Cookbooks on your wishlist and desert island?

[whereismywine]

im a cookbookaholic and a little not ashamed. But at Christmas after 6 news ones came my way, I swore I'd not buy another in 2012. Today I have failed and bought the new Lisa Faulkner, even though I said I wouldn't, because it was £9 and pink and pretty and had an Easter cake on it so I HAD to. I've got about 70 cookbooks so really don't need anymore but I love them. Dh has laughed at my inability to stay on the wagon. But now I've succumbed the floodgates are open and the amazon wishlist is growing! It's been four months! But I've drawn up a new rule. I will find ten recipes in new books make sure I do them all in order to feel the book has earned it's keep. I think it's hard to find recipes that become favourites and part of the weekly cook?

Soo...whats on your wishlist? I am currently eyeing up the big sur bakery book, La tartine gourmand and the flavour thesaurus. I'd also like Jamie's Italian.

And if you could only keep one? Mine would probably be Appetite by Nigel Slater. But subject to change.

Looking that up

I got heston at home for xmas and the recipes are surprisingly managable-looking

My problem is that I fantasise over the books but rarely get round to trying the dishes! I did get the saturday kitchen one which has all the chef's "cheffy" dishes - and they look and sound lovely - but have yet to try one.

I did get some samphire the other day and had it with some lemon sole - it was really nice.

Ah chinese is on DHs list so I will tell him.
I am more traditional - or probably european is what I mean - and especially fish and shellfish (yum)

Remus I do have to watch the brownies like a hawk after about 15 mins and the oven temp is lower than suggested (but it is a fan oven)

I agree re the cost - I now use Asda Smart Price chocolate which is 35p for 100g and lovely and helps to bring the price down. I also use marg not butter. The chocolate is a mix between Cadbury's choc and Galaxy. To be honest, I happily eat the chocolate neat it is that nice :)

Thanks Patch. My problem with the brownies was that they just wouldn't bloomin' cook at all. I just ended up with tins of goo after them spending forever in the oven.

Sainsbo's basics dark chocolate is very good for baking too - and dp eats bars and bars of it!

What a lovey thread to realise you are not alone.....yes I too have a ridiculously huge cook book collection. Used to feel guilty now realise it makes me happy and my family happy with the cooking. Now no one has mentioned Rachel Allen- I do like her books. And love Diana Henry- especially "food From plenty"!

Silver Spoon is imo the only desert island choice.

Anything by Jane Grigson, Sophie's mother. Her "English Food" and "Vegetable Book" are especially useful.

Madhur Jaffrey for Indian, Claudia Roden for the Middle East

Simon Hopkinson for the slightly fancy

1970s cordon bleu series for the desert island: I used to spend hours poring over these as a child

Oo new ones to check out. I love my heaving wishlist. Working through the Moro cookbook at the moment, made lamb and pine nut flatbreads with cinnamon and they were goood.

i bought the new claudia roden one on spanish food in the us.

i adore her cookery writing, her recipes sre spot on, she's an ethnographer, historian on top of cookery writer. i don't dislike nige, nigella et al, but they don't jold a candle to her

i love david lebowitz's blog, marcella hazan and simon hopkinson.

other than that, i'd keep my mai pham pleasures of vietnamese table.

if you like chinese i love the fuschia dunlop sechuan one

I have about 100 cookery books, too. About 20 years ago, dh made me ditch a few, and I really regret my Cookery Year (Readers' Digest). Only problem is that we emigrated nearly 6 years ago, so I now feel the need to build up a similar-sized collection in French.

My favourite? Faites vos patisseries comme Lenotre. It's brilliant, and gave a definite apple tart recipe, with pastry with an enormous amount of butter, but which works whatever you do with it, and however you make it. Very forgiving. The only thing is that it doesn't have loads of illustrations, and I don't know how some of the cakes look.

I've just pruned my collection as it was getting out of hand. Ones I wouldn't be without are Moro, 1080 Spanish recipes and Marcella Hazan.