PERFECT ONE-DISH DINNERS, by Pam Anderson. When Pam says something’s ‘perfect,’ you can take her word for it. This is hallmark Pam: the dishes are unfussy but great-looking, easy but packed with flavor. Don’t miss the video of Pam with her terrific daughters – it makes you wish you were in the kitchen with them and I love their name: Three Many Cooks.
THE MEAT-LOVER’S MEATLESS COOKBOOK: Vegetarian Recipes Carnivores Will Devour, by Kim O’Donnel with photographs by Myra Kohn. You think you’ve heard of meatless recipes for those who love meat before, but you ain’t heard nothin’ yet, if you haven’t heard what these two gifted women have to say, cook and show. Not only can they cook, write and photograph, but they’re great women – I finally met them when I was on book tour in Seattle, and all I wanted to do was stay in town and hang with them.
SALTED, by Mark Bitterman. To say that Mark is passionate about salt is to fall seriously short of describing his depth of knowledge and the excitement he has for this subject. Ask him the simplest question about salt and watch his face light up and his speech click into high gear. He loves the stuff and knows every grain of it, whether it’s hand-harvested or mined, found in France or Japan, and it’s all in his book (and in the salts he sells in his boutique).
ONE BIG TABLE, by Molly O’Neill. It’s one very, very big book that required more effort to research and craft than I’m capable of even imagining. Molly has not just collected recipes from every nook and cranny, farmer, teacher, preacher and maven from all over America, but listened to their stories and passed them along to us. A treat in hundreds of ways.
NUTS IN THE KITCHEN, by Susan Hermann Loomis. Many of you know my American-in-France friend Susan from her cooking school or her books about her life on rue Tatin. With this book, Susan takes a single (albeit very big) subject and explores it from every angle with recipes from every part of the world. Susan’s a really good storyteller, a really good recipe-writer and a very imaginative cook and this book shows off all her talents.
HIGH FLAVOR, LOW LABOR: Reinventing Weeknight Cooking, by JM Hirsch. I’ve never met JM – we’ve talked on the phone just a couple of times – but reading and cooking from this book, I feel as though I know him: his energy and his real enthusiasm cooking come off every page.
NEW HAVEN CHEFS TABLE, by Linda Giuca. Linda is a legend in the newspaper world and the genie who made the food section of The Hartford Courant a must-read across the state. Here she makes the work of New Haven’s most exciting chefs doable for us at home. I love that the book includes a profile of the Yale Sustainable Food Project.
IN THE KITCHEN WITH A GOOD APPETITE, by Melissa Clark. Taken from Melissa’s popular column in The New York Times, the book gives you 150 eclectic recipes and just as many stories. A lovely kitchen companion.
RADICALLY SIMPLE, by Rozanne Gold. If the cover picture doesn’t grab you, then it can only be because you’ve eaten too much for the holidays. Rozanne is best known for her incredible ability to take 3 ingredients and turn them into something delectable. She’s done magic with just 3 ingredients, so you can only imagine what sorcery she’s capable of when she allows herself just a few more.
BAREFOOT CONTESSA HOW EASY IS THAT? by Ina Garten. You don’t need me to tell you about Ina and her books, I know, but just in case you’ve been locked in Timbuktu for the past few months, let me be the first to break the news that Ina’s got a new book packed with her signature simple-but-super-tasty recipes and lots of tips to make life even more delicious than it already is.
THE FOOD MATTERS COOKBOOK, by Mark Bittman. Those of you who follow Mark’s work (and who doesn’t) will know about his explorations into how what and the way we eat affects the environment. Here he gives us 500 recipes that allow us to eat well, tread lightly and do good.
THE INDIAN SLOW COOKER COOKBOOK, by Anupy Singla. Anupy is really on to something here. In 50 well-crafted and imaginative recipes, Anupy shows you how to use the modern slow cooker to get the beautiful, complex flavors of her ancient native cuisine. A book that will surprise you.
I have this nagging sense that I’ve forgotten someone. If I have, please forgive me and please let me know.
Wishing you all holidays filled with sweetness.