Hundred-foot Journey / Richard C. Morais 245 p.

Hundred-foot Journey / Richard C. Morais 245 p.

Now a motion picture, this is the story of Hassan Haji, a boy from Mumbai, India. Hassan narrates his own story beginning with his grandfather who starts a restaurant during World War II which his father inherits. The father expands and grows the business.  When his mother dies in a fire, the entire family migrates to London.  There they languish, in sorrow, until his father takes them on a tour of Europe where they discover a small village in France.  There his father turns to what he does best, running an Indian restaurant; and, evokes the ire of the 2 star French chef.  There develops a war albeit a culinary war where Madame Mallory seeks to oust Hassan's father.  She has met her match as he counters each of her moves until a disaster happens.  Madame Mallory finds herself offering a chef position to Hassan and the die is cast for him to pursue his own Michelin stars and, ultimately, his own Parisian restaurant.  Morais rich descriptive prose gives life to the story.  The sights, sounds, and smells float off the page as he describes the trek of the Haji family from Mumbai to Paris. 

The School of Essential Ingredients/Erica Bauermeister/240 pages

Lillian's restaurant is one of the best in town. People wait hours for a table in a place where the menu changes without notice but always seems to be exactly right. Once a month on Monday, when the restaurant is closed, eight students gather for a cooking class with Lillian herself. The class learns how to cook without using recipes but rather with using instincts that Lillian helps them discover.


The book is divided into sections for each student plus Lillian whose story comes first. What brings them to the class may differ, but each one finds answers and solutions to their biggest problem. Food is certainly the cure to what ails them. A delightful read.

Doughnuts:simple and delicious recipes to make at home/ Lara Ferroni/ 128 pg

I will admit that my family eats way too many doughnuts so I thought I would give this cookbook a try. The recipes are pretty simple but you need a doughnut maker for most. The few that don't require that are great though.

Hot Sauce!: techniques for making signature hot sauces/Jennifer Trainer Thompson/ 192 pg

I come from a family that loves spicy food and homemade gifts, so guess what everyone's getting for xmas? The recipes are pretty easy to follow but some do call for odd ingredients. There is a section on how to prepare the sauces and how to bottle them to last for up to a year. The pictures are great too and that always counts in a cookbook.

Book of Vegetarian Cooking / Louise Pickford 120 p.

Louise Pickford features recipes drawn from around the world. Vegetarian cooking is growing in popularity as a more healthful life style. Nine sections offer a wide selection of soups, appetizers, pizzas, pastas, pies and breads, as well as light brunches and suppers. It includes recipes for both vegetarians and vegans.

On a Stick:80 party-perfect recipes/ Matt Armendariz/ 183 pg

The subtitle for this says it's for parties, but I am betting these will be a hit with my 4 year old. And my husband. Who doesn't love food on a stick? Some of the recipes call for ingredients that I'd haveto search out (I hate that) but there are plenty that I could make tomorrow. This is definitely a winner.