It has become a tradition. Before Christmas, whether or not it snows, there is an avalanche of cookbooks in bookstores. And it must be recognized that not all of them are gifts. Here is our selection of five books that deserve a place under the tree.
Culinary trip to Portugal
Right from the cover, in relief, inspired by azulejo tiles, we understand that special care has been given to this new bible of Portuguese cuisine. Chef Leandro Carreira has carried out research for two and a half years, unearthing his recipes (more than five hundred) in small villages, to pay tribute to an unknown and sometimes despised gastronomy. He does not content himself with compiling cooking records, but explains over the pages how the population has taken advantage of foods rejected by the elite (stale bread, bad wine, vegetable trimmings, etc.) to compose small delicacies. The advantage? Most dishes are inexpensive and easy to replicate, like these Ameijoas a bulhao pato from the Lisbon region, simple clams cooked with garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. Ideal for warming up in winter.
Portugal. The cookbookby Leandro Carreira (Phaidon, 448 p., 49.95 euros).
A comic to enjoy
“Cooked Band”, the concept may seem like a hollow marketing gimmick. This small but sturdy comic strip (640 grams) is nevertheless one of the most stimulating cookbooks of this end of the year. The idea? For a few weeks, news designer Tiphaine de Cointet met with Top Chef Chloé Charles and her second Raphaëlle Orliange to learn how to cook. The illustrator admits a floor level (the kind to always leave eggshells in her cakes). Chloé Charles, who learned the trade with a few virtuosos (like Pascal Barbot, at Astrance), therefore takes up the basics, explaining for example how to balance flavors by playing on humidity, fat and acidity. This sassy learning comic (usually, the resemblance between a cuttlefish beak and a clitoris is rarely mentioned in cookbooks) is a very pleasant introduction to the art of cooking. And recipe cards, at the end of the book, allow you to reproduce some delightful dishes, such as a fabulous sausage sandwich.
Here, taste! A cooked bandby Chloé Charles (texts) and Tiphaine de Cointet (illustrations) (First Editions, 176 p., 22.95 euros).
Starry Beauties
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