1) CLEAVING by Julie Powell – (Hachette, $24.99) Alternately hilarious and shocking, Julie Powell lets go of the ghost of Julia Child to tell her compelling tale of what happens when your dreams of becoming a famous celebrity writer comes true. Tempted by the ferociously brutal seductiveness of a former boyfriend, she shatters the shell of her outwardly perfect marriage to pursue a compulsive, unhealthy affair while encouraging her husband to do the same. When it all turns to custard, she decides to transform her violent longing into the violent craft of butchery. Yes, the book can be cut by the last 100 pages, but until then you will be riveted.
2) LA MAISON DU CHOCOLATE by Gilles Marchal (Stewart, Tabori, Chang, $40.00) There is chocolate, and then there is CHOCOLATE. The famous Parisian chocolate shop, La Maison du Chocolate, produces CHOCOLATE. Now Gilles Marchal, who has recently taken over the helm of this sacred institution, has produced THE chocolate cookbook. Not only will you learn how to make black and white cookies and divine chocolate mousse, you will learn how to make chocolate fettucine and chocolate handbags. And, of course, the layout and the photographs are divine.
3) MY BREAD by Jim Leahy – (W.W.Norton, $29.95) The other day, two former employees of the Sullivan Street Bakery came into the store to buy this book by their former boss. They told me that customers used to rave about Jim Leahy’s secret bread recipe, and now it’s been published. My Bread explores his revolutionary no-work no-kneading technique. So for those of you who have been afraid to knock yourself out over a yeasty loaf, here’s your opportunity to bake delicious homemade bread in your own kitchen without the fuss and bother.
4) THE CRAFT OF BAKING: Cakes, Cookies & Other Sweets with Ideas for Inventing Your Own by Karen de Masco and Mindy Fox – (Clarkson Potter, $35.00) Karen de Masco was the beloved pastry chef at Tom Collichio’s Craft and now holds the same position at Andrew Carmellini’s Locanda Verde. In this wonderfully illustrated and described cookbook, she helps you develop your craft while relaying her own recipes for such delights as Devil’s Food Cupcakes with Cream Filling, Jasmine Rice Pudding and that all-time favorite, Chocolate Babka.
5) THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PASTA by Oretta Zanini de Vita – (University of
California, $29.95) This is a truly original and creative encyclopedic research effort. Senora Zanini de Vita, a respected Italian food critic, describes 310 different types of pasta in alphabetical order, utilizing lovely line drawings to illustrate their creation. Not only does she provide their specific geographic derivation, she tells us the perfect sauce to align with each unique pasta.
6) AD HOC AT HOME by Thomas Keller – (Artisan, $50.00) We all know that America’s home-grown Thomas Keller is one of our greatest chefs, and now he has written a cookbook filled with family recipes for those home cooks who worship at the altar of Ad Hoc, Per Se, The French Laundry and Bouchon. Inspired by his late-in-life reunion with his long lost father who he cared for until his recent death, Keller has written a beautiful, accessible primer for those of us who weren’t born to aspic or are fortunate enough to possess sous vide equipment. Merci, Maestro Keller.
7) HOW TO ROAST A LAMB by Michael Psilakis – (Little Brown, $35.00) I don’t know if I love this cookbook so much because Chef Psilakis is the culinary mastermind behind my favorite Upper West Side eatery, the fabulously successful Kefi, or because he demystifies the art of preparing elegant lamb, or because the photographs of his Greek family’s dining room in the 90’s is identical to images of my Jewish family’s dining room in the 70’s. This isn’t Zorba the Greek makes moussaka and baklava, this is a truly wondrous exploration of the new, healthy classic Greek cooking. It might be my favorite cookbook of the year.
STIR: Mixing It Up in the Italian Tradition by Barbara Lynch – (Houghton Mifflin, $35.00) Lynch is the self-taught chef who created the landmark Boston restaurant #9 Park. It’s hard to imagine the Academia della Cucina de Italia ever believing that regional Italian cooking would disappear after the Second World War, what with the current profligacy of amazing Italian cookbooks, but Stir is unusual for it is truly intuitive and creative. Who would ever imagine a tomato tarte tatin, chicken and vegetable soup with caraway gnocchi, fritto misto with caramello sauce? This isn’t innovation for the sake of originality, these recipes are the result of a refined technique and a gorgeous palate. Well worth the wait.
9) MOMOFUKU by David Chang and Peter Meehan – (Clarkson Potter, $40.00) David Chang is the Mary J. Blige of ramen. Peter Meehan is the scribe who managed to tell this tale of the Trinity College graduate who transformed his Korean heritage and love of Asian cuisine to a New York noodle phenomenon. The hit of the season.
10) LIQUID MEMORY: Why Wine Matters by Jonathan Nossiter – (Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, $26.00) Everyone has a friend, a cousin, an uncle, a husband or a wife who is mad for wine. This beautifully written exposition by this acclaimed filmmaker traces his lifelong obsession with the art of terroir and the making of magnificent wine. A treasure.
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