Cookery

Conant was until recently chef of two upscale Manhattan restaurants, L'Impero and Alto; currently, he is consulting, with plans for another restaurant in the works. His first book, New Italian Cooking, showcases the sophisticated dishes he served at L'Impero. This one features recipes for what he describes as "simple, honest Italian food," what he likes to cook at home for friends and family: Salt-Baked Shrimp with Olive Oil and Thyme, for example, and Spaghetti with Clams. Yet some of the dishes, such as Almond Gazpacho and Crab Salad with Ginger, seem to have little connection with Italian cooking, and others are fairly complicated. For larger collections of chefs' cookbooks.

In 1991, Cruz, a single mother of two with no formal training, opened a restaurant ("naively," she says) in San Diego, serving the food she had grown up with. "Improbably, it thrived," and today she has five restaurants up and down the West Coast, from La Jolla, CA, to Portland, OR. Her Puerto Rican family lived in a melting-pot neighborhood, with neighbors from Cuba, Mexico, Peru, Japan, and Thailand, and her cooking reflects influences from all of these cuisines, with an emphasis on healthy eating. Cruz has an engaging style, and her recipes are simple but fresh. For most collections.

Dweck is one of the coauthors of a beloved series of cookbooks called Deal Delights, with traditional Aleppian Jewish recipes (Deal, NJ, is one of the largest communities, along with Brooklyn, of Aleppian Jews in the United States). Her big, impressive new book presents the social and culinary history of the Syrian Jews, along with close to 200 recipes. Obviously a labor of love, it was written to help preserve the foods and traditions of this venerable community (Dweck notes that the last Jew left Aleppo in 1987; the approximately 100,000 Jews of Aleppian descent who live in the United States, Central and Latin America, and Israel today represent "the largest Sephardic community in the Diaspora"). She includes both simple, everyday recipes and more elaborate dishes for the holidays and other celebrations; headnotes provide context and information on ingredients and techniques. There are also dozens of color photographs of the recipes and of Dweck's family and friends cooking and eating together, as well as period photographs of Aleppo at the turn of the century. A "Syrian Guidebook to Jewish Holidays and Life-Cycle Events" and several glossaries conclude the book. Highly recommended.

Mesa Grill is Flay's flagship restaurant; he also has several other Manhattan restaurants as well as Mesa Grills in Las Vegas and the Bahamas. A Food Network star, Flay is the author of six other cookbooks, and many of his signature recipes appear in earlier titles; this one includes 150 of his favorite Mesa Grill dishes, from Shrimp and Roasted Garlic Tamales to Grilled Rib-Eye Steaks with Chipotle-Honey Glaze. There are color photographs throughout, a guide to chilies and another one to tequila, and a pantry section. For fans of Flay's restaurants and TV shows, this is recommended for most collections.

Hopkinson, a former chef, is one of England's best-known food writers. This book of essays and recipes, originally published in 1994, has remained immensely popular there, and although some chefs and foodies here also know it, this is the first Americanized edition. He offers 40 essays on ingredients from anchovies to veal, along with three or more recipes for each of them. Hopkinson's style is straightforward, often opinionated, but also graceful and witty, and the recipes include both classics and more contemporary dishes such as Leeks with Cream and Mint ("This sort of dish is what marrying flavors is all about"). A few of the references to restaurants or culinary trends are slightly dated, but that is easily overlooked. Recommended for most collections.

Macquet has been chef of Dominique's in the Hotel Maison Dupuy in New Orleans since the late 1990s, and his first book, Dominique's Fresh Flavors, featured the elaborate modern French cuisine he served there for many years. But he was born on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean and has traveled and worked around the world, and several years ago he changed his focus to what he calls "tropical French." The recipes are still sophisticated, but they now include inspirations from Caribbean, Latin American, Asian, and South Pacific cuisines as well: Haitian Conch Salad and Beef Pho with Asian Pesto, to name a few. There are color photographs throughout and a glossary of ingredients. For area libraries and other large collections.

Pinner, who works for the post office in Saginaw, MI, comes from a large family of cooks and bakers. Her first book, Sweets: Soul Food Desserts & Memories, includes some of her favorite pie recipes, and here are even more, along with memories and anecdotes about the women who contributed the recipes. There's a story about each pie and lots of homespun wisdom ("An unhappy husband will ask for toasted snow") from Pinner's mother and other bakers. While some readers may find the small-town tales a bit wearying, others will find them an amusing reflection of a mostly bygone era. For larger baking collections.

Now a baking instructor at Johnson & Wales, Reinhart has written six other books on bread, including the authoritative Bread Baker's Apprentice. His impressive new work introduces a special method he has developed for making delicious artisanal whole-grain breads, from Whole Wheat Challah and Potato Rosemary Bread to Pumpernickel Bagels and Lavash. The first third of the book includes a bread-making tutorial and a detailed explanation of his "delayed-fermentation" technique, illustrated with step-by-step photographs. The 55 recipes, or "master formulas," are equally detailed, and each includes a "Bread Profile," "Commentary," nutritional analyses, and more. These are small-batch recipes, intended to be made in a home kitchen, and the text is aimed at the dedicated home baker, but professionals will also learn from Reinhart's latest title. Highly recommended.

The original Santa Monica Farmers' Market, founded in 1981, is one of the oldest and largest markets in California. Saltsman, a cooking teacher and writer, provides information on choosing and storing seasonal produce and other ingredients, simple but sophisticated recipes based on them, and brief introductions to many of the farmers who come to the market every week. Most of the recipes include "Cook's Tips," "Chef's Tips," or "Farmer's Tips," and there are boxes on various ingredients, along with lists of crops and recipes by season. With the growing interest in—and reliance on—farmers' markets and community-supported agricultural programs, this is recommended for most collections.

A well-known cooking teacher, Walter is the author of several other excellent baking books, including Great Pies & Tarts. Her new book offers dozens of delectable, homey recipes, from Whipped Cream Pound Cake to Cape Cod Cranberry Muffins to Black Raspberry Jam Squares. Although many of them are quick and easy, there are also more challenging recipes, including brioche, croissants, and strudel, for passionate bakers. Each chapter opens with a list of useful tips, and the recipes are clear and detailed; Walter also includes an excellent guide to equipment, ingredients, and techniques.Essential for any baking collection.