Cookbooks I want!

One thing is for certain, people don't go into the restaurant industry to get rich, unless you're the owner of the establishment. As a recent culinary student grad from New England Culinary, I still as of yet, have not amassed a very good library of books. I spent today drooling threw 100s of cookbooks and culinary texts on Amazon.com this afternoon and have chosen 7 that I am most interested in purchasing or receiving as a gift. If you have one of these books and DON'T WANT IT anymore, let me know.

If you HAVE one of these books, and aren't looking to give it/sell it away tell me your thoughts about it. Was it worth purchasing, do you ever use the book, do you or don't you recommend paying full price for the book. The very first book on my list is Sauces by James Peterson. This book isn't a casual how to make a good BBQ sauce "Hi I'm Rachel mindless Ray" kind of book. The first several chapters go into detail about sauces and can be a bit technical for the average cook. What the book does though is help take meals to the next level. I stumbled on this book in my culinary school library and have been wanting it every since. However it's about $50 at Barnes & Noble. I know you can get books online on ebay etc for "half" price but I don't really like getting things used unless they're in excellent condition. I'm going to have to save up for it I guess.


The 2nd book on my list is the Flavor Bible by Karen Page. I have always been very unartistic when it comes to pairing food flavors. That is a major problem if someone wants to be chef. You have to be creative all the time, and it can get tiring or boring if you are uninspired, which happens to me frequently. I have to constantly be motived and curious. This book, I want because several people have recommended it to me as a guide to pairing flavors and recommendations on how to own the recipe as we say in the industry. Or, make it your own, make it different which can be hard if you don't have creativity. This book apparently helps with that with advice from Chefs from all over the country.


Everyday Italian by Giada de Laurentiis is pretty much a no brainer why I want this book. Italian food made by a gorgeous 1st generation Italian cook with her own show? Yeah, plus it comes highly recommended. She's one of the very few people on The Food Network, who can actually cook in real life. Most are just personalities like Rachel Ray. I love italian food, it would be fun to get this and try out some of the recipes.






These 2 books I have lumped together for a reason, they are both culinary classics, tried and true. Generations of people have learned how to cook using these 2 books. The first, The Joy of Cooking has been around 78 years! It's gone through 9 revisions and has nearly 4000 recipes in it. Any decent chef should have a copy, for some reason I don't yet... On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee is a super classic book that should be used as a reference guide in a kitchen. Yet another classic book, I don't know why I haven't bought a copy of yet.


href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJD21Rr1dl7lRzg4yY7awENUrP6wYpAiyH6tiY_cJq1R5C82WhyphenhyphenPeRV1c-mHJ1nAxqKNp7plWALv35Ot1-zbE-dZ45grEUBbUzHgGPicNsttNETILrMmQpafrQ9R3o29DHUQZ-NIlsZCM/s1600-h/images_7.jpeg">Charcuterie The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing is a book about a subject I am very interested in learning more about. At New England Culinary, I had a Meat Fabrication Chef who was incredible at Charcuterie. He spent 3 days once curing and making his own bacon and smoked it. It was by far the most spectacular bacon I ever had. I could only dream to ever make bacon like that again. This book is a highly recommend guide to the topic, so I'm interested in knowing your thoughts, do you own it? Have you ever heard about it?


href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7oSGiQzLX0HbUWCwd2s-HuVdSvaf-p-3A39nd8FBAG5H3SkAte6NBYSSDeBGiche102sB8s-KXAbFp7uJChlWgfDVc1Y30ltkQ51V8errtaCDZI8TBoVhdahENZPIOcscT4ABioHv8Tg/s1600-h/images_2.jpeg"> Alice Waters The Art of Simple foods has been on a list of mine since I started Culinary school and I haven't ever gotten a hold of it, mostly because of lack of cash. However, I find her very inspirational. She believes in taking the absolute highest quality of natural good food, and making simple food out of it. If you have read my post about The Best Pizza Restaurant Ever post about American Flatbread in Vermont, they emulate her passion and style. Her book explains things simply and teaches how to modify and substitute which is very important to being creative.




To eat meat, or not to eat meat? That is the question of this book. It examines the meat industry from all angles from what the animals eat, to how they're slaughtered etc. I've heard people call it a strong argument for becoming a vegetarian. My interest is purely curiosity. Among foodies this book comes highly recommended to educate oneself about the world of food.

So this is my current list. Do you have any of these? Do you have them and not want them? Send em to me! I'll take them off your hands. Do you have them and love them? Tell me why I should buy them. Are they so-so and should only get them used? Tell me your thoughts,

Until later,

Mormon Chef,

Matthew Glenn

The Best Pizza Restaurant...EVER!

What makes a great pizza? Good sauce? Good dough? Good ingredients? Good Value? Well, in American Flatbread's case, try all of the above. American Flatbread is the MECCA of ALL NATURAL PIZZA. Located in the downtown area of Burlington,Vermont I discovered this little place back in March of 2007 when I returned from an internship in Charleston, South Carolina. Organic everything, mostly local (regional at least) and ever so fresh. Why am I giving this restaurant total props and national free advertising? Because this is how a restaurant SHOULD BE. There are very few negatives about this place. The pizza is even cooked in a giant wood burning hearth.If I had the money to, I would live at this restaurant, that's how good their pizza is.

How good is this place? I went to the New England Culinary Institute probably one of the best Culinary Institutes in the country, and the chefs at N.E.C.I. LOVED this place. So, if other chefs are excited about your restaurant, YOU'RE GOOD. American Flatbread has a great dough recipe which makes a great pizza, we haven't had bad one yet. Their sauce has just the right amount of seasoning and isn't over powering. It's made with slow roasted, all organic, tomatoes. The dough is made from 100% organic wheat milled into white flour, locally I might add, and uses filtered water, Kosher Salt, and fresh yeasts.

Here's a sampling of their menu which is very simple, but elegant. The Medicine Wheel Pizza: Organic Tomato Sauce, with 3 cheeses & fresh herbs is a great basic pizza for the cheese lovers. The New Vermont Sausage pizza is my personal favorite: Dulcos & Thompson Farm Fresh Pork in homemade nitrate-free Maple-Fennel Sausage, baked with Sun Dried tomatoes, Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms, Cheese & Herbs. Not bad for $17.50 and it feeds at least 2 people. Pepperoni & Peppers is my 2nd favorite made with Nitrate free Pepperoni baked with Organic Green Peppers, Red Onions, Cheeses & herbs. Now, you may not be THAT impressed by these 3 pizzas, however, every week (sometimes daily) they have new pizzas that their employees create as specials. What is very cool about these, is MOST of the time they are things grown right there locally in the Burlington area. They aren't totally vegetarian either, they have specials that involve beef/steak and sometimes free range chicken.

For you NON-LDS readers, they have an incredible brewery there, where they brew 3 of their own recipe beers, right there in the restaurant. They have a window where you can see the guys working. Even more exciting for you beer lovers, is that have a huge stock of micro beers, most from Vermont locally, and even regionally. American Flatbread is located in beautiful downtown Burlington Vermont, you can see it here on google.

America's Healthiest Restaurants????? BAH!

So the other day on Yahoo.com "Health Experts" David ZincZenko and Matt Goulding post a list of America's Healthiest Restaurants, fast food joints that is. To read the report yourself go here. Anyway, I about fell on the floor reading this. Really? Subway, McDonald's, Wendy's, Taco Bell, Chick-fil-A????? How much did these companies pay these "Health Experts"???

Now in their defense these experts are trying to help you eat at these places and eat healthy at the same time. My question is "Why Bother?" I don't eat at McDonalds and Wendy's to "eat healthy. If I want to eat health I go to a grocery store, buy the ingredients, and eat AT HOME! Replacing the Original Chicken Sandwich, fries and the milkshake at a Chick-Fil-A restaurant, with Chargrilled Chicken sandwich, fruit and water, which brings me to my question "WHY BOTHER??" I go to Chick-Fil-A TO GET A FRIGGIN Fried Chicken sandwich, Milkshake and Fries!!! If you don't want that kind of food DON'T EAT THERE!

Okay so maybe you're part of a group and everyone else is going to eat there but you're not into that kind of food, I get it you don't want to be left out. However, if you're going solo, what's the point??? There are 1000s of other local restaurants in major cities around the world far better for your health than, this list of "Healthy American Restaurants". And if you're such a health freak that you're counting calories, FRIGGIN STAY HOME!

Heavenly Hot Cakes

Pancakes with sour cream? Delicish!

4 eggs
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup cake flour
2 cups sour cream
3 Tablespoons sugar

Mix all ingredients until well blended, or even in a blender if you choose.