The best European Cooking, Food & Wine books: Reddit reviews

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

I also highly recommend Jacques Pepin's New Complete Techniques. It's a little less "science of cooking" but it's literally an encyclopedia telling you how to do everything from a brunoise to boning a chicken.

Also worth checking out is Samin Nosrat's Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat in which she breaks down all cooking into these four categories.

Https://www.amazon.com/Make-Mead-Like-Viking-Wild-Fermented/dp/1603585982

I haven't read it but I know the author goes into detail about brewing from wild yeast present in the honey and the environment. Probably how vikings did it.

One of the reasons I like mead is because I like to pretend that I'm a viking haha.

I used the recipe from America's Test Kitchen Mediterranean cookbook. Eggs got a little overcooked--yolks were soft but not runny. Otherwise, this is the best shakshuka I've ever had, much less made!

I did have to make one substitution; the recipe calls for piquillo peppers and since I wasn't able to find them, I used some roasted red peppers along with some calabrian peppers. I knew the calabrian would make it a little spicier than intended so I left out the cayenne pepper to offset. Still ended up with the perfect amount of kick--a little bit of a runny nose but lots of flavor behind the heat.

The difference between what you typically find in the US and what you had here is the actual fermentation process. The original sauerkraut gets the taste from the fermentation process, as is written in the excellent recipe by u/FatBoy_87. I would advise you to follow this recipe and yes, it will take a week to develop true flavor.

Btw: loads of other veggies greatly ferment. Fermentation is kind of fashionable these days, Noma f.e. is very famous for its use of fermented product. If you are interested in this, this is an excellent book:

https://www.amazon.com/Noma-Guide-Fermentation-lacto-ferments-Foundations/dp/1579657184

There is a book called Lobscouse and Spotted Dog: Which It's a Gastronomic Companion to the Aubrey/Maturin Novels, that not only describes all of the foods in the novels (and movie), even gives recipes.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393320944/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_HAAEEV3A5HE1ZH7E71NR

It's a fun book. I really want to try the Drowned Baby desert.

Your best bet would be to learn about fermentation like what they do at Noma

The Noma Guide to Fermentation: Including koji, kombuchas, shoyus, misos, vinegars, garums, lacto-ferments, and black fruits and vegetables (Foundations of Flavor) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1579657184/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_ClwaGb87BRH4Z

New Complete Techniques by Jacques Pepin

https://www.amazon.com/Jacques-P%C3%A9pin-New-Complete-Techniques/dp/1579129110/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Update of his classic la Technique from the 70's. It's just a cookbook, but it's a cookbook where every recipe is chosen specifically by a master to demonstrate a fundamental culinary technique. Super illustrated, and if you get a physical copy it comes with a DVD of live demonstrations. Everything from how to truss a chicken to how to make a dry caramel that won't recrystallize as it cools. It's been called "culinary school in a box". Yes, Pepin is very French, so the recipes themselves are heavily skewed towards French haute cuisine (which may or may not be your thing. How do you feel about heavy cream?) but the knowledge and skills are universal. It's a good way to get from just "following" recipes to really understanding whats being done and why, and gaining the confidence to make changes and improvise.

PS: I recommend this because of what you said about your access to specialty ingredients and equipment, not in spite of it. Aside from the odd truffle or obscure herb, everything he talks about should be available in a well stocked American super market. French food has a reputation, but this is not a book about how to make snobby food for rich people, it's about teaching you how to go into a kitchen with a chicken, an onion, some celery, some butter and some flour and come out with something mind blowing.

I was able to reduce my cholesterol significantly by doing the Mediterranean diet for 4 months. The link to the cookbook I used is below. Every dinner started with a salad (easy tub salad with oil & vinegar), soup (I made a big batch of soup from the Med cookbook at the beginning of the week), veggie course, protein/starch course (fish 4 days a week, meat 2 days a week, vegetarian 1 day a week smaller than average US standard because I was getting full), fruit course (simple sliced fruit). It took dedication only because it’s a lot of courses but it really worked.

The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook: 500 Vibrant, Kitchen-Tested Recipes for Living and Eating Well Every Day (The Complete ATK Cookbook Series) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1940352649/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_MQVH8RKY0XCPM4J63QYZ

I started by going through the Bread Bakers Apprentice. I don't really use any of the recipes in there anymore but it gave me a good starting point and it's still a good reference for terminology and methods. Like, it got me really into ciabatta bread from that book. I'm still tweaking my recipe to perfect it.

Starter is a whole different beast. I've used the method found in this youtube series to make mine. He's got a series on sourdough bread, but that channel's non-bread content is pretty fantastic as well.

If you don't have one, I'd highly recommend a kitchen scale. Recipes using grams is so much easier/better than using volume. Also, don't buy those little packets of yeast at the grocery store if you're planning on making bread more than twice a year. You can find two pound bags of dry active yeast on amazon for ~$10.

I don't know if you're aware, but there is a marvellous companion book to the series called "Lobscouse and Spotted Dog" containing recipes for every food mentioned in the series.

Amazon link here, obviously also available from other retailers.

Personally, I have made figgy dowdy (it's very similar to spotted dog) a number of sauces, Lobscouse and a sea pie following their instructions. Oh, and quite a lot of the cocktails.

It's a charming book, very much in the flavour of the novels, and I can't recommend it highly enough. As a bonus, there's an intricately worked out time line which will reveal just which Midshipman was responsible for the theft of Stephen's madder fed rats. (Yes, there is also a tested recipe for rat in onion sauce... Madder optional.)

Really the diet is mainly focused on vegetables and beans (black, white, navy, etc), so you should be fine.

From what I’ve learned myself, I’m not an expert here, chicken is fine like, twice a week or something. It’s just not meant to be eaten every single day ya know? So you’re good. I wouldn’t worry about the fish thing since you can look for vegetarian style recipes.

The nuts I see the most are like pine nuts and almonds, but again not completely necessary. I don’t really care for pine nuts so I just substitute it for almonds or omit it completely if I’m not feeling them.

Basically I think you should find protein sources you enjoy and look for Mediterranean recipes that include those. Again there’s soooo many vegetable, soup, pasta, rice etc recipes to work with. The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook has tons of ideas if you wanna check it out at the library or buy it.

Since you do know what you like to cook and likely are able to come up with ideas, I'd go to Jacque Pepin's book, the newer version that more or less replaces his early classics, Le Methode and Le Technique.

https://www.amazon.com/Jacques-P%C3%A9pin-New-Complete-Techniques/dp/1579129110/

Heavy on knowledge and technique, the things you would have trouble inventing for yourself. But most techniques are explained and then followed by meaningful recipes where you can apply them. And being Pepin's they're going to be good food.

I agree with the ATK book posted here by /u/PM_ME_A_FACT, but would also like to add the book "Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London's Ottolenghi." The ATK book is more of a begginers book than Plenty, but both are great resources.

Plenty on Amazon

The book is phenomenal and everyone should buy it, BUT this is the regular Amazon price (since late April), so there's no need for everyone to click through a Facebook page (and affiliate link) to get it.

Here's a direct link to the book on Amazon.

“The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook” from America’s Test Kitchen has been an invaluable resource for me

The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook: 500 Vibrant, Kitchen-Tested Recipes for Living and Eating Well Every Day https://www.amazon.com/dp/1940352649/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_lMQHJWdjXLFLn

The America's Test Kitchen Mediterranean cookbook is fantastic! I love it.

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Mediterranean-Cookbook-Vibrant-Kitchen-Tested/dp/1940352649

I absolutely looved the book 'French Kids Eat Everything'. It's about an American mother with some very fussy eaters who decides to move to France - where that's much less accepted. There is a tiny uppity sense to the book (you may see what I mean if you read it) but the advice in it is unbeatable, and I recommend working through it to find the gold.

There's a lot about creating a really relaxed and happy attitude towards food. There's no cajoling to eat their entire plate, dinners are treated as fun and family oriented. If they don't want to eat, they don't have to (i.e. let them experience being hungry) but they do have to try certain foods and sit through the meal time. There's less snacking and more involvement with cooking.

There's also a lot about the psychology of trying new foods in different ways, and how it can take many many tries to 'like' something. It's a little bit of fun exploration (and you're in the perfect age group for this) and little bit of tough love - in order to set your kid up for some really healthy eating habits his entire childhood.

It even helped my eating habits!

https://www.amazon.com/French-Kids-Eat-Everything-Discovered/dp/006210330X

https://www.amazon.com/Make-Mead-Like-Viking-Wild-Fermented/dp/1603585982/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=make+mead+like+a+viking&qid=1625266936&sprefix=make+mead&sr=8-1

You're welcome.

Fun facts: Norwegian immigrants to Liverpool brought lapskaus to Britain, where it was Anglicized to "lobscouse" (British sailors may have also popularized the dish). Lobscouse’s association with Liverpool eventually resulted in the local accent and dialect being named the shortened "scouse" (with which non-Brits may be familiar from the Beatles).

Lobscouse & Spotted Dog

I see this recommended a lot too: https://www.amazon.com/Noma-Guide-Fermentation-lacto-ferments-Foundations/dp/1579657184/ref=pd_bxgy_2/131-9574775-2355808?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1579657184&pd_rd_r=7414aed1-a4e0-4d8b-b8d0-27141943d192&pd_rd_w=mUaBa&pd_rd_wg=nCMy9&a...

Are you doing quick pickling with vinegar or lacto-bacillus fermentation? Because those are a bit different. I like pickled stuff but I'm a much bigger fan of wild fermentation. This is a pretty good manual and primer, if you're new to it. Though most standard vegetable ferments are incredibly straightforward. You just gotta get the salt concentration correct and keep it anaerobic.

The Art of French Pastry by Jacquy Pfeiffer. If you have ever seen Kings of Pastry he is the first guy you are introduced to. I highly respect the man and recently came across this book. I am a professional in the industry and find it informative to look back on. He explains the hows and whys, gives great step by step information and its an awesome intro into the trade.

100%. My wife is the most hardcore recycler I know, she knows what they actually recycle, what stuff can't be recycled, and what stuff she has to load into the car and haul off to the specialty recycler by the airport, which she does a couple times a month (styrofoam, etc). She knows it's a drop in the bucket, she knows that for-all-she-knows half of it ends up in a landfill, but she's like "At least I'm doing something", and we're both really conscious about choosing things that are less wasteful. And the big one for us, both serious cooks, trying to only do meat a couple times a week. Re-learning to cook vegetarian and still have awesome meals? That's a "journey" for sure (but thanks Ottoleghi!!)

(She's also like "This is a FOIL-COATED PLASTIC BAG, it does NOT go in the recycling!!!" She's awesome so I just say "yes dear" a lot around here!)

When I was in school they assigned https://www.amazon.com/Bread-Bakers-Apprentice-Mastering-Extraordinary/dp/1580082688 . Really great resource!

Honestly, the chef prob has their own recipe or lifted one from the NOMA guide to Fermentation.

Chefs know how to make good pickles, but often will go a little out of the box to make them unique and distinct from store bought. In places I’ve eaten/worked, pickle plates are a combination of different items that have been picked in different ways - meaning you’re getting multiple flavor profiles if you just eat them all together.

Whenever I order a house pickle plate (I.e. whenever I see one on a menu) I eat each item separately to see how they have been pickled. Keeps the flavors bright and doesn’t allow other pickled items to bully the flavor of others.

Have you looked at Jacques Pepin's book 'Techniques': https://www.amazon.com/Jacques-P%C3%A9pin-New-Complete-Techniques/dp/1579129110/ref=sr_1_1?crid=38ZIW4QG4THC1&keywords=pepin+techniques&qid=1667921130&sprefix=pepin+techniques%2Caps%2C204&sr=8-1

It's very easy to follow, lots of step by step pictures but it's still a good technical grounding.

You might enjoy the story. This would have been during POB's tour of the US, the time he had dinner aboard the U.S.S. Constitution in Boston with William F. Buckley and Walter Cronkite, 1999 maybe. I think Patrick Tull was there too. I was active then on the POB Usenet group and one of the members invited the others to his home near Boston for a party in celebration. I don't know how he got Patrick Tull to come.

I showed up with a couple bottles of sparkling wine and some homemade cheese straws and found myself in a very nice kitchen meeting the "amiable sluts", the mother and daughter team who wrote Lobscouse and Spotted Dog. Amiable indeed! They praised my cheese straws, which went straight to my heart. And then, wafting over our heads, there was The Voice. I followed it to its source and found Patrick Tull standing in a group of admirers and poured out on him a brief flood of fanboy geekieness. I had already spent so many hours with his voice.

Later he favored the company with a performance of the Off Hats! piece. Very moving, as always. The party showed what you know already, that POB fans are some of the nicest people.

You can view it in the Amazon sample and also read the introduction.

Fermentation is a journey, for sure. There was a bit more that went into this prep, as I assumed knowledge of how one ferments foods.

Black garlic is essentially aged regular garlic, so "fresh" black garlic is regular garlic that has undergone the Maillard reaction--the same thing that makes steaks turn brown. I accomplished this by vacuum-sealing the bulbs of garlic, then putting them on a trivet in a slow-cooker on the keep warm setting for a month.

The peppers were fermented in a brine of 2-3% of the pepper's weight (I don't recall the exact measure) of kosher salt and then weighed down with fermentation weights to ensure the peppers stayed below the waterline. This may have been excessive, as I was using a fermentation vessel with an airlock, but better safe than sorry. I started and finished this fermentation on the same day as the black garlic.

It also goes without saying that everything has to be sanitized so that you don't accidentally poison yourself or others.

If you're looking to start a journey into fermentation, you can probably get better advice by reading a couple of books or even watching a few YouTube videos. A lot of people, including myself, learned quite a bit from The Noma Guide to Fermentation, so that might be a good place to start.

beep boop! the linked website is: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jacques-P%C3%A9pin-New-Complete-Techniques/dp/1579129110/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=pepin+technique&qid=1663342888&sr=8-1

Title: Jacques Pepin's New Complete Techniques: Revised Edition of the Classic Work: Amazon.co.uk: Pépin, Jacques: 9781579129118: Books

Page is safe to access (Google Safe Browsing)

###### I am a friendly bot. I show the URL and name of linked pages and check them so that mobile users know what they click on!