Here’s another Bay Area edition of the Bookworm with two fresh books from local chefs and authors.
Don’t forget: the books mentioned below are available at 20 percent off for tablehopper readers for two weeks following this mention at Green Apple Books—simply use the code “tablehopper” at checkout (either at the store or online) for your discount.
Tacolicious: Festive Recipes for Tacos, Snacks, Cocktails, and More Sara Deseran
First up is Tacolicious by food writer extraordinaire Sara Deseran (Ten Speed Press). And I emphasize her writing chops before her ownership stake in Tacolicious, as so many cookbooks are not well written. But Tacolicious (the book) has a real sense of story, warmth, and charm. It’s full of lessons learned from the opening of three Tacolicious locations, plus recipes, of course, and an assortment of sidebars, tips, and tales.
You can use the book as seriously as you want—toast your own recado spice mix, for example. Or just use the foolproof margarita recipes as a launching point for creativity. The book includes a variety of easy recipes for the home cook: snacks, drinks, and, of course, plenty of tacos. There’s even a “Cliff’s Notes” section on tequila. And it’s priced to sell: just $22 in a lovely package.
French Roots: Two Cooks, Two Countries, and the Beautiful Food Along the Way
Jean-Pierre Moullé and Denise Lurton Moullé
Next up, French Roots by Jean-Pierre Moullé and Denise Lurton Moullé (also Ten Speed Press).
Let’s start with pedigree: until he retired in 2012, Jean-Pierre Moullé was the executive chef at Chez Panisse, where he began working in 1975. Denise Lurton Moullé hails from a renowned winemaking family in Bordeaux. So the good life is the starting point for this very personal book of recipes and stories. They risk coming across as too “too,” but their earnestness, honesty, and pure joie de vivre can’t be faked and may just inspire you to make that leg of veal with porcini mushrooms. Winter is nigh, after all.
There are distinct sections in the book covering “French family life,” “Berkeley in the Seventies,” “Back to Bourdeuax,” etc. So there’s a nice variety of recipes, both traditional French and French-Californian (à la Chez Panisse). The recipes range in difficulty, but any home cook with patience can follow them; they’re clear. And there are tales of that famous restaurant, stories of French Sunday lunch (epic), and sidebars on topics like the joys and challenges of beekeeping or finding the balance in making ice cream.
If you need some inspiration, or just want to France out on your couch, French Roots is sure to please. As with everything Ten Speed does these days, the “package” is beautiful—photography, layout, and an elegant cover. All for $35.
Thanks for reading.
Green Apple has recently opened a second location in the Inner Sunset (on 9th Avenue at Lincoln): Green Apple Books on the Park. We’ve shacked up with Le Video; they’ve moved upstairs and preserved their collection of 100,000 movies. We remodeled the ground floor to offer 25,000 new and used books in all subject areas (including cookbooks, of course!). The kids section is especially vibrant, and the space was designed for events, so expect literary hootenannies on a regular basis. Drop by while the place still smells like fresh-cut pine.
