Cookbook lovers are a discerning group with high expectations
that must be met for a title to enter our coveted collection. Some
of us shy away from restaurant books and others only collect those
high-end tomes. The criteria for the type of books we enjoy varies
as much as our individual personalities.
Single-subject books can be a hard sell but seem to be
experiencing a resurgence of late. A well-done single-subject title
researches, works through the intricacies of a recipe and
provides us with the technique and knowledge we need to master that
particular dish. Such a title is Christine Y. Hickman's
Gnocchi,
Solo Gnocchi: A Comprehensive Tribute to Italy's Other Favorite
First Course.
Christine is the voice behind the Gnocchi
Sonomarcella website and is an experienced teacher,
caterer, and writer who divides her time between New Mexico and
Italy. Her cookbook is the book on gnocchi - sharing the
history and basics of this seemingly simple but complicated
dumpling that requires skill, a light hand and dedication to
master.
The detailed instructions and selection of recipes here are
outstanding (Christine's tutorial video is recommended watching.) From
basic gnocchi to filled varieties, the author has laid it all out
for us. The sauces, gratins and even sweet dessert gnocchi are
impressive and one can spend hours in the kitchen with this
creative collection of recipes for this versatile Italian
classic.
At this time, you may order Gnocchi,
Solo Gnocchi directly from the
author's site which our BUY BOOK button links to. The
photographs are old school but plentiful and clearly reflect the
finished dishes. This does not distract from the brilliance of this
title. The two plus pages of process photographs for the basic
gnocchi recipe are immensely helpful. Ingredient amounts are given
in pounds and ounces for certain ingredients (potatoes, cheese,
sausage) and volume for others (cup, tablespoons, etc), there are
no metric measurements. If you wish to master gnocchi, you must
order this book.
I have made a few of the sauce recipes and they are spot on. I
plan to have a gnocchi weekend soon that will involve a number of
Italian dishes. Who wants to come over?
Our
takes you inside this masterful title and
features the following
To celebrate Christine's book, we are offering a gnocchi prize
package to one worldwide winner (see details below). The author has
autographed a copy of her book which I have in my possession. Our
friends at OXO are providing a ricer OXO Good Grips
ricer and a fine mesh strainer and I am providing
a Gnocchi
board and stripper - all these items will be shipped from
my home to yours.
The author is providing one
autographed copy of her book, OXO is providing one adjustable ricer
and fine mesh strainer, and I am adding a gnocchi board to this
giveaway open to EYB Members worldwide. One of the entry options is
to answer the following question in the comments section of this
blog post.
Which recipe in the index
would you try first?
Please note that you must be logged
into the Rafflecopter contest before posting or your entry won't be
counted. For more information on this process, please see our step-by-step help post and this forum post.
Once you log in and enter your member name you will be directed to
the next entry option - the blog comment. After that, there are
additional options that you can complete for more entries.
Be sure to check your spam filters to receive our email
notifications. Prizes can take up to 6 weeks to arrive from the
publishers. If you are not already a Member, you can join at no cost. The contest ends at
midnight on March 29th, 2019.