Wander, Eat, and Tell

cookbook club: Between Harlem and Heaven

The second book of our Flavors of New York cookbook club turned out to be a fun plot twister!

Our autumn 2021 season of the 92^nd Street Y and Kitchen Arts & Letters cookbook club is dedicated to exploring four distinct food stories that represent what is just the tip of the iceberg of food in New York City.

autumn 2021 cookbook club featured books — all books available at KitchenArtsandLetters.com

These four books tell of restaurants and food businesses – bits and pieces of the New York story – of neighborhoods, families, communities, and the melting pot of distinct flavors that come together into something truly, uniquely, NYC.

Through these books we’ll cook and taste…

the history of NYC restaurants
the importance of neighborhood
immigrant foodways (from near and far)
reverse migration of foodways (what NYC sends into the world)

cookbook club: Buvette

The Flavors of New York cookbook club is off to a great start! We just completed book one of four and the energy is high. We have many new voices sharing in our conversation. They join a group that I’ve been fortunate to share two previous seasons with, and we’re going strong!

Our autumn season of the 92^nd Street Y and Kitchen Arts & Letters cookbook club is dedicated to exploring four distinct food stories that represent what is just the tip of the iceberg of food in New York City. I could spend years (probably decades) on this one topic. But I had to choose – and autumn is my favorite season in New York!

These four books tell stories of restaurants and food businesses that have been part of my personal New York story, as well as the story of New York’s neighborhoods and beyond.

Through these books we’ll cook and taste…

the history of NYC restaurants
the importance of a neighborhood
immigrant foodways (from near and far)
reverse migration of foodways (what NYC sends into the world)

We begin with Buvette: the pleasure of good food by Jody Williams with Julia Turshen.

how to cook from a new cookbook

Seems simple enough. Right? Pick up a book, choose a recipe, start cooking. But no. If you want to get the most out of your new cookbook, take your time to get to know it! Here’s how I do it…

approaching a new cookbook with Chef Annette

Read the book and the recipes like any other book… get a feel for the story and how it’s being told.
Read the recipe for ingredient and equipment needs, then gather your mise en place.
Read the recipe one last time before cooking. This time, visualize each step as you go. Make mental notes of unusual techniques or transition places.
Enjoy the process!

Want to know more about the Cookbook Club? Start by reading my post HERE.

Happy cooking!

I’d love to hear how you like to approach a new cookbook or recipe. Share your own experiences in the comments below.

Also – this is my first time posting videos to this site. Would you like to see more? Let me know!

the autumn 2021 cookbook club: flavors of New York

Have you been following along with the cookbook club? If not, you can catch up starting here. This is my third season hosting the 92nd Street Y and Kitchen Arts & Letters online cookbook club. The season hasn’t even started yet and it’s already my favorite! The autumn 2021 cookbook club theme is Flavors of New York. For me (and millions more), that means the flavors of home.

cookbook club: Ruffage

The lazy days of summer are definitely upon us, and our cookbook club is ready to take a summer vacation. But there’s still plenty of summer vegetables left to explore! Our last book of the season is a perfect companion for foraging your local farmers’ markets, or if you’re lucky, maybe your home garden as well.

Our fourth book, Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables by Abra Berens, actually served as a textbook of sorts for all the others. If you ever wanted a field guide to the produce aisle, this is the book you need! Whether our vegetable-focused cooking adventure was focused on the simplicity of Nigel Slater’s Greenfeast: Spring, Summer, or flavors from further afield in to Asia With Love by Hettie McKinnon, or the West African dishes of Senegal by Pierre Thiam – learning how to select, store, and work with different vegetables has been priceless.

And the recipes are great too (as you’ll soon read)!

stack of four cookbooks — all books available for purchase from http://www.kitchenartsandletters.com

cookbook club: Senegal

Welcome to the third book of our summer cookbook club. Our theme this season is Summer Vegetables – perfect for a time when local farmers’ markets are thriving, and maybe even your home garden. After easing into our vegetable-focused cooking adventure with Nigel Slater’s Greenfeast: Spring, Summer, we began an intercontinental journey; first to Asia, now to West Africa!

summer cookbook club selection — www.kitchenartsandletters.com

Senegal: Modern Senegalese recipes from the source to the bowl by Pierre Thiam with Jennifer Sit is a stunningly beautiful cultural tour of the author’s beloved homeland. The photography, by Evan Sung, brings the vibrancy and richness of Senegal and its people, and the feeling of teranga – warm hospitality – to life on every page.

cookbook club: To Asia, With Love

Welcome to the second book of our summer cookbook club! Our theme this season is Summer Vegetables – perfect for a time when local farmers’ markets are thriving, and maybe even your home garden. After easing into our vegetable-focused cooking adventure with Nigel Slater’s Greenfeast: Spring, Summer, we begin our journey of exploration of other continents. Asia and Africa await!

Our next book is To Asia, With Love: Everyday Asian recipes and stories from the heart by Hetty McKinnon. This is Hetty’s fourth book. Beginning with Neighborhood, then to Community, and Family – with each we join her on a journey continuously closer to her heart.

cookbook club: Greenfeast: Spring, Summer

Welcome to the first book of the summer season of our cookbook club! Our first book is the most recent edition from the UK’s Nigel Slater, Greenfeast: Spring, Summer. Our theme this season is Summer Vegetables – perfect for a time when local farmers’ markets are thriving, and maybe even your home garden.

I’m feeling inspired. And with an international lineup of vegetable-focused books to work our way through, I’m betting you will be too!

Our first book, Greenfeast: Spring, Summer, was originally published in Great Britain in 2019. The North American “translation” was just released last month. I’m working from the UK version, everyone else has the new US edition. Does that make a difference? Read on to find out…