The CulinaryWoman Newsletter, 9/11/22

Cookbooks and TV and streaming, oh my!

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Bountiful Fall Choices In Cookbooks And TV Programs

If you like to read about food and watch programs about all things culinary, you are in luck. This fall is bringing a flood of new cookbooks and TV and streaming shows, and it is hard to know which to look at first. I thought I’d give you an idea of some of the don’t miss books and shows that are in the works.

I Am From Here, by Vishwesh Bhatt. On Sept. 1, I was honored to interview Vish at the Garden District Book Store here in New Orleans. It was exciting to meet legendary chef Joanne Clevenger, who you can see with Vish in this photo. I have already cooked several of his recipes, including my first try at okra, and I also wrote about his green tomato pie for The Takeout.

Bread Head by Greg Wade and Rachel Holtzman. Greg is the chief baker at Publican Quality Bread (aka PQB) in Chicago and the winner of a James Beard Award. I discovered his bread when I ate at Publican Quality Meats, the cafe that was founded by Paul Kahan, as an offshoot of the Publican restaurant. These spots are part of his collection of places in the Fulton Market district and elsewhere in Chicago.

PQB now sells to the public, but before I did, I convinced a sales clerk at the meat market to sell me a loaf to take back to Ann Arbor. The bread is that good. This book is a terrific journey through bread baking. I’m not skilled at baking bread, but as soon as I read it, I wanted to make everything in it.

Dinner In One is Melissa Clark’s latest cookbook. The idea is extremely simple: dinner that can be made in one kitchen item, whether a French oven, a skillet, an Instapot, a baking sheet, a soup pot — well, you get my drift. It’s perfect cooking for busy people or those who are space constrained.

There is also a section of one-bowl desserts, from pound cake to tortes. If you enjoyed her cookbook Dinner in French, you’ll want to add this book.

Modern Jewish Comfort Food, by Shannon Sarna. As you may remember, Shannon and I shared a Zoom call with members of the Jewish Book Council and I was introduced to her delightful cookbook there. You might think of Jewish comfort food as babka, noodle kugel and rugalech, but there are many, many more dishes to try, from soup to latkes to shakshuka.

Watermelon and Red Birds by Nicole A. Taylor technically was a summer cookbook. It came out in May, and its recipes were aimed at Juneteeth celebrations, but there are great dishes that can be served at events throughout the year, from family reunions to Thanksgiving to picnics and dinner parties. She includes a list of Black-owned mail order businesses and suggests gadgets that can be useful in any kitchen.

This is just a start on the fall books — you can peruse this list of 80 new publications from Eater. Many bookstores are hosting cookbook authors for Zoom and in-person appearances, so check with your favorite to see who’ll be visiting.

Returning To Our Screens

On the broadcast front, there is news that excites everyone who loves that beloved program from across the pond.

The Great British Bake Off returns this Tuesday in England, which means that is arrives on Netflix in the U.S. and Canada this Friday. The same cast — judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith, and moderators Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas — will be prowling the tent with a dozen new bakers.

You can get a preview of the new season on the Bakedown podcast. The cooking school called Bake With A Legend, which features past Bake Off contestants, has rolled out a new slate of classes including a complete series in which you will bake the same recipes from the show. That sounds like the ultimate in instruction for super fans.

Even if you don’t want to commit to that many classes, there are dozens of others available. If you do sign up for something from Bake With A Legend, be sure to tell them you read about their classes on CulinaryWoman.

This just in: Bake With A Legend is holding a free class on Saturday in honor of The Queen. Find details on the website.

Up north (or south, if you live in Detroit) The Great Canadian Baking Show is returning on Oct. 2 for its new season. It also will bring back the same group of judges and moderators. The new set of Canadian bakers has been introduced on the show’s Instagram. There’s an adorable video showing each baker receiving the news that they’ve been selected for the program.

Somebody Feed Phil seems like it just brought us new episodes, but another set is coming to Netflix on Oct. 18. That’s the same day Phil Rosenthal will roll out Somebody Feed Phil — The Book. Phil announced on Instagram that the book is already in its third printing, based only on pre-orders (that is a big deal in publishing, I can assure you).

In this series, Phil will travel to Croatia, Austin, Philadelphia, Nashville, Santiago and pay tribute to his parents Max and Helen. Phil also plans a national book tour, so keep an eye out for him if you live in a major U.S. city.

Stanley Tucci is expected to return, too. We do not know when Season Three of Searching For Italy will debut on CNN. But Italofile.com says the locations likely to be featured in the next season are Puglia, Calabria, Sardinia, Genoa and Liguria, based on the places where Stanley has posted Instagram photos. His book Taste, which I read in hardcover, is now out in paperback. He’s doing a lecture tour in the U.K. and he just won another Emmy for the show.

Those books and shows should keep us occupied for much of the fall. I hope you’ll find something that’s to your liking.

Gumbo Without A Roux? Surely, Allison Richard Can’t Be Serious

Since I got to New Orleans, I’ve made the High Hat Cafe my local hangout. It serves a very nice gumbo, but as I learned in this article about chef and restaurant partner Allison Richard, it is not a traditional gumbo.

Allison, who was nominated for a James Beard Award this year, does not start hers with a roux (the slow-toasted combination of flour and fat). That might seem blasphemous in Louisiana, but Allison is a native of the state and like so many people, grew up learning to cook from family members.

To her, gumbo is just a “soup with a bunch of stuff in it.” It’s not a stew because it shouldn’t be that thick. “It should still have some viscosity. But you can absolutely make a gumbo without roux if you have the right texture and the right technique.”

Read more and share your thoughts: is a gumbo supposed to have a roux? How do you feel about tomatoes?

Farewell To Her Majesty; Hail King Charles III

My family wasn’t royalist by any means, but we traveled to England regularly and took a general delight in reading about and watching programs on the Royal Family. Because my mother and Maxine lived to advanced ages, they were interested in both the Queen Mother and the Queen.

I’ve been thinking about my elders this past week upon the death of Queen Elizabeth. I was honored to be able to stay at Balmoral in 2016 and to sit in the royal box for a gala marking The Queen’s 90th birthday. I admired her enormously for continuing to serve long after many people would have retired, and certainly when her own decline gave her a perfect excuse to sit things out.

Queen Consort Camilla has been a tireless advocate herself for reading. The Duchess of Cornwall’s Reading Room, her book club, chooses four books at a time, interviews the authors, and holds conversations about the books.

It is supposed to return once things settle down, which would be unusual activity for a Queen, but I anticipate that many things will change under Charles III. His millennial sons and grandchildren are likely to help keep him relevant. After all, no monarch can rule successfully without the peoples’ support. America is Exhibit A of that.

What I’m Writing

Just before Labor Day, I published my latest column in the Washington Post, all about my Prius. It just turned 14 years old, and the odometer has clicked over 164,000 miles. Apparently, I have lots of company as a long-time car owner, because the column generated more than 1,700 comments.

I’ve received a number of emails from readers who enjoyed it and shared their own car ownership stories. One gentleman asked me how my repair bills were so low, because he had spent more money in less time taking his car to his dealer.

I’m lucky that I had a good service station that helped me baby my car and did not over charge me. The last oil change I got in Michigan cost me $26. The first one I got here in New Orleans was $74. (How can an oil change cost $74?)

Meanwhile, four times in the past few months, I’ve felt compelled to return disappointing food. But, I am not about to enter a one-star review on Yelp or blister anyone on social media. Instead, I have some advice for ways to get a polite resolution in this article for The Takeout.

Keeping Up With CulinaryWoman

I’m headed to Michigan next weekend for several book appearances.

On Sunday, I’ll be speaking to the Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor at the Ann Arbor Public Library. And on Monday, I’ll be appearing at the Milford Public Library in Milford, Michigan. I would love to see you at either appearance, or please watch the video stream if you can’t attend in person. You can find details of these and my upcoming schedule on my website.

To book an appearance, invite me to moderate or suggest a story idea, contact me at culinarywoman at gmail dot com. You can follow my general Instagram @michelinemaynard and my New Orleans adventures @micki_in_nola.

Over Labor Day weekend, I got the new bivalent booster vaccine. My arm got a little sore, and I slept deeply the first night, but beyond that, there were not major side effects. Don’t hesitate to get it or any other vaccine you think you might need — flu shots are available, too.

Thanks for reading. I’ll see our paid subscribers tomorrow with Red Beans and Advice. For everyone else, I’ll see you next week from Michigan!