Maybe I’m late to the party, but I’ve finally figured out Google Books. A surprising number of books are available in “preview” mode, meaning you can review nearly the entire volume online. It’s great to page through books without leaving the air-conditioned comfort of home. Many of the previews are so complete, you (almost) wonder why someone would buy the book….
Interesting culinary tomes available in preview mode I found on Google Books:
- Big Green Egg’s new cookbook
- Master baker Peter Reinhart’s Crust & Crumb
- Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets
- John Besh’s My New Orleans
- Michael Ruhlman’s Ratio: the Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking
- Bienvenue, Brasseaux, and Brasseaux’s Stir the Pot: the History of Cajun Cuisine
- Leon Soniat’s La Bouche Creole
Sadly, the one book I covet most (Carol Field’s The Italian Baker) isn’t available in preview mode. I’m too cheap to pay the sky-high used prices for this classic, so I was really hoping to see it online….
Bouillie 
Wow, lookit that! I had no idea. I went, hoping to find Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home but there is no preview for it. There are, however, previews for several other of his books. How fun!
By the way, someone on my blog has a question about tomatillo plants. Think you could weigh in?
Oops. Sorry about the unclosed italics tag.
Sure thing on the tomatillos….my plants are still cranking out fruit.
hey yall. just discovered this blog and i love it.
while looking at my figs today i was thinking they looked like tomatillos.
does anybody have any good hints on how and when to plant them in new orleans on the south shore.
thank you , rick.
I planted tomatillos for the first time this year–bought some transplants at Banting’s back in early spring. They’re sprawling, leggy, vinelike plants, steadily producing fruit since early May. The plants are easily 4 feet by 4 feet.
That is fun!
I finally gave in and purchased the Besh book. I wouldn’t normally purchase such a large coffee table-style book but it is gorgeous and full of New Orleans photos and lore in addition to the recipes. I have not acvanced very far in its reading, but I pick it up from time to time and absorb a bit more, and I simply enjoy seeing it as I pass. Also, I was able to justify the purchase knowing that part of the proceeds go to Cafe Reconcile, always very high on our list of worthy organizations.
I had lunch at Reconcile on Thursday…the special of the day was Palace Cafe’s crabmeat cheesecake, as PC’s chef demonstrated the dish to the Reconcile crew earlier in the day.
The Italian Baker is in reprint. Jessica’s Biscuit has it for $35.
NOW you tell me! I finally bought a used copy a few weeks ago; it’s indeed an excellent book. I’ll be tracking down Field’s other works soon.