Misti Traya

Misti Traya

Food writer

https://chagrinnamontoast.wordpress.com/
Misti Traya wasted a perfectly good liberal arts education from Sarah Lawrence College and became an actress when she discovered that working on a movie set fetching coffee and making copies wasn't going to keep her in shoes. She crossed over from behind the camera and stayed there until 2009 when she fell in love with an Englishman and moved to London to start a family. After her daughter was born, she began a blog called Chagrinnamon Toast that won the food writing category at the 2014 Young British Foodies. That same year, she was also named runner-up for the Shiva Naipaul Prize. About her writing,Yotam Ottolenghi has said, "There is something fresh and candid, almost cheeky in Misti's voice; it is disarming and charming."

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Misti's favorite cookbooks

Winnie the Pooh's Teatime Cookbook

Winnie the Pooh's Teatime Cookbook

I was eleven and on the verge of entering junior high school when I received this book as a present. I was desperately trying to put childish things like Piglet and Pooh behind me, but I couldn't be cool where this cookbook was concerned. I loved it. I baked from it all the time. The jam cookies and chocolate cake were my favorite. They still are and it brings me great joy when my daughter asks me to make them with her.

South Wind Through The Kitchen: The Best of Elizabeth David

South Wind Through The Kitchen: The Best of Elizabeth David

Elizabeth David

This book was the first time I read any of Elizabeth David's writing. I was ten weeks pregnant and on holiday in France and feeling rather ill when I found it on a shelf. From page one, I felt like I had entered conversation with a friend. David’s tales are so intriguing not only because of the delicious food she consumes or the vibrant characters she meets, but because of the way she sets the stage. She had the eye of an art historian and could describe venues like Old Master paintings. Of course, her recipes are exquisite. The daube de boeuf Provencal is my favorite.

The Book of Jewish Food

The Book of Jewish Food

Claudia Roden

This is a cookbook that tells a story as rich and vast and magical as the recipes it holds inside. The Gateau a l'orange and the borscht are among my favorites.

Frida's Fiestas

Frida's Fiestas

Growing up in Los Angeles, I was raised on the flavours of Mexico. Other than my family, the sunshine, and the hummingbirds, Mexican food is what I miss most about my hometown. When I was young, my mother had this book. When I moved to London, I bought a copy. Not only are Frida Kahlo's recipes outstanding and the personal anecdotes about her fascinating, but making the food in this book heals my homesickness. The corn pudding with chiles in cream, the black bean soup, and the seasoned pork roast are family favorites.

The Violet Bakery Cookbook

The Violet Bakery Cookbook

Claire Ptak

Almost every page of this book is dog-eared and/or stained. I use it that much. In this book, Claire Ptak teaches us to use seasonal ingredients to conjure cake magic. She is far and away, one of my favorite bakers in London.

Root to Leaf

Root to Leaf

Steven Satterfield is the Ottolenghi of the American South. His vegetable based dishes are so simple yet incredibly elegant.

Milk: Momofuku Milk Bar

Milk: Momofuku Milk Bar

Christina Tosi

Tosi changed the way we think of baked goods. She took the pre-packaged happy flavors of American childhood and made them sophisticated. Her recipes are what I call Haute Americana and they are as brilliant and addicting as her crack pie.

The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food

The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food

Judith Jones

This was the book that made me realize I wanted to write about food. Ms. Jones was a friend and editor to many culinary legends--Julia Child, James Beard, Edna Lewis, and Scott Peacock to name a few. Together they created food history and made memories that would last a lifetime. Every recipe tells a story and all of them are delicious.