The best spring cookbooks according to Epicurious

While Jenny provides us all with great reviews of upcoming books, she is only one person and can’t possibly review every new volume that is hitting store shelves. To help fill the gaps, occasionally we report about other sites that also provide us with insight on upcoming releases. Today we’ll take a look at what Epicurious thinks are the 55 best cookbooks of spring. Jenny has reviewed some of the books in the Epicurious list, and will weigh in on a few others in upcoming weeks. Watch for her favorite books for spring to come in the next few days.

Some themes for the spring cookbook season – which is shaping up to offer more choices than usual for this time of year – include sustainability, baking and preserving, and grilling/BBQ. Epicurious also takes a look at restaurant books, and finds gems in La Buvette: Recipes and Wine Notes from Paris by Camille Fourmont and Kate Leahy and Maenam: A Fresh Approach to Thai Cooking by Angus An.

One upcoming title that is debuting at the right moment is Tin Can Magic: Easy, Delicious Recipes Using Pantry Staples by Jessica Dennison. This book focuses on easy meal solutions based around what readers might already have to hand, with smart ideas for adding flavor, freshness and contrast.  In Tin Can Magic, fresh ingredients “are used sparingly to add brightness and nutritional value to otherwise simple pantry meals,” says Epicurious.

In addition to the themes mentioned above, the Epi article also looks at the drinks books coming our way. One of these is Ted Haigh’s Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails: Prohibition Centennial Edition, which is an updated version of his stellar 2004 book. If you like the intersection of history and cocktails, this one is for you. They also recommend David Lebovitz’s Drinking French: The Iconic Cocktails, Apéritifs, and Café Traditions of France, with 160 Recipes. You know it has to be good, because when has David ever steered us wrong?