Weekend Cooking - Emeril's Latest Yummies

Beth Fish Reads sponsors this weekly meme where we foodies can chat about cookbooks, cooking gadgets, recipes, or anything else gustatory. Be sure to stop over there to find other terrific weekend cooking posts.  


Continuing on with our look at egalleys of cookbooks, I'm doubling up this weekend.   I've been drooling over another great one I wouldn't mind having on my shelf.  It's

Sizzling Skillets and other one pot wonders

Author: Emeril Lagasse

Publisher/Format: William Morrow Cookbooks ARC - egalley 304 pages

Year of publication: 2011

Subject: One pot cooking

Genre:  Cookbook

Source: ARC from publisher via Net Galley

Once again, the engaging Emeril Lagasse gives us a menu of amazing gusto from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds.  They range from simple combinations of ingredients that most will have on hand, to more intricate mixtures of spices and techniques that may be new to users.  In all instances, he gives tips about using different ranges of the same ingredient with indications of how those will impact a recipe. As an example, he points out that different brands and types of blue cheese will each yield a very specific flavor and that some are much stronger than others.  He wisely advises the cook to use a blue cheese you like.

The culinary influences include Creole, Cajun, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Indian, Thai, Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese.  He features some of my favorites, but each has a new twist that has me aching to try them out.  Among those are  the southern style chicken & dumplings where he uses a different blend of ingredients but the same technique for dumplings in a recipe that I've used for over 35 years; his Braciole which he suggests doing in small individual rolls instead of the one huge rolled round steak I've been used to.  I love his take on lasagna - using wonderful fresh ingredients that are perfect for this time of the year -- butternut squash and Italian sausage.  The Portuguese pork and clams is going to be a hit in our family -- we love pork and we love clams, but who would have thought about putting them together.  And speaking of Portuguese (I do often...I married one!) the recipe for Chorizo and Potato Quesadillas will be particularly tasty made with the portuguese version of Choriço.

To me, one of the strengths of the book is the layout:  recipes are divided by the cooking vessel to be used.  All too often, I find myself looking at a recipe, paying lots of attention to the ingredients, and then realizing too late that I don't have a pot the right size to make the one that has just struck my fancy.  In this volume you begin by seeing how it will be cooked, and then looking to see what goes into the pot.  Different, but at least to this cook, a great perspective to have. There are recipes for Skillets and saute pans, Casseroles and baking dishes, Dutch Ovens, Big Pots, Woks, and Slow cookers. In short there's something for everyone in this one.

The recipes are clear and easy to follow. Emeril's little asides are priceless--it's like having him right there next to you as you cook. The photography is outstanding, and even shows up well enough on a black and white e-reader. In color, the shots are yummy. The only problem with the book is that I will never be able to decide which of many recipes to make. We can only eat one at a time, and I'd like to make at least 10 of them right now!

Another great one to put on your Christmas list, or to gift to your favorite cook.
Thanks to publisher William Morrow Cookbooks for the opportunity to review via Net Galley.