What’s better than a good book? A good book and good food.
Experience both at the Texas Book Festival’s Central Market Cooking Tent. With 13 cookbook authors leading cooking demonstrations and discussions based on their books, foodies will be in culinary heaven. The authors will present foods ranging from the Austin staple — breakfast tacos — and enticing cocktails to mouth-watering barbeque.
The Daily Texan picked a few of the authors and cookbooks that will be represented at the festival this weekend.
“Austin Breakfast Tacos” by Jarod Neece and Mando Rayo, Saturday from 10-11 a.m.
If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and tacos are the most important food, then the breakfast taco must be the most important type of taco. Neece and Rayo, authors of “Austin Breakfast Tacos: The Story of the Most Important Taco of the Day,” explore breakfast taco culture and history in Austin. Not only does their book tell the story of popular Austin taco shops, but it also provides recipes taco fanatics can make at home.
“The Salt Lick Cookbook” by Scott Roberts, Saturday from 1-2 p.m.
People travel to Austin just to taste his barbeque. Roberts’ restaurant, The Salt Lick, has become an institution for all things smoked meat in Austin and Texas. Recognizing his success, Roberts wrote “The Salt Lick Cookbook: A Story of Land, Family, and Love” to bring his recipes to readers’ kitchens. The book reveals many of the recipes and techniques used by the restaurant.
“Tipsy Texan” by David Alan, Saturday from 4-5 p.m.
Alan gives cocktails a Texas twist in his book “Tipsy Texan.” Alan, a professional bartender and restaurant specialist, wrote “Tipsy Texan: Spirits and Cocktails from the Lone Star State” as both a recipe book of Texas-inspired drinks and a lesson about the history of alcoholic beverages in the state. At his demo, Alan will talk about his book and teach audience members how to make his cocktails, just in time for happy hour.
“The Austin Food Blogger Alliance Cookbook” by Addie Broyles, Sunday from 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
For Broyles and members of the Austin Food Blogger Alliance, journalism and food go hand-in-hand. As an Austin American-Statesman food writer and culinary blogger, Broyles knows the ins and outs of the Austin food scene. She co-authored “The Austin Food Blogger Alliance Cookbook” with other prominent Austin foodies. The book ranges broadly in recipe type, but the dishes are all connected by their relationship to Texas.
“The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook” by Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge, Sunday from 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Readers will satisfy their sweet tooth while monitoring their environmental footprint. Kilmer-Purcell and Ridge combined the nostalgia of homemade desserts with the movement towards environmentally sound cooking in their book “The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook.” The vintage-inspired recipes are accompanied by stories about their creation and the occasional family memory. This tradition of homemade cooking is furthered by the couple’s use of all-natural, heirloom ingredients.
“Eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for the Single Cook” by Joe Yonan, Sunday from 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Yonan’s book “Eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for the Single Cook” was created for meat lovers and veggie lovers alike. The book by the Washington Post food and travel editor provides vegan and vegetarian recipes as well as lifestyle tips for those living on their own. Yonan’s book features everything from fried rice to enchiladas, giving a wide range of vegetarian options.
