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Holiday Cookbook Picks, 2011

Our Cookbook Buyer's holiday picks: the best books of the season that make great gifts.

A New Turn in the South by Hugh Acheson

This sensational cookbook by Canadian-turned-Georgian chef Hugh Acheson (who appeared on Top Chef Masters) is a fresh take on Southern food. The recipes emphasize vegetables and are delicious and lighter and fresher than you might expect. (Except for the mashed potatoes which are “more like butter with a touch of potato.” Well, and except for the desserts.) But what really sets this book apart is its design and its philosophy. You get a real sense of Acheson—his fun and quirky personality, and his dedication to all things local. Support local farmers (and artists, and coffee brewers, and native plant growers), he says, and you create and support community. (To which we say, Amen!) It’s not so much a political stance for him as it is his passion.

A New Turn in the South: Southern Flavors Reinvented for Your Kitchen: A Cookbook By Hugh Acheson, Bertis Downs (Foreword by), Rinne Allen (Photographs by) Cover Image
By Hugh Acheson, Bertis Downs (Foreword by), Rinne Allen (Photographs by)
$35.00
ISBN: 9780307719553
Availability: Not On Our Shelves, But Available from Warehouse - Usually Delivers in 3-14 Days
Published: Clarkson Potter - October 18th, 2011

Cooking My Way Back Home by Mitchell Rosenthal

Rosenthal, owner of three restaurants in San Francisco (including Town Hall and Salt House), has put together a terrific cookbook. The scope of the recipes is broad—Clam Chowder, Curried Chicken Sandwich with Cashews, Slow Braised Pork Pozole, numerous Southern dishes—with enough diversity to interest any home cook. The tone is warm and wonderful, and the food is delicious. No wonder this book has landed on many “Best of the Year” lists!

Cooking My Way Back Home: Recipes from San Francisco's Town Hall, Anchor & Hope, and Salt House [A Cookbook] By Mitchell Rosenthal, Jon Pult Cover Image
$35.00
This item may be available from the publisher! Give us a call or send us an email to find out.
ISBN: 9781580085922
Published: Ten Speed Press - October 18th, 2011

Mourad by Mourad Lahlou

Mourad Lahlou, owner of Michelin-starred San Francisco restaurant Aziza, is a self-taught chef who turned to cooking out of homesickness for his native Morocco. His terrific debut cookbook captures his modern approach to traditional recipes and is gorgeous to look at, to boot. Library Journal says it "beautifully captures a culture, philosophy, and cuisine." I absolutely agree.

The Art of French Baking by Ginette Mathiot

Clotilde Dusoulier, who writes the wonderful Chocolate & Zucchini blog from her Paris apartment, worked on the translation of this French classic. Written for home bakers, it demystifies French pastries—from éclairs to soufflés, macaroons to madeleines—showing that only a few basic recipes are needed to make some of the most beautiful, elegant and delicious French desserts. There’s no need be intimidated—lovely cakes, tarts, and cookies await!

The Art of French Baking By Clotilde Dusoulier (Editor), Ginette Mathiot, First Edition Translations (Translated by) Cover Image
$45.00
This item may be available from the publisher! Give us a call or send us an email to find out.
ISBN: 9780714862576
Published: Phaidon Press - November 5th, 2011

The Food52 Cookbook

Here’s the book to get someone who you know likes to cook (whether or not you know much else about them!). It’s a fantastic collection of recipes—submitted by home cooks—that have proven to be winning dishes. Accomplished food writers and editors Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs had a mission: to discover and celebrate the best home cooks in the country. Each week for fifty-two weeks, they ran recipe contests on their website, Food52.com, and the 140 winning recipes make up this book. From Lemony Cream Cheese Pancakes with Blueberries to BLT Panzanella, Secret Ingredient Beef Stew to Rum Apple Cake, it would be an absolute challenge to look through this collection and NOT find something you’d want to cook!

The Food52 Cookbook: 140 Winning Recipes from Exceptional Home Cooks By Amanda Hesser, Merrill Stubbs Cover Image
$35.00
This item may be available from the publisher! Give us a call or send us an email to find out.
ISBN: 9780061887208
Published: William Morrow Cookbooks - October 25th, 2011

The Family Meal by Ferran Adriá

You might think that even “home cooking” recipes by the world’s greatest chef, Ferran Adriá, would be out of the league of most nonprofessional cooks, but this collection, inspired by the dishes eaten every day by the staff at Adriá’s legendary restaurant, El Bulli, is actually quite practical.

The Family Meal: Home cooking with Ferran Adrià By El Bulli, Cillero & deMotta (Translated by) Cover Image
By El Bulli, Cillero & deMotta (Translated by)
$39.95
This item may be available from the publisher! Give us a call or send us an email to find out.
ISBN: 9780714862538
Published: Phaidon Press - October 3rd, 2011

Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson

From the blogger of 101 Cookbooks, this is THE book of the year for vegetarians and anyone interested in a healthier way of living (without any preaching!)

Staff Pick Badge
Super Natural Every Day: Well-Loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen [A Cookbook] By Heidi Swanson Cover Image
$23.00
This item may be available from the publisher! Give us a call or send us an email to find out.
ISBN: 9781580082778
Published: Ten Speed Press - April 5th, 2011

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