J’adore #58 – Book Edition
The fall is an amazing time of year for books, it is the high season for releases and it is perfect timing for the holidays. Everyone has a bookworm in their family. In my case, my entire family is nuts for books!
These days we are shifting more to digital, it is just more convenient when it comes to traveling, but I still love certain books – cookbooks, history books – in my hand. The tactile feel and smell of the paper are heavenly to a bookworm. As with all the J'adore posts, I wanted to share a few things I have spotted during my travels across the internet or have experienced/tasted/read in real life.
Some posts on this site contain affiliate links, meaning if you book or buy something through one of these links, I may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you!). Opinions are always my own and I’ll never promote something I don’t use or believe in. Also as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Today's focus is books. I can never get enough. Well, my bookshelves can. And I spent part of my Thanksgiving weekend purging my stacks and stacks of books (donated to a local charity for those I no longer want) to make new for new ones. Here are the ones on my radar.
[Please note I am sharing the Amazon links to these books to make it convenient for you. The Amazon Affiliate link program does not apply to anyone living in California, which is where I live, so there are NO affiliate links in this post.]
BREAD by Dean Brettschneider
This is the ultimate in food porn in the Misadventures household. There is one thing neither one of us can resist and that is good bread. My hubby is French, it is in his DNA (seriously, my French mother-in-law has been known to “borrow” the bread from certain restaurants in Paris, somehow ending up in her purse for her tartine the next morning).
And I have already written about the power of bread on the Portuguese side of my family! We have tried our hand at making baguettes in Paris, but it takes much more time to master the skill. That is where Dean Brettschneider and his new book BREAD come in.
The book is packed with many, many tips for baking bread perfectly every time. There are more than 60 recipes for rustic, healthy, savory, sweet, and festive bread from every corner of the world and Chef Brettschneider guides you through every step of the bread-making process. For me, the best part is the gorgeous photos, I can literally smell the bread when I look at the pictures of everything from panettone and focaccia to cider loaf and rye bread!
Come to mama!
Frites Anne De La Forest
Mr. Misadventures is obsessed with fries. But here's the thing. We've never made them at home. We've talked about making them all the time. What kind, what we'll fry them in, what we will dip them in. Seriously, lots of talk. But now things have changed.
Now we have Anne De La Forest's new book Frites. It is a game-changer. Now the discussion is, which one first?
The book explores the various sizes, shapes, and flavors of the French Fry and covers many different cooking styles and types of ingredients. There is everything from polenta and asparagus to classic French frites and American-style skinny fries.
Where's the ketchup?! (By the way, you've got to get your hands on Sosu small batch sriracha ketchup, I am eating it by the gallon these days!)
French Bistro by Maria Zihammou
When Mr. Misadventures and I are in Paris most of the time we are eating meals in bistros. It is like home cooking and you have a wide variety of dishes available to you depending on the focus of the particular establishment.
One of our favorites is Comme Chez Maman and on our last trip, we had an amazing (yet-to-be-written-about) meal at Astier. So I was happy to pick up French Bistro by Maria Zihammou.
This book beautifully captures the best of French bistro cuisine recipes. There is a rustic flair and Zihammou's use of simple ingredients makes this a must-have kitchen companion. There are many classic French dishes as well as modern twists on regional cuisines.
Favorites like oysters au gratin with garlic butter; crepes; chicken with lavender honey and lemon sauce; sole with butter sauce and butter-fried capers; and much more.
Bon Appétit!
French Regional Food by Loic Bienassis and Joel Robuchon
This is Mr. Misadventures' current bedtime reading. I don't mind. Every post-it note that gets added to that book means a heavenly meal for me to devour. What can you say about a book that combines the deep food knowledge of historian Loic Bienassis with “Chef of the Century” Joel Robuchon? It's fabulous!
We are big fans of Chef Robuchon and the francophile in me can't get enough of the background and insights into how these dishes came to be.
French Regional Food is beautifully illustrated and features over 250 locally produced ingredients with more than 50 recipes. This book is a must-have for anyone who loves France, fine cooking, European history, or cultural travel.
The Farm to Table French Phrasebook by Victoria Mas
All this talk of French food got you wanting to hop on a plane and head to France? I don't blame you! But when you get there, it might be helpful if you had a language guide for foodies that assists you with essential French food expressions.
In The Farm to Table French Phrasebook you’ll learn how to: navigate produce markets, charcuteries, and pâtisseries; prepare meals the French way; speak the language of Paris’s top restaurants and bistros; pair regional wines with delicious cheeses; and master the proper table etiquette for dining in a friend's home.
It is simple and easy to follow, and the size is just right for throwing in your bag for the day (might I suggest one of Kasia Dietz bags? It's perfect for picking things up at the market…)
Naughty Paris by Heather Stimmler-Hall
Ladies, while you are visiting Paris, don't forget to treat yourself to a little bit of fun…naughty fun! In the updated version of Naughty Paris, Heather Stimmler-Hall has filled this elegant, beautifully-made travel guide to the brim with the sexy, feminine side of the City of Light.
The book is written by a professional travel writer living in Paris since 1995. Heather is a trusted source for real insider tips, the latest addresses, and zero fluff! It's created by an independent publisher (an American living in Paris and a photographer living in Canada) and printed by a family-owned, green-certified printer in France, so they can feel good about promoting small businesses and protecting the environment – love that!
Love it so much I participated in the Kickstarted campaign to bring this second edition to print and I love how it turned out!
Oh la la!
That’s it for this edition of J’adore, now do you see why I needed to create space on my bookshelf?!
How about you? Which of these books has captured your attention? Not much of a bookworm? What are YOU currently adoring?
Want to Support Me as a Blogger?
> Retweet my tweet about this post on Twitter, are we following each other?
> Like my post on Facebook, are you a fan?
> Like my post on Instagram, are we following each other?
> Pin a photo to Pinterest, are we following each other?
> Buy one of these books on Amazon.
> And of course, bloggers always love comments!
French Bistro by Maria Zihammou has captured my attention! I love that it has many classic French dishes as well as modern twists on regional cuisines.
LOVE this list! You have such a knack for curating things I might actually want — my wallet hates it when you do J’adore posts. 😉
Love these book recommendations – especially the bread book and the book about French bistros. I swear, I could live off of French baguettes. Adding these to my list!
Big fan of Chef Robuchon and the Naughty Paris sounds fun! I hope to get an invite to your house for dinner the next time I’m in San Fran!
What a great collection of books that just made me so homesick for Paris! Luckily this is is an easier (and cheaper) way of taking some of Paris back with me. I could have really used that Farm to Table french phrase book when I lived there. Mine didn’t cover nearly enough! Love Heather Stimmer-Hall and Kasia’s bags are the best!
I really want to buy “French Bistro” the cover of it looks delicious.. if only I could bake something to look as amazing like the cover.
I love cookbooks! Beautiful pictures!
I love a good cook book. I usually rely on those, rather than online methods for recipes.
the bread book looks amazing…tough because i’m on my no carb kick 🙁
missy
popofstyle.com
Those cookbooks look amazing. Wandering around bookstoresis one of my favorite pastimes!
What a fun series! I’m getting so many great ideas today. I just received the Farm to Table French Phrasebook to review and I can’t wait to dig into it in preparation for our winter visit to Quebec City. Then I’ll be loaning it to my niece who will be doing a spring quarter in France next year.
I am a hopeless bookworm. My hubby is forever teasing me about my library and exclaiming “oh boy, another book!” when they mail arrives (there’s usually at least one a week). I recently got the Farm to Table French phrase book, but haven’t gotten a chance to read through it. I totally NEED Bread, and the rest all sound great, as well. Fun post, thank you for sharing these with us :).
One of my resolutions this year is to read more! Loving the book recommendations… ;o)
i’m looking forward to laura ingalls wilders autobiography
I want these books! They look amazing. Thank you for sharing.
what a fabulous list…I love books about food and cooking…but the pictures make me so dang hungry!
the french bistro book is something i really want to try
Great book ideas especially for the holidays, thank you!
I can’t read these kinds of books right now because mostly I just want to eat everything I see! These all look awesome though and the Farm to Table book is on my list to give a friend as a Christmas gift, so thanks for the reminder! 🙂
I knead to check out that bread book. My hubs is German and he is all about Bread in the morning, noon and dinner.
Cider loaf.. Yumm!!!
Naughty Paris by Heather Stimmler-Hall caught my interest instantly. Paris is the best, and its naughty side of it is just what every traveler craves for.
I love cookbooks – I rarely have the time to actually cook from them though! I have bought a couple for friends/family for Christmas. Hoping they’ll love them!
Katie <3
Cookbooks make my month drool.
These are some great picks! I was looking for a cookbook to give my sister 🙂
Love the convenience of online books, but I agree the feel of flipping through a good book esp one with amazing droolworthy photos is so much better!
That French Bistro cookbook looks fantastic! I’ll have to pick it up!
Not sure what was in the bread on the cover of the Bread book…. but oh gosh it looks divine… need some butter.
Loving the book recommendations! I’m such a fan of cookbooks, and yours hit on point! So yummy
I have to admit I used to be a bookworm but now I am more digital, can not remember the last time I actually held a hard copy book
These cookbooks look fantastic! My mom loves cooking, I am going check these out more to gift her the perfect one!
I just stumbled upon your blog, and love it! 🙂 I am a California Girl, currently discovering the Parisian life. I have been looking for good books to read while in Paris, and looking forward to reading Naughty Paris: A Lady’s Guide to the Sexy City…. I just read “The Paris Wife” and that is a great book too. Maybe you would be interested.
Thanks for such a fun site!
Kasey
@Kasey, salut! So pleased to meet you! I am looking forward to checking your blog out!
Oh my goodness. I’m obsessed with fries, so I’m definitely going to have to check that cookbook out!
ooh we still need to try joel robuchon’s restaurants out here! I saw that you went to l’atelier. 🙂 I learned some french for two years in high school.. but never had anyone to practice with.. so unfortunately i can only say hello and goodbye. 😛
What a great list! Thank you.
This is a somewhat embarrassing admission: if I had one day left to live, I’d probably choose fries as my last meal. I really want to get my hands on a copy of the Frites book now!
I love bread way too much! I am trying to cut back on it since I feel like I eat so much of it!
Ooooh, an entire book about bread?! Be still, my carb-loving heart! And that’s hilarious that your M-I-L steals the bread. 🙂 If it’s good, it’s worth taking home!
LOL @ “borrowing bread”. Hilarious!
Oh my all these pictures look amazing and are making me hungry! I love food but cooking it is a whole other story! Lol I am working on it though. My attempt at homemade chicken soup came out delicious but my noodles were overcooked. See how much work I need? Lol Really enjoyed your blog post and your header is lovely. Did you create that yourself?
@Iris, I don’t cook either, I eat what my hubby cooks!
I would love to cook a french dish. And oh my the pics you shared are awesome…even made me hungry :).
@Corina, any of these books will definitely help you on the French side!
I’m a huge bookworm… but not really of cookbooks. Those all look like great selections though! 🙂
@Jenn, some of these books have a lot of great regional info as well, but I totally get it!
I love France (which is probably why I love reading your site so much!) and now I want all these books! I have the Farm to Table French one and it’s a great read!
@Anita, I can’t remember, have you been there? You make such wonderful sweets you have a natural French touch in that department!
Nothing like a good cook book!
Interesting choices! I’m reading a novel right now called These Girls. Not my usual type of novel but I needed something light for a change.
@Andrea, I will have to check that out!
very interesting books
These books look awesome!!