James Beard Awards finalists announced

The James Beard Foundation presented its finalists for the 2017 awards. Naturally, there are several Louisianans on the list. But first, here are the finalists for the book awards published in English in 2016. Winners will be announced on April 25, 2017.

American Cooking
Deep Run Roots: Stories and Recipes from My Corner of the South
Vivian Howard
(Little, Brown and Company)

My Two Souths: Blending the Flavors of India into a Southern Kitchen
Asha Gomez and Martha Hall Foose (Running Press)

Victuals: An Appalachian Journey, with Recipes 
Ronni Lundy (Clarkson Potter)

Baking and Dessert
Art of the Pie: A Practical Guide to Homemade Crusts, Fillings, and Life 
Kate McDermott (Countryman Press)

Breaking Breads: A New World of Israeli Baking
Uri Scheft and Raquel Pelzel (Artisan)

Dorie’s Cookies
Dorie Greenspan (Rux Martin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Beverage
Smuggler’s Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki
Martin Cate with Rebecca Cate (Ten Speed Press)

Spritz: Italy's Most Iconic Aperitivo Cocktail, with Recipes
Talia Baiocchi and Leslie Pariseau (Ten Speed Press)

The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book 
Frank Caiafa (Penguin)

Cooking from a Professional Point of View
Central
Virgilio Martínez with Nicholas Gill (Phaidon Press)

Classic Koffmann 
Pierre Koffmann (Jacqui Small)

Lickerland: Asian-Accented Desserts by Jason Licker 
Jason Licker (Sirivatana Interprint Public Company Limited)

General Cooking
Cooking for Jeffrey: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter)

Cook’s Science: How to Unlock Flavor in 50 of Our Favorite Ingredients
The Editors at Cook’s Illustrated (Cook’s Illustrated)

Eat in My Kitchen: To Cook, to Bake, to Eat, and to Treat 
Meike Peters (Prestel)

Health
Pure Delicious: More Than 150 Delectable Allergen-Free Recipes Without Gluten, Dairy, Eggs, Soy, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Shellfish, or Cane Sugar
Heather Christo (Pam Krauss/Avery)

Skinnytaste Fast and Slow: Knockout Quick-Fix and Slow Cooker Recipes
Gina Homolka (Clarkson Potter)

You Have It Made: Delicious, Healthy, Do-Ahead Meals 
Ellie Krieger (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

International
All Under Heaven: Recipes from the 35 Cuisines of China
Carolyn Phillips (Ten Speed Press)

Land of Fish and Rice: Recipes from the Culinary Heart of China 
Fuchsia Dunlop (W. W. Norton & Company)

Taste of Persia: A Cook's Travels Through Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Kurdistan 
Naomi Duguid (Artisan)

Nonfiction
Food City: Four Centuries of Food-Making in New York 
Joy Santlofer (W. W. Norton & Company)

Something to Food About: Exploring Creativity with Innovative Chefs
Questlove with Ben Greenman (Clarkson Potter)

A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression 
Jane Ziegelman and Andrew Coe (Harper)

Photography
Appetites
Bobby Fisher (Ecco)

Everything I Want To Eat: Sqirl and the New California Cooking
Claire Cottrell, Jaime Beechum, and Nacho Alegre (Harry N. Abrams)

Taste & Technique: Recipes to Elevate Your Home Cooking
Chris Court (Ten Speed Press)

Reference and Scholarship
French Wine: A History
Rod Phillips (University of California Press)

I Taste Red: The Science of Tasting Wine 
Jamie Goode (University of California Press)

The Oxford Companion to Cheese 
Catherine Donnelly (Oxford University Press)

Single Subject
Big Bad Breakfast: The Most Important Book of the Day
John Currence (Ten Speed Press)

The Elements of Pizza: Unlocking the Secrets to World-Class Pies at Home
Ken Forkish (Ten Speed Press)

Milk. Made.: A Book About Cheese. How to Choose It, Serve It and Eat It 
Nick Haddow (Hardie Grant)

Vegetable Cooking
Dandelion and Quince: Exploring the Wide World of Unusual Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs
Michelle McKenzie (Roost Books)

The Middle Eastern Vegetarian Cookbook 
Salma Hage (Phaidon Press)

The Vegetable Butcher: How to Select, Prep, Slice, Dice, and Masterfully Cook Vegetables from Artichokes to Zucchini
Cara Mangini (Workman Publishing Company)

In other awards

Emeril Lagasse is a finalist for Outstanding Personality/Host and Television Program, on Location for Eat the World with Emeril Lagasse. Airs on: Amazon Prime Video

Arnaud’s French 75 Bar and Cure, both of New Orleans, are finalists for Outstanding Bar Program.

Donald Link of Herbsaint, New Orleans is a finalist for Outstanding Chef, given to a working chef in America whose career has set national industry standards and who has served as an inspiration to other food professionals. Must have been working as a chef for the past five years.

Kelly Fields of Willa Jean, New Orleans, is up for Outstanding Pastry Chef, a chef or baker who prepares desserts, pastries, or breads in a restaurant, and who serves as a national standard bearer of excellence.  Must have been working as a pastry chef or baker for the past five years.

JoAnn Clevenger of Upperline, New Orleans, is up for Outstanding Restaurateur, a working restaurateur who sets high national standards in restaurant operations and entrepreneurship. Must have been in the restaurant business for at least 10 years. Must not have been nominated for a James Beard Foundation chef award in the past five years.

Galatoire’s Restaurant, New Orleans, Outstanding Service.

Emeril’s, New Orleans, Outstanding Wine Program

Zachary Engel, Shaya, New Orleans, Rising Star Chef of the Year, a chef age 30 or younger who displays an impressive talent and who is likely to make a significant impact on the industry in years to come.

Three New Orleans chefs are up for Best Chef: South (AL, AR, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, FL, LA, MS):

Nina Compton
Compère Lapin
New Orleans

Slade Rushing
Brennan’s
New Orleans

Rebecca Wilcomb
Herbsaint
New Orleans 

Cheré Coen is the author of “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History,” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country.” She writes Louisiana romances under the pen name of Cherie Claire. Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.

Cookbook Thursday: Beard cookbook of the year 'Yucatan' by Sterling an amazing feat

            The James Beard Award for the 2015 Cookbook of the Year went to the University of Texas Press’s lovely tome, “Yucatan: Recipes from a Culinary Expedition” by David Sterling. There are some cookbooks you never want to get near a stove and this is one of them, a gorgeous collection of Yucatan culinary history, photos and recipes bound in a 560-page coffee table book that’s meant to savor and explore.

            There’s so much to learn of this microcosm of Mexican cuisine (the author insists this is not Mexican food but Yucatecan), including ancient Mayan influences, neighboring culinary influences such as that from Cuba, spotlights on cooks and restaurant owners and the colorful varieties of fruits, produce, beans, spices and grains grown there, sold in the endless markets. Chapters delve into the many regions with their culinary specialties, from the “urban matrix” of Campeche, Merida and Valladolid to the Maya heartland and the more rural towns.

            Naturally, there are recipes — 275 recipes, in fact, with a handy index in back. Below is a sample recipe for Chayas Fritas, a leafy green plant that makes an excellent side dish. Chaya is considered the "miracle food" of the Mayas, according to Sterling, and is becoming more available in "southern-tier states" of the U.S.

            The good news is the cookbook of the year offers hours of reading enjoyment, especially if you’re like me who devours cookbooks such as this one sans a skillet in hand. The bad news is, you’ll not want to get this gorgeous book near a kitchen.

Sterling is founder, proprietor, chef de cuisine, and teacher at Los Dos Cooking School, the first culinary institute in Mexico devoted exclusively to Yucatecan cooking. His work at Los Dos has been featured on “The Martha Stewart Show” and “Mexico: One Plate at a Time” with Rick Bayless.

Chayas Fritas/Tsaajbi Chaay

“Yucatan: Recipes from a Culinary Expedition” by David Sterling

Prepare ahead note: Chayas fritas keeps well under refrigeration for a couple of days. Heat a bit of oil or lard in a covered skillet, add chaya, cover and cook until heated through. Use leftovers to make Huevos revueltos con chaya.

For the bacon and sofrito

2 tablespoons (30 ml) Spanish olive oil

4 oounces (114 g) smoked slab bacon, cut into large dice

1 cup (170 g) red onion, finely chopped

1 cup (140 g) red bell pepper, seeded, cut into small dice

5 medium cloves garlic (1 ounce/30 g), peeled and finely chopped

1 medium chile habanero (1/4 ounce/7 g), seeded and minced (Substitute: chile serrano)

For sautéing the chaya and finishing

10 1/2 ounces (300 g) fresh chaya leaves (Substitute: chard or kale), thick stems removed and cut into chiffonade or coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon (15 ml) sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

1/2 tablespoon (3 g) sea salt

1/2 tablespoon (2.5g) freshly ground black pepper

Directions: Fry bacon and sofrito. Choose a large, heavy casserole equipped with a tight-fitting lid. Heat the olive oil in the casserole, add the bacon, and cook, uncovered, over low heat until the bacon is thoroughly browned, 6-8 minutes. Remove the bacon and set aside; reserve the cooking fat.

Adjust the heat to medium. Add the remaining sofrito ingredients to the reserved cooking fat and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent and the bell pepper is softened, 2-3 minutes.

Sauté chaya and finish. Add the chaya, stir to thoroughly incorporate into the cooked vegetables, reduce the heat to low, and cover. Cook 20-25 minutes, or until the chaya is tender, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Return the bacon to the casserole and toss to incorporate. Add the remaining ingredients; check the seasonings and serve.

Yield: Approximately 6 servings.

Cheré Coen is the author of “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History,” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana” and co-author of “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.

2015 Beard Awards for cookbooks announced

The James Beard Foundation's awards for media and publishing were announced Friday (April 24) in New York, one of the highest awards one can receive in the culinary world, in honor of Beard, considered the dean of American cooking.

The winners of the 2015 James Beard Foundation book awards are:

Cookbook of the Year

"Yucatan: Recipes from a Culinary Expedition" by David Sterling (University of Texas Press)

Cookbook Hall of Fame

Barbara Kafka

American Cooking

"Heritage" by Sean Brock (Artisan)

Baking and Dessert

"Flavor Flours: A New Way to Bake with Teff, Buckwheat, Sorghum, Other Whole and Ancient Grains, Nuts & Non-Wheat Flours" by Alice Medrich (Artisan)

Beverage

"Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail" by Dave Arnold (W. W. Norton & Company)

Cooking from a Professional Point of View

"Bar Tartine: Techniques and Recipes" by Nicolaus Balla and Cortney Burns (Chronicle Books)

Focus on Health

"Cooking Light Mad Delicious: The Science of Making Healthy Food Taste Amazing" by Keith Schroeder (Oxmoor House)

General Cooking

"The Kitchen Cookbook: Recipes, Kitchens & Tips to Inspire Your Cooking" by Faith Durand and Sara Kate Gillingham (Clarkson Potter)

International

            International

"Yucatan: Recipes from a Culinary Expedition" by David Sterling (University of Texas Press)

Photography

"In Her Kitchen: Stories and Recipes from Grandmas Around the World" by Gabriele Galimberti (Clarkson Potter)

Reference and Scholarship

"Butchering Poultry, Rabbit, Lamb, Goat, and Pork: The Comprehensive Photographic Guide to Humane Slaughtering and Butchering" by Adam Danforth (Storey Publishing)

Single Subject

"Bitter: A Taste of the World's Most Dangerous Flavor, with Recipes" by Jennifer McLagan (Ten Speed Press)

Vegetable Focused and Vegetarian

"At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen: Celebrating the Art of Eating Well" by Amy Chaplin (Roost Books)

Writing and Literature

"The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food" by Dan Barber (Penguin Press)

Cheré Coen is the author of “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History,” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “ExploringCajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana” and co-author of “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.