Why am I passionate about this?
I didn’t always know I wanted to be a chef and food writer. But I have always known that I loved to prepare and enjoy beautiful food! In college, that meant throwing dinner parties for my friends. This was before Instagram, but I still wanted my food to look pretty and draw a crowd! Fast forward a couple decades. I have worked as a private chef, taught farm-to-table cooking classes, and written more than 27 published cookbooks. My favorite thing about my work is creating inspired meals that bring people together with those they love.
Pamela's book list on cookbooks for entertaining
Why did Pamela love this book?
It was difficult to choose which of Tyler Florence’s books to include here.
His Real Kitchen was the first cookbook I cooked from in my first apartment. The cover is tattered and the pages splashed with sauces. I settled on Tyler's Ultimate because it became my go-to for tasty appetizers and tapas. I especially love the Watermelon Gazpacho with Chile and Feta Cheese.
He also provides a number of recipes in his Ultimate Antipasto Platter, including my favorites the Bocconcini Tied with Prosciutto, Herbed Goat Cheese Bites, and Marinated Chickpeas. Also, sounds weird, but the Chicken Liver Pate is so retro cool.
1 author picked Tyler's Ultimate as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
American chef, television presenter and enthusiastic traveller Tyler Florence excels at taking big, bold flavours and transforming them into sophisticated, accessible dishes. He believes it's the little details that separate a good meal from an amazing one, and his recipes concentrate on one or two fresh, simple flavours, allowing each to be savoured to its fullest. This philosophy is woven throughout "Tyler's Ultimate". Like the "Food Network" show that inspired it, "Tyler's Ultimate" is filled with the best recipes for old favourites, as well as exciting, new, high-impact dishes with an extra pinch of flavour.