Chocolate for Breakfast

Warning! This is one of those cookbooks you can lose yourself in even before you make it to the kitchen!

Before I even share my thoughts, let me say that Barbara Passino, chef and owner extraordinaire of Oak Knoll Inn in the Napa Valley is a genius and I can't wait to spend some time at the inn. Just from reading this wonderful book, replete with stunning photos, I've moved it high up on my "must visit places".

And, I must say, the title is somewhat misleading...not EVERY recipe calls for chocolate and most of the dishes would be spectacular served at any meal, not just breakfast. So for those of you who need more than chocolate in your life...fools that you are....oops, was that my "outside voice"?...or like me, who only eat real breakfasts on the weekend...that's about to change here, because most of the dishes are incredibly easy to put together...even if you're half asleep.

The recipes are delightful - inventive, fanciful, creative, and just plain fun and the subtitle says it all....

"Entertaining Menus to Start the Day with a Celebration"

Even the Table of Contents is worth the read...

North of South West

Chocolate Tacos

Chocolate Papaya Tamales with Mango Mint Salsa

Asian Persuasion

Apple Eggrolls

Lacy Singapore Omelet

Chocolate Fortune Cookies

Little Italy

Chocolate Pasta

Breakfast Pizza

French Connection

Moroccan Excursion...

And that's just a taste!

So far I've whipped up the Lacy Singapore Omelet which we loved and it took mere minutes.

Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti that intrigued me. I had to hunt for chocolate nibs (nice but a bit bitter) and made half the recipe with hazelnuts. The perfect break with a cup of coffee to get even more lost in the book.

Romesco Sauce - creamy and spicy and will be perfect over pasta for dinner. Look at that color and tell me you're not transported to sunny California!

I think a little more biscotti and more flipping through this fabulous book is required immediately!

Once Upon A Tart

How could I resist this book? It hooked me in from the title...Once Upon a Tart I mean...how could it miss? And, if you're like me and afraid of making your own tarts, there are lots of other delicious dishes to slowly work your way up to it.

But let me back up a bit. Years ago, before it was trendy, two enterprising men - Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau, joined forces and decided to open a bake shop and cafe...tarts being hard to find in NYC then. Right from the beginning, it was a hit with line ups for lots of wonderful goodies, but mostly for their awesome tarts -savory or sweet...or both. Anyway, now there's yet another reason to visit NYC. The cafe is at 135 Sullivan Street...just in case you're in the neighborhood.

That said, until I get there in person, I'm glad I found the book which is filled with not only superb tarts but soups (doesn't Chickpea & Tomato Soup with Fresh Rosemary sound divine?); sandwiches (chicken & mashed avocado with radish sprouts & soy ginger vinaigrette are on tap for the weekend-or perhaps the goat cheese with marinated artichoke hearts & black olive vinaigrette on a sourdough baguette); salads (you'll never think of 3 bean salad the same...this one has honey-balsamic vinaigrette!); scones ( I did try the buttermilk & Dried Currants scones exactly as said...yum); cookies; condiments....and, of course...tarts!!!

Savory

Roasted Potato Tart with Herbs, Mushrooms & Melted Gruyere

Total Heaven on a plate, even if I did cheat a bit and did the entire mixing process in my food processor.

Sweet

Alsatian Apple Custard Tart

Seriously...look how pretty that is. I should have paid more attention and removed the tart from the outer rim before brushing with glaze..some of the shell stuck so it wasn't as pretty as could be. That said, there wasn't much left over either. The neighbors gladly got the last of it this morning.

Buttermilk & Dried Currant Scones

Not sure what I'll do next, but this is a book I'll refer to often.

Quick Vegetarian Pleasures

In starting my Cookbook Inventory Index, I realized that although I own and use several vegetarian cookbooks...really, I do!...I just haven't specifically written about any. So let me start with my first and still favorite...Quick Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin. I love it so much I bought it for each of my daughters and annotated the pages with my favorite recipes.

The spine is broken, most pages are stained...in other words, it's well worn and used often. Here are a few of my favorite recipes from it...

Couscous & Vegetable Salad with Orange & Garlic (my annotation: unbelievably delicious) It's a standard at any buffet brunch or supper I ever do.

Mixed Greens with Miso Dressing (no photo, guess I'll have to make it again soon)

Lemon-Soy Marinade...the best I've ever used and fantastic for grilled vegetables (or even gasp, gasp, fish & chicken)

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins very tasty as is..

Herb Oat Bread that's so good you forget how good it is for you!

Actually, every recipe is fantastic...tasty, healthy and quick to make. What more could anyone ask for?

All My Cookbooks - The Index

I've been putting off this project for a long time because, frankly, I don't know how to start. I have a gazillion cookbooks, I've written about most of them and I have no idea how to organize them in this index.

I could do it the way Librarians do it...simply by alphabetical order of the author, or I could do it the way we often find books in a bookstore...by category and author. I choose the latter, simply because it's also how I organize my bookshelves...in my own fashion, of course.

The other monumental question .... is ...do I link to each recipe I've adapted over the years? I'm not sure, but I guess I will just jump in the deep end, start with the books (they all have links to recipes anyway), and let it evolve as it will.

Reference Cookbooks (those "how to" encyclopedia books that should be in every kitchen...at least one volume)
The Cook's Book

The Cook's Herb Garden, Cox, Jeff & Moine, Marie Pierre

The Culinary Institute of America Cookbook, CIA chefs

Herbs & Spices, Jill Norman

Notes on Cooking, Lauren Braun Costello

Jellies, Jams & Chutneys, Thane Prince

Preserve It!

The Illustrated Kitchen Bible

The Illustrated Quick Cook

Baking Books (Breads, cakes, cookies, chocolate, desserts, etc.)
The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book

The Everything Cookies & Brownies Cookbook, Marye Audet

In the Sweet Kitchen, Regan Daley

The Craft of Baking, Karen DeMasco

A Passion for Baking, Marcy Goldman

The New Best of BetterBaking.com, Marcy Goldman

Baking, From my home to yours, Dorie Greenspan

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, J Hertzberg & Z Francois

Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, J Hertzberg & Z Francois

The Seven Sins of Chocolate, L Schott

Ethnic & Country Specific (Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Italian, American, etc.)
Time Life Series of Foods of the Worlds (out of print, unfortunately)

Curry Cuisine

Classic Lebanese Cuisine, Chef Kamal Al-Faquih

Everyday Indian, Bal Arneson

The Blackberry Farm Cookbook, Sam Beall

New Orleans Seafood Cookbook, Ralph Brennan

Beyond the Great Wall, Jeffrey Alford & Naomi Duguid

250 True Italian Pasta Dishes, John Coletta

Mangia with Quattro, Antonio Corsi

Marty's World Famous Cookbook-secrets of the Muskoka Landmark Cafe (Ontario), Marty Curtis

Ciao Italia: 5 Ingredient Favorites, Mary Ann Esposito

Bistros and Brasseries, John W Fischer & Lou Jones

The Provencal Cookbook, Gui Gedda & Marie-Pierre Moine

ZOV - Recipes & Memories from the Heart, Zov Karamardian

Morimoto-The New Art of Japanese Cooking, Morimoto

The New American Cooking, Joan Nathan

Chocolate for Breakfast, Barbara Passino

The Flavors of Asia, Mai Pham

Ethnic Paris Cookbook, C Puckette & O Kiang-Snaije

A Tavola!, Gianni Scappin & Vincenzo Lauria

The Southern Italian Table, Arthur Schwartz

A Spoonful of Ginger, Nina Simonds

Anita Stewart's Canada, Anita Stewart

Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone, Curtis Stone

Basic Thai Cooking, Jody Vassallo

Healthful (not that the others aren't)

South Beach Diet Super Charged, Arthur Agatston

The Healthiest Meals on Earth, J Bowden

Substitute Yourself Skinny, Susan Irby

The Food You Crave, Ellie Krieger

Lighthearted at Home, Anne Lindsay

Rose Reisman's Family Favorites, Rose Reisman

The Healthy Kitchen, Andrew Weil & Rosie Daley

Jewish (until I write something for each one, here's a snapshot of some of the ones I use often but somehow never wrote about)

Norene's Healthy Kitchen, Norene Gilletz

Second Helpings Please! & The Food Processor Bible (or Pleasures of my Food Processor, if you're lucky enough to have a copy..out of print), Norene Gilletz

A Treasury of Jewish Baking, Marcy Goldman

Healthy Cooking for the Jewish Home, Faye Levy

Bonnie Stern Friday Night Dinners, Bonnie Stern

My Favorite Celebrity Chefs
A la di Stasio, Josee di Stasio

Pasta Et Cetera a la di Stasio, Josee di Stasio

Giada's Kitchen, Giada de Laurentiis

Giada at Home, Giada de Laurentiis

Bitchin' Kitchen, Nadia Giosia

Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries & Shakes, Bobby Flay

Fresh & Local, Craig Flinn

Fresh Canadian Bistro, Craig Flinn

Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, Ina Garten

Ainsley Harriott's Fresh & Fabulous Meals in Minutes, Ainsley Harriott

The $10 Gourmet, Ken Kostick

Nigella Christmas, Nigella Lawson

Cook with Jamie, Jamie Oliver (a great general reference book)

Jamie's America, Jamie Oliver

Jamie's Dinners, Jamie Oliver - ( could easily go in the "reference" section)

Jamie's Italy, Jamie Oliver

Fresh with Anna Olson

In the Kitchen with Anna, Anna Olsen

the main {recipes}, Anthony Sedlak

The Best of Chef at Home, Michael Smith

Martha Stewart's Dinner at Home, Martha Stewart

In The Green Kitchen, Alice Waters

A Year in Lucy's Kitchen, Lucy Waverman

Appetizers & Finger Foods
Small Bites, Jennifer Joyce

Vegetarian
Quick Vegetarian Pleasures, Jeanne Lemlin

Clean Food, Terry Walters

Grilling
300 Big & Bold Barbecue & Grilling Recipes, Karen Alder & Judith Fertig

Grill It! C Schlesinger & J Willoughey

General (meaning I don't know where to put these)

Atlantic Seafood, Chef Michael Howell

Creative Cooking Fish & Other Seafood out of print, but worth checking out second hand bookstores

Everyday Easy Chicken

Everyday Easy One-Pot

Everyday Easy 30 Minute Dinners

Everyday Easy Cheap Eats

Everyday Food - Fresh Flavor Fast, Martha Stewart's kitchens

Canadian Living Slow Cooker Collection, Elizabeth Baird & CL Test Kitchen

The New Book of Soups, Culinary Institute of America (CIA)

Earth To Table, Jeff Crump & Bettina Schormann

300 Sensational Soups, M Deeds & C Snyder

The Mixer Bible, M Deeds & C Snyder

Every Kitchen Tells Its Stories, Ruth Daniels

Slow Cooker Comfort Food, Judith Finlayson

Salad Dressing 101, Nathan Hyam

ZOV-Recipes & Memories From the Heart, Zov Karamardian

Blue Eggs & Yellow Tomatoes, Jeanne Kelley

James McNair's New Pizza, James McNair

Wine Bar Food, C & T Mantuano

Once Upon a Tart, Frank Mentesana & Jerome Audureau

All The Best Recipes, Jane Rodmell

Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens, Jennifer Schaertl