Due to a confluence of factors, here in France, deliveries to and from the U.S., have become a lot more challenging. It wasn’t easy to get deliveries here before, but now it can be a two-week odyssey to find out where a package is, and get your hands on it. Even La Poste, the French post office, says the United States isn’t available. Like other things in France, “non” isn’t necessarily the final word, but that you need to find a work-around. Fortunately, thanks to my skills at tracking packages (which has become one of my many part-time jobs around here), as well as e-books and PDFs, I’ve been able to see new books that are on the horizon, and in some cases, I got a preview when asked to write quotes for them. I’m always excited when I come across a great cookbook, one that teaches me something or focuses on a subject I want to know more about.
I’m sure I missed a few, so if you have any current favorites, feel free to leave any of them in the comments. Also coming up, November 1st, is Buy a Cookbook Day, so these are some that might interest you.
There’s been a spate of cookie cookbooks out in the last few years, but I got a preview of Cookie Queen by Susan Spungen and was wowed by her truly original collection of recipes. Susan is an ace baker and recipe developer, as well as a noted food stylist (she did the food for the films Julie and Julia and Eat, Pray, Love). Her latest book toggles from “rustic and natural” cookies, and offers gluten-free variations for each recipe, such as Quinoa crunch chocolate peanut butter cookies and Toasted corn cookies, to Black sesame palmiers, an oversized Malted chocolate chunk skillet cookie that’s meant for sharing, and Caramel slices, Swedish cookies that crackle with every bite. Susan certainly raises the bar with this book!
Another baker I admire is Joanne Chang, whose bakery, Flour, is a beloved fixture in Boston. Or fixtures, I should say, since there are many other addresses around town. Her newest book is The Joy of Cookies, which leans heavily toward cookie classics, such as Maple shortbreads and Oatmeal cream pies, as well as savory treats like Parmesan-chive coins. I’m especially interested in her Better than Ted Lasso shortbreads, as I watched Hannah Waddingham dig, with euphoric rapture, into her daily box of shortbreads on the show, and wonder if shortbread can get much better? If they’re made from a recipe by Joanne Chang, you can be sure that they live up to their name.
I’ve known Pim Techamuanvivit for over twenty years and still remember an incredible Thai meal she made for us in Paris, circa 2005. I may not remember what I had for lunch a few hours ago, but that meal left an indelible mark on me. Over the years, Pim transitioned from food blogger, to jam-maker, to charcuterie teacher, and now, to Michelin-starred chef, with two outstanding restaurants in San Francisco, Nari and Kin Khao, and one in Bangkok. Thai cooking can seem complicated but when I got a preview of Cooking Thai by Pim, co-written with Andrea Nguyen, the recipes were not only enticing but also achievable. They spent two years working closely together, making sure the recipes were accessible to home cooks, a talent Andrea is particularly adept at, with primers on how to moderate chili heat and what ingredients can be swapped out, say, if you want to make Som tum, shredded green papaya salad, and green papaya isn’t available. There’s the recipe for a Thai chicken and coconut noodle soup that’s perfect winter fare, as well as Sweet potato massaman curry and Kin Khao’s legendary chicken wings. I’m really impressed by this book and while I have a few books on Thai cooking on my bookshelf, this one is going to be used in my kitchen.
In Fundamentals of Flavor, Nik Sharma continues to explore the intersection between cooking and food science, with a focus on flavor. His book opens with a touching, and sometimes painful, memoir of Nik’s journey from India to the United States, where he eventually found his footing in the food world. The book is divided into four chapters: Fire, Earth, Air, and Water. Nik walks readers through building flavors, with bold recipes such as French onion soup scented with black onion seeds and Tandoori chicken that lets you mimic the flavors of a traditional tandoori oven at home, either on your grill or in the oven. For those who are obsessed with cultured French butter, Nik has a recipe for making that at home as well. And “My ultimate carrot cake,” which has a few cross-cultural twists, sounds amazing. Cooks and bakers who want to take a deep dive into the world of food science will especially enjoy this book, and if you want to know the how’s of how ingredients work, and the why’s of how to use them, Fundamentals of Flavor answers those questions.
I was obsessed with The Diplomat and did not want season 4 to end. (And who knew that ending was coming?) The Foreign Correspondent’s Wife by Jenna Helwig is another transatlantic thriller, set in post-World War II Paris. It’s a murder mystery involving students at a culinary school, which sounds like a promising yarn. (It’s on my iPad, ready to read.) I was happy to chat with Jenna recently on my podcast about cookbooks, as well as her first novel. Listen here!
I’ve long admired baker Erin Jeanne McDowell, and her new book, Bake Anything, walks bakers through the basics of baking. Chapters on the basics feature ways to build on those basics, from yeasted morning pastries, such as croissants, morning buns, and brioche, to éclairs, cakes, and French macarons. Accompanying the recipes are QR codes throughout the book so you can learn, and bake along with Erin.
My first encounter with Rose Levy Beranbaum was shortly after her iconic book, The Cake Bible, was published. I was working in the pastry department at Chez Panisse and we were all in a tizzy that she was coming. Since I was driving back to San Francisco after my shift, she asked if I could drop her off at the Neiman Marcus store in Union Square, since they were the only place that carried the bras she wore. That was my introduction to Rose. Over the years I’ve gotten to know her, as her career continued to take off, with her writing authoritative books on bread baking, pastry, and even Christmas cookies, which happens to be one of the best books on the subject. Rose has finally written Ma Vie en Rose, a memoir of her life, which lists her accomplishments, including the highs (book awards and accolades) and the lows (marriage issues and her husband’s death), and other sometimes uncomfortable truths about her “sweet life.” Some of the stories in the book may startle readers with their frankness (as a courtesy to you, I don’t write about my sex life), but Rose doesn’t shy away from topics like that, and others.
If you watched Kings of Pastry, you know Jacquy Pfeiffer as one of the participants who’s preparing for the strict, and stressful, competition in France, which determines if a chef can attain the prestigious M.O.F. designation, signaling that you’re a master in your field. (I was surprised, and delighted, to find a picture at that link about M.O.F.s of my chef/instructor, Philippe Gobet, when I was a student at École Lenôtre. On my last day of class, he grabbed my hand and said, “Daveed, I’m going to take you into the factory…” and then proceeded to lead me through the entire pastry production facility of Lenôtre, where he was greeted by everyone on the staff like a cherished friend. It was a highlight of my life.) No spoilers, but Jacquy, who co-founded The French Pastry School in Chicago and starred in the film, has returned to his native France. He’s now leading culinary retreats in the south, where you can spend a week with him, focusing on all things pastry. (Spoiler: I want to go to one.) If you can’t make it to France, The Art of French Tarts is his brand-new guide to baking French tarts, both sweet and savory. If you follow chef Pfeiffer on Instagram (above), you know how deftly he explains techniques and tips, making French baking and pastries accessible to anyone. This book is coming out in November, and I’m looking forward to baking my way through my copy, when (or, if?) it arrives. Thankfully, it’s coming from within France…so fingers crossed - 🤞 😅
My Lebanese “sister” (Anissa Helou calls me her brother, since we’re both part Syrian) revisits the foods of her homeland in her latest book on Lebanese cooking. As her publisher states, “While only half the size of New Jersey, Lebanon boasts an astounding variety in its cuisine, including classics like hommos or kibbeh…Meatballs in lemony sauce, fava beans and lamb in yogurt, lentil risotto, and baked fish with Tripolitan tahini cilantro sauce…along with delectable sweets, including sweet walnut triangles, aniseed fritters, semolina cream pastries, and tahini rice pudding.” I’ve had the pleasure of traveling with Anissa, and having her cook for me, and I can tell you there’s no better guide to the cuisine of her family’s country.
How can you not love a book whose subtitle is “Recipes and Rules (and How to Break Them)”? In her latest cookbook, The Big Book of Dinner, Melissa Clark tackles one of life’s most pressing questions: What’s for dinner? I loved her book, Dinner: Changing the Game, which changed mine. Melissa is obsessed with dinner, also having written Dinner in an Instant and Dinner in One, and she was even named a Chevalier de l'Ordre du Mérite Agricole, Knight of the Order of Agricultural Merit, by the French government for her book, Dinner in French. Which makes me think that maybe I should stop writing about baking in France and focus on dinner?
But I’m a fan of Melissa and am thrilled for her well-deserved success, at home and abroad. Her latest book features 175 recipes, with 150 variations, for supper. I’m looking forward to diving into this one, especially all the braises now that winter is just around the corner.
Whenever I’m in New York, Shukette is a must-stop for me. I love, love chef Ayesha Nurdjaja’s vibrant, flavorful food. (The bread menu is a must, as is their soft-serve ice cream for dessert.) Chef Ayesha’s debut book, Mediterranean All the Way, shares her recipes, which are known for their bold flavors and generous use of fresh vegetables and herbs. Ed Anderson, who photographed my last four books, turned his lens on Ayesha’s food, and what beautiful food it is! Mediterranean All the Way is currently the number-one best-selling book on Mediterranean food online, and it’s easy to understand why. Who doesn’t want to make Halloumi with strawberries? That combination was a shock to me last time I was at Shukette, but in Ayesha Nurdjaja’s hands, it was a triumph. I learned from her introduction that she almost became a lawyer. Lucky for us, she didn’t.
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