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Classic cookbooks for serious cooks. Our favourite classic cookbooks that we recommend as Christmas gifts.

Classic Cookbooks for Serious Cooks – My Desert Island Cookbooks

These classic cookbooks for serious cooks are the kinds of culinary tomes I’d like to see under my Christmas tree if I didn’t already own them. If your loved-one relishes cooking five-course meals, pounding curry pastes from scratch and making their own charcuterie, these are the cookbooks to buy them.

Classic cookbooks for serious cooks was the brief from Lara for this gift guide – “those cookbooks you’ve used so much over the years that the pages are stained with the splotches of the sauces you were making and pastes you were pounding,” she said.

These classic cookbooks are pretty much my ‘desert island’ cookbooks, as long as the island has a four burner stove and an electric oven. None of these are the flashy new cookbooks that require a degree in science and $10,000 worth of gadgets. While some of the books have very involved and time-consuming recipes, they are all worth your time.

NOTE: a click on the images of the books below will take you to Amazon. If you purchase something we earn a small commission.

Classic Cookbooks for Serious Cooks

Larousse Gastronomic


If your loved-one is a dedicated home cook of French cuisine and doesn’t have Larousse Gastronomique on their kitchen shelves, then of all my classic cookbooks for serious cooks this is the one to buy. Published since 1938, this is the cookbook you go to when wanting a definitive answer to any question about classical French cooking. I know that it attempts to cover all cuisines (the latest edition even has a biography on Ferran Adrià), but it’s the classic French old school recipes and techniques that make it indispensable. There’s a reason it’s on every professional chef’s shelves in their restaurant office.

The Professional Chef


It might surprise some people but one of the things I love about The Professional Chef, the weighty tome by he Culinary Institute of America (CIA), first published in 1991, are the sections on nutrition and food and kitchen safety and equipment. The introduction to the profession chapter (chapter one) is fascinating for anyone with an interest in how restaurants operate. The recipes and techniques are all well explained and the photos in the latest edition really lift what was quite an academic reference book to something that might be found on a cooking geek’s coffee table. Chef Paul Bocuse called it “The bible for all chefs” so this is certainly one of those classic cookbooks for serious cooks. But if you are serious, this is indispensable. 

Thai Food


Chef David Thompson’s epic tome Thai Food is more than a cookbook on the cuisines of Thailand, it’s a culinary history book with recipes that date back to the 1800s, perhaps earlier. The recipes are detailed – a curry paste can have more ingredients than a weekly grocery shopping list – and some ingredients are hard to come by outside Asia. So this is arguably only for the most serious of Thai home cooks. But every recipe I’ve tried is worth the effort. David told me he wants to go back and revise the book, but as it stands now, it’s the bible on Thai cooking – whether Thai people accept it or not. Worth noting is David’s lyrical writing and his detailed notes punctuating the recipes.

The French Laundry Cookbook


While Catalan chef Ferran Adria was up to his tricks in Spain, American chef Thomas Keller was in California’s Napa Valley creating carefully detailed dishes that delighted the senses. And his now-classic dishes are all here in the very elegant French Laundry Cookbook, first published in 1999. I made the canapés, such as Salmon tartare with sweet red onion crème fraîche and Parmigiano Reggiano crisps with goat cheese mousse, for so many of the dinner parties we used to have in Dubai. They are still as much a delight to cook as they are for guests to snack on. They always ask for more. Keller’s lemon tart with pine nut crust takes a long time to make but is superb. This is most definitely one of those classic cookbooks for serious cooks with plenty of patience, but it’s incredibly rewarding to cook from.

Rockpool


I love this book so much. Chef Neil Perry’s Rockpool is one of the books I’ve cooked from since it was first published in Australia in 1996. We used to live in Potts Point back then and I’d cook from it regularly for dinner parties. Rockpool was our special occasion restaurant and I took Lara there for a celebratory dinner after her university graduation. What I love about this cookbook is that it demonstrates just how eclectic Australian chef Neil Perry’s cuisine was at a stage of an explosion in creativity in Australia’s restaurant scene. If you want to understand how contemporary Australian cuisine got to the very exciting point it’s at now, buy this book. Dishes such as a risotto with Asian ingredients (duck and coriander) worked surprisingly well and I still make his Hokkien noodle dish to this day.

The Art of Mexican Cooking


Published in 1989, The Art of Mexican Cooking was my first real cookbook purchase. It should really have been the last. It was dense, academic, with no colour photos to inspire the home cook. However, the authenticity of the regional recipes and Diana Kennedy’s painstaking research inspired our passion for Mexican food and therefore partly-motivated our first trip to Mexico. This book is a must for anyone who loves real Mexican cooking and has the time to create these fantastic dishes. Again, with over 200 recipes, this is another one of those classic cookbooks for serious cooks of Mexican cuisine.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking


When I first came across this two-volume tome of Mastering the Art of French Cooking (published in 1961) in the pantry at my uncle’s house, it had not been used. I’ve always wondered how many times Julia Child’s books have been purchased only for the recipient to look up the boeuf bourguignon recipe and quietly place the book back on the shelf. But for me, that complex recipe was so well-detailed that it was the first dish I made from the book – it was sublime. Despite Child being neither a professional chef or French, she managed to get across her passion for the food of France. The books were co-authored with French writers Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle. Wonderful stuff but undoubtedly one of those classic cookbooks for serious cooks of French cuisine.

Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing


I’ve always had a fascination with making charcuterie from my first visits to Spain and Italy in 1999. Since purchasing Charcuterie, The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing (published in 2005) I’ve made everything from a rustic country pâté to lots of fresh sausages, courtesy of a professional grade mincer and sausage stuffer I bought here. The only thing I can’t really make are the cured meats due to the heat and humidity here in Siem Reap – as well as the outrageous electricity costs to run an extra refrigerator. The recipes I’ve tried are excellent and clearly explained, with Michael Ruhlman both a journalist and trained chef, and Brian Polcyn, a chef and butchery teacher, expertly guiding you through the processes.

While these make great gifts for any occasion, this post was originally part of our Christmas gift ideas series. Click through for Christmas Gifts for Asian Home Cooks, a Guide to Asian Kitchen Essentials, Christmas Gifts for Travel Photographers and Travellers Who Love Photography and Christmas Gifts for Picnic Lovers.

If you have any recommendations for classic cookbooks for serious cooks we’d love to hear your suggestions. I’m also curious to know what your desert island cookbooks are…

Support our Cambodia Cookbook & Culinary History Book with a donation or monthly pledge on Patreon.

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About Terence Carter

Terence Carter is an editorial food and travel photographer and infrequent travel writer with a love of photographing people, places and plates of food. After living in the Middle East for a dozen years, he settled in South-East Asia a dozen years ago with his wife, travel and food writer and sometime magazine editor Lara Dunston.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kate Roxburgh says

    November 28, 2017 at 8:49 pm

    Interesting list. Mine would be completely different but would include Stephanie Alexander ‘The Cook’s Conpanion’ which I bought in Melbourne when we lived there and got sent back to the UK in my husband’s internal office post! Habe you seen the 1000 cookbooks app and website?

  2. Terence Carter says

    November 28, 2017 at 9:10 pm

    Hi Kate, of course yours would be completely different, it’s a very personal thing and reflects our culinary experiences and what cuisines we enjoy cooking. The Cook’s Companion is a great reference book, but we left Australia in 1999 and living in the Middle East, we spent every single holiday exploring Europe, hence the overt French bias in my reference books.
    Love to read your list. I’m sure it would be much different to mine given our discussions on cookbooks!
    T

  3. Sandy P says

    November 29, 2017 at 3:09 am

    Great list Terence.
    When I look at my ratty, stained cook books ( clearly the most used) David Thompson’s is certainly one and Stephanie Alexander’s bible.
    Kylie Kwong has been much loved in our house and in recent years, gasp, Jamie Oliver ( ie. yummy, nutritious and able to feed a family fast ! )

  4. Terence Carter says

    November 29, 2017 at 10:34 am

    Thanks Sandy, when I left Sydney the only Kylie that was famous was Minogue…
    We had Steph Alexander’s bible at the uncle’s house but it never was used much.
    At least Jamie tests his recipes and has great photography, but when he
    veers from Italian he does some weird stuff…
    T

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Still looking for Christmas cooking inspo? Check o Still looking for Christmas cooking inspo? Check out our seafood recipe collection, especially if you celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve with a fish focused meal in the Southern Italian tradition, transformed by Italian-Americans into the Feast of the Seven Fishes, or like Australians, who celebrate Christmas in the sweltering summer, feast on seafood for Christmas Day lunch, we’ve got lots of easy seafood recipes for you.

Our recipes include a classic prawn cocktail, blini with smoked salmon, a ceviche-style appetiser, and devilled eggs with caviar. We’ve also got recipes for fish soup, seafood pies and pastas, salmon tray bake, and crispy salmon with creamy mashed potatoes.

You’ll find the recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/seafood-recipes-for-christmas-eve-and-christmas-day-menus/
(Link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Merry Christmas if you’re celebrating!! 

#christmas #christmasfood #seafood #fish #recipes #christmasrecipes #foodstagram #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood #picoftheday #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #grantourismo #grantourismotravels #xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas
If you’re still looking for food inspo for Chris If you’re still looking for food inspo for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day meals, my smoked salmon ‘carpaccio’ recipe is one of dozens of recipes in this compilation of our best Christmas recipes (link below). 

The Christmas recipe compilation includes collections of our best Christmas breakfast recipes, best Christmas brunch recipes, best Christmas starter recipes, best Christmas cocktails, best Christmas dessert recipes, and homemade edible Christmas gifts and more.

My smoked salmon carpaccio recipe makes an easy elegant appetiser that’s made in minutes. If you’re having guests over, you can make the dish ahead by assembling the salmon, capers and pickled onions, and refrigerate it, then pour on the dressing just before serving. 

Provide toasted baguette slices and bowls of additional capers, pickles and dressing, so guests can customise their carpaccio. And open the bubbly!

You’ll find that recipe and many more Christmas recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/best-christmas-recipes/ (link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Merry Christmas!! X

#christmas #christmasfood #recipes #christmasrecipes #foodstagram #salmon #smokedsalmon #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood #picoftheday #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #writingacookbook #grantourismo #grantourismotravels 
#xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas
If you haven’t visited our site in a while, I sh If you haven’t visited our site in a while, I shared a collection of recipes for homemade edible Christmas gifts — for condiments, hot sauces, chilli oils, a whole array of pickles, spice blends, chilli salt, furakake seasoning, and spicy snacks, such as our Cambodian and Vietnamese roasted peanuts. 

I love giving homemade edibles as gifts as much as I love receiving them. Who wouldn’t appreciate jars filled with their favourite chilli oils, hot sauces, piquant pickles, and spicy peanuts that loved-ones have taken the time to make? 

Aside from the gesture and affordability of gifting homemade edibles, you’re minimising waste. You can use recycled jars or if buying new mason jars or clip-top Kilner jars, you know they’ll get repurposed.

No need for wrapping, just attach some Christmas baubles or tinsel to the lid. I used squares of Cambodian kramas (cotton scarves), which can be repurposed as napkins or drink coasters, and tied a ribbon or two around the lids, and attached last year’s Christmas tree decorations to some.

You’ll find the recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/homemade-edible-christmas-gifts/ (link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Yes, that’s Pepper... every time there’s a camera around... 

#christmasgiftideas #ediblegifts ##christmasfoodgifts #foodgifts #giftideas #homemadegifts #christmasfood #ediblegiftideas #hotsauce #chillisauce #sriracha #pickles #homemadepickles #recipes #foodstagram #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood 
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#christmas #christmastree #xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas #cambodia #siemreap
This crab omelette is a decadent eggs dish that’ This crab omelette is a decadent eggs dish that’s perfect if you’re just back from the fish markets armed with luxurious fresh crab meat. It’s a little sweet, a little spicy, and very, very moreish.

Our crab omelette recipe was one of our 22 most popular egg recipes of 2022 on our website Grantourismo and it’s no surprise. It’s appeared more times than any other egg recipes on our annual round-ups of most popular recipes since Terence launched Weekend Eggs when we launched Grantourismo in 2010.

If you’re an eggs lover, do check out the recipe collection. It includes egg recipes from right around the world, from recipes for classic kopitiam eggs from Singapore and Malaysia and egg curries from India and Myanmar to all kinds of egg recipes from Thailand, Japan, Korea, China, Mexico, USA, Australia, UK, and Ireland.

And do browse our Weekend Eggs archives for further eggspiration (sorry). We have hundreds of egg recipes from the 13 year-old series of recipes for quintessential egg dishes from around the world, which we started on our 2010 year-long global grand tour focused on slow, local and experiential travel. 

We’re hoping 2023 will be the year we can finally publish the Weekend Eggs cookbook we’ve talked about for years based on that series. After we can find a publisher for the Cambodia cookbook of course... :( 

Recipe collection here (and proper link to Grantourismo in our bio):
https://grantourismotravels.com/22-most-popular-egg-recipes-of-2022-from-weekend-eggs/

If you cook the recipe and enjoy it please let us know — we love to hear from you — either in the comments at the end of the recipe or share a pic with us here.

#recipe #recipes #eggs #eggslover #breakfasteggs #WeekendEggs #egg #breakfast #brunch #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood  #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #lookingforapublisher #writingacookbook  #grantourismo #grantourismotravels
I’m late to share this, but a few days ago Angko I’m late to share this, but a few days ago Angkor Archaeological Park, home to stupendous Angkor Wat, pictured, celebrated 30 years of its UNESCO World Heritage listing. 

That’s as good an excuse as any to put this magnificent, sprawling archaeological site on your travel list this year.

While riverside Siem Reap, your base for exploring Angkor is bustling once more, there are still nowhere near the visitors of the last busy high season months of December-January 2018-2019 when there were 290,000 visitors. 

Last month there were just 55,000 visitors and December feels a little quieter. A tour guide friend said there were about 150 people at Angkor Wat for sunrise a few days ago.

If you’re looking for tips to visiting Angkor, Siem Reap and Cambodia, just ask us a question in the comments below or check Grantourismo as we’ve got loads of info on our site. Click through to the link in the bio and explore our Cambodia guide or search for ‘Angkor’. 

And please do let us know if you’re coming to Siem Reap. We’d love to see you here x

#siemreap #cambodia #asia #travel #instatravel #traveldeeper #slowtravel #localtravel #experientialtravel #exploremore #neverstopexploring #goexplore #igtravel #angkorwat #angkor #temple #temples #angkorwithoutcrowds #unesco #unescoworldheritagesite #unescoworldheritage #archaeology #archaeologicalsite #traveladdict #beautifuldestinations #beautifulplaces #travelgram #wanderlust #picoftheday📷 #grantourismotravels.
Our soy ginger chicken recipe will make you sticky Our soy ginger chicken recipe will make you sticky, flavourful and succulent chicken thighs that are fantastic with steamed rice, Chinese greens or a salad, such as a Southeast Asian slaw. 

The chicken can be marinated for up to 24 hours before cooking, which ensures it’s packed with flavour, then it can be cooked on a barbecue or in a pan.

Terence’s soy ginger chicken recipe is one of our favourite recipes for a quick and easy meal. I love the sound of the sizzling thighs in the pan, and the warming aromas wafting through the apartment. 

It’s amazing how such flavourful juicy chicken thighs come from such a quick and easy recipe.

Recipe here (and proper link to Grantourismo in our bio): https://grantourismotravels.com/soy-ginger-chicken-recipe/

If you cook it and enjoy it please let us know — we love to hear from you — either here or in the comments at the end of the recipe on the site or share a pic with us x 

#recipe #recipes #chicken #soygingerchicken #asianfood #southeastasianfood #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #cookingtime #recipe #recipes #comfortfood #foodblog #food #foodstagram #healthyfood #instafood #healthy #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #writingacookbook #grantourismo #grantourismotravels
Who can guess the ingredients and what we’re mak Who can guess the ingredients and what we’re making with my market haul from Psar Samaki in Siem Reap — all for a whopping 10,000 riel (US$2.50)?! 

Birds-eye chillies thrown in for free! They were on my list but the seller I spent most at (5,000 riel!) scooped up a handful and slipped them into my bag. She was my last stop and knew what I was making.

My Khmer is poor, even after all our years in Cambodia, as I don’t learn languages with the ease I did in my 20s, plus I’m mentally exhausted after researching and writing all day. I have a better vocabulary of Old and Middle Khmer than modern Khmer from studying the ancient inscriptions for the Cambodian culinary history component of our cookbook I’m writing.

So when one seller totalled my purchases I thought she said 5,000 riel but she handed back 4,500 riel! The sum total of two huge bunches of herbs and kaffir lime leaves was 500 riel.

Tip: if visiting Siem Reap, use Khmer riel for local shopping. We’ve mainly used riel since the pandemic started— rarely use US$ now as market sellers quote prices in riels, as do local shops and bakeries, and I tip tuk tuk drivers in riels. I find prices quoted in riels are lower.

Psar Samaki is cheaper than Psar Leu, which is cheaper than Psar Chas, as it’s a wholesale market, which means the produce is fresher. I see veggies arriving, piled high in the back of vehicles, with dirt still on them — as I did on this trip. 

The scent of a mountain of incredibly aromatic pineapples offloaded from the back of a dusty ute was so heady they smelt like they’d just been cut. More exotic European style veggies arrive by big trucks in boxes labelled in Vietnamese (from Dalat) and Mandarin (from China), such as beautiful snow-white cauliflower I spotted.

Note: the freshest produce is sold on the dirt road at the back of the market.

#cambodia #siemreap #foodwriter #foodblogger #foodphotography #igfood #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #instadaily #picoftheday #market #siemreapmarket #psarsamaki #marketfresh #vegetables #healthyfood #marketshopping #traveltips #foodtravel #culinarytravel #localtravel #cooking #cookingtime #curry #homemade #currypaste #grantourismotravels
My Vietnamese-ish meatballs and rice noodles recip My Vietnamese-ish meatballs and rice noodles recipe makes tender meatballs doused in a delightfully tangy-sweet sauce, sprinkled with crispy fried shallots, with carrot-daikon, crunchy cucumber and fragrant herbs. 

The dish is inspired by bún chả, a Hanoi specialty, but it’s not bún chả. No matter what Google or food bloggers tell you. Names are important, especially when cooking and writing about cuisines not our own.

This is an authentic bún chả recipe:  https://grantourismotravels.com/vietnamese-bun-cha-recipe/ You’ll need to get the outdoor BBQ/grill going to do proper smoky bún chả meat patties (not meatballs).

My meatball noodle bowl is perhaps more closely related to dishes such as a Central Vietnam cousin bún thịt nướng (pork skewers on rice noodles in a bowl) and a Southern relation bún bò Nam Bộ (beef atop rice noodles, sprinkled with fried shallots (Nam Bộ=Southern Vietnam) though neither include meatballs. 

Xíu mại= meatballs although they’re different in flavour to mine, which taste more like bún chả patties. Xíu mại remind me of Southern Italian meatballs in tomato sauce.

In Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, home to millions of Khmer, there’s bánh tằm xíu mại. Bánh tằm=silk worm noodles. They’re topped with meatballs, cucumber, daikon, carrot, fresh herbs, crispy fried onions. Difference: cold noodles doused in a sauce of coconut cream and fish sauce. 

Remove the meatballs, add chopped fried spring rolls and it’s Cambodia’s banh sung, which is a rice noodle salad similar to Vietnam’s bún chả giò :) 

Recipe here: (link in bio) https://grantourismotravels.com/vietnamese-meatballs-and-rice-noodles-recipe/

For more on these culinary connections you’ll have to wait for our Cambodian cookbook and culinary history. In a hurry to know? Come support the project on Patreon. (link in bio)

#recipe #recipes #vietnamesefood #cambodianfood #asianfood #southeastasianfood #ricenoodles #rice #noodlebowl #meatballs #igfood #igfoodie #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood  #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #writingacookbook #writingacambodiancookbook #patreon #patreoncreator #grantourismo
It is pure coincidence that Pepper’s eye colour It is pure coincidence that Pepper’s eye colour matches the furnishings of our rented apartment. So, no, I did not colour-coordinate the interiors to match our cat’s eyes. 

I keep getting DMs from pet clothing brands wanting to “partner” with Pepper and send her free cat clothes and cat accessories. Although she did wear a kerchief for a few years in her more adventurous fashion-forward teenage years, I cannot see this cat in clothes now, can you? 

#pepper #blackcat #blackcats #blackcatsofinstagram #blackcatsrule #blackcatsmatter #cat #cats #catsofinstagram #catstagram #catlover #catlovers #catlove #catoftheday #catphoto #catpic #catpics #cambodiancat #cambodiancatsofinstagram #catlife #catloversclub #catoftheday #catgram #catstagram #cats_of_instagram #catphotography #catsofig #catsoftheworld #catsofinsta #cats🐱 #siemreap #cambodia

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