Making a cookbook list and checking it twice

Belleville News-Democrat

December 18, 2007

Most people who enjoy cooking never have enough books about the subject. I hear from readers who have hundreds of cookbooks -- and some whose collection rivals the bookcase full I have here at the office.

So, a fool-proof gift might be one from the list created by the James Beard Foundation's Book Awards Committee. In honor of the group's 20th anniversary, it compiled 20 books its members deem essential to good cooking. The books, limited to those still in print, are in alphabetical order. How many do you have? How many do you want?

'American Cookery' by James Beard (1996)

'Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico' by Rick Bayless (2007)

'Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook' (2004)

'Classic Indian Cooking' by Julie Sahni (1980)

'Complete Techniques' by Jacques Pepin and Leon Pererr (2001)

'Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking' by Marcella Hazan (1995)

'How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food' by Mark Bittman (2006)

'The Joy of Cooking' by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker (2006)

'The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion: The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook' (2003)

'Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts' by Maida Heatter (1999)

'Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres Handbook' by Martha Stewart (1999)

'Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume One' by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck (2001)

'The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking: Techniques and Recipes' by Barbara Tropp (1996)

'The New Food Lover's Companion' by Sharon Tyler Herbst (2007)

'The Oxford Companion to Wine' by Jancis Robinson (2007)

'Rick Stein's Complete Seafood' by Rick Stein (2004)

'The Silver Palate Cookbook' by Sheila Lukins and Julie Rosso (2007)

'The Thrill of the Grill: Techniques, Recipes and Down-Home Barbecue' by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby (2002)

'Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone' by Deborah Madison (2007)

'The Way to Cook' by Julia Child (1993)

This is a recipe developed for the California Raisin Board. It's great for a breakfast buffet and also freezes extremely well.

BREAKFAST BREAD-PUDDING MUFFINS

1 1/2 cups skim milk

4 large egg whites

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons margarine, melted

2/3 cup raisins

12 slices whole-wheat bread, cut in to 1/2-inch cubes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the raisins and cubed bread; mix well. Add the raisins and bread, mix well and allow to soak 5 minutes.

2. Spray a standard-size muffin tin or 12 custard cups with nonstick cooking spray. Mound the mixture into each of the 12 cups. Bake until firm and well-browned, about 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before removing the muffins from the cups.

Makes 12 muffins, each with 150 calories, 3 grams fat, 1 mg cholesterol, 183 mg sodium.

Here's how to reach me: Phone, 239-2664; e-mail, sboyle@bnd.com; or write, Suzanne Boyle, Belleville News-Democrat, P.O. Box 427, 120 S. Illinois St., Belleville, IL 62222-0427.

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