James Beard is one of those names in cooking that I'm so familiar with but know nothing about the person or even the food behind it. I'm familiar with the award and can say with appropriate reverence that this guy won a James Beard or that Marcus Samuelsson has several James Beard awards. I also know that Anthony Bourdain isn't particularly fond of the James Beard House after listening to that chapter in his book Medium Raw. And that about sums up my knowledge.
So I was really excited when I saw that Open Road was republishing several of Beard's cookbooks and decided to give The James Beard Cookbook a try.
I'm not normally a fan of those giant encyclopedia cookbooks. I had The Joy of Cooking on my shelf for years before I finally got rid of it when I realized I had opened it precisely twice and never cooked from it. To me this book didn't have the same feel. While it's definitely a resource the tone of the writing had a personal feel and there weren't thousands of recipes. There'd be a basic recipe for pork chops with explanation as to why you're doing what you're doing. Then paired with that basic recipe would be suggestions of sides and several variations so that you can customize to your personal tastes. The ingredients were all easy to find and all the recipes hinge on good fresh ingredients and solid technique versus something fancy and over the top.
While flipping through the cookbook I decided the recipe I was going to test was chocolate chip cookies. My family is really boring when it comes to dessert and chocolate chip cookies are about the only thing they'll eat. I've made at least a dozen different types of chocolate chip cookies and Beard's recipe was different than any I've tried before. For starters it didn't use any baking soda - only baking powder. There was only 1 egg and it called for 3 tablespoons of milk. I must admit I was doubtful. So once everything was put together I tasted the dough and these cookies almost didn't get made. Oh my it was tasty. But I pulled myself together, took a deep breath and made myself make the cookies.
And I apologize for ever doubting James Beard. These cookies are delicious! They're a little different than most chocolate chip cookies. They're sweeter and lighter and fluffier and I could eat them by the gallon. Since this is a review book I'm not copying the recipe but I did find it on Cookbook Archaelogy. I left out the nuts because my family is weird but these would be great with walnuts or pecans.
The only thing I didn't like about this book is that the chicken recipes all involved whole chickens. I'm from the boneless skinless chicken breast generations and whole chickens scare me. However, there were so many really yummy sounding recipes that this wasn't a big deal. I can't wait to make the meatloaf and several others from this book!
Whether you're a beginner or accomplished cook I think The James Beard Cookbook would be a great addition to your cookbook library. I'll definitely be buying a copy in print for my own collection.
I'm linking up with Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads
OK, now I want some chocolate chip cookies. You made them sound really wonderful. And I'm with you on the whole chicken business. Perhaps some could be adapted. And I love meatloaf type recipes.
ReplyDeleteI'm excited about the meatloaf recipe! It looks delicious. The cookies are so good and just different enough to be a little special.
DeleteI was eyeing this on Netgalley... along with Beard on Birds. Maybe I'll go straight to the bookstore instead since hard copies are my preference, too.
ReplyDeleteIs definitely prefer this in print though it was formatted decently for ebook. I really enjoyed this one!
DeleteYay, I'm so glad you liked this! I absolutely adore James Beard's writing style - his love for food really shines through.
ReplyDeleteIt really does. This was my first resal exposure to the man himself but I'll be looking for more of his cookbooks!
DeleteAm showing my ignorance a bit as have not heard of James Beard but now I want to try the cookies. Sound tasty!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't have heard of him if I wasn't obsessed with cooking shows! Try the cookies! Hope you enjoy it!
DeleteI'm a big James Beard fan -- but I'm a bit older than most of you. He was HUGE in the food world before the food channel and before celebrity chefs. BTW: you can definitely share a recipe in the context of a review -- it's within the fair use laws of copyright.
ReplyDeleteNormally I don't worry about sharing a review but since this is an ARC I wasn't sure! I need to know more about Beard. I'm looking forward to trying more of his recipes.
DeleteThose do sound different. I don't think I've ever seen anything about him. Glad they turned out so yummy!
ReplyDeleteI was a little nervous until I tasted the dough. No bad cookie could come from dough that tastes that yummy!
DeleteMy family doesn't like nuts in desserts as well. I wouldn't love them in chocolate chip cookies but do like them in other types of things. I've never heard of James Beard! Sometimes I think I really do live under a rock...
ReplyDeleteNo rock you just may not watch as much TV as me! I'm a fan of walnuts and pecans or it could be I'm getting bored with chocolate chip cookies!
DeleteMy mom used to always consult a James Beard cookbook (I don't think it was this one) for fish! And, yes, if I owned Joy of Cooking, it would also never get opened :)
ReplyDeleteThere's a few Beard cookbooks so there are definitely options. It's definitely a resource but didn't feel quite as dense as Joy of Cooking or some of the others.
DeleteLike you, I've heard of James Beard but don't know much about him other than his prestigious awards. I do have one of his older cookbooks but haven't tried many recipes from it. I'll have to look for this book at the library. Pass me one of those chocolate chip cookies! :)
ReplyDeleteGladly! I need someone to stop me from eating them all! I'm excited to try more of Beard's recipes!
DeleteI'm showing my age, too, because I'm familiar with James Beard. He also figures into Ruth Reichl's novel, Delicious! that came out a year or so ago. My husband was a James Beard fan, although I fancied myself too much of a health-food vegetarian to enjoy Beard's style of cooking. We have the Beard on Bread cookbook and it has gotten a lot of use over the years.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read Reichl's Delicous yet but I'm looking forward to it - especially now that I know it features Beard. Beard on Bread sounds intriguing! I'll have to look for that one.
DeleteOatmeal cookies are my favorite but I don't turn my nose up at chocolate chip! Looks like a big fat cookbook that I would pour over for days on end. He truly is one of the giants in the culinary industry, ahead of his time.
ReplyDeleteI love oatmeal cookies! I don't make them very often though because I'll end up eating them all! I definitely need to learn more about Beard. I really enjoyed his voice in this one.
DeleteI have a passing familiarity with Beard but I hadn't heard of those chocolate chip cookies before. I may have to try them, yum. I like that he gave basic recipes and then suggested variations and side dishes. I always find that helpful.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed all the suggestions. It felt very helpful. I'd definitely follow his advice!
DeleteMmmm - those chocolate chip cookies sound SO good. This sounds like a great cookbook.
ReplyDeleteI'm really wanting to try more of his books after reading this which I take as a good sign! I'm looking forward to trying more of his recipes!
DeleteI love cooking whole chickens, I should check this book out.
ReplyDeleteOh you must get this one then! I need to get over my fear of whole chickens!
DeleteI think some of the chicken recipes could be reworked though so much of the recipes really rely on just simple classic techniques. I really enjoyed this one!
ReplyDeleteI don't mind cooking whole chickens from time to time and new ideas for them are always welcomed. :-)
ReplyDeleteChoc chip cookies are great too! Great review Katherine.