Cookbook reviews

Cherry Walnut Babka
Cherry Walnut Babka

Cherry Walnut Babka excerpted from Two Chefs in the Garden by Lynn Crawford and Lora Kirk. Copyright © 2024 Lynn Crawford and Lora Kirk. Photographs by Ash Nayler.

Two Chefs in the Garden by Lynn Crawford and Lora Kirk. Copyright © 2024 Lynn Crawford and Lora Kirk.

Over 150 flavourful, everyday vegetarian recipes celebrating the ease and versatility of cooking with vegetables that will satisfy everyone, from award-winning chefs Lynn Crawford and Lora Kirk.

Two Chefs in the Garden is packed with vegetarian recipes inspired by country living, growing vegetables, and a desire to eat more plants. From the endless bounty of their garden—sweet cherry tomatoes, spicy arugula, earthy leeks, zucchini, eggplant, pumpkins, potatoes, and more—chefs and vegetable farmers Crawford and Kirk’s stunning collection of over 150 recipes coax the most out of vibrant seasonal produce in unique and exciting dishes: Pan-Roasted Asparagus with Sage, Shallot Cream, and Crispy Parmesan; Tempura Eggplant Tacos; Garden Ratatouille Pasta Salad; End-of-Summer Tomato Risotto; Celery Root Soup with Brown Butter Sunflower Seed Pesto and Hickory Sticks; Sweet Corn, Potato, and Leek Chowder; Spaghetti Squash Gratin with Leeks and Spinach; Beet Falafel with Lemony Tzatziki; Pumpkin Mac and Cheese; Apple Brown Sugar Pancake; Ginger Rhubarb Custard Tarts; Cherry Ruffled Milk Pie; and Summer Berry Spoon Cake with Vanilla Sauce.

Crawford and Kirk take readers on a culinary tour through a stunning array of recipes, showcasing the abundant rewards of their garden throughout the seasons. You’ll discover new and approachable ways to cook with vegetables and make plant-based foods the central part of your meals. Featuring beautiful photography throughout, Two Chefs in the Garden celebrates the ease and versatility of cooking with vegetables that will satisfy everyone. (more…)

Flavour­-Packed Farro Salad with Toasted Walnuts and Blue Cheese
Flavor­Packed Farro Salad with Toasted Walnuts and Blue Cheese

Flavor-­Packed Farro Salad with Toasted Walnuts and Blue Cheese excerpted from The Feel-Good Meal Plan by Lindsay Pleskot, RD. Copyright © 2024 Lindsay Pleskot. Photographs by Janis Nicolay.

The Feel-Good Meal Plan: A Fresh Take on Meal Prep with Over 100 Nourishing Recipes to Feed Your Family with Ease by Lindsay Pleskot

Flexible meal planning for your busy life! With weekly meal prep done in under two hours, you’ll have flavourful, nutrition-packed meals on the table quickly every night of the week.

You lead a busy life and it can be tough to find the time and energy to make nourishing, flavourful meals every morning, afternoon, and night. Maybe you tried meal prepping and it zapped all the joy out of eating. Was it the rigidity? The repetitive meals day after day? The hours of work? Don’t give up: The Feel-Good Meal Plan has a fresh, flexible, and unfussy solution to get you ready for the week—with less than two hours of prep and meals on the table every night in 30 minutes or less.

With Registered Dietitian and mom of two Lindsay Pleskot as your guide, take the next steps on your meal-planning journey with:

  • A Four-Week Meal Plan: Dive into a month of lunches and dinners designed to save time, minimise food waste, and maximise taste and nutrition. Follow ready-made grocery lists and step-by-step meal prep instructions to simplify the process.
  • Affordable, Accessible Cooking: No fancy ingredients required— just everyday staples you likely already have on hand. These recipes and shopping tips will keep your grocery bill and food waste to a minimum.
  • 100+ Family-Friendly Recipes: Try breakfasts like One-Pan Green Goddess Hash and Tiramisu Overnight Oats, snacks like Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Energy Bites and Mexican Street Corn–Inspired Guacamole, and heaps of mains, like Korean- Inspired Beef and Rice Bowls with Pickled Cukes, Sheet Pan Margarita Shrimp Fajitas, Best-Ever Veggie Bolognese, and Juicy Spinach and Feta Turkey Burgers.
  • Healthful, Intuitive Eating: Drawing on her certification as an Intuitive Eating Counsellor, Lindsay has crafted meal plans and recipes that foster a balanced and joyful relationship with food, nurturing body, mind, and soul. 

(more…)

Salt-and-Pepper Wings
Salt-and-Pepper Wings

Salt-and-Pepper Wings excerpted from Does This Taste Funny?: Recipes Our Family Loves by Stephen Colbert and Evie McGee Colbert. Photographs copyright © 2024 by Eric Wolfinger.

Does This Taste Funny?: Recipes Our Family Loves by Stephen Colbert and Evie McGee Colbert

Stephen and Evie Colbert invite you to pull up a chair as they share their favourite recipes from family and friends and offer a glimpse of food and fun in their South Carolina home.

“Hopefully reading this book and cooking these recipes will feel like hanging out with us at home. We basically live in the kitchen anyway.” —Evie and Stephen Colbert

As Evie and Stephen explain it, Does This Taste Funny? had its beginnings in the Covid lockdown. “We were all stuck together and couldn’t go out, so we cooked. We had all three kids back under one roof for the first time in a long time, and we had dinner each night as a family. Cooking together became a major source of entertainment.”

Now, the Colberts invite us into their kitchen and around their dining room table. Sharing Stephen and Evie’s favourite recipes, as well as those of their family and friends, this book offers everything from Party Food (called “party food” because “appetizers” implies something to follow when we all know that, often, this is the only course), to Seafood, to Poultry and Meat (“Evie and I have different relationships to meat. I like it. Evie can take it or leave it, and mostly she leaves it.”), to Desserts (“This is one of the largest sections of the book. Evie always reminds me that desserts are a great way to postpone clearing up.”), to Drinks (“I love cocktail hour. It feels like a reward for having gone so long without a cocktail”), all tied together with playful dialogue between Stephen and Evie and gorgeous shots of their food, family, and home. (more…)

Imperial Cookie dough Cups
Imperial Cookie dough Cups

Imperial Cookie dough Cups excerpted from Jenna Rae Cakes at Home: Our Favourite Recipes to Enjoy with Family and Friends by Ashley Kosowan and Jenna Hutchinson. Photography by Ashley Kosowah.

Jenna Rae Cakes at Home: Our Favourite Recipes to Enjoy with Family and Friends by Ashley Kosowan and Jenna Hutchinson

In the second book from celebrated Canadian bakery Jenna Rae Cakes, Jenna and Ashley offer vibrant recipes and inspiration to create new memories in the kitchen with family and friends. Drawing on time spent baking at home, Jenna and Ashley put their signature spin on their most beloved bakes. Think of all your classic favourites, then picture them sprinkled with a little Jenna Rae Cakes magic: Birthday batter waffles flecked with all the colours of the rainbow get piled high with a scoop of birthday batter whip on top, a simple loaf of bread turns psychedelic with its blue and pink swirls, and thumbprint cookies explode with Blue Razz flavour that will leave you wanting more.

Known for their step-by-step approach that makes even the most elaborate presentations achievable, these recipes do not sacrifice style. With less time spent fussing over the baking, you’ll have more time to turn your creations into cookie crumble, strawberry glazed, red velvet, cotton candy delights your friends and family will enjoy with their eyes as much as their taste buds. Even modest treats like Lemon Crinkle Cookies and Crispy Rice Squares will dazzle. And for those who want to level up, recipes for Strawberry Shortcake Cannoli or Lime Cheesecakes Danishes teach techniques that will make your baking look professional.

Ashley and Jenna have written recipes for all the home bakers out there looking for ways to transform everyday moments and simple desserts from run of the mill to inspired, sweet favourites you’ll find yourself returning to again and again. Take a look inside…you won’t be disappointed! (more…)

Breakfast Crystal Bao
Breakfast Crystal Bao

Breakfast Crystal Bao excerpted from Breaking Bao: 88 Bakes and Snacks from Asia and Beyond by Clarice Lam. Photographs copyright © 2024 by Evan Sung.

Breaking Bao: 88 Bakes and Snacks from Asia and Beyond

Food & Wine Best Cookbooks of 2024 • New York Times Best Cookbooks of 2024

“Breaking Bao is the rare cookbook that stops you in your tracks. Visually arresting, thoughtfully researched, and both whimsical and grounded in serious baking expertise.”—New York Times

From acclaimed pastry chef Clarice Lam: a visually sumptuous pan-Asian baking book exploring an umami-rich array of baked goods, confections, and savoury snacks.

Breaking Bao is a culinary journey bridging gaps between Asian flavours and global techniques. It is a collection of recipes rooted in renowned chef Clarice Lam’s personal journey of self-discovery and the transformative power of embracing one’s heritage.

Here are 88 approachable recipes that are firmly rooted in classical French technique but travel far and wide. Dive into three chapters, exploring:

  • Bao: the fundamentals of baked, steamed, fried, or laminated buns and breads, from golden curry-filled donuts to Rice Dumplings filled with Hong Kong Bolognese to Vietnamese Cinnamon-Raisin Babka.
  • Cakes & Desserts: classics treated with a twist, such as Mango-Yakult Tres Leches Cake, Ovaltine Mochi Marjolaine, and Pandan-Lime Meringue Pie.
  • Snax: savoury and sweet treats, from Cantonese-Style Fig and Marzipan Mooncakes to Gochujang-Furikake Caramel Popcorn to Ramen Cheese Itz. 

(more…)

Chicken Skewers
Chicken Skewers

Chicken Skewers excerpted from Romy Gill’s India: Recipes from Home by Romy Gill. Photography by Sam A Harris.

Romy Gill's India: Recipes from Home by Romy Gill

‘Romy Gill conjures magic on the plate yet again. A deliciously versatile book that transports me back to my own mother’s kitchen. Easy to follow, written with verve humour and warmth and always a surprise. Another masterclass…’  – Nikesh Shukla

‘There’s a freshness and openness about Romy Gill’s books… and this love letter to India is more fresh air… an enticing mix of recipes and stories.’  – Sheila Dillon

‘Romy’s Punjabi and Bengali roots come together in this book to create her most vivid, unique and delicious version of home.’
– Minnie Driver

‘In addition to her lush design choices and gorgeous photographs, I am eternally grateful to Romy Gill for consistently fulfilling a crucial need: Recipes that impress my own Indian mother.’ – Priyanka Mattoo

Step into the heart of India’s vibrant culinary heritage with Romy Gill’s India. Renowned chef Romy Gill takes you on a charming journey through her ancestral kitchens in the Bengal and Punjab region, where she discovered the true essence of home-cooked Indian cuisine. (more…)

Jerk-Style Smoked Chicken Thighs
Jerk-Style Smoked Chicken Thighs

Jerk-Style Smoked Chicken Thighs excerpted from Dinner in One Take: Weeknight-Friendly Meals That are Big on Flavor, Not Time by Bo Corley. Photography by Kelsey Foster.

Dinner in One Take: Weeknight-Friendly Meals That are Big on Flavor, Not Time by Bo Corley

Making an impressive dinner doesn’t have to take an impressive amount of time. Grill, roast, air fry, and sear your way to a perfect family dinner with recipes that mix creativity with simplicity.

Get ready to grill, roast, air fry, and sear your way to a perfect dinner with recipes that mix creativity with simplicity. From a crowd-pleasing Taco Tuesday to brined chicken and epic Brussels, this is your playbook to delicious meals no matter the night. Bo Corley (aka @bothegoattv), known for his recipe videos on TikTok and Instagram, invents dishes that work smarter, not harder, to build showstopping flavour and texture. These recipes are designed with busy weeknights in mind, using easy-to-find ingredients that won’t stretch your budget. (Okay, the brisket recipe is not inexpensive, but there had to be a few treats too!)

Yes, you can enjoy delicious dinners in minutes rather than hours. Whether you’re after a sit-down meal or need dinner on the go, there’s something for everyone. Chapters and recipes include:

  • Meat at My House: Super Sous Vide Burger, Backyard Burger Buns, Reverse Ribeyes, Smash Burgers, Steak for a Crowd, Family Night (or Game Day) Quesadillas, Pan-Fried Steak with Better Veggies, A5 and Egg, Boiled Burger, Propper Pulled Pork with Vinegar Slaw, Texas Brisket with a Twist, Dino Ribs, Three for One Spare Ribs
  • Healthy-Ish Dinners: Secret Brine Skillet Chicken, Go-to Grilled Chicken, The Weeknight Stir Fry (includes SB, Wet Stiry Fry), The Weekend Stir Fry, Jumbo Shrimp and Veggies, Herb Crusted Salmon, Jerk-Style Smoked Chicken Thighs, House Air Fryer Wings, Lemony Salmon Belly with Saffron, Oven “Fried” Catfish, Smoked Drumsticks with Crispy Potatoes, Bo Wellington
  • Breakfast for Dinner: Pep ’n Eggs Scramble, Come to the Table Potato Skillet, French Toast Breakfast Nachos, Fancy French Toast, One Take Breakfast Tacos, Egg White Bites, Cloud eggs, Pain Purdu Muffins, The Un-Frittata, Loaded Puff Pastry Boats, Avocado Toast, Cured Egg
  • Handheld Dinners: Elevated Grilled Cheese, Seafood Platter Grilled Cheese, Shrimp Un-Tacos, Endless Pizza, Top Tier Toasted Sando, Turkey Double Cheeseburgers, Bougie Tuna Salad, Veggie Sandwiches, PB and My Favorite Homemade Strawberry Jam, Cod Sando, Salmon Fingers
  • Perfect Bites: Poblano Rings with Citrus Dijon Sauce, Candied Sweet Potatoes, Garlic-Lovers Tomato Soup, Gold-Roasted Potatoes, Better Brussels Sprouts, Sweet Potato Skin Salad with Candied Bacon, Mustard Pasta, Roasted Broccoli with Garlic Chips, Corn Slaw(lsa), Lemon Lime Funnel Cakes, Blueberry Donut Peaches, Loaded Rice Crispy
  • The Beverage Lab: Oleo Saccharum, Cheong, Understanding Oleo: Three Recipes, Cocktail Cherries, Dried Candied Orange Slices, Juice without a juicer, Bold Fashioned, Strawberry Old Fashioned Two Ways, The Shirley Spritz, Cherry Snow Angel, Orange and Cherry

(more…)

Kimchi Mac & Cheese
Kimchi Mac & Cheese

Kimchi Mac & Cheese excerpted from Banchan: 60 Korean American Recipes for Delicious, Shareable Sides by Caroline Choe. Photography by Ghazalle Badiozamani.

Banchan: 60 Korean American Recipes for Delicious, Shareable Sides by Caroline Choe

Banchan, the shared side dishes that accompany a Korean meal, are often the real stars of the table, and it’s time we celebrate them. This first-of-its-kind cookbook showcases the wide world of banchan, from traditional staples to modern Korean American renditions, with 60 recipes from the kitchen of chef Caroline Choe.

Highlighting this underrepresented aspect of Korean cuisine, Banchan offers 60 mouthwatering recipes for classic and modern banchan dishes so home cooks everywhere can get in on the deliciousness. From namul (fresh vegetables) to buchimgae (pancakes), these tasty sides are proof that big flavour can be found in small bites:

  • Smoky Gochujang Chicken Salad rounds out a delightful midweek lunch.
  • Perfectly tender-on-the-inside, crisp-on-the-outside Hobakjeon (Zucchini Pancakes) are what dreams are made of.
  • Pa Muchim (Shaved Green Onion Salad) is a must-have with a Korean barbecue meal or an unexpected pizza topping.
  • And, of course, a favorite: Kimchi! Use Mom and Dad’s Kimchi, a favorite recipe passed down through Caroline’s family, to make Kimchi Mac & Cheese or Creamy Kimchi Bacon Dip for a crowd-pleasing party dish.

With tips on stocking a Korean American pantry and ideas for making banchan into a meal—add to a quiche, wrap in a kimbap, pile on a sandwich—Banchan shares an ancient and beloved feature of Korean cooking that will make every meal sing. (more…)

Thyme, Oregano and Citrus Roast Cornish Hens
Thyme, Oregano and Citrus Roast Cornish Hens

Thyme, Oregano and Citrus Roast Cornish Hens excerpted from Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons: Enchanting dishes from the Middle East, Mediterranean and North Africa by Diana Henry. Photography by Jason Lowe.

Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons: Enchanting dishes from the Middle East, Mediterranean and North Africa by Diana Henry

‘I love this book so much’ – Nigel Slater

‘An all-time classic. The book I’m happy to return to, over and over again. It’s an utter joy to cook from, as it is to dig deep into the stories’ – Yotam Ottolenghi

‘This book has a special place in my heart’ – Claudia Roden

‘The culinary script for the 21st century’ – John & Sally McKenna

Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons gathers together dishes that combine colourful, aromatic and perfumed ingredients, bringing an intoxicating whiff of warmer climes to your table. Recipes range from chermoula-marinated tuna with pomegranate couscous to roast Catalan chicken with quince allioli, cardamom-baked figs and plums, to orange cake with marmalade and orange flower cream. This beautiful new edition of much-loved cookery author Diana Henry‘s first book will introduce these magical recipes to a whole new generation of cooks.

In this culinary exploration of the Mediterranean, Middle East, and North Africa, Diana Henry has gathered dishes that combine exotic flavours in ways long forgotten – or never discovered – in many Western kitchens. (more…)

Sweet Heat Salmon
Sweet Heat Salmon

Sweet Heat Salmon excerpted from A Couple Cooks: 100 Recipes to Cook Together by Sonja and Alex Overhiser. Photography by Shelly Westerhausen Worcel.

A Couple Cooks: 100 Recipes to Cook Together

Sonja and Alex Overhiser of the popular food blog A Couple Cooks share their lifehacks for a strong partnership. Their top secret? Cooking together.

Whether it’s a weeknight dinner or a homespun candlelit date night, somebody has to get dinner on the table. And what if that task was something you could do in tandem with someone you feel close to, making the work more pleasurable and spending quality time together? Enter A Couple Cooks, your guide to making this dream a reality.

With over 100 recipes for all occasions, from everyday dinners and large gatherings to intimate dinners for two, this book is designed to make meal planning and prep a stress-free and enjoyable experience. With designated roles for each partner, each recipe is crafted to be made lovingly by two:

  • Having friends over for a weekend dinner? Have your sous chef put out Whipped Ricotta Crostini with Hot Honey while you’re prepping the Smoky Spinach and Artichoke Lasagna.
  • Craving a sweet pick-me-up at the end of a long week? Prep the dry ingredients while your partner preps the wet ingredients, and chow down on hard-earned Brown Butter Miso Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars together. 

Brimming with vibrant photography, A Couple Cooks includes tips and tricks for hosting, upping the romance in the home, table setting and styling, and enhancing your home bar cart. Much more than your average weeknight cookbook, this is an inspiring and hardworking guide on how to make the most of the quotidian moments that make up our days by relishing time spent together, working as a team.

COOKING GIFT FOR TWO: From weddings and engagements to hostess gifts and more, A Couple Cooks fits the bill for a variety of life events with a gifting moment. Pair with a bottle of wine or fun aprons and you have the perfect housewarming present for any couple! (more…)