New Cookbooks

Our favorite time of year!  More cookbooks come out at this time of this year than any other, as publishers launch their new releases in time for the holiday season.  So to help you start your wish list, here’s our selection of the best of what’s new in the next couple of months. Make sure your loved ones are well aware of what’s on your list – nothing worse than being given ‘100 Best Cupcakes’ when you really wanted ‘Bouchon Bakery’. Not that we need to wait to be given them of course!

Some trends? Edwardian cookbooks, hoping to pick up on those famished for a taste of Downton Abbey till Season 3 starts. Cookbooks from small bakeries and delis. Lots of bread books. Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern continue to be the strongest regions for ethnic cookbooks. And while we’re not seeing as many cookbooks from top chefs (remember last year’s epidemic of chefs’ “home cooking” books?)–perhaps a sign of publishers’ contracting confidence–there remains much to look forward to for the adventurous home cook.

USA

Burma: Rivers of Flavor by Naomi Duguid (Artisan). Duguid’s first solo venture since the end of her partnership with Jeffrey Alford–more of a cookbook in looks and usability than their previous books, but with similarly riveting photographs and travel narratives.

Vietnamese Home Cooking by Charles Phan (Ten Speed). An ambitious entrant into a crowded field.

Bouchon Bakery  by Thomas Keller & Sebastien Rouxel (Artisan).  Bring the heavenly creations of Bouchon to your own kitchen with detailed instructions on how to achieve perfection.

Japanese Farm Food by Nancy Singleton Hachisu (Andrews McMeel). A Californian, married to a Japanese organic farmer, Nancy writes about her amazing life and demystifies the rural Japanese kitchen, laying bare the essential ingredients, equipment, and techniques needed for Japanese home cooking.

The Great Meat Cookbook by Bruce Aidells (Houghton Mifflen). A definitive guide to the new landscape in meat since publication of his 1999 best seller.

The Food52 Cookbook, Volume 2 by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs (William Morrow).  Amanda and Merrill are back with the best recipes from talented home cooks all over the world. Volume 2, features seventy-five of the latest community favorites.

The Science of Good Cooking by Cook’s Illustrated (ATK). The team at CI has spent the past 20 years investigating every facet and every detail associated with home cooking through tens of thousands of kitchen tests. They distil this experience into 50 basic cooking concepts.

Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish (10 Speed). Now you can make the famous breads and pizzas from this critically lauded Portland baker. This season’s “serious” bread book.

Baked Elements: Our 10 Favorite Ingredients by Matt Lewis, Renato Poliafito and Tina Rupp (STC). Obsessive exploration of peanut butter, malted milk, and 8 other ingredients by edgy Brooklyn bakers.

The Mile End Cookbook by Noah Bernamoff and Rae Bernamoff (Clarkson Potter). Jewish comfort food from a classic delicatessen.

The Epicurious Cookbook (Clarkson Potter). Will anyone really buy a book of recipes that are available for free, already searchable and sortable, online? We’ll see.

The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook by Tom Douglas (William Morrow).  Now you don’t have to go to Seattle to taste the delights from this famous bakery.

Home Made Winter by Yvette van Boven (STC). Delicious recipes, beautiful photos, step by step instruction and Yvette van Boven’s own hand drawn artwork throughout the book will make you want to make everything yourself – even Bailey’s!

Come In, We’re Closed: An Invitation to Staff Meals at the World’s Best Restaurants by Christine Carroll, Jody Eddy and a foreword by Ferran Adria (Basic Books). What they eat before they seat.

Modernist Cuisine at Home by Nathan Myhrvold and Maxime Bilet (The Cooking Lab). Will these really work at home in a conventional kitchen? The original Modernist Cuisine set made the same claim, but it proved unfounded.

Simply Sensational Cookies by Nancy Baggett (Wiley). So far, the cookie book to watch this season.  Classics through to modern, innovative ideas for the adventurous baker.

Barefoot Contessa Foolproof by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter). Renowned for making home cooks look good, Foolproof shows you how to make a game plan so everything is served hot while you keep your cool. 

The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman (Knopf). Long-awaited first book from the popular blogger. 100 recipes–almost entirely new, plus a few favorites from the site.

Cook Fight by Julia Moskin and Kim Severson (Ecco). New York Times food section writers go head-to-head.

The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook (Adams Media). House specialties from upstairs and downstairs, including Mrs. Patmore’s Dropped Roast Chicken.

My Berlin Kitchen by Luisa Weiss (Viking).  Part memoir part cookbook, this is a beautiful account of Luisa’s journey from Berlin to New York and back, one recipe at a time. Luisa is author of the popular blog The Wednesday Chef.

Canal House Cooks Every Day by Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer (Andrews McMeel). A first venture between hard covers for the earthy yet luminous food periodical.

US versions now available

Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi (Ten Speed Press)  See UK.
What Katie Ate by Katie Quinn Davis (Penguin Putnam) See Australia.
Turkey: More than 100 Recipes, with Tales from the Road  by Leanne Kitchen (Chronicle). Originally printed in 2011 in Australia, follow Leanne’s trip round Turkey with gorgeous photos and recipes from the region.

 

United Kingdom

Hugh’s Three Good Things… On a Plate by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (Bloomsbury). Combinations that make magic. Salty, sweet, crunchy. Sharp, rich, crumbly. Hot, bland, crisp – Hugh’s done the research.

Cake by Rachel Allen (Harper Collins).  Cakes for every occasion, from the classic, tiered or small cakes, to free-form or wedding and birthday cakes, Rachel has the perfect, fool-proof recipe.

Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Cookery Course by Gordon Ramsay (Harper Collins). Follow Gordon’s course and he’ll “cook you into a better cook”.  Lots of tips and tricks and over 300 modern recipes – and he won’t shout at you!

Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi (Ebury) (US-Ten Speed Press).  Another sure hit from these talented chefs.  Already on many EYB Bookshelves this is a ‘must have’ book for anyone who wants to spice up their cooking.

Jamie’s 15-minute Meals by Jamie Oliver (Penguin)  If you enjoyed 30-minute meals you can have all the taste in half the time.

Leon Family & Friends: Book 4 by Kay Plunkett-Hogge & John Vincent (Conran Octopus). Recipes to make the most of the time available to feed your family and celebrates the power of food to bring people together. 

Nigellissima by Nigella Lawson (Chatto & Windus). Nigella’s gastronomic heart is in Italy. In her new TV series and the simple and speedy recipes in her new book she brings the spirit of Italy into the kitchen and onto the plate, elevating everyday eating into no-fuss feasts. 

The Kitchen Diaries Vol II by Nigel Slater (Fourth Estate). Another inspiring record of the food he buys, prepares, eats and shares throughout the year. Many from his hugely successful TV series, Simple Suppers

Mark Hix on Baking by Mark Hix (Quadrille).  Mark’s interpretation of ‘baking’ means this is much more than a traditional baking book – pretty much anything that can be cooked in the dry heat of an oven.

Salt, Sugar, Smoke  How to preserve fruit, vegetables, meat, and fish  by Diana Henry (Mitchell Beazley).  A treasure trove of recipes taken from the world’s store cupboards, Diana takes a fresh approach to these kitchen arts.

Madhur Jaffrey’s Curry Nation by Madhur Jaffrey (Ebury). Recipes from Madhur’s latest television series showcases the best of Indian cuisine in Britain and even occasionally combines the two cultures. 

Easy by Bill Granger (Collins UK) (Harper Collins Aus) . In his inimitable easy going style Bill takes 16 well-loved and accessible main ingredients and offers 100 simple yet original dishes

The Collection by Antonio Carluccio (Quadrille). Over 300 of Antonio’s best recipes, drawn from seven of his best-selling cookbooks, are brought together to form this ultimate compilation. 

 

Australia

Limoncello and Linen Water by Tessa Kiros (Murdoch) Tessa celebrates the heritage of Italy, the country she has chosen to call home, and a tribute to the women in our lives.

Desserts by Belinda Jeffery (Lantern). Drawing her inspiration from across the globe, Belinda brings an irresistible range of desserts to create a perfect ending to any meal.

Sydney Seafood School by Roberta Muir (Lantern). For the first time, the School shares its wealth of tips and techniques, along with more than 80 outstanding recipes from Australia’s leading chefs.

What Katie Ate by Katie Quinn Davies (Lantern). From the popular blogger and talented food photographer, simple, seasonal recipes and the best from her blog.

My Umbrian Kitchen by Patrizia Simone (Lantern). Patricia’s dishes served at her celebrated restaurant in south Australia have been inspired by her childhood in rural Italy.  Her cookbook keeps these traditions alive. 

Greater Mekong by Luke Nguyen (Hardie Grant). Travelling from China to Vietnam, Luke tells the stories, experiences and recipes from the TV show of the same name. 

A Sardinian Cookbook by Giovanni Pilu and Roberta Muir (Lantern). Since opening Pilu restaurant in 2004, Giovanni has introduced many to Sardinian food, a cuisine that’s in his blood and close to his heart. Now he brings it to a wider audience through this cookbook.

Easy Weekends by Neil Perry (Murdoch). Famous for his restaurants this book is a celebration of how Neil cooks at home. More than 100 recipes that focus on flavoursome food for the weekend – casual Fridays through to more formal dinners.

The Complete Middle Eastern Cookbook by Tess Mallos (Hardie Grant). A completely revised and updated edition of this classic cookbook first published in 1977.  More than 500 classic and contemporary dishes from eighteen countries.

Delicious: Home Cooking by Valli Little (HarperCollins). From one of Australia’s leading food writers and editor of Delicious magazine, Valli shares some of her favourite recipes to cook at home, plus tips and tricks to turn a family classic into a cover-worthy meal without the fuss.

Peter Gordon Everyday by Peter Gordon (HarperCollins) (Jacqui Small in the UK). Famous for his fusion style food, Peter shows how to create his signature recipes every day of the week. Using only supermarket-sourced ingredients and simple methods.

Fresh and Light by Donna Hay (HarperCollins). Using the freshest ingredients and pantry staples, Donna shares her personal tricks for a lighter touch and create a balance to give you flavoursome, healthy food.

New Zealand

Simple Pleasures by Annabel Langbein (Annabel Langbein). Annabel stays true to her philosophy that quality natural ingredients need little in the way of fussy preparation.  Using seasonal ingredients fresh from her kitchen garden the recipes are drawn from her new TV series of the same name.  

Get Fresh by Al Brown (Random House). Much more than a cookbook, Al visits and creates menus from the best produce from NZ’s farmers markets with his witty prose and his favourite NZ music from the CD that accompanies the book – based on the TV series.  

Ruth Pretty Cooks at Home by Ruth Pretty (Penguin). Ruth shares stylish cooking ideas, entertaining secrets and more than 100 delectable recipes to impress at home.

Nourish by Simon Gault (Random House).  Masterchef judge, Simon selects his favourite recipes from his renowned restaurant.

Riverstone Kitchen Simple by Bevan Smith (Harper Collins). This second book from Riverstone Kitchen is full of mouth-watering recipes that are easy to prepare, as well as simple growing tips for the keen home gardener and cook.