Secrets of the Red Lantern: Stories and Recipes from the Heart


Pauline Nguyen - 2007
    Pauline Nguyen's parents presented these recipes night after night at the highly successful Vietnamese restaurant The Red Lantern, and these were recipes which had been perfected and passed down over many years. The great majority of these recipes are easily achievable, utilising a relatively small range of ingredients; they include such delights as Pho Bo Tai Nam, a beef soup with sawtooth coriander and Vietnamese basil, or pork belly (Thit Ba Roi). All are presented here in a concise and accessible fashion. But recipes are not all that Secrets of the Red Lantern has to offer. This is more than a cookbook: it is a candid and often moving story of Pauline Nguyen's family, beginning with their dangerous escape from Vietnam during the war and their ultimate settling down in Australia. The love of food is something more than a professional necessity for this family: it helped to assuage their home sickness, and even reconciled differences within the family (these personal passages are quite as beguiling as the more practical cookery aspects of the book). Most of all, though, this is a feast of the most tantalising of foreign recipes, burnished with food and personal photography -- and it is the latter which conveys the very individual nature of the food so resplendently on offer here. --Barry Forshaw

Heart of the Artichoke: and Other Kitchen Journeys


David Tanis - 2010
    Nobody better embodies the present-day mantra "Eat real food in season" than David Tanis, one of the most original voices in American cooking. For more than a quarter-century, Tanis has been the chef at the groundbreaking Chez Panisse, in Berkeley, California, where the menu consists solely of a single perfect meal that changes each evening. Tanis’s recipes are down-to-earth yet sophisticated, simple to prepare but impressive on the plate. Tanis opens this soulful, fun-to-read cookbook with his own private food rituals, those treats—jalapeño pancakes, beans on toast, pasta for one—for when you are on your own in the kitchen with no one else to satisfy. Then he follows with twenty incomparable menus (five per season) that serve four to six. Each transports the reader to places far and wide.  And for grand occasions, a time for the whole tribe to gather around the table, Tanis delivers festive menus for holiday feasts. So in one book, three kinds of cooking: small, medium, and large.

Grandbaby Cakes: Modern Recipes, Vintage Charm, Soulful Memories


Jocelyn Delk Adams - 2015
    Since founding her popular recipe blog Grandbaby Cakes in 2012, Adams has been putting fresh twists on old favorites. Adams has earned praise from critics and the adoration of bakers both young and old for her easygoing advice, rich photography, and the heartwarming memories she shares of her family’s generations-old love of baking. As a child, Adams and her family would routinely embark on the ten-hour journey from their home in Chicago to Winona, Mississippi. There, she would watch her grandmother, affectionately nicknamed Big Mama, bake and develop delicious, melt-in-your-mouth desserts. From blooming tree-picked fruit to farm-raised eggs and fresh-churned butter, Big Mama used what was readily available to invent completely original treats. Adams treasured the moments when her mother, aunt, and Big Mama would bring her into the kitchen to let her dabble in the process as a rite of passage. Big Mama’s recipes became the fabric of their family heritage. Grandbaby Cakes is Adams’s love note to her family, thanking those who came before and passing on this touching tradition with 50 brilliant cakes.Grandbaby Cakes pairs charming stories of Big Mama’s kitchen with recipes ranging from classic standbys to exciting adventures—helpfully marked by degree of difficulty—that will inspire your own family for years to come. Adams creates sophisticated flavor combinations based on Big Mama’s gorgeous centerpiece cakes, giving each recipe something familiar mixed with something new. From pound cakes and layer cakes to sheet cakes and "baby" cakes (cupcakes and cakelettes), Grandbaby Cakes delivers fun, hip recipes perfect for any celebration.Readers will love this cookbook for its eclectic and bold recipes steeped in equal parts warm Southern charm and fresh Midwestern flavors. Not only will home bakers be able to make staples like yellow cake and icebox cake exactly how their grandmothers did, but they’ll also be preparing impressive innovations, like the Pineapple Upside-Down Hummingbird Pound Cake and the Fig-Brown Sugar Cake. Grandbaby Cakes is a collection for both new-aged and traditional bakers, but mostly it’s for anyone who wants a fresh, modern take on classic recipes as well as cakes full of heart and soul.

1,000 Indian Recipes


Neelam Batra - 2002
    This is a book Indian food lovers—and health-conscious eaters and vegetarians, too—can turn to for everyday meals and special occasions for years to come!

Dessert Person: Recipes and Guidance for Baking with Confidence


Claire Saffitz - 2020
    In Dessert Person, fans will find Claire's signature spin on sweet and savory recipes like Babkallah (a babka-Challah mashup), Apple and Concord Grape Crumble Pie, Strawberry-Cornmeal Layer Cake, Crispy Mushroom Galette, and Malted Forever Brownies. She outlines the problems and solutions for each recipe--like what to do if your pie dough for Sour Cherry Pie cracks (patch it with dough or a quiche flour paste!)--as well as practical do's and don'ts, skill level, prep and bake time, and foundational know-how. With Claire at your side, everyone can be a dessert person.

Bigger Bolder Baking: A Fearless Approach to Baking Anytime, Anywhere


Gemma Stafford - 2019
    Gemma hopes to restore baking as an everyday art, and this dessert cookbook is your guide.BAKE WITH CONFIDENCE100+ sweet and simple dessert recipes for maximum deliciousness with minimal effortUse just a few common ingredients and basic kitchen tools for bold twists on cakes, cookies, pies, ice cream, and moreEvery recipe has gorgeous color photography and step-by-step instructions that anyone can follow with easeANYTIME BAKINGAn approach unique among baking cookbooks, the chapters are organized by the basic tools you’ll need—such as Wooden Spoon & Bowl, Rolling Pin, or No Oven Needed—so you can choose the recipes that are most convenient for you during any spur-of-the-moment cravingBOLD NEW RECIPES & CLASSICSSurefire hits include Chocolate Lava Pie, Baked Cinnamon-Sugar Churros, Gemma’s Best-Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies, “In Case of Emergency” One-Minute Mug Brownie, Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Ice Cream, and many moreBONUS: A chapter on Bold Baking Basics includes essential techniques, tips, and in-a-pinch substitutions so you can whip up Gemma’s irresistible desserts with confidence

Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day


The Moosewood Collective - 1994
    Busy balancing home, work, and other commitments, they've been cooking for family and friends every day of the week for over twenty years. Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home is the result of that experience -- over 150 carefully honed and tested recipes calling for the best ingredients, accompanied by time-saving tips and planning suggestions, add up to a delicious whole-foods cuisine that is versatile and healthful and can be prepared with a minimum of effort.This book contains dishes full of exciting flavors, sure to please every taste, from savory soups to substantial main-dish salads, from hearty stews to palate-teasing "small dishes." Sauces, salsas and dressings, and a collection of almost-instant desserts turn the simplest meal into an occasion.Chapters on techniques and menu planning, lists of recipes for special needs, including nondairy and vegan fare and kid-pleasing food, as well as an in-depth guide to stocking the meatless pantry (including a list of recommended convenience foods), make Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home the essential companion to everyday cooking.

Heritage


Sean Brock - 2014
    With a drive to preserve the heritage foods of the South, Brock cooks dishes that are ingredient-driven and reinterpret the flavors of his youth in Appalachia and his adopted hometown of Charleston. The recipes include all the comfort food (think food to eat at home) and high-end restaurant food (fancier dishes when there’s more time to cook) for which he has become so well-known. Brock’s interpretation of Southern favorites like Pickled Shrimp, Hoppin’ John, and Chocolate Alabama Stack Cake sit alongside recipes for Crispy Pig Ear Lettuce Wraps, Slow-Cooked Pork Shoulder with Tomato Gravy, and Baked Sea Island Red Peas. This is a very personal book, with headnotes that explain Brock’s background and give context to his food and essays in which he shares his admiration for the purveyors and ingredients he cherishes.

The Illustrated Cook's Book of Ingredients


Norma MacMillan - 2010
    The ultimate comprehensive 'show and tell' reference to ingredients from around the globe, The Illustrated Cook's Book of Ingredients showcases fresh food and explains how to get the best out of it. Packed with annotated images and expert information that tells which varieties are best, and how to buy, store, and eat them, more than 250 "simple classic" recipes, and over 2,500 photographs, The Illustrated Cook's Book of Ingredients is an invaluable reference for food lovers and cooks intent on making the most of all the ingredients available today.

The Soup Peddler's Slow and Difficult Soups: Recipes and Reveries


David Ansel - 2005
    He dubbed his loyal customers "Soupies," and as word of his grassroots soup service spread, his delivery roster grew into a veritable Cult of the Bowl.THE SOUP PEDDLER'S SLOW & DIFFICULT SOUPS is David's heart- and belly-warming story of his second soup season peddling to the slacker-philosophers, artist-activists, and celebrity-eccentrics of Bouldin Creek. On his route, you'll meet a cross-dressing mayoral candidate, a radical coterie of plant liberators, a scheming ice cream man, and Alex the Wonder Dog, among others. To season his stories, David shares 35 of his most popular soups, with eclectic recipes like South Austin Chili, Alaskan Salmon Chowder, Smoked Tomato Bisque, Schav (Jewish sorrel soup), and Ajiaco (Colombian chicken-corn soup).A loving homage to the art, science, and joy of soup, and a taste of simpler times in our modern fast-food nation, SLOW & DIFFICULT SOUPS is a rousing reminder of our basic need to connect to our food-and those who cook, deliver, and slurp it.

The Looneyspoons Collection : Janet & Greta's Greatest Recipe Hits Plus a Whole Lot More!


Janet Podleski - 2011
    Lick your lips and shrink your hips with THE LOONEYSPOONS COLLECTIONJam-packed with the best of the best Janet & Greta recipes...made even BETTER! Better carbs Better fatsMore fiberLess sugarLess saltSame great taste that won t go to your waist!Plus TONS OF NEW, MUST-TRY RECIPES, including Greta's Gluten-Free Miracle Brownies - Chewy, moist, double-chocolate fudge browniesHoney, I Shrunk My Thighs! - Mouthwatering, honey-garlic baked chicken thighs that will leave everyone begging for more Moroccan and Rollin Quinoa Salad - The super-grain becomes super-scrumptious when paired with rockin spicePimped-Out Pumpkin Pie Pancakes - One taste and you ll say, Thanks(for)giving me this fabulous recipe! Diabetic? Looking for gluten-free or vegetarian options? Counting points? Cooking for finicky kids? The Looneyspoons Collection makes healthy eating delicious and fun for everyone! A feast for your eyes and your taste buds, TLC is overflowing with gorgeous, full-color food photos, hundreds of practical weight-loss, anti-aging and healthy-living tips and, of course, a heaping helping of Janet & Greta s trademark corny jokes and punny recipe titles.

Slow-Cook Yourself Skinny (Low Fat, Low Calorie Slow Cooker Meals)


Sara Winlet - 2014
    This low calorie slow cooker recipe book makes it easy to cook healthy, affordable meals without spending hours in the kitchen. At 450 calories or less per serving, these stew, chicken, beef, and pork recipes will help you lose weight as you enjoy delicious, nutritious meals.

The Liddabit Sweets Candy Cookbook: How to Make Truly Scrumptious Candy in Your Own Kitchen!


Liz Gutman - 2012
    PB&J Cups. Chai Latte Lollipops. Cherry Cordials, Spicy Pralines, and the cult favorite, Beer and Pretzel Caramels. Plus candy bars - the Twist Bar, the Nutty Bar, the Coconut - Lime Bar, inspired by commercial favorites (Snickers, Twix) but taken to new heights of deliciousness. And the French-style sea salt caramels that Daniel Boulud claimed were better than those he'd tasted in France. Yes, you really can make these sublime treats at home thanks to Liz Gutman and Jen King, the classically trained pastry chefs who traded in their toques to make candy - and now lead the candy-craft movement as proprietors of Liddabit Sweets, the Brooklyn confectionery whose products have drawn the attention of The Early Show, Fox and Friends, the Cooking Channel, O, The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Food & Wine, GQ, and more.Doing for candymaking what Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream did for ice cream, The Liddabit Sweets Candy Cookbook is the perfect marriage of sugar and spice, packed with 75 foolproof recipes, full-color photographs, and lots of attitude. The approachable recipes, offbeat humor, and step-by-step photographs remind us that homecandymaking is meant to be fun. The flavor combinations, down-to-earth advice, and easy directions make this the guide to turn to whether making candy for a treat, a holiday, a gift, or a bake sale.