Optional 1 teaspoon flavored extract, such as vanilla, raspberry or lemon

Stats

• Total Time: 4 hours 30 min 
• Prep time: 1 hour  
• Cook time: 3 hours 30 min 
• Serves: 12 or 15 rolls

Instructions

1. Combine the first six ingredients in bread machine pan. These include the bread flour, sugar, egg, salt, butter, and water.
2. Place pan in bread machine. Add yeast to dispenser.
3. Run bread machine on dough cycle.
4. When cycle is completed, remove dough from pan. Let dough rest on a floured, flat surface for 10 minutes.
5. Flatten and roll dough into a 15" x 10" rectangle.
6. Spread melted butter evenly over dough to the edges.
7. Spread filling evenly over the dough to the edges.
8. Roll dough up into a cylinder, like a jelly roll.
9. Cut into 12 even slices. A dough scraper works best for me. 
10. Grease 13" x 9" cake pan.
11. Place rolls in pan, cover, and let rise until double in size. This takes one to one and one half hours depending on ambient temperature.
12. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
13. Bake rolls for 25 minutes.
14. Let rolls cool. Cover with glaze.

Glaze 

1. Melt butter in sauce pan over very low heat.
2. Slowly mix in confectioner's sugar.
3. Add milk a little at a time to help thin and help sugar dissolve.
4. Frost rolls quickly as the glaze sets up almost immediately.

More fillings and variations

There are many ways to enhance the fillings, toppings, and icings of these cinnamon rolls. As noted in the recipe, the icing can be flavored with extracts, such as vanilla, raspberry or lemon. Other possible extracts include mint, cherry, and toffee.

Add your favorite nuts to the filling or on top of the icing. Walnuts, pecans, almonds, and coconut increase the flavor and add texture to the rolls. Macadamia, pistachios, or hazelnuts infuse a more exotic flavor into classic cinnamon rolls.

Adding fruit, either fresh, dried or jams, is another way to amplify the basic flavor of these rolls. Finely diced fresh apples, pineapple, peaches, or berries add zing to the rolls. Popular dried fruits are raisins, currants, figs, cranberries, and many more. Jams, preserves or spreads of any kind uniquely flavor the rolls. Apple butter, raspberry jam and Nutella are a few of the myriad possibilities.

Tips

• I use an old Tupperware pastry sheet to roll out dough. I put a wet kitchen towel underneath the plastic to prevent it from slipping while working with the dough.
• Hard brown sugar can be softened. Put the brown sugar in a microwave proof container. Put one to two cups water in a separate microwave proof container. Put both in the microwave nd heat until the water boils. The steam softens the brown sugar. Store brown sugar in an air tight container to keep soft.
• I put the 13" x 9" pan by the pastry sheet while I'm rolling out the dough, as shown in the picture, I use the pan as a size guide.

Dough from bread machine

Rolled out dough








                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Mise en place - filling

Dough with filling

                                                            


Cutting the rolls

Rolls before rising

                                                                                   



                                                     

Rolls after rising

Baked rolls

                                                     

Iced rolls

Food Facts: Cinnamon

Cinnamon is an ancient spice, used by the Egyptians and mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible, also known as the Hebrew Bible. Christopher Columbus was seeking cinnamon when he sailed east from Europe.

Unique among spices, cinnamon is actually tree bark that is dried and ground. The two main types of cinnamon are known as Ceylon cinnamon and Cassia cinnamon. Both types come from laurel trees. Ceylon cinnamon grows in Sri Lanka. The species of the laurel is Cinnamomum zealanicum. The Spice Council of Sri Lanka and other sources refer to the spice as “true cinnamon.” Cassian cinnamon grows in China, Vietnam, and Burma. The species for this laurel is Cinnamomum cassia, Blume.

Grocery store cinnamon is most likely Cassia cinnamon, although the type is probably not on the label. Cassia cinnamon is far less expensive than Ceylon cinnamon. Ceylon cinnamon is labeled as such to justify the cost. The Cassia type has a bolder taste than the subtle Ceylon. Similarly, the bark of Cassia cinnamon is tough and difficult to grind whereas the Ceylon cinnamon is soft and easily crumbles.

Cinnamon is used in folk, Chinese and alternative medicine. There are many claims that cinnamon may help lower blood sugar and fight infections. According to WebMD.com, results from studies are not definitive and calls cinnamon “an unproven treatment.”

Homemade Hamburger Buns

© Donna Cook – All Rights Reserved  

I love my bread machine and can make all types of raised dough recipes in it. Of course I make regular loaves of bread but the "dough" cycle allows all sorts of other yummy recipes. I've adapted my grandmother's raisin bread and a cinnamon roll recipe for the bread machine.

I'll show you how to make quick and easy homemade hamburger buns. They are tastier, fresher, and fluffier than any grocery store package. Give them a try!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup bread flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cup milk warmed
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg 
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Stats:

• Total time: 4.5 hours
• Prep time: 30-45 minutes
• Cook time: 20 minutes
• Serves: 12

Instructions

1. Combine ingredients in bread machine pan, put yeast in dispenser, and run on dough cycle per manufacturer's instructions.
2. Lightly grease sheet pan with cooking oil or butter.
3. Remove dough ball from bread machine pan and place on lightly floured surface.
4. Flatten dough ball with your hands to release gas bubbles. You can roll the bubbles out with a rolling pin but it's easier for me just to flatten the dough.
5. Cut dough into 12 equal sections using dough scraper or knife
6. If you have a scale, each ball should weigh about 3 ounces plus or minus 0.1 ounces.
7. Place dough ball in egg ring and press to fit. Alternately, flatten dough ball to approximately 3.5 inches.
8. Place shaped dough in previously greased sheet pan. Let rise one hour.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. The buns will be a light brown on top.
10. Cool on cooling rack and serve!

Food Facts - Bread Flour

How is bread flour different from all purpose flour? Bread flour contains more protein than all purpose flour. Some of this protein is gluten. Gluten causes the dough to be elastic and forms a network of the proteins. As the yeast metabolizes the sugar in the dough it releases a waste product, carbon dioxide, as bubbles. These bubbles permeate the dough and are trapped by the protein network, causing the bread to rise. 

Wheat is categorized into hard (spring and winter) and soft wheat. All purpose flour has a protein content of about 8-11% and is a mix of hard and soft wheat. Bread flour has more hard wheat and a higher protein content of 12-14%. 

The “Nutrition Facts” panel on the two bread flours in my pantry list four grams of protein per ¼ cup. The all purpose flour lists three grams of protein per ¼ cup which is 25% less protein. Although they have the same protein content, the generic bread flour and the name brand bread flour I have perform differently for me. The name brand bread flour gives a better texture and consistency than the generic. I don’t know why. Luckily, the price difference is minimal so I just use the name brand.

The wheat flour that I have also lists four grams of protein per ¼ cup. I’ve tried to make wheat bread using half wheat flour, half bread flour and one tablespoon of gluten. It still doesn’t rise properly so I just make white bread now. Wheat gluten has about 23 grams of protein per ¼ cup. 

I did not have any success making bread until I started using bread flour and a bread machine. I don’t know how my grandmother made breads without added gluten, unless she just kneaded the heck out of them.

Step 3 - Dough on floured surface

Step 4 - Flattened Dough



Step 5 - Cutting Dough

Step 5 - Dough cut in 12 sections



Step 6 - 12 dough ball

Step 6 - 3 ounce dough ball

Step 8 - Dough before rising

Step 7 - Pressing dough into egg ring 



Step 9 - Just out of the oven

Step 8 - Dough after rising

Bohemian Raisin Bread-Houska

© Donna Cook – All Rights Reserved

 © Donna Cook – All Rights Reserved  

My favorite food in the world is houska. It reminds me of my Babi's kitchen with all the warmth and love. Even in the 1950's, Babi used a wood burning stove to cook. She tested the oven temperature by simply putting her hand in the oven to see if it felt right. After she passed away, I bought houska at Bohemian bakeries. They started disappearing over the years. My mom's mother had a church cookbook that had a houska recipe. I had tried to make it myself but it turned out like a door stop. 

My dad's mother is from Obenice, Bohemia in the Czech Republic. We lived with my dad's parents in Cicero, Illinois until I was two years old. Moje babicka (my grandmother in Bohemian) spoke very little English but she was a fantastic cook. I was too young to learn from her. I would love to have learned to make kolacky (pastries with filling), noodles made just with eggs and flour, knedliky (bread dumplings) and houska, a sweet raisin bread.

Years later, I got a bread machine. After some trial and error, the houska recipe works! There are some similarities to challah bread, but this recipe has eggs and milk, so it is definitely not kosher. I do use the 6 strand braiding technique for challah bread because it is so pretty.

Houska is so good that I eat it like cake, without butter, toasting, jelly or anything.

Ingredients

• 3 cups bread flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, soft
• 1 1/2 teaspoons  salt
• 1/2 teaspoon  nutmeg
• 1 cup scalded milk
• 1 egg
• 1 egg separated into yolk and white (2 eggs total)
• 4 ounces golden raisins
• 2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
• Slivered almonds

Stats

• Total time: 6 hours
• Preparation time: 30 minutes
• Cook time:           5 ½ hours
• Servings: 16-20 slices approximately

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients except raisins, egg white, and yeast in bread machine pan.
2. Put yeast into yeast dispenser.
3. Run the bread machine in dough raisin mode.
4. Add raisins when machine indicates-mine beeps towards the end of the kneading process.
5. Remove dough when cycle is completed.
6. Braid dough by strand method or divide between 2 bread pans.
7. Let rise until double in height, 1-2 hours.
8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
9. Brush loaf or loaves with the egg white.
10. Sprinkle with slivered almonds. 
11. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Test for doneness-an inserted toothpick will come out clean.
12. Slice to any desired thickness and serve. 

Food Facts - Raisins

As you may know, raisins are made from grapes dried in the sun. They belong to the genus and species Vitis vinifera 'Thompson Seedless' in the Family Vitaceae, the grape family. The genus Vitus includes a wide variety of grapes. They are a deciduous perennial, meaning that the plant sheds its leaves and lives for more than two years. Most production is in Califorina. However, the state of Washington is the second largest grape grower followed by Oregon and New York. Raisins are an ancient food found in the Phoenician and Egyptian cultures.

Both regular and golden raisins are made from Thompson Seedless Grapes. The difference is in the processing. Golden raisins are treated with sulfur dioxide to stop the fruit from darkening from oxidation. Natural raisins are not treated with sulfites so the color is darker. If you react to sulfites in foods, golden raisins may not be a good choice as they are very high sulfites. Organic golden raisins are available but they are higher in cost and may not be raised in the USA. 

Image credit: Allposters.com