From Harlem to San Francisco, or India to Italy, the themes of our favorite new cookbooks focus on places. Our list is perfect for cooks who love a bit of adventure through travel, or at least armchair travel, before embarking to the kitchen. And with each of these books, exotic or adventurous cuisine is made accessible.
It was tough to winnow the long list of books published this year, but these are the ones that really appealed to Good Eating staff members. We hope they appeal to you, and to your friends and family who will be the recipients of what we feel is a perfect holiday gift.
A Baker’s Tour
by Nick Malgieri
HarperCollins, $34.95
Malgieri, a prominent baking teacher based in New York, brings his expertise to this internationally minded book, which contains dozens of recipes from 39 countries. Desserts and sweets make up the bulk of offerings but in addition to confections such as Austrian pleyels (chocolate-almond cakes) or Portuguese raivas (cinnamon-butter cookies), there also is bread (such as Indian naan and Italian ciabatta) and entrees (including Argentine empanadas de carne, or beef-filled turnovers, and Australian sausage rolls). The teacher in Malgieri walks cooks through the paces to avoid missteps but the unfamiliar nature of many of these entries makes this a book for practiced bakers who are ready to explore new worlds of flavors and techniques.
–Renee Enna
Boulevard: The Cookbook
by Nancy Oakes and Pamela Mazzola with Lisa Weiss
Ten Speed Press, $50
Boulevard has long been a favorite restaurant for San Franciscans. The fare is intelligent yet approachable, extraordinarily fresh and served up in a landmark 19th Century building. Replicating this sort of dining experience on paper is a challenge. “Boulevard” works thanks to the passion and precision of chefs Oakes and Mazzola, the clear, sensible prose of Weiss and an oversized format that gives everyone room to maneuver. The recipes are long, yes, but they’re logical. As a result, even the most challenging dishes seem doable. Oakes and Mazzola write that they avoided doing a cookbook for years because their thoughts on food are always evolving: “Our biggest hurdle has been to assemble a collection of recipes that we feel represents the food we’ve done to date, as well as alludes to the work we’ll do in the future.” They’ve succeed admirably.
–Bill Daley
Cooking Moroccan
by Tess Mallos
Thunder Bay Press, $14.95
Moroccan food, long praised for the subtlety and sophistication of its spicing, is hot again. Just in time comes Tess Malos, whose “The Complete Middle East Cookbook” has been in print for more than 25 years. Malos organizes her new book into a chapter that explains the cuisine’s influences and hallmarks, then ex-plores “little dishes,” day-to-day cooking, dishes from Morocco’s royal kitchens and, finally, sweets, pastries and drinks. Not everything is strictly authentic (mechoui, Morocco’s grilled lamb, isn’t the same as slow-roasted lamb, however good the latter may be), but its spirit is correct. The photography is extraordinary, and if it doesn’t prompt you to get to work in the kitchen, you must be immovable.
–Robin Mather Jenkins
Food for the Soul
Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church
Ballentine Books, $27.95
This community-style cookbook from Harlem’s most famous house of worship includes photographs of people, places and dishes, plus a forward by Carole Darden-Lloyd, a Harlem restaurant owner and co-author of “Spoonbread & Strawberry Wine.” This delicious attempt to blend international, good-for-you dishes and traditional soul-food splurges showcases more than 100 recipes from Harlem, the American South, the Caribbean, South America and Africa. Some recipes, such as the Harlem-style lamb tagine from chef Brian Washington Palmer or the sassy salmon (with crushed garlic, herbs and bottled salad dressing) from parishioner Yvonne Blackwell, feature contributors’ photos or historical group shots from the church’s archives.
–Donna Pierce
Indian in 6: 100 Irresistible Recipes that Use 6 Ingredients or Less
by Monisha Bharadwaj
Kyle Books, $19.95
Right away Bharadwaj confides that she allows herself cooking oil, salt and a fresh ginger-garlic paste as staples that do not count against her. Still, the book is quite a revelation for cooks intimidated by the often extraordinarily long ingredient lists of many Indian dishes. The author admits that she, too, now fears these long lists and set out to find authentic but short recipes that capture the flavors of the cuisine, such as the vibrant palak ki dal (lentils with spinach and garlic) or the piquant chiristas ghassi (tangy Goa-style pork curry). Directions are succinct and uncomplicated, although the author does assume a basic proficiency in the kitchen. You’ll still need to stock the cupboard with a number of Indian spices, but that’s part of the exploration. Even for seasoned cooks of Indian cuisine, this volume will provide a sigh of relief.
–Joe Gray
Italian Slow and Savory
by Joyce Goldstein
Chronicle, $40
Sure, pasta can be fast, but isn’t it great instead to spend a little time on a weekend smelling a long-simmering stew in the oven? Clearly, Goldstein thinks so. Her book celebrates the braised, the stewed and the roasted dishes of Italy. Having lived for a year in that country, she writes, she soon learned to modify her rush-ing ways, a la her New York City upbringing. She began to savor the food and spend more time over its cooking. “In food, and in life, many of the best things are worth our time and effort,” she writes. And so, readers can spend some worthwhile time with her recipe for chicken with sweet peppers, pancetta and marjoram or the simmered, spicy beef stew with sweet and hot paprika from Trieste. These indeed are recipes to savor.
–Carol Mighton Haddix
Mangoes and Curry Leaves
by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid
Artisan, $45
Award-winning authors and husband-and-wife-team Alford and Duguid bring another intensive tour of an Asian region through stories, recipes and stellar photography. This time, it is the South Asia subcontinent that includes India, Pakistan, Nepal, Butan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. If you’re a cook with an adventurous spirit, get ready to whip up authentic curries, dals, vindaloos and samosas. The book will inspire a drive to Devon Avenue (or other locales with Indian markets) for a shopping adventure. Try the fresh coriander peanut chutney or the aromatic slow-cooked chicken, heady with onion, cumin and ginger. The Andhra spiced eggplant is a smoky mixture with onion that makes a perfect dip or topping for rice.
–Carol Mighton Haddix
Matzoh Ball Gumbo
by Marcie Cohen Ferris
University of North Carolina Press, $29.95
For those of us who relish food as much more than something to eat, this lively collection of recipes and kitchen tales offers in-sight into a less publicized niche of Southern regional cooking: Jewish cooking. Ferris, an assistant professor of American studies at the University of North Carolina, combines firsthand experience as a southern Jewish woman with a researcher’s skill in this cultural exploration of food and identity. It’s fascinating reading mixed with delicious recipes such as Mississippi praline macaroons and pecan kugel. The precede to chicken and sausage gumbo offers advice for cooks who want to kick up the sausage seasoning while still keeping kosher: Add ground red pepper to the pot when using smoked beef sausage or knockwurst.
–Donna Pierce
Mexican Everyday
by Rick Bayless
Norton, $29.95
Nutritious, time-saving, accessible, chef-worthy and delicious. Mexican cookbooks rarely have all these attributes but Chicago chef Rick Bayless has met the challenge. After re-evaluating his own diet and lifestyle, Bayless has produced a terrific book of tempting recipes that will deliver wonderful meals without sabotaging anything but excess calories. Case in point: sweet potato salad. Bayless writes, “Think ‘potato salad.’ Then go to ‘sweet potato salad.’ Then replace the mayo with a rustic red chile vinaigrette sweetened with caramelized onions and balsamic vinegar. Really delicious, if a little unconventional.” Though some recipes contain unfamiliar ingredients, the book is careful to offer mainstream substitutions. Beautiful photos and straightforward prose round out this winning package.
–Renee Enna
The New American Cooking
by Joan Nathan
Knopf, $35
Joan Nathan spent several years traveling to 46 states, and this book is the result of what she saw, heard and tasted. America cooks in Spanish (Mexican), Hindi (Indian), Thai and many other languages, she found. Beyond ethnic flavors, Nathan addresses other food-related issues, including nutrition and where our food comes from. She talked to the people who actually do the cooking: Some are chefs, but most are just people who like to eat good food and love to talk about it. “Not long ago, at a particularly delicious luncheon at a friend’s house, the hostess described the spread as an ‘American menu’: heirloom tomatoes and mozzarella salad with a ribbon of fresh pesto; chicken satay with peanut sauce; Greek salad with feta; and Asian sesame noodles,” Nathan writes. “Since America has no deep culinary traditions of its own, this meal showed how we are not bound by convention.”
–Robin Mather Jenkins
The Spanish Kitchen: Regional Ingredients, Recipes and Stories from Spain
by Clarissa Hyman
Interlink Books, $29.95
The author’s camino gastronomico (culinary path) through the 17 regions of Spain proves to be the reader’s tour as well. Hyman explores “the deep bond . . . between produce, people and land,” telling her story by highlighting one classic foodstuff from each region. In Andalucia, we learn about Malaga raisins–which might flavor a succulent veal braise. In Galicia, it’s mussels. Thus, we travel the country, reading regional history before diving into the ingredient and then the recipes. With only a handful of dishes in each chapter, we get only a taste of each, but Hyman manages to offer a wide enough variety to satisfy the cook and traveler. If this is Aragon, then we must be eating chicken chilindron (a sauce of onions, red peppers, tomatoes, garlic and the prized olive oil).
–Joe Gray
Vineyard Harvest
by Tina Miller with Christie Matheson
Broadway Books, $35
Martha’s Vineyard has long been the summer playground of the rich and famous, so it is easy to forget that this island off the Massachusetts coast has drawn generations of ordinary folk to fish its waters and plow its fields. In this book, Miller reminds us of this “other” Vineyard by spotlighting the hardy people whose labor provides the delectable food enjoyed by the hordes who descend on the island each year. Her recipes are set in the context of New England cooking tradition but the author offers some modern twists. Consider a dessert like raspberry panna cotta with Beaujolais sauce, or succotash chowder studded with clams. Yet Miller, herself a Vineyard native, also knows when to leave a thing alone. Her steamer clams with butter and lemon are exactly that and no more. Underscoring this insider’s look are the many photographs of Allison Shaw, an artist whose studies of island life have taken on almost iconic status among islanders.
–Bill Daley
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So many cookbooks, so little time
In addition to our top 12 picks, a few more new cookbooks are worth noting (in alphabetical order):
“The All-American Dessert Book,” by Nancy Baggett (Houghton Mifflin, $35)
“The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook” (America’s Test Kitchen, $34.95)
“Bones,” by Jennifer McLagan (Morrow, $34.95)
“Charcuterie,” by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn (Norton, $35)
“Cooking at Home on Rue Tatin,” by Susan Herrmann Loomis (William Morrow, $24.95)
“The Dance of Spices: Classic Indian Cooking for Today’s Home Kitchen,” by Laxmi Hiremath (Wiley, $29.95)
“Fresh Every Day: More Great Recipes from Foster’s Market,” by Sara Foster and Carolynn Carreno (Clarkson Potter, $35)
“The Game Cookbook,” by Clarissa Dickson Wright and Johnny Scott (Kyle Books, $29.95)
“The Herbal Kitchen,” by Jerry Traunfeld (William Morrow, $34.95)
“How to Cook Italian,” by Giuliano Hazan (Scribner, $35)
“Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook” (Clarkson Potter, $40)
“Molto Italiano,” by Mario Batali (Ecco, $34.95)
“The New Spanish Table,” by Anya von Bremzen (Workman, $22.95)
“Provence Harvest,” by Louisa Jones (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, $40)
“Some Like It Hot,” by Clifford A. Wright (Harvard Common Press, $18.95)
“Sara’s Secrets for Weeknight Meals,” by Sara Moulton (Broadway, $29.95)
“Spices of Life,” by Nina Simonds (Knopf, $35)
“Susanna Foo Fresh Inspirations” (Houghton Mifflin, $35)
“Taming the Flame,” by Elizabeth Karmel (Wiley, $24.95)
“Vegetable Love,” by Barbara Kafka (Artisan, $35)
“Washoku: Recipes from the Japanese Home Kitchen,” by Elizabeth Andoh (Ten Speed Press, $35)
“The Weekend Baker,” by Abigail Johnson Dodge (Norton, $30)
