Dear Darlings,
As it has been in many homes in many eras, the hearth is taking the place of prominence: The kitchen is the hub of sheltering in place. Students are doing their chemistry lab assignments there, and humans are busily baking wild yeasted breads there also. I know, because I talked to someone, that I am not the only one who is now in the luxurious position of not having to put all the cookbooks and recipes away on their shelves and card boxes, because no one is coming over, and I am going to need it again soon anyway.
Any excuse to make a list, and stacking books is a great one, so here is a list of the cookery books I have out on the table, coffee table, and kitchen counter (two locations!) right now:
Everything I Want to Eat, Jessica Koslow
The Rancho de Chimayo Cookbook, Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison
Joy of Cooking, Rombauer and Becker
Tartine Bread, Chad Robertson
Celebrations Italian Style, Mary Ann Esposito
The Fanny Farmer Baking Book, Marion Cunningham
No Need to Knead, Suzanne Dunaway
Gourmet, Ruth Reichl, editor
Hot & Spicy Sauces & Salsas, Sally Griffiths
Tartine, Elisabeth M. Prueitt & Chad Roberston
Desserts by Pierre Hermé, Dorie Greenspan
Nothing Fancy, Diana Kennedy
The other day I also had out TV Dinners, Emeril Lagasse, so I could make Chicken Pot Pie with a friend via video conferencing. Next week we plan to meet again remotely (she wrote, oxymoronically) to make this pie. Maybe you will make one too.
PS
Minutiae: The Salted Maple Pie is a Chess pie, a Just pie, a Sugar pie; meaning that it's like pecan pie with no nuts; it is Milk Bar's Crack Pie; a custard type pie with eggs and sugar, butter, sometimes milk or cream; but no fruit, no nuts, no nothing: Just pie. Here's one that I adore with chocolate chips. If you get all into antediluvian pie recipes, check out Shoofly pie, a breakfast pie.
