Japanese Cooking
Library book. Split into two parts, the first dealing with ingredients and traditions and the second half offering recipes and ideas of combinations this is a well written and informative book that I wish I could buy a copy of. Unfortunately I borrowed this copy from the library and can’t find a copy of this book on Amazon. Will have to make do with photocopying most of it at work. ;)

Loved the pictures of various vegetables which also included a description of the aroma and flavour and more essentially, what they’re normally matched with as well as how to prepare and cook them. The recipes are gorgeous and I am definitely going to have a go at making my own sushi…watch this space!

I have two fantastic Chinese supermarkets available to me and both have a Japanese section but I would still recommend www.japancentre.co.uk if you’re looking for ingredients or kit – they’re based in London, explain what products are and clearly break down the online store’s sections as well as offering good prices. Oh and they ship swiftly.

Seasonal Food: How to Enjoy Food at Its Best (Kitchen Essentials) by Susannah Blake
Library book. A beautiful book that is all about the quality of ingredients and the basics of getting the most out of good produce. The pictures showcase the ingredients rather than the dishes which actually whets the appetite more somehow. The preparation information for things like artichokes is clearly written and makes sense without patronising. I highly, highly recommend this book for the recipes, advice and the nice touch of a margin at the bottom of each page for notes. So good that I am buying a copy for myself and a couple as Yule gifts. :)

The Dedadalus Book of Absinthe
Being an enthusiastic fan of absinthe is an expensive hobby but it does at least provide me with edgy, Victorian artwork, sharp and witty quotes and a set of spoons that serve no other purpose than to melt sugar cubes into absinthe with. The book looks at how absinthe developed its reputation, the inspiration it provided to writers and artists alike and the way the law has struggled to cope with it. This book ends with a review of various absinthes ranging from the most commonly available Czech stuff to the decent Spanish and French stuff. The reviews are bang on the money for the ones I have tried in the past and promotes my favourite Mari Mayans so if you’re going to take the plunge and buy some to try then this is not a bad place to pick a tip. It’ll be interesting to see how a US absinthe (the first to be legally sold there for a long, long time) does when it launches next month…

X-posted to wolfgirlcook as I really should bring that acocunt back from the dead.