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AOTW: What is the process for deciding the theme of a cookbook and which recipes to include?
Smita Chandra: My husband Sanjeev and I try to pick themes that haven't already been covered in other books. As he is very interested in Indian history and I in Indian cooking, we decided to write Cuisines of India which covers both subjects in a novel manner. As for which recipes to include: I like to include new and creative dishes in my books that will not be found in other cookbooks. I also include some old favorites and classic recipes so as not to disappoint those looking for a particular familiar dish to make.
Stan Frankenthaler: This was one of the most difficult areas for me getting started. At Salamander, we create dishes based on seasonality and a heartfelt respect for the cuisines that inspire our cooking. As I needed to create a framework for The Occidental Tourist and its table of contents, I thought long and hard about the kind of meal someone cooks at home, the amount of time they have and the amount of ingredients required. I wanted to create exciting and accomplishable dishes.
Victoria Granof: In my case, there was no question as to the theme. I had been wanting for many years to research and document the pastries of Sicily, their history and traditions surrounding them, and it was just a matter of timing and finding a publisher who would allow the work to be what I wanted it to be. I was very lucky. The recipes were chosen to be representative of ingredients, methods, style and tradition from all over the island.
Kathy Gunst: I try to write books that are relevant to the time we are living in. I include recipes that are realistic for a working person to accomplish --- ordinary food that can be made extraordinary.
Elinor Klivans: A cookbook cannot be just a collection of recipes. It must have a reason for being --- whether it is related by a subject like chocolate or by season or by a new way of cooking or approaching cooking. In Fearless Baking, I began the first chapter with the easiest of baking techniques, that of just stirring ingredients together, then added techniques chapter by chapter to make readers comfortable with each. Some examples that chapters cover are no roll and rolled crusts, smooth batters, beating eggs, chocolate, whipping cream --- all the way to making caramel and praline.
David Lebovitz: You have to go with your passion. There are lots of books on chocolate, for example, because that's what we all love. I like to include mostly recipes that use fewer ingredients and can be easily done in a home kitchen. I think it's also all right to include a few more challenging recipes, as some people like to take on a project --- which can be very satisfying.
Sheila Lukins: I am a stickler for copious outlines from which the recipes flow. I come up with a theme --- sometimes it's easy, but other times, with so many books out there these days, it can be very difficult. The Silver Palate and the Good Times Cookbooks were easy. The New Basics seemed the right time/right project, and it was Julee Rosso's and my last project together.
Peter Workman came up with the idea for All Around the World because he loved hearing me talk about the food of my travels. After that the USA Cookbook was a natural for me. I'd never spent any time in my country. The book I am working on now was hard to pin down. We'll see...
Steven Raichlen: The first thing I consider when deciding on a topic for a new book is does the subject interest and impassion me enough to devote a year or so of my life to it? What will I learn and where will it take me? I try to pick topics that will interest large numbers of people, but that I can take a very personal approach to. I also try to established a highly focused theme (e.g. the world's barbecue trail in The Barbecue Bible or grilling techniques in How to Grill), then choose recipes that will reinforce that theme.
Joanne Weir: The process of deciding the theme of a cookbook is one of the toughest things. There are so many great cookbooks out there already. One would think that every cookbook that ever needs to be written has already been written. But there are so many different ways to express an idea. My books of late are devoted to my TV shows, so that is easy. And when it comes to deciding which recipes to include, I simply include my favorites. Sometimes my students ask me what my favorite recipe in the book is and I always say the same thing, "They are all my favorites; it would be easier to tell which are my least favorite, there are so few!"
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