August 2015 cookbook roundup

 Every month Jane and Fiona wade through hundreds of cookbooks, selecting and reviewing all the best new releases of U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand cookbooks. The only thing left for you to do is to add them to your Bookshelf.

USA

August sees a bit of an uptick volume, and a few small trends. Subjects on the trend list include citrus, Jewish cooking, and huge names in restaurants and in chocolate.

The Yellow Table by Anna Watson Carl – Something magical happens when people come together to share a meal-and this cookbook, named for the beloved wooden table in Anna Watson Carl ‘s childhood kitchen, celebrates that joy and conviviality. Carl is a NYC-based food writer and private chef, and the creator of The Yellow Table blog. Look for her new column in Saveur magazine.

The Desserts of Jordi Roca by Jordi Roca: Celebrated pastry chef Jordi Roca, of the award-winning restaurant El Celler de Can Roca, in Girona, Spain (recently rated the #1 restaurant in the world), presents more than 80 tempting dessert recipes that take readers on a journey through the seasons.

Einkorn: Recipes for Nature’s Original Wheat by Carla Bartolucci: A cookbook for wheat lovers with gluten sensitivity, features einkorn, the only wheat in existence that has never been hybridized or modified. Author Carla Bartolucci came across it when searching for an alternative grain for her daughter Giulia, who was diagnosed with gluten sensitivity in 2008. Amazed by her daughter’s health transformation, Carla became a champion of this little-known, nutrient-packed grain.

Preserving the Japanese Way by Nancy Singleton Hachisu: From an American expat who has lived in Japan for nearly 30 years, this book introduces Japanese methods of salting, pickling, and fermenting that are approachable and easy to integrate into a Western cooking repertoire. Enter our contest for your chance to win a copy of the book and visit the World Calendar of Cookbook Events to view details of her book tour.

Citrus: Sweet and Savory Sun-Kissed Recipes by Valerie Aikman-Smith and Victoria Pearson: This sunny, citrus-infused collection showcases lemons, oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, and limes as well as out-of-the-ordinary kumquats, pomelos, Buddha’s hand, and yuzu in everything from breakfast to dinner, drinks to dessert.

Sweet and Tart: 70 Irresistible Recipes With Citrus by Carla Snyder: This is quite possibly the only time two citrus-based books appeared in one monthly roundup. Sweet and Tart focuses on treats, with recipes for frozen desserts, cakes, pies, breads, and favourite citrusy accents such as marmalade and curd. 

The Seasonal Jewish Kitchen by Amelia Saltsman: Saltsman takes us far beyond deli meats and chicken soup to explore a universally appealing world of flavors ideal for modern meals. She traces the delicious roots of Jewish cooking from ancient times and also showcases the global nature of Jewish cuisine, which evolved as migrants and immigrants encountered the local ingredients in their new homes. Watch for an upcoming promotion for the book, plus check out the World Calendar of Cookbook Events for tour dates to be added soon.

The New Kosher by Kim Kushner: The New Kosher boasts that it has redfined kosher cooking, and is filled “with healthy recipes, exquisite flavors, and a fresh sensibility for the modern lifestyle.” The book follows another forward-looking book, The Modern Menu.

A Jewish Baker’s Pastry Secrets by George Greenstein: Are you sensing another theme for August? This follow-up to the author’s James Beard award-winning Secrets of a Jewish Baker is a charming collection of European-style bakery classics, such as coffee cake and strudel.

Guittard Chocolate Cookbook by Amy Guittard: Another offering from a famous name in the food industry, this book presents tried-and-true favourite recipes from five generations of Guittards, who make chocolate praised by the likes of David Lebovitz and Alice Medrich.

Slice Harvester: A Memoir in Pizza by Colin Atrophy Hagendorph: Over the course of two years, a twenty-something punk rocker eats a cheese slice from every pizzeria in New York City, gets sober, falls in love, and starts a blog that captures headlines around the world–he is the Slice Harvester, and this is his story.

Canada

Canadian Living: The Complete Chicken Cookbook: Based on frequent requests from readers for meal ideas featuring chicken, the Canadian Living Test Kitchen has gone through hundreds of their Tested-Till-Perfect recipes and brought together more than 180 of their favourite dishes. The book is organized in easy-to-use chapters around the part you want to use-such as breasts, thighs, cutlets, drumsticks, ground meat or the whole bird.

 

UK

Everyday Super Food by Jamie Oliver: The uber-popular author is back with another healthy eating book. This one is divided into breakfasts, lunches and dinners, and every meal is nutritionally balanced so that any combination over the day will bring you in under your recommended daily allowance of calories, with room enough for snacks and drinks on the side.

Gizzi’s Healthy Appetite by Gizzi Erskine: Another healthy eating book, this time from the author of Cook Yourself Thin. Unlike health food books from previous decades promoting bland foods, this one is filled with a variety of flavours and tastes, with entries like Roasted Baby Cauliflower with Cheese Sauce & Crispy Shallots, fresh Tuna Tataki with Yuzu.

Eating Well Made Easy by Lorraine Pascale: August is filled with trends, and this book follows along on the healthy eating bandwagon. Bestselling TV chef Pascale is back with her most comprehensive book to date.

Mezze: Small Plates to Share by Ghillie Basan: Middle Eastern food authority Basan returns with a collection of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dips, bites, salads and other small plates to share, to enjoy as appetizers or light meals.

Prashad at Home by Kaushy Patel: Since winning everyone over on Ramsay’s Best Restaurant, Prashad has grown in size and reputation, and so too has the Patel family. In this, their second book, Kaushy returns the focus to the heart of Indian home cooking. Traditional recipes have been simplified using readily available ingredients. These are the quick dishes that can be prepared in the evenings when you’re tired after work or to leave bubbling away while you relax at the weekend.

A Modern Way to Cook by Anna Jones: Jones’ previous book, A Modern Way to Eat, was a bestseller. The follow-up features acollection of delicious, healthy, inspiring vegetarian recipes for the time-pressed cook who still wants to eat healthy. 

The Hairy Bikers’ Meat Feasts by Si King and Dave Myers: Vegetarians need not read this book, which is a big and bold celebration of meat, jam-packed with mouth-watering recipes for traditional favourites such as shepherds pie and chilli con carne, as well as everything from soups and salads to pies and curries.

Anna Mae’s Mac n Cheese by Anna Clark and Tony Soloman: Anna Mae’s are London’s legendary purveyors of mac ‘n’ cheese, and here they show you how to pimp your mac, to make it something truly exciting to cook at home. The book answers burning questions like whether to bechamel or not to bechamel, and includes options for accompaniments from meat to vegetables.

Venison: The Game Larder by Jose L. Souto: Venison is experiencing an unprecedented growth in popularity with the British public as a delicious, healthy and increasingly available dish. In this volume you will find over 50 recipes from Senior chef/Lecturer in Culinary Arts at Westminster Kingsway College.

Chicken and Other Birds by Paul Gayler: In addition to covering the versatile chicken, the book delves into lesser known birds like duck, guinea fowl, poussin, pigeon and quail. In addition, Chicken and Other Birds offers a visual tour of the birds, showing their relative sizes and discussing the differences between them, plus a buying guide – what to look for and how much to allow per person.

Fermented by Charlotte Pike: A beginner’s guide to making your own sourdough, yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi and more, Fermented  covers fruit and vegetables, milk, pulses, baking and drinks. You’ll find recipes for pickles, sauces and chutneys with fermentation that will have endless uses, fully stock any kitchen cupboard or make an excellent homemade gift.

The Modern Preserver by Kylee Newton: Kylee Newton is a passionate self-taught preserver with stalls at London’s Broadway, Maltby Street and Peckham markets under the name Newton & Pott. Here she includes both simple recipes and immersive projects, and her recipes make stylish gifts and reassuringly natural homemade treats.

It wouldn’t be a cookbook roundup without the usual slew of GBBO finalists, winners,  and judges…

Bake It Great by Luis Troyano: A finalist from 2014, Troyano wowed the nation with his striking and ambitious creations and now he wants to pass on his knowledge of how to make your bakes outstanding. A graphic designer by trade, Troyano is not content with making something taste great, he wants it to look great as well, and includes instructions on how to make every baked good look stunning.

B.I.Y: Bake It Yourself by Richard Burr: Another finalist from the 2014 GBBO, Burr narrowly missed out on the Great British Bake-Off crown. Affable and laidback, with his trademark pencil tucked behind his ear, Richard had been the favourite to win. As a builder, Richard has a unique approach to his cakes and bakes.

Quinntessential Baking by Frances Quinn: The winner of the 2013 series impressed the judges with her imaginative showstoppers and extraordinary baking skill. The book features striking design and photography that includes Frances’ own illustrations sprinkled throughout.

 

Classic Cakes by Linda Collister: One of four books in a new series under the rubric “Bake It Better”, Classic Cakes includes recipes for traditional classics and modern bakes, and progress from simple through to more challenging showstoppers. It also features expert advice about ingredients, equipment and techniques, and easy-to-follow step-by-step photographs.

Bread by Linda Collister: This entry in the series focuses on bread, and follows the same formula: traditional classics and modern bakes, with a progression from simple through to more challenging recipes and techniques.

Biscuits by Annie Rigg: More tried-and-tested recipes to help bakers develop their  skills and repertoire, this one focusing on individual treats. Again, the book moves through different levels of challenge for the home baker. 

Pies & Tarts by Angela Nilsen: The final book (for now) in the series is built in the same mould as the others, with a lofty goal of becoming “the ‘go to’ cookery books which gives you all the recipes and baking know-how in one easy-to-navigate series.”

Ireland

The Virtuous Tart by Susan Jane White: Until now, the options have been to a) indulge b) abstain c) tax your taste buds with ‘diet’ food. This book aims to show you how you can finally have your cake and eat it too by turning those pesky sugar cravings into a nutritional slam-dunk. In The Virtuous Tart, Susan Jane guides you through alternatives to refined white sugar such as coconut sugar, date syrup, maple and raw honey; and shows you where to use superfood flours like quinoa and teff.

 

Australia & New Zealand