April 2020 New Cookbook Review

April 26, 2020 by
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Just a short month ago, the pandemic was around-the-clock news and today it remains the same. COVID-19 has stopped the presses, literally. Typically, April is the third-largest month for cookbook releases. Many titles that would be in our review below were shelved until September or October mainly in the effort to allow the authors to tour to promote those titles.

The looking forward to 2020 cookbooks post provides an outline by month where you can learn when a book’s publication date was moved to and/or what is to come for this year. I continue to update this preview weekly.

Be sure to follow us on social media (buttons located on right lower sidebar on the home page). If you would like to order any of these titles, using our affiliate links (right beneath the social media buttons) or the BUY BOOK button on the book details page, will help to support EYB and our indexing efforts (as well as help us to include worldwide options in some promotions). Most of our titles are released in multiple regions and are available locally and through worldwide sellers such as the Book Depository that make global titles available to more members with free international shipping.

If there is an  available for a cookbook, look for the orange icon in the blurb. Clicking on that icon will take you directly to the Preview. Also, please note that author events have been postponed or canceled. Our calendar will be kept current with any changes as we find them. Online/virtual cooking classes will continue to be updated on this post.

Many publishing warehouses are shut down so you may find more “other titles of interest” than normally. Be sure to click that book’s details page to find out more information. There are a few titles that I am anxious to review, but I haven’t received or purchased yet – in those cases I shared a blurb from the publisher.

Please remember to support our local bookshops. While many are closed at this time, they are still taking online orders.

United States

Modern Country Cooking: Kitchen Skills and Seasonal Recipes from Salt Water Farm by Annemarie Ahearn: Originally, this title was slated for April release, then I received a notice from Amazon that it was being moved to October. Surprise! I received the copy I ordered on the 23rd. Full Moon Suppers at Salt Water Farm (review), Ahearn’s first book was superb, and from my quick glance at Modern Country Cooking it is just as gorgeous!

Chocolate Is Forever: Classic Cakes, Cookies, Pastries, Pies, Puddings, Candies, Confections, and More by Maida Heatter: Throughout Maida’s nearly 50-year career one thing was constant: her passion for chocolate. She created hundreds of recipes for chocolate cakes, puddings, pies, cookies, and more. Here this title collects her very best, most irresistibly chocolatey delights – including The World’s Best Hot Fudge Sauce.

Cookies Are Magic: Classic Cookies, Brownies, Bars, and More by Maida Heatter: Maida knew that cookies are the key to happiness, and she always kept them nearby: a fudgy, minty Palm Beach Brownie in her purse, neatly wrapped in cellophane, a batch of Absolutely-the-Positively-Best Chocolate Chip Cookies in the freezer, or a box of delicate brandy snaps ready for an elegant gift. Here nearly 100 of her very best recipes for her crispiest, crunchiest, and most ooey-gooey cookies, bars, and more are offered.

Hoffy’s: The Jewish Kitchen by Marijke Libert and Moshi Hoffman: The traditional Jewish restaurant Hoffy’s, in Antwerp, Belgium, has been a household name in gastronomy for more than 30 years. For this book, the Hoffman brothers delve into the rich history of Jewish ritual feasts and reveal their family recipes for these dishes, which have been handed down from generation to generation. The recipes in this book are organized into six separate chapters. Five of them correspond to Jewish festivals: ‘Rosh Hashana’ (New Year), ‘Pesach’ (Passover), ‘Succoth/Sukkot’ (the Feast of Tabernacles), ‘Hanukkah’ (the Festival of Lights) and the weekly ‘Shabbat’ (Sabbath). The sixth chapter, ‘Everyday Fare’, contains recipes for dishes eaten on ordinary days. Hoffy’s is being published in Belgium and the US this month.

Everyone Can Bake: Simple Recipes to Master & Mix by Dominique Ansel: The dessert genius is back! This book is stunning and shares all of Ansel’s go-to recipes along with beautiful photography by Evan Sung. The book opens with a table of contents that is, in fact, a “table”. In this table, he provides the recipe name, and the page locations for each of the following: the base, the filling, finishing touches and technique. Each recipe begins with a go-to baseline that the author requests that you perfect first. After this, he encourages the exploration of variations and includes tips and components to take a baseline recipe to a showstopper. I am head-over-heels mad for this book (as I am for his debut cookbook, which was more complex). This book is geared toward the home baker and those bakers who wish to hone their craft.

The World Eats Here: International Street Food, Home Cooking, and Stories from the Queens Night Market by John Wang and Storm Garner: The Queens Night Market in NYC is the place to be in the summer on Saturday nights. Behind the Queens Science Center, the authors host an event that averages 12,000 visitors, represents over 80 countries in the food it serves and is held for all people to enjoy. With a $6 cap on all food items sold, the Queens Night Market is one of the few examples of a place in New York where all people can afford to go. The 75 recipes in this book are just as affordable too and require no special equipment either. Along with the recipes, we meet each vendor that makes New York the food capital of the world.

Milk Street Kitchen: Fast and Slow: Instant Pot Cooking at the Speed You Need by Christopher Kimball: This is the first book to show home cooks how to make the most of every application of their handiest appliance. Each of the more than 75 recipes is designed to be cooked entirely inside your multi-cooker or Instant Pot, with timings, ingredients, and techniques to cook each dish using either the slow-cooker or the quick-cooking pressure cooker function, at your preference.

Magnolia Table, Volume 2: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering by Joanna Gaines: The Martha Stewart of Waco Texas returns with another book that is just as pretty as her first. Joanna’s book reflects those recipes that she makes at home such as Chicken soup with homemade noodles, Pecan pancakes with maple butter and Vermicelli salad with pickled red onion. She is not set on revolutionizing the culinary world. She is sharing her food with her fans.

Lummi: Island Cooking by Blaine Wetzel: Wetzel is the chef of The Willows Inn in Washington and this book is being released in Germany and the US. Inspirational photography fills the book along with restaurant-quality dishes that will challenge us.

The Pastry School: Master Sweet and Savoury Pies, Tarts and Pastries at Home by Julie Jones (author of Soulful Baker) was released last month in the UK. Find out more about this gorgeous book and enter to win a copy in our promotion (open to US members with one additional copy being offered worldwide by EYB).

The Salmon Sisters: Feasting, Fishing, and Living in Alaska: A Cookbook with 50 Recipes by Emma Teal Laukitis and Claire Neaton: The authors grew up on a homestead in the Aleutians where the family ran a commercial fishing boat in the Alaskan sea. Their book reveals this outward-bound lifestyle of natural bounty, the honest work on a boat’s deck, and the wholesome food that comes from local waters and land. Here are creative and simple ways to enjoy wild salmon, halibut, and spot prawns. The sisters are committed to sustaining and celebrating the seafaring community in Alaska, and their business of selling products related to and from the ocean donates a can of wild-caught fish to local food banks for each item purchased.

Kitchen Remix: 75 Recipes for Making the Most of Your Ingredients by Charlotte Druckman: Make the most of your pantry and fridge with this easy-to-use cookbook. Druckman, an accomplished food writer and journalist, shows you how to combine – and re-combine – three base ingredients into a variety of distinct meals

The Hamptons Kitchen: Seasonal Recipes Pairing Land and Sea by Hillary Davis and Stacy Dumont: Hillary sent me a copy of her new book and it is a keeper. Having lived in New York for fifteen years, I always enjoy a book that features the cuisine of my adopted home state. Dishes take on new twists such as Long Island potato salad with blue cheese and honey vinaigrette, Potato cheesecake with caramel crust, and BLT macaroni salad with ham crisps. This is a gorgeous book that would make an ideal gift for Mother’s Day.

100 Techniques: Master a Lifetime of Cooking Skills, from Basic to Bucket List by America’s Test Kitchen: Now is the perfect time to polish up your cooking skills especially if you are facing kitchen burn out. ATK is the ultimate cooking instructor. The detailed instructions, photography guides, and the devotion the trusted publisher directs to cuisine are unmatched. From vinaigrettes to desserts, this book has it all.

My Korea: Traditional Flavors, Modern Recipes by Hooni Kim: Kim is a Michelin starred chef who cooks with jung sung, heart, and devotion. In his cookbook, he shares recipes for simple rice cakes drenched in a spicy sauce to a 12- Hour Korean Ramyeon (ramen). Hooni uses his background in world-class French and Japanese kitchens to fine-tune techniques in classic Korean cuisine, which often originated in home kitchens. Readers will discover the Korean culinary trinity: gochujang, doenjang, and ganjang (Korean chili pepper paste, fermented soybean paste, and soy sauce). These key ingredients add a savory depth and flavor to the entire spectrum of Korean cuisine, from banchan to robust stews. I haven’t reviewed this title yet but am anxious to get my hands on it.

Mosquito Supper Club: Cajun Recipes from a Disappearing Bayou by Melissa Martin: This young chef will tell the stories of her people in her debut cookbook. Organized into 12 chapters highlighting the key ingredients of this cuisine from shrimp and oysters to poultry and sugarcane and the recipe and customs that surround each, it is a book to be savored. The recipes are for accessible home-cooked meals that readers can make on a weeknight or for a celebration with stories to be enjoyed along with the food. Gorgeous photography throughout.

Pavlova: Favorite Recipes from La Meringaie, Paris by La Meringaie: Pavlova, the dessert, fascinates me. When I came across this title, I had to order it. Due to the pandemic, shipping is delayed and I hope to have it soon. The pastry chefs at Paris shop La Meringaie have reimagined this dessert, which was originally created in the 1920s in homage to the renowned Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova during her tour of Australia and New Zealand. Each tempting pavlova in this book – all named after 18th-century women, evoking the era of Marie Antoinette, who was known to love meringue – is a delectable contemporary take on this dessert. Plus, five top French pastry chefs have devised delicious meringue-based recipes for your enjoyment, each one a joy to make and share.

Welcome to Buttermilk Kitchen by Suzanne Vizethann: The Buttermilk Kitchen is a critically acclaimed restaurant in Atlanta that redefines breakfast and brunch. The book includes all-time regional favorites, as well as with pantry and refrigerator staples like granola, preserves, pickles, and other condiments. There are pastry recipes, beverages, vegan and vegetarian options, and a buttermilk bonus chapter.

Trejo’s Tacos: Recipes and Stories from L.A.: A Cookbook by Danny Trejo: From the legendary actor and L.A restaurateur comes a cookbook featuring 75 recipes, from lowrider donuts and award-winning vegan cauliflower tacos to a sweet and spicy brisket inspired by Danny’s mom’s barbacoa. This is another title I am excited to get my hands on.

Falastin: A Cookbook by Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley: Released last month in the UK, Falastin comes to the US this month. This long-awaited solo title from the co-founder of the Ottolenghi’s empire is as magnificent as we thought it was going to be. Filled with stories, photographs, and recipes that provide comfort and inspiration.

Perfectly Golden: Inspired Recipes from Goldenrod Pastries, the Nebraska Bakery That Specializes in Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and Vegan Treats by Angela Garbacz: Based in Lincoln, Nebraska, Goldenrod Pastries is a community bakery with an ambitious and talented baker at the helm. Garbacz learned at her mother’s and grandmothers’ elbows, mixing up cookies and rolling sweet buns. Her training continued in New York City before she returned home and opened her dream shop. From her grandma’s famous peach coffee cake to caramel-covered pecan rolls, lemon meringue pie, and frosted brownies to Fluffernutter buns and confetti cookies, Garbacz’s pastries come out of the oven perfectly golden and regularly sell out. At her bakery, she creates delicious treats without dairy or gluten, but every recipe in this book can be made with butter and all-purpose flour just as easily as any alternative. With her positive attitude and confident voice, Garbacz makes it easy and fun to bake a perfect dessert that everyone can eat.

A Good Meal Is Hard to Find: Storied Recipes from the Deep South by Amy C. Evans and Martha Hall Foose: With charming narratives, visual storytelling, and delectable recipes, this title is everything you’ve ever wanted in a Southern cookbook. Inside are 60 go-to recipes organized into five chapters – Morning’s Glories, Lingering Lunches, Dinner Dates & Late-Night Takes, Afternoon Pick-Me-Ups, and Anytime Sweets. Recipes are written by award-winning cookbook author and Southern food expert Martha Hall Foose, as part of a collaboration with Amy C. Evans.

Texas Q: 100 Recipes for the Very Best Barbecue from the Lone Star State, All Smoke-Cooked to Perfection by Cheryl Jamison: Among the more than 100 recipes in these pages you will find loads of ideas for other cuts of beef, as well as for chicken, pork, lamb, fish and other seafood, and vegetables, each infused – via rubs and mops and sauces and spices – with robust, distinctive Texas flavors. Here, too, you will find stunning preparations from outside the Anglo-American beef-and-brisket tradition, from the oft-overlooked Mexican-American, African-American, Eastern European immigrant, and Asian immigrant barbecue styles created by the people who make modern Texas so diverse and fascinating.

What’s Gaby Cooking: Eat What You Want: 125+ Recipes to Live Your Best Life by Gaby Dalkin: In her follow-up to her breakout success What’s Gaby Cooking, Dalkin reveals the best way to live: Enjoy the food you love. The cookbook reflects how Gaby eats in real life, and for her, balancing moderation and indulgence is everything.  Events (The events are still listed on her site, but as Williams-Sonoma stores have closed during this time, please check to see which events are postponed.)

Award-Winning BBQ Sauces and How to Use Them: The Secret Ingredient to Next-Level Smoking by Ray Sheehan: Kick the flavor up a notch by making award-winning sauces with wholesome ingredients in your own backyard. From Memphis mop BBQ sauce and Kansas City BBQ sauce to less traditional flavors like Cherry bourbon BBQ sauce and Tangy peach BBQ sauce, there’s no end to the combinations you can create.

Monseigneur le Vin: The Art of Drinking Wine (Like the French Do) by Louis Forest: Originally published in French in 1927 as part of a set of promotional books for French wine distributor Nicolas, Monseigneur le Vin is a lovely illustrated jewel of a wine primer brought back into print. The book is perfectly relevant to today’s wine lovers, charmingly presented: wine information like bouquet, color, and taste profile is essentially the same today, and Montorgueil’s reverence for wine is delivered with an élan and is oh-so-very French, with observations like “A full-bodied red wine wants to be laid on its side and made cozy.” Delightful and informative, Monseigneur le Vin is sure to appeal to new and experienced wine lovers alike.

Carpathia: Food from the Heart of Romania by Irina Georgescu: This beautiful book was published in the UK last month. It is the first book from the food stylist and cooking enthusiast that introduces readers to Romania’s bold, inventive and delicious cuisine. Bringing the country to life with stunning photography and recipes, it will take the reader on a culinary journey to the very heart of the Balkans, exploring its history and landscape through its traditions and food.

Showstopping BBQ with Your Traeger Grill: Standout Recipes for Your Wood Pellet Cooker from an Award-Winning Pitmaster by Ed Randolph: The Traeger® pellet grill and smoker is one of the most versatile and convenient cookers on the market, and award-winning pitmaster Ed Randolph will show you all the incredible dishes you can make with it.

The Complete Summer Cookbook: Beat the Heat with 500 Recipes that Make the Most of Summer’s Bounty by America’s Test Kitchen Editors: A hot day and hanging over your stove was never meant to be. When fresh produce beckons but you haven’t much energy to respond, these recipes help you settle into a more relaxed kind of cooking designed to keep you and your kitchen cool. Untether yourself from the oven with make-ahead meals best served cold (or at room temp).

Other titles of interest:

Canada

Flat Out Delicious: Your Guide to Saskatchewan’s Food Artisans by Jenn Sharp: The author and photographer Richard Marjan spent four months traveling Saskatchewan, chatting at market stalls, in kitchens, bottling sheds, and stockrooms. Flat Out Delicious is the culmination of interviews with small-scale farmers and city gardeners, beekeepers and chocolatiers, ranchers, chefs, and winemakers. Together they tell the story of Saskatchewan’s unique food systems.

United Kingdom

Eating for Pleasure, People and Planet: Plant Based, Zero Waste, Climate Cuisine by Tom Hunt: The author’s plant-based recipes are seasonal and sustainable, enabling us to eat better food that supports not only our health but also the wellbeing of the planet. Tom explains his manifesto of: Eat for Pleasure; Eat Whole Foods; Eat the Best Food You Can, referencing the latest research and guidelines, but in a clear and conversational manner. Following with delicious recipes, which are divided into Breakfasts, Slow Lunches & Suppers, A New Way with Salads, Family Meals & Feast Plates, Sweet Treats and Larder essentials, and then sub-divided into seasons – these are inventive recipes to enjoy with friends and family. Tom’s recipes are easy to make, delicious to eat and his important message is clear – eat well, waste nothing. This title is also being published in the US by Interlink this month.

Oats in the North, Wheat from the South: The History of British Baking, Savoury and Sweet by Regula Ysewijn: Here the author explains how imports of spices, sugar, treacle, fortified wines and citrus fruits added flavour, colour and warmth to a baking culture much adored and replicated all over the world. The book takes the reader on a guided tour of British cake lore, exploring the British affection for tea and toast, as well as the one small Yorkshire town’s 200-year-old obsession with baking the world’s largest meat pie. I’ve ordered this book and am looking forward to receiving it.

Cooking in Marfa: Welcome, We’ve Been Expecting You by Virginia Lebermann and Rocky Barnette: This book introduces an unusual small town in the West Texas desert and, within it, a fine-dining oasis in a most unlikely place. The Capri excels at serving the spectrum of guests that Marfa draws, from locals and ranchers to artists, museum-board members, and discerning tourists. Featuring more than 80 recipes inspired by local products, this is the story of this unique community told through the lens of food, sharing the cuisine and characters that make The Capri a destination unto itself. Please remember that Eat Your Book members receive 30% off Phaidon titles when using the link provided. (on the preview to be done sheet, sent Oly msg)

The Silver Spoon: Recipes for Babies: The complete guide to feeding your baby or toddler, giving them a lifelong love of good food – the Italian way! Please remember that Eat Your Book members receive 30% off Phaidon titles when using the link provided.

Plants-Only Kitchen: Over 70 Delicious, Super-Simple, Powerful and Protein-Packed Recipes for Busy People by Gaz Oakley: Find out more about this title in our giveaway (US/UK/AU/NZ)

Bitter Honey: Recipes from the Island of Sardinia by Letitia Clark: Here the seasoned chef invites us into her new home on one of the most beautiful islands in the Mediterranean Sea – Sardinia. Cooking here reflects life: it is a slow and relaxed affair. Meat is almost always slow-roasted over an open fire, often on a rustic spit. Cheese is made and matured slowly, using age-old methods and tools. Beans and legumes, and most vegetables too are cooked long and slow, extracting all their sweetness. There is no sense of urgency about anything. The recipes in this book don’t take long to make, but you can taste the ethos behind every one of them – one which invites you to slow down, to enjoy yourself, to nourish yourself with food, friends, and family.

The Vegetarian Silver Spoon: Classic and Contemporary Italian Recipes: The latest title to join Phaidon’s Silver Spoon library features more than 200 recipes for Italian vegetarian dishes, with a particular emphasis on healthy meat-free options for appetizers, main dishes, salads, sides, and desserts. Recipes range from classic dishes that are traditionally vegetarian to contemporary dishes that introduce ingredients borrowed from outside Italy’s culinary culture. The book is easy to navigate, thanks to its recipe icons, while gorgeous specially commissioned photographs bring its delicious dishes to life. Please remember that Eat Your Book members receive 30% off Phaidon titles when using the link provided.

Fire, Smoke, Green: Vegetarian Barbecue, Smoking and Grilling Recipes by Martin Nordin: In his second book, Nordin brings us a host of mouthwatering, modern vegetarian recipes, using the most elemental and ancient method of cooking: fire. Not just a barbecue cookbook, it is broken up into seven chapters that cover everything you need to know about making great food over the flame: from grilling directly onto fire to cooking with indirect fire, smoked recipes, and even wood-fired pizza!

The Pastry Chef’s Guide: The Secret to Successful Baking Every Time by Ravneet Gill: This is a book aimed at chefs and home bakers alike who fear baking. The message: pastry is easy. Written by pastry chef extraordinaire Ravneet Gill, this is a straight-talking no-nonsense manual designed to become the baking reference book on any cookery shelf. This is the written embodiment of Ravneet’s very special expertise as a patisserie chef filled with the natural flair and razor-sharp wit that gives her such enormous appeal.

Clodagh’s Home Cooking: Irresistible Recipes for Every Occasion by Clodagh McKenna: With a strong focus on using local produce and eating together, this cookbook brings together recipes and ideas gathered from years of travelling and taking notes. It is filled with household tips, notes on food producers, farmers’ markets and Clodagh’s favorite restaurants, cafes and bars.

Other titles of interest:

Australia

Made for You: Spring: Seasonal Recipes for Gifts and Celebrations – Make Wrap Deliver and Made for You: Summer: Seasonal Recipes for Gifts and Celebrations by Sophie Hansen: These books are fresh and giftable books for the season, packed with delicious seasonal recipes for sharing and celebrating, set against a backdrop of stunning landscapes and natural beauty. There are also ideas for how best to cook, pack and drop off a food package for someone who may be celebrating an exciting milestone, moving house, busy with a newborn baby, recovering from illness, grieving, or simply in need of love and comfort. Look for Autumn and Winter later this year.

The Hot Chicken Project: Words + Recipes | Obsession + Salvation by Aaron Turner: An exploration and celebration of an iconic Southern food and culture. The Hot Chicken Project is part recipe book (40 recipes covering the best mains, sandwiches, sides, salads and sauces), part narrative, part pictorial celebration of the history and power hot chicken holds over the city of Nashville – and beyond.

The Global Vegan: More than 100 Delicious Plant-Based Recipes from Around the World by Ellie Bullen: These plant-based dishes are infused with her trademark flavor, color, and texture and will have you eating well throughout the day. There are vibrant smoothie bowls or vegan fried eggs for easing into the morning; Salt and Pepper “Calamari,” Tom Kha Gai Soup, or Aloo Jeera when you need something more substantial; and chai-spiced cookies or Portuguese custard tarts to have with an afternoon cuppa. There are also healthy, plant-based versions of well-known favorites, such as Pad Thai, Fish and Chips, and Spicy Ramen Soup. A qualified dietitian, Ellie explains everything you need to know about adopting a plant-based diet, including how to get enough iron and achieve the right balance of carbs, proteins, and good fats. With extraordinary travel photography scattered throughout, Global Vegan  is an explosion of color and flavor, and is imbued with Ellie’s unique sense of adventure and her love of plants. Includes a conversion chart.

Super Green Super Easy by Sally Obermeder and Maha Corbett: In their new cookbook the authors tackled the number one hurdle that faces so many of us when it comes to eating well and feeling healthy – time! Here they show how you can create amazing, delicious one-pot meals, monster salads, one-tray wonders, bowls, smoothies and snacks that are nutritious and quick to prepare, with affordable ingredients.

New Zealand

So Delish!: Super Easy, Fresh Meals for Every Day by Simone Anderson: This title is jam-packed full of delicious, healthy recipes that you will want to whip up every day. Beautifully styled and photographed, this book shows you that good food can be easy to make and, what’s more, it can be really tasty. Simone’s philosophy on eating is that you should enjoy it, and she doesn’t believe in denying yourself treats or restricting entire food groups. Her recipes are fresh and healthy, and she loves to prepare light, beautiful meals. Known as the platter queen, she’s created some amazing platters for this book, as well as heaps of easy recipes for dinners, lunches, breakfasts, and snacks.

Category: New Cookbooks

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