I first read Ruth Reichl's Comfort Me With Apples about five years ago. I loved it passionately upon the initial read, promptly lent the copy to a friend and never saw it again. Despite the fact that I haven't had an edition of the book in my possession for nearly half a decade, I always remembered that she included a recipe for mushroom soup that she would make for her mother and herself while packing up her parents' country house.
I recently reacquired the book and the first thing I did was flip through it, starting at the back, in order to find that recipe. I didn't see it on the first pass and momentarily wondered if my memory had been faulty. I decided to look again, and there is was on page 172. It seemed deadly easy and so I threw it together last night. It was easy, delicious and totally comforting, just the thing to eat when you are going through challenging times.
I'm heading into my last semester of grad school and preparing to write my thesis. It's a collection of essays about cooking, kitchen tools and family. One of the things my adviser requires is a plan, including a reading list of books that are in the subject area and will help guide me through the work. I've been pulling the list together both physically and on paper. Friday morning I wandered through my apartment, creating a stack of food books that I already owned that could join the list. (I realize that Laurie Colwin is totally absent from the line up, but I say in my defense that my mom currently is in possession of my copies of "Home Cooking" and "More Home Cooking").
I also queried some friends for book recommendations and was referred to a great segment that aired on NPR's Morning Edition back in June. In it Steve Inskeep spoke with Ruth Reichl about her favorite food memoirs. In the segment she spoke about several books, but then also furnished NPR with a more complete list of gastronomical memoirs for posting on the website.
Okay Slashfoodies, what are your favorite food memoirs?
While I would never want to encourage you to take a step away from the kitchen, it is summer after all, Slashfoodies, and summer is all about being outside and enjoying the sunshine! Okay, so maybe you won't be slipping your svelte self into a swimsuit and hitting the beach for a little volleyball, but you may want to sit under the shade of your umbrella in the midst of your vegetable garden bursting with tomatoes...to read. At least, that's what I'd do. Oh heck. I'd probably still stay inside in the comfort of my air conditioning!
What better person to get reading recommendations from than a fantastic food writer herself, Ruth Reichl? Reichl has listed her favorite reads over on NPR's website, both hotfreshnow, and classics.
With the FoodNetwork turning into a veritable carnival of nonsense, I've had to turn to other networks to get my usual food entertainment fix. There's Tony Bourdain's No Reservations, among some other food-related shows, on the Discovery Channel, a few on HGTV, and of course, PBS. This fall, PBS adds another show to its food programming with Diary of a Foodie.
Ruth Reichl, along with fellow editors from Gourmet will host the show, which will "look at the world, food first." The show's team will travel the globe to meet new people, discover exotic ingredients, and highlight global food trends, then bring it back into their own kitchens. It sounds like a kinder, gentler version of Tony Bourdain.
The series premiere will air Saturday, October 7th, and the show's full website will launch on September 22 with more information.
I'll be happy when summer is over. It's my least favorite season, and besides the humidity, there are only so many bbq/grilling stories I can take. Bon Appetit has another one this month, with a giant hamburger on the cover.
A short interview with Bill Buford about his new book Heat.
In the print edition: Carolyn Beth Weil gives a course in buckles, grunts, and crisps; Daniel Duane travels to Alaska in search of salmon; and a guide to the best outdoor dining destinations.
We're a blog, and you're a blog reader, so neither of us has to say these names out loud: Daniel Boulud, Ruth Reichl, and the one that I call "that French guy Zhon-Zhorzh," Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
Jacques Pepin is not "Jack Peppin?!??!" No, my friends, it is "Zhog pep-ANNE."
Daniel Boulud is not like my brother, as sung by Elton John. It is "dan-YELL," emphasis on the second syllable. His last name is "boo-LOO," silent on the "d."
Grant Achatz of Chicago's Alinea, he of the trapeze bacon, is not "AH-shots," rather, "ACK-etz." In case you're wondering, bacon is "bacon."
And since Gentleman Gourmand's post is a couple of year's young, it doesn't include some of the newer faces on the scene.
Be not thrown off by the "AE." Her name is Rachael, and amazingly, it sounds just like "Rachel."
Giada de Laurentiis is "Zhee-AH-dah de law-REN-teess."
With the 
I'll be happy when summer is over. It's my least favorite season, and besides the humidity, there are only so many bbq/grilling stories I can take. Bon Appetit has another one this month, with a giant hamburger 
We're a blog, and you're a blog reader, so neither of us has to say these names out loud: Daniel Boulud, 
DIY Foods: Making homemade sausage
Cakes so amazing they'd be hard to cut into
Fruit juice: An invitation to diabetes?
