Delicious books to find underneath your tree

During an online talk about the lessons that Chefs have for managers I was asked which books I’d like to find underneath my Xmas tree. I slightly rephrased the question into: what book would I put underneath your tree? Here is are my current favourites.

My evergreens. Books I always go back to for great methods and ideas.

The Italian Cuisine - Marcella Hazan. A twenty or so year old book. In it my favourite tomato sauce (three ingredients and two hours) and minestrone tricolore. A real reference for many trattoria’s.

Completely perfect - Felicity Cloake. Every week Felicity tests a recipe for the Guardian. She takes 5-6 different sources and then decides ‘the perfect one’. It is a great reference for the great classics from quiche to lemon tart to risotto. Quite educational too. And funny, Felicity is wicked.

Food for thought. Books by writers with delicious stories and maybe you will make the recipes.

The kitchen diaries - Nigel Slater. Follow Nigel in his home kitchen for a year. He may cook up a feast or nibble on cheese.

How to cook a wolf - M F K Fisher. Written in the Second World War in USA, when there was not so much in the pantry. I am fascinated that so little has changed in the way we appreciate food.

Cook, eat, repeat. - Nigella Lawson. The master of foodprose and alliterations. The queen of the pantry. Her stories are as delicious as her recipes.

How to create a menu. How to be a confident host.

How to eat a peach - Diana Henry. A wonderful book that helps you to create menu’s as a confident host. Seasonal and love for simplicity.

Prêt a diner - Estee Strooker. (Not sure this is available in English). Estee was a winner of MasterChef and runs 3 restaurants. This book follows the Chefs logic for a menu. It is based on the ‘job’ that the dish needs to do in the composition of the meal. I love the logic, it is really a Chefs mind at work

Zerowaste and maximum taste. Your fork can change the world.

One pot, pan, planet - Anna Jones. Anna helps you to create great tasting menu’s and ways of working that will help you to improve your footprint. Anna was trained by Jamie Oliver.

Van Bovens Leftovers - Yvette van Boven Yvette van Boven is basically my secret Foodwriters Crush. Trained as a Chef, ex-restaurant owner. Uses the oven to the max and hates leftovers. Bold flavours and easy techniques. O and she makes all illustrations herself too. Hate her. Love her and her perfect not do perfect life.

Nerdy books

Le repertoire de la cuisine - Lewis Saulnier. A Cheffie book first published in 1918, without any recipe. Just the methods used for all dishes described by Mr Escoffier.

The flavour thesaurus - Niki Segnit. For those free styling Chefs that are looking to combine their market bought in season products.

Gastronomix. This is a paid app on the phone that allows you to combine professional Chef elements in a dish. Used in many professional kitchens. Why not in your home?

Great Dutch Books by Chefs. Hope they will get translated

Not all Chefs make great books. Not all Michelin recipes are suited for the home chef. These two are magnificent.

Bij Bijdendijk - Joris Bijdendijk. A champion of Low Food and respect for ingredients

Een kookboek - Seppe Nobels. Ten years of pushing vegetables to the centre of the plate, collected in a bible. Spectacular dishes you can make at home.

Books by revolutionaries. Grande dames who changed what we eat.

Med - Claudia Roden. This 84 year old lady just finished her first book in 25 years. The relaxed recipes take you to all countries in the Mediterranean. Claudia taught many famous Chef to work with ingredients like pommegranate

Recipes and principles of vegetarian cuisine - Teresa Carles. Another grande dame. One of the van pioneers of Spain. One of the first books I read and her principles still hold. Her dishes are not easy to reproduce, but very educational.

My favourite podcasts.

On va déguster. In French. A full hour about a specific subject. Chefs, bakers, ice cream makers, wine and beer brewers. All passionate and opinionated. Great background stories

Journey to the centre of Food. Incredible amount of knowledge and anecdotes. History, technique, SF and ofcourse Heston Blumenthal’s unstoppable passion

het Naadje van de Taus Great conversations between two culinary entrepreneurs who have an opinion about everything. Entertaining and often a different view at the world due to their international backgrounds.

My favourite tv shows

MasterChef Australia. Comes closest to how I experience culinary schools and working professionally. I wish I could compete.

The great British Menu. A Cheffie show, where Chefs compete to create a national menu. Nailbiting worthy drama. With real Michelin Chefs cooking themselves.