Recommendations for gifts in Sant Jordi. Day of the book and the rose.

Today I am going to recommend you more books so that you can complete your gastronomic library and as a gift to the most passionate about cooking. April 23 is approaching and in Catalonia the day of Sant Jordi is celebrated , a popular festival in which books and roses are given away, a mixture of traditions and customs, some of which date back to the Middle Ages. The day of Sant Jordi is also the Day of the book or the book International Day , but every day is an ideal time to give a book, on Monday no longer a special day.

You have a little bit of everything, from an encyclopedia that is the very best right now in techniques, history of cooking, equipment, recipes … You will already know that I am talking about “Modernist Cuisine: The art and science of cooking”, my gift from Reyes This year, a book with the groundbreaking techniques used by the best chefs in the world, very much in the Iñigo Aguirre style (who was the one who recommended it to me). A current classic in today’s kitchen, Inés Ortega’s kitchen . If what you like is bread, you will be captivated by the latest book by Xavier Barriga Homemade recipes with yesterday’s bread , with recipes and tips to take advantage of the bread that is left over at home. And my last purchase, the book of the family of Ferrán Adriá, a book where he explains step by step recipes of always, as I like, and how I try to transmit on the blog. Enjoy it.

“Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking”

Considered by chefs, cookers, blogers and gourmets as a great  unique and indispensable work in any kitchen , whether professional or your own. A revolution is underway in the art of cooking, and little by little we see techniques that were super complicated at first and are now available to everyone, and I also remind you that simple recipes can become main dishes thanks to a professional touch, do you remember the cream of pumpkin and carrots ? These books compile the techniques of the most renowned gastronomic chefs, such as Grant Achatz, Ferran Adrià, Heston Blumenthal, David Chang, Wylie Dufresne and David Kinch, among others. They have opened their kitchens to science and technological innovation, incorporating these fields of knowledge into the creative genius of food manufacturing.

Why does immersing food in ice-cold water not stop the cooking process? How do you make a light and tender omelette on the outside but tasty and creamy on the inside? When is cooking in water faster than steaming? Why does raising the grill not reduce the heat? Fluffy fries on the inside and crispy on the outside? Imagine being able to wrap a mussel in a jelly sphere of its own juice, sweet and salty at the same time. Or prepare a butter only based on pistachios, fine and homogeneous. Answers to questions that Modernist Cuisine explains step by step with illustrations.

The encyclopedia contains the following volumes:

• Volume 1: History and Foundations
• Volume 2: Techniques and Equipment
• Volume 3: Animals and plants
• Volume 4: Ingredients and preparations
• Volume 5: Ready-to-serve recipes
• Volume 6: Kitchen Manual, printed on waterproof paper, with sample recipes and comprehensive reference tables

A luxury within the reach of the most passionate and demanding kitchens.

• Authors: Nathan Myhrvold, Chris Young, Maxime Bilet.
• Publisher: Taschen. (ISBN: 978-3-8365-3258-7)
• Price: € 379.05.
• Features: 6 volumes in box, hardcover books, 26.2 x 33 cm, 2440 pages.
• Edition: Spanish.

Inés Ortega’s kitchen.

Inés Ortega gathers in this new book the witness of her mother, Simone Ortega, the author of the unsurpassed “1080 kitchen recipes”. Conceived as a current recipe book for a healthy and affordable kitchen. “Inés Ortega’s cuisine” fuses our most traditional recipes with the latest gastronomic trends. A book adapted to new eating habits, with quick and inexpensive recipes to prepare, always with the pinch of originality that makes them different. The book is much more than a cookbook to use, since it includes other aspects of food. Start with the main thing in a recipe, the ingredients. Better fresh or frozen? Market or super? How to buy cheap without giving up quality? Nutrition occupies several chapters of the book. It includes special sections for celiacs, diabetics, athletes or vegetarians; and answers the usual questions that we ask ourselves about whether, for example, bread makes you fat, whether to lose weight we must eliminate sugar from our diet or whether bifidus is good for intestinal transit. It also gives us a series of tricks to use the most appropriate utensils to simplify the task and advises us on whether or not to buy certain modern appliances and tricks to use the fridge more useful.

The part about the art of receiving at home and education at the table stands out. It explains, among other things, how to place the cutlery, which should be used according to the food we are going to eat, how to place the guests and what glasses should be used for each wine. Also collect a series of recipes suitable for exercising as a perfect host.

The book answers the questions that we ask ourselves daily either between the stove or when choosing food in the market. The meat and all its keys, the secrets of roast meats, the ideal cooking times for each class, how to know if a fish is fresh, the vegetables and the most favorable season to consume them, their dietary properties, the pasta and the way cooking, etc … Times have changed and aware of the importance that today more than ever the shortage of time and the urgent need to control the budget, “The kitchen of Inés Ortega” offers quick and cheap recipes according to each type of diet, which implies, among other considerations, taking advantage of the advantages that seasonal cuisine provides. For this reason, this book gives us precise information on the most abundant products at different times of the year.

If you want to get a copy, all you have to do is become a fan of the yummy recipes Fanpage and put a comment under the photo of the book, on Friday the 27th I will close the comments and raffle the book among all the comments. Luck!

• Author: Inés Ortega
• Editorial: Editorial Alliance. Unique Books Collection (ISBN-13: 978-8420671581)
• Price: € 15.11.
• Features: Softcover (reinforced), 624 pages, Spanish language.

The family meal. Ferran Adria

During all the years of elBulli’s life, a menu was prepared every day for the kitchen team. This great family had to be well fed, with varied recipes of fresh products, which guaranteed energy and strength so that everyone performed with enthusiasm in their work. When elBulli closed, Ferran Adrià, the best chef in the world, left a compilation of well-structured, easy, cheap menus with traditional roots that could not be locked in a drawer forever. Hence this book.

Here Adrià explains, in a clear and visual way, 31 menus consisting of starter, main course and dessert, for a family of 2 or 6 diners, and also for a professional who must feed his large family of 20 or 75 collaborators. He reviews all the aspects, perfected and structured by his experience in elBulli: – How to choose the products – which ones we should always have in our pantry – how to make broths and sauces and freeze them in portions for future uses – what quantities are necessary for each recipe, according to the number of diners – how to organize the preparation of the 3 dishes so that they are all in their place at the necessary time – step by step visual of each of the recipes.

All recipes can be made at home easily, in a reasonable time and at a price that is around 4 euros. If we don’t eat well it’s because we don’t want to, says Adrià. This book will change the way you cook at home.

• Author: Ferrán Adriá.
• Publisher: Rba Practica (ISBN-13: 978-8492981823)
• Price: € 28.51
• Features: Hardcover, 384 pages, in Spanish

Homemade recipes with yesterday’s bread.

“With the bread from the previous day or with the one that remains throughout the week we can prepare a large number of different preparations with a multitude of variants and combinations. In this book you will find proposals for breakfast and snacks, to accompany great salads, to delight children. So we will see, for example, how to use products as basic and common as toast or breadcrumbs in an original way, or we will learn to cook sweet bread soups for a rich, energetic and very healthy breakfast ”
Xavier Barriga.

• Author: Xavier Barriga.
• Publisher: Grijalbo / Dargaud. Sabores Collection (ISBN-13: 978-8425347115)
• Price: € 17.00
• Features: Softcover (reinforced), 112 pages, in Spanish.

I hope you liked my post today, soon another recommendation of three other cookbooks. I leave you with a curiosity of this day for those who are not aware, it is said that a dragon who lived in  Montblanc  and was feared for his fury, to calm his anger a person from the population was given as a sacrifice, which was chosen by lottery. One day “luck” fell on  the king’s daughter , but a handsome knight, in armor and sword, killed the beast and saved the beautiful damsel. Wherever the blood of the dragon fell, a  rosebush with beautiful red flowers came out, so giving a book with a rose is nice, right?

Enjoy Sant Jordi and remember that you have to give books… and read them, there is no better gift. Do not prick yourselves with the roses!

In the next post for the month of May: Meals in 30 minutes with Jamie Oliver, La Toscana and Alejandro Dumás’ The Cooking Dictionary.