The Holiday Cookshelf

Women on Food
By Charlotte Druckman + 115 Writers, Chefs, Critics, Television Stars, and Eaters Abrams Press, $30
Funny, poignant, smart, and sometimes devastating, the stories and reflections in this collection educate, entertain, and inspire. Interviews, essays, and questionnaires posed to some of the most influential female chefs, restauranteurs, food writers, personalities and critics of our era reveal the struggle women have faced and continue to face in the food industry. Essays, like the one by New Yorker cartoonist Carolita Johnson titled “Comfort Dishes,” recall not the recipes her mother made, but the dishes in which she served the food. Tienlon Ho, of the formerly published food magazine Lucky Peach, writes about the traditional Chinese foods her father cooked for her when she was pregnant, which served as a connection to her culture and a reminder of how we sometimes need to be cared for. Conversations with Carla Hall, Rachel Ray, Nigella Lawson and other powerhouse female food icons round out this incredible collection of voices. A great gift for any feminist foodie!

JGV: A Life In 12 Recipes
By Jean-Georges Vongerichten with Michael Ruhlman $26.95
What recipes, or dishes, have left their mark on you? In this heartwarming memoir, Michelin-star chef and restauranteur Jean-Georges Vongerichten shares twelve recipes that represent times of happiness, struggle, and growth as he went from sixteen-year-old apprentice to a world-renowned chef. His mother’s goose stew reminds him of the importance of economy and simplicity and focus on quality ingredients. Egg Caviar for Two recalls his struggle as a young chef to adapt to a different style of cooking in a different kitchen with different rules. His eye-opening travels to Bangkok, with its exotic and pungent flavors and spices, inspired the Asian-fusion dish Lobster Thai that remains one of his favorite recipes. While the story is about the making of a young chef, the lessons he shares with readers are relevant for anyone chasing a dream.

The Martini Cocktail
A Meditation on the World’s Greatest Drink, with Recipes by Robert Simonson 10 Speed Press, $18.99
Warning: the recipes in this book are delicious, but potent! Simonson’s ode to the “cocktail of all cocktails” is full of fun historical and cultural tidbits. The book tracks the evolution of martinis since the first recorded recipe in 1888, then a much sweeter drink, and follows its adaptations and innovations at the hands of today’s creative mixologists. Recipes are divided into sections: Early Martinis, Classic Variations, Oddities, and Personal Martinis. Perhaps the most famous – and potent -- martini can be found at Dukes Hotel in London. The bar permits just two at a sitting. Simonson includes the recipe and the preparation particulars to try (safely!) at home. Modern adaptations will inspire the more adventurous martini enthusiast to try unusual combinations of flavors. The Dante House Martini includes champagne vinegar, lemon bitters and Toasted Fennel Tincture (recipe for that is also included), and employs the “throwing” method, which means to pour the liquid from the tin to the glass back to the tin again. Cocktail aficionados will love this book! Cheers!

The Joy of Seafood
By Barton Seaver Sterling Epicure, $50.00
Seaver, who formerly ran restaurants in DC, now lives in Maine and works to further the efforts of the sustainable seafood movement, including this comprehensive guide to more than 90 varieties of seafood, some of which can be found here in Delmarva, with a ton of useful information. Seaver demystifies buying and cooking seafood and dispels myths that often dissuade us from attempting to make it part of our regular menus. Most of the book is an alphabetical reference, complete with information about the fish, where it can be found, and which preparations highlight the flavor and texture of the meat. Pan Fried Cornmeal Crusted Trout (in bacon drippings), Soft Shell Crabs with Corn Relish, Flounder Ceviche, Broiled Bluefish with Sundried Tomato Butter, and Spicy Fried Whole Black Bass are just a few of the 900 recipes. We are lucky enough to live in an area where seafood is plentiful and varied, so The Joy of Seafood could easily become a family classic.

Lasagna: A Baked Pasta Cookbook
By Anna Hezel and the Editors of Taste, $16.99
Had a bad day? Need some food love? If a cheesy baked pasta dish, hot out of the oven, will make your world right again, then Anna Hezel’s Lasagna: A Baked Pasta Cookbook is for you. In it, she and the editors of the online food magazine Taste bring back the oldies, such as Classic Meat Sauce & Ricotta Lasagna, but they also include an entire section on “Not the Classics,” curating recipes for interesting lasagna variations that span the globe. Ethiopian Lasagna uses scallions, berbere, and smoked paprika to flavor the meat sauce. The Moroccan-Spiced Lamb Lasagna is seasoned with cinnamon and orange zest. Vegans and vegetarians, fear not. Try one of several options, such as Lasagna with Kale Pesto or A Potentially Vegan Puttanesca Lasagna. If the broad, flat noodles aren’t your thing, there’s a section on “Other Baked Pastas,” including Baked Ziti, Spinach Manicotti with Creamy Tomato Sauce, and yes, the fan favorite (updated!) Rotisserie Chicken Tetrazzini. I’m feeling better already!

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margarita
By Tim Federle, Running Press, $15.00
Books, meet booze! Are You There God is the worthy successor to Tequila Mockingbird, a fun and festive collection of literary-themed cocktails. The ladies in your book club will delight in the clever commentary, historical tidbits, and, of course, tasty libations. The literate lush in your life will love creating cocktails like Murder on The Orient Espresso, The Handmaid’s Ale, or Of Mice and Manischchewitz.

Skinnytaste: One and Done
By Gina Homolka, Potter, $30.00
The Skinnytaste program emphasizes sensible weight control by eating whole foods and focusing on portion control. In One and Done, Homolka makes cooking this way even easier by focusing on one-pot wonders organized by time-saving cooking vessels- skillet, sheet pan, baking dish, pressure cooker, air fryer, or slow cooker. Each recipe includes detailed nutritional information, as well as color-coded notes for special diets and freezer-friendly recipes. Beautifully photographed, non-fussy recipes will have you whipping up delicious, healthy recipes that your whole family will love, including Creamy Butternut Pasta with Spicy Sausage and Spinach, Shepherd’s Pie with Cauliflower Crust and Vegetarian Butternut Chili.

Rose’s Baking Basics
By Rose Levy Beranbaum, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $35.00
Beranbaum’s Cake Bible is truly the shining example of THE cookbook for any serious baker. Rose’s Baking Basics takes everything she has learned from writing 11 cookbooks and boils it down to simple instructions and more than 600 step-by-step photographs to inspire the novice baker. With more than 100 foolproof recipes, treats such as Marzipan Cookies, Lemon Butter Squares, and Apple Cider Cake Donuts are well within any motivated beginner’s reach.

Unicorn Food: Beautiful Plant-Based Recipes to Nurture Your Inner Magical Beast
By Kat Odell, Workman Publishing, $19.99
A vibrant collection of vegan-ish recipes created to help you release your inner unicorn by eating whole, minimally processed, vibrantly-colored, tasty foods. Odell gives all the tools needed to eat beautifully, starting with extensive tips on creating and stocking your own unicorn pantry. Start your day with a Pineapple, Ginger and Basil Matcha Juice, enjoy a colorful lunch of Broccoli-Avocado Soup, and end it with a mythic Miso-Almond Cookie with Date Caramel Glaze.

Tasty Ultimate: How to Cook Basically Anything
An Official Tasty Cookbook, Clarkson Potter, $29.99
Tasty creates internet-famous cooking videos watched by millions daily. This expansive, lavishly illustrated book is perfect for any cook on your holiday list regardless of their skill level. Beginners will learn from the “101” tips scattered throughout, and accomplished home chefs will love the varied and eclectic collection of more than 150 recipes.  Comfort foods - Classic Tomato Soup and Ultimate Buttermilk Fried Chicken – are right at home alongside more daring dishes, such as Crackling-Crust Roast Pork with Mojo and a Showstopping Beef Wellington.

Menus: A Book for Your Meals and Memories
By Jacques Pepin, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $29.99
Jacques Pepin created this gorgeous, hand-illustrated book to “to record the meals shared with friends and family… as a testimony to the special moments of togetherness and joy of food and love.” This collection of 75 of his favorite charming borders gives space to memorialize menus and allow guests and friends to leave lovely comments. Pepin even suggests removes labels from special bottles of wine and glues them into the book. A gorgeous gift for anyone who loves to entertain!

The Perfect Pie
By America’s Test Kitchen, $35.00
Not to be left out of the “perfect” series – The Perfect Cookie (2017) and The Perfect Cake (2018) – America’s Test Kitchen has released The Perfect Pie cookbook just in time for fall baking. Ever trustworthy, America’s Test Kitchen does exactly that: test and re-test recipes and kitchen equipment. Their motto is, “We make the mistakes so you don’t have to.” The goal of this book is to provide foolproof recipes for any kind of pie, from the “classics,” such as Deep-Dish Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie and Pecan Pie, to cream and custard pies, like Banana Cream Pie, Lemon Meringue Pie and Chocolate Chess Pie. The “Upping Your Game” chapter teaches more complicated pie making and decorating techniques, like fancy pastry top and edge designs, apple rosettes for the Salted Caramel Apple Pie, and pralines and crumb toppings for a variety of fruit pies. There’s a chapter featuring regional pies such as the Virginia Peanut Pie and North Carolina Lemon Pie, plus an entire section dedicated to crusts of all types, including vegan and gluten-free dough. Happy rolling!