December 2016 Cookbook Roundup

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

Following the delicious onslaught of September, October and November, December is a relatively quiet month for cookbook releases. Although the number is small, we do have exciting new titles to share with you. This month’s selections include a special book to benefit the humanitarian effort in Syria, #Cook for Syria, an exciting restaurant title, S.N.O.B., and books focusing on international cuisine. We have a gluten-free cookbook written specifically for your bread maker and a cookbook to utilize that pressure cooker you may have purchased on one of those killer deals the last few weeks. My Forty Best Cookbooks of 2016 may be able to help you with how to spend those gift cards that might make their way into your stocking.

If you are planning to purchase any of these books for yourself or as gifts, please use the Buy book link as we will receive a small affiliate fee that will allow us to index more books. You don’t even need to buy the book you clicked from, we get affiliate revenue for anything you buy from Amazon over the next 24 hours after clicking the link. You will find the Buy book link (pale blue box to the right of Bookshelf) when you click on the book titles highlighted in this post (or any post) – your support is very much appreciated. 

U.S.

#CookforSyria Recipe Book  was edited by Serena Guen and was the product of the little supper club that could. More details about this title can be found on my book news post. Not only does this promise to be a fantastic collection of recipes – all profits go directly to relief efforts. 

The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook: 500 Vibrant, Kitchen-Tested Recipes for Living and Eating Well Every Day by America’s Test Kitchen Editors is a thorough yet user-friendly book bringing Mediterranean cuisine into the American home kitchen, with 500 flavorful yet surprisingly approachable recipes for everyday cooking.

Family Style Chinese Cookbook: Authentic Recipes from My Culinary Journey Through China by Shanti Christensen is a collection of family recipes that the author collected during her time spent in China. A food editor for Time Out Beijing and an avid traveller, she states that the best cuisine she experienced wasn’t from five-star restaurants, but rather from the family kitchens of locals where these recipes were gathered. Lovely photographs and enchanting stories complete this title.
 

Handmade Pasta Workshop & Cookbook: Recipes, Tips & Tricks for Making Pasta by Hand, with Perfectly Paired Sauces by Nicole Karr delivers clear-cut instructions on how to create your pasta from scratch with 80 incredible recipes, each with its own photo. Karr, whose popular classes and pop up restaurants sell out in a flash in Brooklyn, New York, complements handmade pasta with creative recipes for sauces to round out the meal. 

The Gluten-Free Bread Machine Cookbook: 175 Recipes for Splendid Breads and Delicious Dishes to Make with Them by Jane Bonacci and Shannon Kinsella takes the expense, frustration, and difficulty out of baking gluten-free bread. Regardless of what bread machine you own, this new cookbook will make gluten-free bread an everyday enjoyment. Whether you’re obsessed with sourdough, love holiday breads, or are interested in gluten-free pizza dough, focaccia, and more – this book covers it all, including helpful explanations, tips and tricks, and a wide range of bread machine brands and models. It’ll even let you know when to use that “gluten-free” setting on your bread maker and when it’s better to just avoid it.
 

The Whole30 Cookbook: 150 Delicious and Totally Compliant Recipes to Help You Succeed with the Whole30 and Beyond by Melissa Hartwig delivers over 150 all-new recipes to help readers prepare delicious, healthy meals whether they are following Whole30 or not. With more than 150 recipes for main dishes, sides, dressings, and sauces; tips to simplify, plan, and prepare meals to save time and money and variations to turn one easy dish into two or three meals, this cookbook will inspire you to make a variety of nourishing meals. In January, there will be a promotion featuring this book and I will be trying some recipes soon for that piece.

Quick & Easy Paleo Comfort Foods: 100+ Delicious Gluten-Free Recipes by Julie Mayfield and Charles Mayfield is a newly repackaged paperback edition of the bestselling cookbook from the influential Paleo lifestyle bloggers and authors of Paleo Comfort Foods, featuring 100 Paleo recipes that are easy, healthy, and irresistible. Coming in February, a new title will hit the shelves entitled Weeknight Paleo.

 

The Ultimate Soup Cleanse: 60 Recipes to Reduce, Restore, Renew & Resolve by Nicole Pisani and Kate Adams is being reissued this month in the U.S. Previously published in 2015 in the U.K., this book from the former head chef of London”s renowned NOPI is a soup cookbook unlike any other, with a focus on the revitalizing health benefits of soup, From a recipe standpoint, this book’s offerings seem tempting and unique for soup nights with the added bonus of being healthy.
 

The Essential Sous Vide Cookbook: Modern Meals for The Sophisticated Palate by Sarah James offers creative recipes for making your own restaurant-quality meals from the comfort of your own kitchen. You’ll prepare perfectly tender meats, enhance the vibrant flavors in your favorite vegetables, create luscious desserts, and even make your favorite cocktails.
 

The Man Cave Cookbook: 150+ Fast and Easy Recipes for Dining in The Man Cave by Matt Thompson is the essential guide to cooking for The Man Cave, whether you’re hanging out solo or entertaining a crowd. Even if you have no cooking skills or halfway decent cooking skills, this cookbook presents more than 150 fast, easy and delicious recipes. Can someone direct me to the woman cave? Does such a place exist? 
 

Sensational Chocolate: 50 Celebrities Share 60 Recipes by Paul A. Young is a book devoted to the power of chocolate. Young assembled a glittering array of celebrities to share their secret chocolate recipes for this book including Rob Lowe, Gordon Ramsay, and Wolfgang Puck. The book features stunning photography of all the glorious recipes and a proportion of the proceeds of the book sales will be donated to charity.

Taste of Home 100 Family Meals: Bringing the Family Back to the Table by Editors at Taste of Home was written to help us savor the benefits of family dinners, casual weekend meals and even Saturday-morning breakfasts. It’s a snap with this collection of 100 simple entrees, each including a side dish option, dessert idea or other serving suggestion. From fast stews and hot sandwiches to slow-cooked dishes and comforting casseroles, dinner-time solutions are always at your fingertips. 
 

Cooking Comics!: Simple Skills, Fantastic Food by Lauren Thompson is a fully illustrated comic-book-style introduction to the skills you need to master the kitchen. This is an excellent introduction to fundamental kitchen skills you will utilize to go from novice to pro, all while having fun reading comics! 

Salud! Vegan Mexican Cookbook: 150 Mouthwatering Recipes from Tamales to Churros by Eddie Garza takes a twist that’s both mouthwatering and healthy on these classic dishes. He combines his innovative cooking techniques with traditional Mexican staples. As a leading voice on Latino health and nutrition, Garza is committed to finding healthier ways to enjoy delicious Mexican fare without animal ingredients.

The Meat Lover’s Slow Cooker Cookbook: Hearty, Easy Meals Cooked Low and Slow by Jennifer Olvera shares the author’s most-requested recipes that will surely become mainstays in your home, too. This slow cooker cookbook offers variety, flexibility, customization and affordability. This title is being released in the U.S. and Canada this month.
 

Cooking Like Mummyji: Real Indian Food From the Family Home by Vicky Bhogal is being re-released in the U.S. this month. It was first published in 2003 to wild acclaim. For this release, the book has been full revised with gorgeous new photography and 100 recipes focused on authentic Punjabi home cooking. I just received my copy today and am anxious to cook from it soon. Nigella says “I am so mad about this book” and as always I agree with Nigella.
 

Canada

Joyous Detox: Your Complete Plan and Cookbook to Be Vibrant Every Day by Joy McCarthy is a healthy plan to detox naturally by following a whole foods-based diet that emphasizes specific detox-friendly foods that are simply delicious and fully nourishing. Give your body a break from certain foods, including food additives, sugar, dairy, gluten, bad fats, and toxins. This title is being released in Canada and the U.S. this month.

U.K.

#CookforSyria Recipe Book  was edited by Serena Guen and was the result of the little supper club that could. More details about this title can be found on my book news post. The release date is slated for December 28th both in the U.K. and the U.S.

Broth: Nature’s cure-all for health and nutrition, with delicious recipes for broths, soups, stews and risottos by Vicki Edgson and Heather Thomas is being re-released in paperback this month in both the U.K. and U.S. Previously published in March of this year as a hardcover, this title explains why bone broth is so healthy and nutritious and how you can harness its essential goodness in your everyday diet. All the broths, soups and stews featured are easy to prepare and do not require any specialist skills, making them accessible and user-friendly for even the most basic and inexperienced cook.
 

Taqueria: New-style Fun and Friendly Mexican Cooking by Paul Wilson is an homage to the best of Mexican cuisine. Starting with the building blocks, Paul Wilson shows that, with quality ingredients, attitude and a little application, you can create an authentic feast. The book includes more than 80 recipes, ranging from corn, prawn and bacon tortillas to homemade chorizo and sweet potato quesadillas. The salsas, salads & vegetables chapter recognizes the ever-growing appreciation for plant-based dishes with over 20 envelope-pushing vegetarian dishes.

 

 

New Zealand

Living Tea: Health Recipes for Naturally Probiotic Kombucha by Louise Avery reveals her tried-and-tested recipes that use the freshest produce to create truly delicious cold teas. Starting with an introduction to kombucha, Louise offers information on the types of tea you can use to flavour your kombucha, the health benefits of drinking it, the essential equipment you will need to brew your own and the dos and don’ts when it comes to selecting other ingredients.

 

2016 was a great year for cookbooks and from what I have gathered 2017 looks just as promising. I wish you all a happy holiday season filled with good food, family and friends and cookbooks!