Cookbook reviews

Brined Chicken with Pumpkin Mole
Brined Chicken with Pumpkin Mole

Brined Chicken with Pumpkin Mole excerpted from Convivir: Modern Mexican Cuisine in California’s Wine Country by Rogelio Garcia with Andréa Lawson Gray. Photography by John Troxell.

Convivir: Modern Mexican Cuisine in California's Wine Country by Rogelio Garcia and Andréa Lawson Gray

From Michelin-starred chef Rogelio Garcia, a collection of over 150 recipes for vibrant, contemporary Mexican food from the heart of California’s wine country

Convivir, which means “to live together,” celebrates the flavourful interweaving of traditional Mexican cuisine with the agricultural and artisanal abundance of California’s Napa Valley.

Born in Mexico and raised in Northern California, Chef Garcia takes inspiration from the local farms, ranches, and sustainable fisheries, and showcases his gastronomical heritage with more than 150 delectable recipes.

Including techniques for making homemade tortillas and tamales, Convivir celebrates a modern take on traditional dishes such as tacos, tostadas, sopes, huaraches, tlacoyos, and tetelas, and features deliciously original recipes like:

• Sopes with Sonoma Artichokes Three Ways
• Pork Rib Carnitas and Carrot Tamales with Spicy Carrot Salsa
• Wild Mushroom Tacos with Al Pastor Sauce
• Prawn Ceviche with Choclo, Garnet Yams, and Pears
• Huevos Motuleños with Smoked Duck and Mushrooms a la Cazuelita
• Agridulce Chicken Wings with Verde Goddess Dressing
• Lavender Custard Pie with Masa Sucrée Crust

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Pasta Al Forno
Pasta Al Forno

Pasta Al Forno excerpted from The Italian Family Kitchen: Authentic Recipes That Celebrate Homestyle Italian Cooking by Eva Santaguida. Photography by Elysa Weitala.

The Italian Family Kitchen: Authentic Recipes That Celebrate Homestyle Italian Cooking by Eva Santaguida

Learn the secrets of authentic Italian home cooking, passed down through the generations with love, and embrace a passion for good food as you cook your way through 100 comforting recipes.

Distilling the episodic knowledge Eva Santaguida and Harper Alexander share on their popular Italian cooking YouTube channel, Pasta Grammar (@PastaGrammar), The Italian Family Kitchen shares how to make uncompromisingly authentic Italian recipes while also putting the food into the greater context of the Italian culinary landscape.

Learn how to make favourite classics, discover new and surprising dishes, acquire hands-on Italian kitchen skills, get actionable tips on how to source the right ingredients or find substitutes, and learn how to put it all together into memorable, lifestyle-fitting meals. ​In The Italian Family Kitchen you’ll find:

  • 100 straightforward, delicious, and comforting recipes from all over Italy
  • Recipes organized by course, including Fritti (fried appetizers and street food), Bread and Pizza, Ragù, Pasta, Riso (rice), Secondo (second courses), Contorno (side dishes), and Dolce (desserts) ​
  • Basic recipes for making fresh egg and semolina pastas, potato gnocchi, simple tomato sauce, and besciamella
  • How to stock your Italian kitchen​
  • Stunning photography throughout​

Experience the real food of Italy, just as a lucky guest would witness in a family kitchen in Italy. (more…)

Scottish Cranachan
Scottish Cranachan

Scottish Cranachan excerpted from A Taste of Disney: Snacks: Bite-Size Recipes in a Snack-Size Book by Insight Editions.

A Taste of Disney: Snacks: Bite-Size Recipes in a Snack-Size Book by Insight Editions

Enjoy a taste of Disney with this pocket-size cookbook of snacks inspired by your favourite animated adventures!

Celebrate your love of Disney films with this adorable cookbook filled with the most delicious snacks from Insight Editions’ bestselling Disney and Pixar cookbooks.

BITE-SIZE AND DELICIOUS: Tempt your tastebuds with these simple recipes featuring everyday ingredients. Enjoy White Rabbit’s Garden Crudité (Alice in Wonderland), Merida Cranachan (Brave), Bare Necessities Banana Muffins (The Jungle Book), Mug of Meat (The Emperor’s New Groove), Icicle Cookies (Frozen), and so many more delicious creations to munch on!

GREAT GIFT: Perfect for holidays, party hosts, birthdays—and un-birthdays, of course! It’s sure to be a delight for any Disney fan

BEAUTIFUL AND CUTE: This fully licensed cookbook features gorgeous recipe photos, beautiful styling, and artful appearances of the characters you love

A Taste of Disney: Snacks: Bite-Size Recipes in a Snack-Size Book by Insight Editions is available at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Indigo.ca.

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Butternut squash & orange pie
Butternut Squash & Orange Pie

Butternut Squash & Orange Pie excerpted from A Cookbook for Winter: More than 95 nurturing & comforting recipes for the colder months by Theo A. Michaels. Photography by Mowie Kay.

A Cookbook for Winter: More than 95 nurturing & comforting recipes for the colder months

Get cosy with this comforting collection of seasonally inspired recipes—the ideal cook’s companion for the winter months.

A study of 2,000 adults found they anticipate spending 72 hours rustling up meals during the winter months, compared to just 55 hours during warmer months!

And what better way is there to spend a frosty day than preparing delicious food to enjoy with family and friends? When it’s chilly outside, make the most of being holed up indoors and get creative in the kitchen with these comforting and nourishing recipes. And if you do have to venture outside, why not pack some sustaining snacks for winter walks and perhaps a flask of something hot to drink to keep your fingertips toasty and your spirits high.

Featuring more than 95 recipes for winter eating and entertaining, from soups and stews to melted cheese, pasta, pies, and dessert plus warming hot beverages, this book provides all the inspiration you will need. (more…)

Norcal Citrus and Avocado Salad
Norcal Citrus and Avocado Salad

Norcal Citrus and Avocado Salad excerpted from Williams Sonoma At Home Favorites: 110+ Recipes from the Test Kitchen. Photography by Erin Scott.

Williams Sonoma At Home Favorites: 110+ Recipes from the Test Kitchen by Weldon OwenReimagine family-friendly comfort food: this comprehensive cookbook makes daily home cooking a nourishing, easy, and anticipated part of the day.

At Home Favorites provides cozy home cooks with flavorful and accessible recipes, including pizza, pasta, one-pot meals, and more. Bringing modern flavour and ingredient profiles to classic home-cooking recipes, these dishes will appeal to all ages and are crafted to include all dietary preferences. Whether you’re making butternut squash pizza, potato gnocchi with a beef-cinnamon sauce, or a classic minestrone, this cookbook promises appetizing inspiration for family meals any night of the week. Visually-driven guides to making pizza doughs, fresh pastas, and dumplings make this volume a fantastic resource for cooks of all skill levels.

OVER 100 RECIPES: Recipes span favorite dishes and exciting, seasonal flavor profiles. Easy variations make recipes suitable for eaters with different diets, and tips on prepping, storing, and repurposing leftovers cater to busy home cooks interested in reducing food waste.

FROM THE WILLIAMS SONOMA TEST KITCHEN: Step-by-step recipe instructions, helpful tips, techniques, and serving ideas make this the most accessible reference for home cooks to serve classic dishes, as well as contemporary twists on old favourites. (more…)

Chocolate Lover’s Soirée
Chocolate Lover's Soirée

Chocolate Lover’s Soirée excerpted from The Curated Board: Inspired Platters & Spreads for Any Occasion by Bebe Black Carminito. Photography by Marie Reginato.

The Curated Board: Inspired Platters & Spreads for Any Occasion by Bebe Black Carminito

Elevate the art of composing delicious small-bite meals with inspiration from The Curated Board. From family breakfast and afternoon tea to date night and game night, food stylist Bebe Carminito presents twenty-eight themed boards and platters with more than sixty-five effortless recipes and suggests perfect pairings along with styling tips for optimal presentation.

Presenting a diverse array of platters from culinary influencers celebrating their gastronomic heritage, The Curated Board invites you to create spreads for all your special occasions. Raid your pantry and fridge and pair your favourite prepared foods with Bebe’s delicious homemade dips, snacks, baked goods, salads, cocktails, and sweets.

Relish in Green Chile, Spinach & Artichoke Dip, Pineapple-Jalapeño Cheese Balls, Herbes de Provence Grissini, Campanelle Pasta Salad, Basil Gimlets, and Cherry-Almond Oat Bars, among many others—the possibilities are endless.

Enjoy themed boards for any occasion, including:
• Granola, Fruit & Yoghurt Board
• Lebanese Sheet Pan Brunch
• An English Tea Party
• Girl’s Day Charcuter-Yay Board
• Ukranian Budmo Board
• Aperitivo Time
• Dim Sum Celebration
• Chocolate Lover’s Soirée
• Halva-Licious Board

These fun and easy-to-prepare meals will have you pulling out your platters and boards, making the most of your pantry, and gathering with loved ones around a cornucopia of delectable small bites. (more…)

Chili Beans
Chili Beans

Chili Beans excerpted from The Modern Navajo Kitchen: Homestyle Recipes that Celebrate the Flavors and Traditions of the Diné. Text and Photography © 2024 by Alana Yazzie.

The Modern Navajo Kitchen: Homestyle Recipes that Celebrate the Flavors and Traditions of the Diné by Alana Yazzie

Nourish your body and mind through food with these 60 recipes celebrating Navajo culinary traditions.

The Modern Navajo Kitchen​ takes you on an exhilarating journey for your taste buds. This beautifully photographed cookbook ties together traditional Navajo recipes as well as global recipes with a Navajo spin, creating a truly unique culinary experience! Choose from a plethora of drinks, breads, breakfasts, soups, mains, sides, and desserts—the sky’s the limit.

Incorporating traditional and modern ingredients, some of the deliciously nourishing and comforting recipes include:

  • Navajo Boba Milk Tea (Abe’ Boba Dééhk’azí)
  • Fry Bread (Dah Díníilghaazh)
  • Navajo Burgers (Atsį’ Yik’ą́ Náneeskadí Bił Ałch’į’ Át’éhí)
  • Sumac and Strawberry Greek Yogurt Ice Pops (Chiiłchin Yogurt Tiní)
  • and more!

This comprehensive cookbook also includes instructions for how to make such things as juniper ash, roasted cornmeal, and roasted chiles that will bring your Navajo cooking skills to the next level. A short history of Navajo culinary traditions is provided to provide cultural context behind your new culinary experiences, and sample meal plans will help you put together the perfect menus for the week ahead or for those special occasions with family and friends.

Reconnect to your cultural heritage or treat your palate (or both!) with The Modern Navajo Kitchen. (more…)

Midnight Fried Chicken
Midnight Fried Chicken

Midnight Fried Chicken excerpted from Gremlins: The Official Cookbook by Jenn Fujikawa and Erik Burnham.

Gremlins: The Official Cookbook by Jenn Fujikawa and Erik Burnham

Break the most important rule, the rule you can never forget, with fifty recipes in Gremlins: The Official Cookbook. But don’t worry, these snacks, appetizers, main dishes, desserts, and drinks can all be eaten well after midnight.

Gremlins are everywhere, messing with everything—your car, your television, your stereos, those little radios you stick in your ears, your watches, and your cookbooks! You better look out for the little green guys with big teeth running around wrecking things, especially family heirlooms. And while Lynn Peltzer got as many out of her kitchen as possible during Gremlins, the rascally creatures still managed to rough up this Peltzer family cookbook. Thankfully, you can still learn to make family-favourite recipes from snacks to desserts, inspired by the Peltzer’s unbelievable story in Gremlins: The Official Cookbook.

Revisit the events of the zany films through delicious Christmas classics, such as Killer Gingerbread Cookies and Sheriff Frank’s Eggnog, and Kingston Falls favourites, such as Dorry’s Tavern Special, alongside Rand’s notes about his quirky kitchen inventions for Artichoke-Powered Appetizer, Five-Egg Omelet, and Peltzer’s Perfect Mocha.

Gremlins: The Official Cookbook features suggestions for alternate ingredients and tips and tricks if your appliances suddenly go on the fritz—remember, before you call the repairman, turn on all the lights, check all the cupboards, and look under all the pots and pans, because there just might be a gremlin in your kitchen! (more…)

Perfect Scrambled Eggs
Perfect Scrambled Eggs

Perfect Scrambled Eggs excerpted from Life’s Too Short to Stuff a Mushroom: Really good food without the fuss – foolproof recipes, shortcuts and hacks by Prue Leith. Photography copyright © 2024 Ant Duncan.

Life's Too Short to Stuff a Mushroom: Really good food without the fuss - foolproof recipes, shortcuts and hacks by Prue Leith

Chef and TV legend Dame Prue Leith brings us the cookbook you’ve always wanted – 80 delicious recipes, with accompanying kitchen shortcuts and hacks, for a lifetime of easy cooking. 

Every recipe in this book comes with a handy tip, plus you’ll find over 25 videos accessed by a QR code to help you learn a skill or get ahead.

Coined by Shirley Conran in her ’70s bestseller Superwoman, ‘Life’s Too Short to Stuff a Mushroom’ is a phrase that every time-poor cook can relate to. In this clever cookbook, you’ll find really good recipes without the fuss: recipes where a neat trick can save you time, recipes where the cheat versions taste just as good as the home-made, and recipes to help you avoid waste and save you money. How do you cook the perfect steak? What’s the best way to dice an avocado? And what about when it just all goes terribly wrong?

With recipes including Celeriac Rémoulade with Prosciutto, Rocket and Pine Nuts, Crispy Pork Belly, Buttermilk Chicken, Sushi for Scaredy-cats, Chocolate Almond Torte and Cherry Clafoutis, Prue’s handy hacks show you how a little bit of insight goes a long way.

Perfect for every home cook, the absolute beginner, or someone who has been doing it so long that cooking has somehow lost its attraction – Life’s Too Short to Stuff a Mushroom contains years of culinary know-how and inspirational meals, squashed into an accessible cookbook. (more…)

Banana-Hazelnut Bread
Banana-Hazelnut Bread

Banana-Hazelnut Bread excerpted from MILK STREET BAKES by Christopher Kimball. Copyright © 2024 by CPK Media, LLC. Photograph by Connie Miller of CB Creatives.

Milk Street Bakes: A Baking Book with 200 Sweet and Savory Recipes by Christopher Kimball

Turn your kitchen into the world’s best bakery with this “comprehensive [and] extraordinarily useful” collection of 200 sweet and savory baking recipes from the James Beard Award-winning team at Milk Street. 

The American baking repertoire may be unparalleled in our claim to pies, biscuits, and cakes. But step off a plane in London, Mexico City, Istanbul, or Paris, and you realize how much more there we can learn about the art of simple, delicious baked goods.

We found a simple Spanish almond cake that uses no wheat flour. Loaf cakes that balance the sugar with slightly-bitter rye. Super-creamy Basque cheesecake that requires no water bath. Mexican sweet corn cake made in a blender. Or Catalan biscotti, sticky chocolate cake from Sweden, and crispy spinach and cheese borek from Türkiye.

We also include forgotten American recipes such as maple-glazed hermits and new classics such as peanut butter banana cream pie. And we go beyond sweets to include yeasted breads, savoury tarts, pizzas, and flatbreads (some made in a skillet in minutes).

Most of these recipes are easier than you’d think, from beer pretzels to Danish dream cake. But in baking, the little things count—so Milk Street is here to help you avoid pitfalls with recipes that you can count on.

Our promise to you is that you will become the best baker you know!

Milk Street Bakes: A Baking Book with 200 Sweet and Savory Recipes by Christopher Kimball is available at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk  and Indigo.ca.    (more…)