Cookbook reviews

Strawberry Thyme Shortcakes
Strawberry Thyme Shortcakes

Strawberry Thyme Shortcakes excerpted from Full Belly: Recipes and Stories from a Family Farm by Jenna Muller and Amon Muller. Photography by Molly DeCoudreaux.

Full Belly: Recipes and Stories from a Family Farm by Jenna Muller and Amon Muller.

100 easy, seasonal recipes from the beloved, third generation organic family farm located in the verdant Capay Valley in California.

Full Belly‘s recipes follow seasonal rhythms, highlighting fresh, organic ingredients. Dishes like Corn and Summer Squash Pizza and Vibrant Little Gem Salad embody the warmth and simplicity of California cooking. Learn to minimize food waste with recipes for Late Season Tomato Jam and Peach Leaf Creme Brûlée. Founded in 1985, Full Belly Farm is one of the oldest sustainable farms in California and supplies to beloved restaurants like Chez Panisse and Zuni Cafe.

  • Seasonal recipes: Cook seasonally with recipes from Full Belly’s farm kitchen
  • Farm life: Learn about life on one of California’s oldest sustainable farms―from animal husbandry to the rhythms of planting, growing, and harvesting four seasons of produce.
  • How-to: Find practical advice on choosing the best produce, the difference between varieties, and how to garden with sustainable farming practices.
  • CSA subscribers: CSA box subscribers will find it easy to cook along with Full Belly’s 100 seasonal recipes.

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BREKKIE COOKIES
Brekkie Cookies

Brekkie Cookies excerpted Love What’s On Your Plate: Wholesome recipes to cherish and share by Stephanie Valentin. Photography by Louisa Nicolaou.

Love What's On Your Plate: Wholesome recipes to cherish and share by Stephanie Valentin.Love What’s On Your Plate: Wholesome Recipes to Cherish & Share, will make you feel like a guest sitting at [Stephanie Valentine‘s] supper table learning all about her family, her traditions, and why homemade meals mean so much to her. This beautifully curated collection is more than just your average cookbook—it’s an invitation to embrace joyful, wholesome cooking.”
—CANREADS Book Review

In this cookbook, love what’s on your plate means loving . . .

  • The experience of cooking and eating
  • The individual and blend of tastes
  • The knowledge that it’s good for you
  • The feelings of bonding and celebration
  • The traditions of the past—and the new ones you’re creating

A collection of over 100 delicious, well-balanced recipes designed to make cooking easy and enjoyable. Created by holistic nutritionist and passionate home cook Stephanie Valentine, this cookbook is filled with flavourful meals that bring people together.

✔ Simple & Nutritious – Wholesome, satisfying dishes without compromise.
✔ Perfect for Families – Tried-and-true favourites everyone will love.
✔ More Than Recipes – Includes exclusive guides and tips on: (more…)

Super Speedy Chocolate Snack Cake
Super Speedy Chocolate Snack Cake

Super Speedy Chocolate Snack Cake excerpted from Chocolate Baking: The Ultimate Guide to Cakes, Cookies, Desserts & Pastries by Edd Kimber. Photography © Matthew Hague.

Chocolate Baking: The Ultimate Guide to Cakes, Cookies, Desserts & Pastries by Edd Kimbe

A love letter to chocolate with 100 recipes to bake, taste and adore.

In this definitive collection, acclaimed pastry chef and baking expert Edd Kimber, winner of the first season of The Great British Bake Off, shares his passion for one of the world’s most beloved ingredients. You’ll find classic flavours like Chocolate and Whipped Caramel Cake, elegant layered creations such as Edd’s Hazelnut and Maple Milk Chocolate Tart, and irresistible desserts including Pistachio Tiramisu.

Edd also puts creative spins on familiar favourites with recipes like Miso and White Chocolate Cookies and S’mores Brownies, and guides readers through breads and pastries where chocolate plays a starring role, from Bistro Profiteroles to Sour Cherry Custard Buns with Cocoa Streusel.

Whether you’re baking for a special occasion or simply satisfying a weekday craving, there is something here for every kind of chocolate lover. Sometimes chocolate takes centre stage, sometimes it plays a supporting role, but every recipe is a celebration of its richness, versatility and irresistible appeal. Beautifully photographed and filled with Edd’s approachable expertise, this is a book bakers will return to long after the last crumb has disappeared.

Whether you’re baking for a special occasion or simply satisfying a weekday craving, there is something here for every kind of chocolate lover. Sometimes chocolate takes centre stage, sometimes it works quietly in the background, but every recipe celebrates the richness, versatility and pure pleasure of one of the world’s most beloved ingredients. Beautifully photographed and packed with inspiration, this is a book to return to again and again.

Chocolate Baking: The Ultimate Guide to Cakes, Cookies, Desserts & Pastries by Edd Kimber is available at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Indigo.ca.   

Super Speedy Chocolate Snack Cake

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Mixed Pasta with Basil Pesto and Tuna
Mixed Pasta with Basil Pesto and Tuna

Mixed Pasta with Basil Pesto and Tuna excerpted from Eat Like a Sardinian: Live to 100 by Francesco Mattana. Photography © Dave Brown 2026.

Eat Like a Sardinian: Live to 100 by Francesco Mattana

“More than just a cookbook – it’s a love letter to Sardinia” – Jamie Oliver

An exciting debut cookbook from a rising star in the world of Italian cooking!

Sardinia captures the true spirit of Mediterranean cooking. Here, you find a way of life filled with simple, fresh, seasonal ingredients, healthy fats and plenty of time spent cooking, eating and spending time with loved ones. Sardinia is, after all, one of only five designated “blue zones” in the world – where people live longer than anywhere else.

In Eat Like a Sardinian, chef Francesco Mattana invites you to discover the rich and varied food culture of the island, bringing together his experiences learning to cook from the women around him and years of teaching at Jamie Oliver’s Cookery School to create authentic, delicious home cooking recipes that everyone can master, with all the tips and tricks needed to get them right every time. Find the perfect small bite for your aperitivo hour, stock up your pantry with preserves, perfect your pasta and bread-making skills, learn how to entertain the Sardinian way with impressive fish, meat and vegetable dishes and finish it all off with a traditional dolci. Who knew healthy living could be so sweet?

Recipes include Francesco’s viral spaghetti al pomodoro, Italian lemon tart, roasted lamb with artichokes and potatoes, bruschetta with figs, and the “live to 100” minestrone.

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Salmon and potato casserole
Salmon and potato casserole

Salmon and potato casserole excerpted from Executive Eats Copyright @ 2026 Adam Kingl.

Executive Eats: The cookbook for a better working life by Dr Jakub Leszek Radzikowski and Adam Kingl The cookbook for a better working life

From sustained energy to improved focus and mood, each chapter in this extraordinary cookbook pairs the latest nutritional research with practical culinary applications, offering readers scientifically backed recipes designed to address the challenges they face in their day-to-day lives.

Whether you need a morning boost, an afternoon pick-me-up or a calming meal after a stressful day, you will have a deeper understanding of why certain foods can enhance your mental and physical states. This is more than just a collection of recipes; it’s a tool to help you make mindful, informed decisions about your diet. Blending culinary expertise with scientific rigor, this cookbook equips you with the knowledge and recipes to nourish both your body and mind.

Executive Eats: The cookbook for a better working life by Dr Jakub Leszek Radzikowski and Adam Kingl is available at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Indigo.ca.  

Salmon and potato casserole 

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Supreme Delight Pizza
Supreme Delight Pizza

Supreme Delight Pizza excerpted from Pizza Practice: Doughs, Techniques + Toppings by Tara Jensen. Photography by Scott Suchman.

Supreme Delight Pizza

From acclaimed baker Tara Jensen: The definitive primer on baking pizza dough, with brilliant colour photos, illustrations, and easy-to-follow recipe layouts.

“Complete with detailed explanations of techniques, thorough instructions, and helpful tips, this comprehensive volume is perfect for bakers of all levels who are serious about pizza making.”―Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

Pizza dough is a gateway for many home bread bakers, allowing them to experiment with different tools, toppings, ingredients, timings, and shapes. This companion guides you step by step from the simplest doughs to artisanal bakes. Here are 89 recipes any baker can perfect, with simple cook-along layouts and ways to explore different ingredients, techniques, flours, and heat sources for perfecting pizza, pita, and focaccia.

Bright and visually rich, with more than 60 colour photographs, this baking book provides expert guidance on how to:

  • Set up your baking space with the right ingredients and tools
  • Cook over fire or with an outdoor oven, or trick out the oven that came with your apartment to bake an impressive pie
  • Learn the perfect ratios of toppings to crust
  • Build classics such as Margherita, Clam, and Pepperoni pizzas, as well as a collection of fancifully delicious takes, including Breakfast pizza; Delicata Squash, Shallot, and Gruyère; and a particularly luscious Pancetta and Brown Butter Pineapple pie
  • Craft a foolproof focaccia
  • Discover all you need to know to make pita with kids
  • And much more!

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Chewy Caramel Blondies
Chewy Caramel Blondies

Chewy Caramel Blondies excerpted from Sure Thing Desserts: Truly Perfect Versions of Everyday Classics by Matt Lewis. Photographs © 2025 Dana Gallagher.

Sure Thing Desserts: Truly Perfect Versions of Everyday Classics by Matt Lewis

Lifetime baker and cookbook author Matt Lewis opened his Brooklyn bakery BAKED in 2005 to instant rave reviews, and his baked goods have been featured on Oprah, the Food Network, and TODAY. After he sold the business a few years ago, he found himself back in his kitchen baking for friends and for his Instagram @Brooklynbaker.

Sure Thing Desserts is a collection of the sweets he makes over and over and has spent a lifetime perfecting. The book begins with what Lewis considers essential recipes for any baker, including Everyday Chocolate Chip Cookies, the Classic Brownie, the Yellow Picnic Party Cake, a Scottish Lemon Drizzle Loaf, and a Posh Chocolate Cake, along with the tips and secrets to help ensure success.

The book also includes chapters on bars, cookies, cakes, and pie. This is the must-have book for all everyday and anytime bakers.

Sure Thing Desserts: Truly Perfect Versions of Everyday Classics by Matt Lewis is available at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Indigo.ca.  

Chewy Caramel Blondies

MAKES 16 BLONDIES (more…)

Grand Marnier Soufflé
Grand Marnier Soufflé

Grand Marnier Soufflé excerpted from Le Bistrot Paul Bert: French Comfort Food from the Parisian Restaurant by Bertrand Auboyneau. Photography by Annabelle Schachmes.

Le Bistrot Paul Bert: French Comfort Food from the Parisian Restaurant

This long-awaited, beautifully photographed and designed cookbook offers celebrated versions of classic French bistro dishes from one of the most iconic Parisian restaurants

Step into the Bistrot Paul Bert, the legendary Parisian restaurant, where the freshest ingredients meet time-honoured methods, chalkboards list the daily specials, candlelight flickers over crisp white tablecloths, and the hum of lively conversation is punctuated by the clink of wine glasses.

In this beautifully illustrated cookbook, proprietor Bertrand Auboyneau welcomes us all into this special place and shares his approach to more than 100 of the most comforting, beloved French dishes.

Learn to make the best versions of the classics—everything from the perfect green salad and irresistible frites, to exceptional oeuf mayonnaise, steak au poivre, sole meunière, tarte tatin, and Grand Marnier soufflés. Requiring only a limited number of ingredients and basic techniques, this food is not fussy, but it shines with the help of Auboyneau’s expert guidance, written with the home cook in mind.

For devotees of the restaurant or anyone simply looking to bring the flavors of France into their kitchens, Bistrot Paul Bert is an accessible, atmospheric introduction to the simple art of bistro cooking. (more…)

NANKING NOODLES WITH SHREDDED PORK
Nanking Noodles with Shredded Pork

Nanking Noodles with Shredded Pork excerpted from House of Nanking: Family Recipes from San Francisco’s Favorite Chinese Restaurant by Kathy Fang and Peter Fang. Photography by Quentin Bacon.

House of Nanking: Family Recipes from San Francisco's Favorite Chinese Restaurant by Kathy Fang and Peter FangA Best New Cookbook of 2025 from CHOWHOUND * THE STRATEGIST * EATER

From a beloved San Francisco culinary landmark, a showstopper cookbook that honours a family legacy and celebrates ingredient-driven, multi-regional Chinese cooking in America

The 100-plus recipes in this beautiful book include all the greatest hits from three generations of Fang family cooking from Canton to Shanghai, and readers will learn how to pan-fry, steam, cook in a wok, shop for ingredients, and prep vegetables the Chinese way.

With accessible recipes that are adaptable to any type of home kitchen, anyone will be able to make these dishes, wherever they are.

Since it opened in 1988, House of Nanking has been a popular spot for countless tourists, honeymooners, celebrities, and everyday San Franciscans who have lined up for their legendary Shanghai and Chinese American dishes.

This book marks the first time their recipes have appeared in print and have been adapted for the home kitchen. But it’ll be the stories behind them, which few have heard―of Peter Fang’s ingenuity and his early adventures in the kitchen, how he imported and adapted his favourite Shanghai dishes for America, and Kathy’s experience growing up with parents who bet it all on the restaurant, under the tutelage of all these rich Chinese culinary traditions―that will capture the heart. (more…)

Chocolate Cake with Mocha Frosting
Chocolate Cake with Mocha Frosting excerpted from Brunch Season: A Year of Delicious Mornings from the Buttermilk Kitchen by Suzanne Vizethann. Photography by Suzanne Vizethann.

Chocolate Cake with Mocha Frosting excerpted from Brunch Season: A Year of Delicious Mornings from the Buttermilk Kitchen by Suzanne Vizethann. Photography by Suzanne Vizethann.

Brunch Season: A Year of Delicious Mornings from the Buttermilk Kitchen by Suzanne Vizethann.From the Buttermilk Kitchen, a beautiful, year-round, go-to cookbook highlighting more than 60 made-from-scratch brunch recipes incorporating fresh fruits and vegetables at their peak times of year.

★ ★ ★ ★ “Straightforward yet elegant and full of inspiration, this will become a go-to for home cooks looking for an excuse to make brunch for any occasion.”   —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“The flavors of Atlanta’s Buttermilk Kitchen—famed for its dazzling breakfasts and lunches—shift to coastal Maine in Suzanne Vizethann’s Brunch Season, an inviting cookbook.”                          —Foreword Reviews

Brunch is a lovely way to celebrate a meal with friends and family, and a great way to make any midday or mid-week dining special. The recipes in Brunch Season: A Year of Delicious Mornings from the Buttermilk Kitchen include both sweet and savory dishes, drawing ideas from Buttermilk Kitchen breakfast favourites, and adding seasonal soups and salads, as well as drinks. Chef Suzanne Vizethann’s fresh farm-to-table approach to this cookbook, divided into spring, summer, fall, and winter chapters, reflects her commitment to providing high-quality meals made with ripe, flavourful ingredients.

All of the recipes are simple yet refined, and the seasonal section openers include a list of peak ingredients for that season. For spring, you will find recipes such as Young Garlic and Radish Focaccia and Rhubarb Cobbler; for summer, Heirloom Tomato Toasts and Watermelon Mimosas; for fall, Roasted Squash Oatmeal with Crispy Rosemary Seeds and Chocolate Hazelnut Sticky Cake; for winter, Coddled Egg with Creamed Kale and Winter Citrus with Whipped Ricotta and Honey. The home cook can expect balanced dishes that are as beautiful as they are delicious. (more…)