The Austin Cookbook: Recipes and Stories from Deep in the Heart of Texas

by Paula Forbes, Robert Strickland (Photographer)

The story of Austin food is equal parts deep Texan traditions and a booming food scene. It is this atmosphere that has fostered some of the hottest restaurants in the country, a lively food truck community, and a renaissance in the most Texan of foods: barbecue. Austin food is also tacos and Tex-Mex, old fashioned Southern cooking, and street food and fine dining, with influences from all over the globe. And above all, it’s a source of intense pride and inspiration for chefs and diners alike.
 
Organized by Austin’s “major food groups”—like barbecue, tacos, and Tex-Mex—The Austin Cookbook explores the roots of Texas food traditions and the restaurants that are reinventing them, revealing the secrets to Bob Armstrong dip, Odd Duck’s sweet potato nachos, East Side King’s beet fries, and of course, smoked brisket that has people lining up to eat it—even in the Texas summer. Part cookbook, part souvenir, and 100 percent love letter, The Austin Cookbook is perfect for proud locals, visitors, and (t)ex-pats.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Reference, Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

Published March 20, 2018

Reviews

[Jodi Geever · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a foodie, and I'm also infatuated with Austin, TX. I have not yet visited Austin despite Louisiana sharing a border with Texas. I have been interested in Texas' background, history, and food culture since high school when I first learned that France was roughly the size of Texas and that Texas used to be its own country, too.

Now, this book. I enjoyed it. It teaches you how to make various sauces, (including homemade hot sauce!) spices, and rubs, and then from there teaches you how to layer the flavors for various dishes.

Also, it has a chapter dedicated to tacos, and another for breakfast tacos! I'm a fan!

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A basic Tex-Mex cookbook. Not the best. Not the worst. Recipes cover BBQ, tacos, basic Tex-mex, some standard and new “Texas” recipes, breakfast, drinks, sweets and condiments. You might like the chicken fried steak if you’re not familiar with it, Joe’s Famous “Fried” Bacon or the beet fries. Some of the taco recipes are easy. Others you’ll probably just want to hit a good food truck or restaurant for. Texas BBQ is different from KC BBQ - so you might want to try smoking a brisket or pork butt. I’ll definitely try the rice recipe and the okra with walnuts and the salted brown butter & dark chocolate pecan cookies.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s ridiculous to give a cookbook five stars without trying the recipes, but there’s so much to love here—beautiful typography & images, thoughtful writing, coherent layout, and most importantly, a deep sense of identity. Ingredients and recipes struck a nice balance between familiar and unexpected. I’m probably never going to buy a smoker or make a mole, but it was fun to learn about the different nuances of barbecue and chilis.

[RaChelle Holmberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Downloaded from my public library! But now I have to go buy it. It made for great reading, not just recipes. It was a great visit to Austin, vicariously, which is about all that can happen since we're in a pandemic. I do know that I'm not brave enough to buy a smoker, but gingerbread pancakes and citrus salsa are on my best horizon. Highly recommended!

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some crazy design choices in this book lol but overall love what it was trying to do. I haven’t tried the recipes yet but even just reading about the different restaurants made me nostalgic for Austin

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some cool ideas, I love regional cookbooks. This one was pretty basic but I did bookmark a few things

[Beka · Rating 2 out of 5]

The recipes are okay (some a little easy, some a bit too much), but the author seemed a little too into their own ideas about Tex-Mex and the Austin food scene.

[Sandra Guzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great recipes... beautiful book.