Cookery

Arokiasamy grew up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where her mother had a spice stall in the busy local market. She began her culinary career as a chef in various hotels in Southeast Asia, but she later became a cooking teacher, and she is now the owner of the Spice Merchant's Cooking School in Seattle. In her first book, she shares her knowledge ("Spices were in my blood," she writes) and offers mouthwatering recipes influenced by her Southeast Asian background and training. She provides a good introduction to the spices and other essential pantry items, followed by a chapter on make-ahead spice rubs, pastes, and other seasonings. Most of the 100 recipes are easy and approachable, and Arokiasamy's food memories and reminiscences are a pleasure to read. Highly recommended.

The latest cookbook from Country Living presents 90 favorite recipes for casual summer meals, from Summertime Potato Salad to Grilled Lemon-Tarragon Chicken. The introductory section includes information on grilling and entertaining outdoors, and there are color photographs throughout. The New York Times Country Weekend Cookbook offers a wider range of more interesting recipes, but most collections will want to add this as well.

Farrell-Kingsley is a food writer and author of several other cookbooks. Here, she provides easy recipes for making cultured dairy products, such as yogurt, butter, and sour cream, and soft unripened cheeses, such as cream cheese and mozzarella, at home. There are also recipes based on these homemade dairy products, from Buttermilk Pancakes to Italian Ricotta Tart. Sidebars and boxes offer culinary history, nutrition information, and useful tips and hints. Farrell-Kingsley's thorough but unintimidating recipe instructions will enable any reader to make a variety of dairy products, and many home cooks will be eager to try them. For most collections.

Fowler, a food writer, cookbook author (New Southern Kitchen and others), and culinary historian, fell in love with Savannah the first time he visited it nearly three decades ago, and he has lived there ever since. His new book is a celebration of the city's cuisine, and the recipes include both traditional Savannah favorites, such as Crab and Tomato Soup, and dishes that reflect the waves of later immigrants, such as Greek Roast Lamb with Lemon and Potatoes. Many of them are updated versions of recipes from old cookbooks, and Fowler includes the history and provenance of each dish. Savannah hosts are legendary for their hospitality, and Fowler includes a separate chapter on "Parties & Receptions." Numerous color photographs show off both the recipes and the city's charm. For most collections.

Hawkins, who lives in Scotland, is a food writer and author of Crepes, Waffles, and Pancakes! Her latest book would probably be better subtitled Recipes for Sweet and Savory Dishes because she includes appetizers as well as main courses and desserts. The 90 recipes, grouped by type of fruit, are simple but fairly sophisticated, and many of them are unusual. There is also an introductory section on choosing, storing, and preparing fruit, as well as an illustrated glossary. Relatively few recent cookbooks have been devoted specifically to fruit; this is recommended for most collections.

Jenkins is the author of the authoritative Cheese Primer, now a classic, and is well known as "the cheese guy" of Fairway Market, the always-crowded gourmet market on Manhattan's Upper West Side. He started working there in 1980, and from the beginning, his cheese counter was more like a French fromagerie than anything ever seen in other markets here. Jenkins's passion for cheese remains, but he has acquired other food passions as well, and he is now a partner in Fairway. His latest book presents Fairway's story as well as his own, in chapters such as "The Deli and Appetizing Counter: A Grand Old New York Tradition" and "Olives Are Beautiful," along with appealing recipes from the chef of the market's café/steakhouse. Jenkins is opinionated but knowledgeable, and his behind-the-scenes account of the market is both informative and entertaining. Recommended for all area libraries (there are now Fairways in New York in Harlem, Plainview, and Brooklyn) and most other collections.

Khalifé is a cooking teacher, author of The Middle Eastern Cookbook, and producer of a Middle Eastern food network. Here, she presents recipes for mezze, or little dishes, from Greece, Turkey, and her native Lebanon. They are grouped into chapters of hot and cold mezze, salads, and pastries, and many are shown in full-page color photographs. Unfortunately, Khalifé provides only a brief introduction to the topic, and her recipes, many of which will be unfamiliar to readers, do not include headnotes. Diane Kochilas's Meze is a better book on the same topic, and Paul Gayler's recent The World in Bite Size is a wider-ranging compendium of mezze and other small plates. For larger collections.

Muir is a food writer and editor based in London, and her latest book is an attractive, informative, and readable guide to some 20 grains, from the familiar (corn and wheat) to the exotic (freekeh, roasted green barley, or wheat). Along with chapters on each grain, she includes an introductory section on grain farming and processing, ethical concerns, and health benefits. The more than 100 recipes are sophisticated and unusual, inspired by a wide variety of cuisines. Although U.S. measures are given in most cases, the book, originally published in England, has not been Americanized, and some "Britishisms" remain. Nevertheless, this is a good companion to Lorna Sass's big Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way and is recommended for most collections.

Robinson, a journalist who writes about food and culture, grew up in Australia but was born in Tokyo, and he has lived there for the last 20 years. He believes that izakaya, casual neighborhood spots that are something of a cross between a tapas bar and a pub, are poised to become as popular in the West as sushi bars are now, and his first book is an appreciative introduction to the world of izakaya. He profiles eight of Tokyo's izakaya, each distinctive in its own way, and includes 60 recipes that demonstrate the range of food served in these establishments. There are also sidebars on culinary traditions, ingredients, and related topics, and color and black-and-white photographs show off the izakaya and the dishes. A unique work, recommended for most collections.

The latest cookbooks in this series present recipes for delectable desserts from two favorite Southern cities, Charleston, SC, and Savannah. As in the earlier titles, the recipes all come from restaurant chefs, and descriptions of the restaurants are included alongside. Shay, a children's book packager, briefly introduces the culinary traditions of each city, and there are color photographs of the desserts, the restaurants, and alluring city scenes. For area libraries and other collections on Southern cooking.