Costco Connection - November 2006

book
beat

FRANCE FREEMAN

A fall harvest of cookbooks to help make any meal

By Stephanie E. Ponder

I DON’T KNOW about you, but there’s nothing like spending time in the kitchen to relax. For me it’s baking (and sharing the results with my colleagues). For some of my friends, relaxation comes from creating full meals that are both elaborate and delicious. Luckily, this fall’s harvest of cookbooks offers recipes for everyone: classics, sweets, organic delights and even recipes featuring specific brands. Here’s a look.

An invaluable resource for aspiring and trained chefs alike is The Professional Chef, 8th Edition, from the Culinary Institute of America. This edition features more than 600 color photographs of fresh foods, step-by-step instructions and finished dishes. It also covers essential information such as nutrition, kitchen safety, tools and ingredients. This resource also explores culinary traditions of the Americas, Europe and Asia—aided by regional maps and images of local ingredients. The nearly 650 recipes cover classic and contemporary recipes, while more than 100 basic recipe formulas illustrate fundamental techniques.

When it was first published i n 2005, The America’s Test Kitchen

Family Cookbook found instant success. This year, instead of a simple reprint, America’s Test Kitchen decided to make changes to make their book even better. The result is The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook: Revised Edition, which features a sturdier and more compact binder, along with thicker pages and a friendlier design.

Equipment ratings, taste tests and quick tips accompany each of the more than 1,200 recipes. The cookbook also features recipe variations and alternative methods for cooking—such as preparing lasagna in a skillet, not a baking dish.

The Costco Connection Costco warehouses and costco.com carry a variety of cookbooks to cover all tastes and skill levels.

Myra Goldman, co-founder of

Earthbound Farm, addresses the trend of going organic in her cookbook Food to Live By: The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook. It treats enthusiasts of organic eating to the farm’s history and provides practical information on why it makes sense to buy and eat organic food. While the cookbook does offer a field guide to organic greens, it also contains mouthwatering recipes for raspberries, the farm’s first product, along with baked goods, soups and main and side dishes for holiday entertaining.

Forget about not being able to judge a book by its cover. A series of shaped books from Publications

International Ltd. (think stacked sandwich, bowl of
chili or gingerbread house) lets everyone know
what’s cooking. Titles include Holiday Cookies and
Treats, Chili Cookbook, Super Sandwiches, Rival
Crockpot Slow Cooker Recipes (which is shaped
like a slow cooker), and Pace Recipes
and Eagle Brand: 1-2-3 Desserts
(which are shaped like their contain-
ers: salsa and sweetened condensed
milk, respectively). The full-color,
sturdy, coated pages hold up beauti-
fully against the dribbles and spills that
inevitably accompany cooking.
Don’t let the fact that Dorie
Greenspan set her family’s kitchen on
fire when she was a teenager scare you.
This celebrated home baker has gone on
to write several cookbooks, often work-
ing with famous chefs such as Julia Child. Greenspan
sifted through her baking journals to compile
Baking: From My Home to Yours, which features
more than 300 recipes. Not only does she include
recipes for pies, cakes, cookies and other sweets, but
the cookbook is filled with tips and tricks to ensure
that each venture into the kitchen is successful.

Other titles in this season’s cookbook bounty are from such noted chefs as Ina Garten, Paula Deen, Rachael Ray and Jamie Oliver. C

The
Culinary Institute
of America
Cooking Boot
Camp Contest

WIN A TRIP to attend Boot
Camp at The Culinary Institute
of America (CIA) in Hyde Park,
New York. One grand-prize win-
ner will receive the trip for him
or herself and a friend to attend
the CIA Skill Development Boot
Camp, while 10 runners up will
receive a copy of The Profes-
sional Chef, 8th Edition.
To enter, send your
name, membership number,
address and daytime
phone number on a post-
card or letter and send it
to: CIA Boot Camp, The
Costco Connection, P.O.
Box 34088, Seattle, WA
98124-1088, or fax it
to (425) 313-6718.
No purchase is
necessary. Entries must
be received or postmarked by
midnight, December 1, 2006.
Void where prohibited. Em-
ployees of Costco, The Culinary
Institute of America, Wiley
Publishing and their families
are not eligible. Must be 25
years or older to enter, and
have a valid driver’s license
and credit card. Winners will be
notified by mail. One entry per
person. Winner is responsible
for applicable federal, state
and local taxes.

COMPLETE RULES:

Winner selection and prize: The winner will be selected through a random drawing and notified by December 31, 2006. The prize is two round-trip coach airfares from the nearest U.S. major airport, ground transportation between airport and lodging, and two nights’ hotel accommodation in Hyde Park, New York, to attend The Culinary Institute of America’s (CIA) Boot Camp. At the Skill Development Boot Camp participants learn new knife skills, examine the principles of product identification, study basic cooking methods and become immersed in the basics of food and wine pairing.

Winner will also have the opportunity to dine in the CIA’s on-campus restaurants, tour the CIA campus and participate in graduation ceremonies. The specific dates are subject to change at the discretion of the CIA. The winner will be responsible for expenses not specified, including meals, gratuities, non-specified transportation and personal items. The prize package has an approximate value of $3,400.

Sponsor is not responsible for late, lost, incomplete, illegible, damaged, misdirected or postage-due entries. Participants waive all claims against Costco and sponsor for injuries, damage or losses related to the contest and prize. The decision of the judge is final. The grand prize is transferable. Winner will be required to sign and return within 14 days of receipt an Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability Release. Failure to return the release will result in disqualification.