Chefly for fun : book that makes you go to a restaurant or restaurant that makes you buy a book
Sometimes it’s the book that makes you go to a restaurant, sometimes it’s the restaurant that makes you buy a book
I am a keen cookbook collector. A hoarder,
actually.
My collection is broadly divided into two
categories—books that I buy for work and books that I buy for pleasure. The
professional books are highly focused on technique, usually penned by French
masters whom I deeply respect, and would probably drive a hobbyist cook crazy
with precise measures such as 67g of glucose. The books for fun are those I end
up buying because of the fresh perspective they bring to my everyday dinners.
These books are friendly and approachable, the kind that might interest
neighbours popping by to browse my shelf, that you want to keep by your bedside
table to wind down the day.
My ‘books for fun’ collection has lately been
growing with cookbooks that are penned by chefs who have built inspiring
restaurants (Gjelina, Squirl and Chez Panisse), yet who write while keeping in
mind the home cook. I like these books because I can thumb through them on a
Friday evening, draw up a market shopping list for Saturday and make myself
something a little more indulgent than my weekday meals.
Sometimes it’s the book that makes me go to
the restaurants. I remember receiving a signed copy of the first ever
Ottolenghi cookbook in 2008 that made me want to schlep across town to the
restaurant as soon as I had a day off from studying at Le Cordon Bleu in London
in 2012. In those four years I had made countless recipes from the book and walking
into the Belgravia shop was like having all the the photos in the cookbook come
to life with their generous and colourful display of food.
At other times, it’s the restaurant that
makes me buy the book. After a truly memorable meal of quinces with meatballs
at Honey and Co. in London, I ended up buying their restaurant cookbook. This
was an exotic dish, one that I wouldn’t want to not spend three hours cooking
had I not tried it before, in fear of ending up with something unexpected or
underwhelming. In such instances, trying the dish at the restaurant first is
reassuring and going back home-armed with the recipe exciting, because you have
your taste memory to serve you well.
While the recipes are always a huge draw,
these books are also about getting to know a little more about the chef’s
vision, philosophy and journey. This adds a sense of perspective to the recipes
and oneness with the author, which makes for an engaging and inspiring read.
Regards
Pralhad
Jadhav
Senior
Manager @ Knowledge Repository
Khaitan & Co
Upcoming Event | MANLIBNET 17th Annual
International Conference on 15-16 September 2017 at Jaipuria, Noida, India
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