Bon Appétit, Best New Cookbooks of Spring 2026

From La Copine, a destination restaurant near Joshua Tree, comes a beautiful debut cookbook with stories of life in the desert and recipes that capture a unique approach to California cooking.

Out in the California desert near Joshua Tree, La Copine spins its own kind of magic, powered by business and life partners Claire Wadsworth and Nikki Hill, the drama of the landscape, the eclectic local population, and of course, the irresistible food.

With celebrity clientele and glowing reviews in the New York Times, Eater, Vogue, and others, this restaurant is beloved by California visitors and locals alike. In their debut cookbook, La Copine, Wadsworth and Hill share stories of their love, life, community, and the spirit of La Copine, one delicious recipe at a time.

Dubbed the West Coast’s answer to Via Carota’s Rita and Jody, Wadsworth and Hill are passionate, community driven, California cooks with a deep love for each other and the people around them. They welcome their guests to La Copine (which means “girlfriend” in French) with open arms, create a safe haven for the queer community outside of Los Angeles, and have a deep sense of care and pride for everything they put on the plate.

Home cooks will want to adopt the restaurant’s “California soul” style: veggie forward, innovative yet comforting, light enough for lunch, yet substantial enough to gather around and linger over. From “hunky” salads, as described by the New York Times, to special occasion sandwiches, summery, boldly flavoured grilled meats and vegetables, and simple no bake desserts, La Copine’s food roams far and wide but always imparts a sense of home.

More than the recipes, though, Wadsworth and Hill’s backstory as a couple, the business they’ve built together, and the community they’ve found in the desert make for an armchair trip through the remote and spectacular setting, as well as a mission statement for creating a life on one’s own terms.

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Zucchini-Eggplant “Parm” with pomodoro sauce, cashew béchamel, basil oil, and garlic breadcrumbs

After eating this dish at La Copine, Natasha Lyonne said, “This place is a ten!” causing Nikki and Claire both to blush. As we are just a few hours from LA, a lot of people from the City of Angels show up at our doorstep.

To accommodate diverse dietary needs, we make many dishes or components of our dishes vegan and/or gluten-free. It’s surprisingly easy when it comes to soups, salads, and sandwiches, but for a substantial vegan main dish, we had to think more outside the box.

Claire grew up in New Jersey eating eggplant Parm as an after-school snack, sometimes layered and baked, other times piled on a sandwich, or simply dipped in oil and balsamic vinegar. So we came up with this eggplant parm meets lasagna, made with thin slices of eggplant and zucchini layered like noodles with a fresh tomato sauce and cashew-based béchamel. After baking it for two hours, it’s refrigerated overnight to set, making it super easy to reheat the next day. We reserve half of the pomodoro to add to the pan when reheating so it gets extra hot and bubbly and finish it with a drizzle of basil oil, lots of garlic breadcrumbs, and fresh basil. It’s a comforting dish that both vegetarians and meat eaters find satisfying. And it’s easy to make gluten-free if you leave out the breadcrumbs or use a gluten-free option.

Serves 8 * vegan, gluten-free option

FOR THE CASHEW BÉCHAMEL:

¼ cup (40 g) chopped yellow onion

2 cloves garlic, pressed with side of knife to break open

3 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf

¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorns

3 whole cloves

2 teaspoons kosher salt

8 ounces (225 g) raw cashews

3 tablespoons potato starch (or substitute cornstarch)

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

FOR THE POMODORO SAUCE:

¾ cup (180 ml) olive oil

1 cup (225 g) finely chopped yellow onions

1 tablespoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh oregano

2 tablespoons organic cane sugar

2 (28-ounce/794 g) cans tomato puree

FOR ASSEMBLING:

6 large zucchinis (about

3 pounds/1.4 kg)

3 large globe eggplants (about 3 pounds/1.4 kg)

6 tablespoons (60 g) kosher salt

1 cup (150 g) potato starch (or substitute cornstarch)

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup (120 ml) Basil Oil (page 277), for finishing

1½ cups (58 g) Garlic Breadcrumbs (page 287), for finishing

½ cup (12 g) fresh basil leaves, hand torn, for garnish

MAKE THE CASHEW BÉCHAMEL: On a piece of cheesecloth, combine the onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, and cloves; tie closed with kitchen twine to make a sachet. Place the sachet in a small saucepan and add 2½ cups (600 ml) water and the salt. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Place the cashews in a container large enough to hold them plus the seasoned water and pour the béchamel-flavoured water over the cashews.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Uncover the container and discard the sachet. Add the potato starch and nutritional yeast and use an immersion blender or regular blender to blend the cashew mixture until completely smooth, thick, and creamy.

MAKE THE POMODORO SAUCE: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the oregano and sugar, then add the tomato puree. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover with the lid and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is aromatic and slightly reduced, about 30 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Reserve half the sauce for layering and transfer the rest to an airtight container, refrigerate, and save for serving the next day.

TO ASSEMBLE: Using a mandoline, carefully slice the zucchini lengthwise, between ⅛ and ¼ inch (3 and 6 mm) thick, and transfer to a bowl. Repeat with the eggplant and transfer to a separate bowl. Add ¼ cup (50 g) of the salt to the eggplant and toss to combine. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons salt to the zucchini and toss to combine. Let both sit for 30 to 45 minutes to allow the salt to draw out their moisture.

Transfer the zucchini to a colander, rinse off the salt, and transfer to paper towels to dry. Repeat with the eggplant, keeping them separate. Wipe dry each of their bowls, then return the zucchini and eggplant to their respective bowls. Add ½ cup (85 g) potato starch to each bowl and toss the zucchini and eggplant until evenly coated in the starch.

Drizzle the olive oil over the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) roasting pan or baking dish. From the bottom to the top, layer the elements in this order: ¼ cup (60 ml) pomodoro sauce, one-quarter of the eggplant slices, ¼ cup (60 ml) cashew béchamel, ¼ cup (60 ml) pomodoro sauce, one-quarter of the zucchini slices, ¼ cup (60 ml) cashew béchamel, ¼ cup (60 ml) pomodoro sauce. Repeat this layering with the remaining eggplant and zucchini until all the vegetables are layered. Finish with a final ladle of pomodoro sauce and cashew béchamel, spreading each layer of sauce evenly over the vegetables.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Place a sheet of parchment paper directly over the surface of the sauce, then wrap the baking dish in foil.

Bake for 2 hours, then check to see if the center of the baked vegetables is tender and hot by stabbing it with the tip of a butter knife-it should slide in with no resistance, and the blade should feel hot to the touch. If needed, cook for about 20 minutes longer. Remove the dish from the oven, and remove foil but keep parchment paper in place; cool at room temperature for 1 hour. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to set for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Warm the reserved pomodoro sauce in a medium saucepan over medium heat until hot, stirring frequently. While the sauce is heating, uncover the eggplant Parm and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Lift each slice up using a spatula, checking to make sure it lifts out cleanly, and set them each back in the roasting pan in the same spot. Top each slice of with a big spoonful of pomodoro sauce. Place the uncovered pan of Parm in the middle rack of the oven and heat until piping hot, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer each slice to a serving plate, drizzle with basil oil, and top with a handful of roasted garlic breadcrumbs and a sprinkling of torn basil. Serve with any remaining pomodoro sauce and some extra breadcrumbs on the side.

Recipe published with permission from Abrams.