December 2016 Cookbook Roundup

December 21, 2016 by
 |  Leave Comment

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.

The Enchantingly Easy Persian Cookbook: 100 Simple Recipes for Beloved Persian Food Favorites by Shadi HasanzadeNemati is a collection of simple, straightforward takes on authentic Persian favorites that are accessible enough for beginners, yet still fun for more seasoned cooks. Recipes range from Sour Cherry Mixed Rice, Lamb Loin Soup to a variety of sweet treats and drinks. Vibrant photographs as vivid as the cuisine of Persia itself accompany many of the recipes.
 
A Guest in Azerbaijan: Culture & Cuisine by Barbara Lutterbeck and Brunhild Seeler-Herzog is packed with gorgeous photographs by Lutterbeck and text by Seeler-Herzog. The “Land of Fire” is beautifully captured in this title with stunning images, captivating narrative that speaks to the history of this area and an indepth look at its cuisine. Roughly twenty-five recipes are contained in this title from Baked Walnuts with Eggs to Sweet Flaky Pastry Squares. 
 
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 S.N.O.B. Experience: Slightly North Of Broad by Frank Lee delivers classic recipes from his Charleston restaurant that his regulars would not allow off the menu. Long-running seasonal plates and many of the sauces, side dishes, and dressings that played foundational roles in the restaurant’s popular Lunch Express and Dailies menus are included. I’ve heard nothing but great things about the restaurant and as I page through the book I can see why. There are photographs of the customers along with their testimonials, highlights of the staff and many photographs of the dishes. Recipes include Soft Pecan Meringue with Rum Caramel, a Pork Chop that looks like no other I have ever seen before and cannot wait to make, and a Fried Chicken Watermelon Salad that looks killer good. This book is jam-packed with goodness. You need it.
 
Modern Pressure Cooking: More Than 100 Incredible Recipes and Time-Saving Techniques to Master Your Pressure Cooker by Bren Herrera is an exciting new book devoted to recharging and spicing up your pressure cooker meals. With recipes for Tarragon-Mustard Braised Short Ribs, Pumpkin Coconut Curry Soup, Spinach and Almond Risotto, Braised Peppered Red Wine Oxtail, and Toasted Pistachio and Cardamom Flan you can’t go wrong. We will be sharing a full review of this title along with a giveaway soon and one lucky winner will win an Instant Pot!

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.

The Gourmet Girls Go Camping Cookbook: Amazing Meals Straight from Your Campfire! by Gail Kearns and Lindsey Moran and Denise Woolery is a must-have for anyone who loves to camp in style and enjoys delicious food prepared in the great outdoors. On one camping trip, the authors decided there was a need for a camping cookbook that appealed to an audience who refused to eat canned beans and weenies (hot dogs) just because they were camping. If you love to camp, this is the book for you. 
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! 

The Great British Bake Off: Perfect Cakes & Bakes to Make at Home: Over 100 Recipes from Simple to Showstopping Bakes and Cakes by Linda Collister was released earlier this year in the U.K. and is coming across the pond this month. Bake like you are in the tent – with recipes from the bakers of 2014, including Mary and Paul’s technical challenges. It is a beautiful book full of photographs and “scrummy” recipes. The book includes profiles of the bakers from the 2014 series including Martha Collison whose book, Twist, was released in the U.K. earlier this year. Twist will be released in the U.S. in June of 2017.  
Family Sunday Lunches: Over 150 delicious recipes for a relaxed Sunday lunch by Mary Berry was released in the UK in September and is out this month in the U.S. This book brings Sunday lunch right up to date by sharing Mary’s springtime starters, autumnal fruit pies, slow-cooked casseroles and light summer salads – winter curries, garden buffets, vegetarian meals and divine desserts are included, too. 
 

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 Wellness Mama Cookbook: 200 Easy-to-Prepare Recipes and Time-Saving Advice for the Busy Cook by Katie Wells is a compilation of all that this busy mom and blogger has learned, with 200 simple, delicious recipes using all-natural ingredients; meal plans; time-saving tips; and advice that will take the guesswork out of dinner. This is the follow up to her 2014 debut cookbook.
The Perfect Blend: 100 Blender Recipes to Energize and Revitalize by Tess Masters functions not only as a cookbook but also as a guide for how to lead a more vibrant and healthy life. The Blender Girl, a blogging powerhouse, lays out a dozen healthy goals for readers, capitalizing on current trends such as gaining energy, boosting immunity, reducing inflammation, detoxing the body, and probiotic power. Her previous titles The Blender Girl: Super-Easy, Super-Healthy Meals, Snacks, Desserts, and Drinks: 100 Gluten-Free, Raw, and Vegan Recipes! and The Blender Girl Smoothies: 100 Gluten-Free, Vegan & Paleo-Friendly Recipes are indexed for our members.
Southern Breads: Recipes, Stories and Traditions (American Palate) by Marilyn Markel and Chris Holaday offer the mouthwatering history, famous recipes and heartwarming stories of Southerners in their kitchens. Roasted Radish Bruschetta with Compound Chive Butter, Breakfast Cinnamon Buns with Sorghum Butter and Sheri Castle’s Sweet Potato Biscuit Bread Pudding with Bourbon-Pecan Caramel Sauce are some examples of the deliciousness in this title. Recipes for staples such as cornbreads, biscuit, dumplings, compound butters and cobblers are shared as well. 
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.
 
Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine by Sarah Lohman introduces the explorers, merchants, botanists, farmers, writers, and chefs whose choices came to define the American palate. The author, a historical gastronomist, discovered that American food is united by eight flavors: black pepper, vanilla, curry powder, chili powder, soy sauce, garlic, MSG, and Sriracha.  In Eight Favors, Lohman weaves together original research, historical recipes, gorgeous illustrations and her own adventures both in the kitchen and in the field. 
 
Superfood Weeknight Meals: Healthy, Delicious Dinners Ready in 30 Minutes or Less by Kelly Pfeiffer shares simple-yet-creative meals that feature 10 everyday “superfood” ingredients: avocado, lentils, almonds, sweet potatoes, quinoa, eggs, spinach, citrus fruit, olive oil, and cauliflower. With each recipe using at least two of these foods, you can guaranteed that your family is getting a healthy meal – and one that you don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen making!

Blissful Basil: Over 100 Plant-Powered Recipes to Unearth Vibrancy, Health, and Happiness by Ashley Melillo finds innovative ways to use plants for fun, flavorful dishes that keep her readers coming back. Her gorgeous debut cookbook brings brand-new recipes, plus a handful of signature dishes, from her kitchen to yours.
 
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.
 
Clean Eating Alice Eat Well Every Day: Nutritious, Healthy Recipes for Life on the Go by Alice Liveing shares a fabulous selection of 100 new recipes in her eagerly anticipated first cookbook. Hundreds of thousands on Instagram have already been inspired by Alice’s meals that are both healthy and delicious. Alice’s first book – her Body Bible – was released earlier this year.
 
The Louise Parker Method: Lean for Life: The Cookbook by Louise Parker not only contains over 120 fuss-free recipes; it arms you with the knowledge to create hundreds of variations so you will never get bored. Louise Parker is the Lean for Life guru to the stars and celebrities rave about her plan.
 
Food from Naples by Johnny Di Francesco is a compilation of traditional family recipes and a reflection of ‘the world’s best pizza maker’ Johnny Di Francesco. It is being released in the UK and US. I’ve done some major searching and can’t seem to locate more information on this title for you. I will update when I learn more. 
Morning Noon Night: A Way of Living by Soho House follows the bestselling Eat, Drink, Nap. The 300-page, cloth-bound book invites readers behind the scenes at the Houses – taking you through the day from the second you wake up to the moment you go to bed. Key elements of the Soho House way of living are illustrated and broken down into helpful features, like how to make a tasty vegan breakfast or creating the perfect bedroom, with plenty of inspirational new imagery along the way. Interior design, food and drink take centre stage, and with more than 20 years of design experience behind them, Soho House’s experts offer impactful insights into House style, including tips on their favourite sources and suppliers – all designed to help you take a little of the House home

Australia

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! 

Category: New Cookbooks

Post a comment

Seen anything interesting? Let us know & we'll share it!

Categories

Archives