Cookery

The holiday season is almost in full swing! This means get-togethers and food, but for celebrants with allergies or health concerns like celiac disease, the holidays can be one land mine after another. Among those delivering taste and healthy eating are Jennifer Katzinger's Flying Apron's Gluten-Free & Vegan Baking Book, Cybele Pascal's The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook, the Moosewood Collective's Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health, and Louisa Shafia's Lucid Food.

This visual guide for the cooking-impaired newlywed addresses such kitchen basics as refrigerators, grills, ovens, and utensils. Beginners will appreciate the step-by-step instructions for such basics as poached eggs, cheeseburgers, and chicken chow mein. Although cookbooks aimed at novices are plentiful, Blakeslee assumes his reader has never seen a kitchen, let alone turned on an oven. With a helpful, simple glossary, this is a good choice for public libraries and beginning chefs.

The Bronskis, founders of the blog No Gluten, No Problem (noglutennoproblem.blogspot.com), have been eating gluten-free since Peter, a writer, was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2007. (Kelli is a chef and baker.) Their cookbook presents 250 from-scratch recipes that call for their Artisanal Gluten-Free Flour Mix (brown rice flour, sorghum flour, cornstarch, potato starch, potato flour, and xanthan gum). Dishes include breads, entrées, drinks, and desserts (brownies are made with the authors' flour mix and gluten-free vanilla extract). Online resources for locating products, support groups, and information on gluten-free living are listed.

The owner of Seattle's Flying Apron Bakery proves that bakers can create fabulous scones, muffins, cookies, pies, and more without gluten, dairy, egg, and soy. Each of the some 80 recipes includes an introduction regarding its origin and Katzinger's personal history with the dish. Beyond such treats as Pumpkin Cookies and Earl Grey Tea Cake, cooks will find entrées, soups, and salads. Of the two titles here, Katzinger's is superior as she includes a list of staple ingredients to have on hand, identifies trusty brands, and lists online resources that will be helpful for the new gluten-free baker. Her recipe introductions add a personal touch that many bakers will appreciate. If bakers need one gluten-free baking book to get them through the holidays, this one is it.

Hailed as Britain's greatest Italian chef and owner of London's restaurant Passione, Contaldo shares his favorite family recipes—that is, for a large family or cooks planning a dinner party. Each dish serves eight to 12 people. Contaldo has a gift for making even the simplest foods divine—his french fries (called Herby Chips) are made with a mix of herbs, breadcrumbs, potatoes, and egg whites. Given that this is a UK import, the metric measurements may be a drawback for U.S. cooks. Still, this personal and visually appealing title is strongly recommended for libraries, fans of Italian cooking, and eaters everywhere.

Compiled by the head makeup artist for PBS's Austin City Limits, this volume includes 130 recipes by the musical artists who have appeared on the show, making for an original fan book/cookbook. The recipes, which are as eclectic as the music, include Swedish Pancakes (Shawn Colvin), Southern Italian Sausage Sandwich (Shelby Lynne), Veggie Lasagna (Joss Stone), and Braised Wild Goose (Mark Chesnutt). A guaranteed hit for Austin City Limits fans.

The winner of the 2008 Gourmand Award for Best Italian Cuisine Book (Australian Category) and the 2009 Cordon d'Or Cuisine Award for Best Illustrated Culinary Book, this cookbook by an Australian restaurateur is part culinary history, part food photography, and part cookbook. The 180 recipes range from the simple (such as Spicy Garlic Olives) to the complex (Black and White Salmon Ravioli with Sweet-Corn Sauce). Well-written instructions break down even the most complex recipes to the simplest steps, making this cookbook accessible to beginning cooks. Recommended for libraries and cooks interested in exploring new Italian regional cuisines.

Good, coauthor of the bestselling Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook: Feasting with Your Slow Cooker, has gathered 225 recipes from the truck farmers, bakers, and local butchers who sell their goods at the country's oldest continuously operating farmers market. While Lancaster, PA, is often synonymous with the Amish, cooks will find a multicultural array of easy-to-follow recipes incorporating fresh ingredients: Greek Bandit-Style Chicken, Green Curry Chicken, Hungarian Chicken Livers, Vegetable Pizza, Chocolate Raspberry Torte, and more. Recipes list the cook and businesses, cooking time, variation options, and notes on the recipe's history. Sure to appeal to home cooks who shop their local farmers markets for ingredients.

This colorful, accessible cookbook by a noted Indian cooking teacher and food writer demystifies Indian cuisine for American home cooks with clear, simple instructions accompanied by step-by-step photos. Following an illustrated introduction that covers spices, vegetables, legumes, techniques, and equipment, the recipes focus on delicately spiced dishes rather than stereotypical hot flavors. Especially appealing are drinks like Tender Coconut Cooler (or Daab Shikanji), made with coconut water, lemon soda, black salt, honey, coconut flesh, cilantro, and papaya. Although aimed at cooks new to Indian cooking, the text assumes that readers know how to crack a coconut and separate the water from the flesh. And some ingredients (such as black salt) may not be readily available. For those interested in adding a colorful side dish to their repertoire or creating an entire Indian vegetarian meal, this is the perfect guide.

Well known for its vegetarian cuisine for over 30 years and a two-time winner of the James Beard Award, the Ithaca, NY, restaurant is back with over 200 recipes aimed at both committed vegetarians and families who may be new to healthy home cooking. Also covered are organics, eating locally, soy, antioxidants, and raw foods. Those new to Moosewood's philosophy and fearful that "health food" is dull and bland will find healthful eating a pleasure with such tasty dishes as Japanese Winter Stew (made with seaweed, mushrooms, and tofu) and Curried Tofu and Mango Salad. Recommended for libraries, vegetarians, and those interested in eating healthier.

The authors introduce home chefs to the joys of cast iron cooking with tips on how to choose and care for cast iron ware and 130 recipes that include a short history, variations, accompaniments, and wine recommendations. The variety of dishes (soups, cookies, pancakes, stakes, and even dog treats) presented will open even the most experienced cook's eyes to the possibilities of cast iron cooking. Meat eaters are sure to find a few new recipes, such as Goat Loaf, which uses bacon, ground goat meat, eggs, and old-fashioned oats. Internet resources are also listed.

The authors of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes That Rule and Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook return with another sweet collection of vegan goodies. Many recipes can be made with minimal baking experience, but even the more complicated ones are simplified for the beginner. For cooks who don't live near a Whole Foods or health food store, a few ingredients—ground flax seeds, brown rice syrup, and spelt flour—may be difficult to locate. A mail-order or online resource for these items would have been helpful. Despite this, bakers will find plenty of love—Mocha Mamas (chocolate coffee cookies with white drizzled frosting) and Pumpkin Pie Brownies (chocolaty pumpkin brownies with pumpkin pie filling on top). Recommended for vegan bakers and cookie lovers.

Pagrach-Chandra, winner of the 2000 Sophie Coe Award for Food History, has written a distinctive book that is part culinary history, part international cookbook. Chocolate lovers are sure to enjoy the minihistory of cocoa as well as the delicious recipes. Baking skill levels vary with the recipes, and the difficulty is noted for each. While this cookbook may be best suited for experienced cooks, the global inspiration (which includes Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and North America) makes this a one-of-a-kind resource for more adventurous and experienced bakers. Highly recommended.

Well-known chef Pascal (The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook) is also the mother of a boy with severe food allergies. Her cookbook features recipes for baked goods, both sweet and savory, that omit the eight foods responsible for most allergies (milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shelfish, soy, and wheat). This requires stocking your pantry differently; for example, to make Fudge Brownies, you'll need dairy-free, soy-free vegetable shortening, prune purée, Pascal's flour mix, xanthan gum, and dairy-free, soy-free chocolate chips. With an extensive list of product resources and support groups, this is an excellent title for both allergen-conscious bakers and vegan cooks.

The deputy editors at the Eating Well Media Group, publishers of the 2008 James Beard Award-winning The EatingWell Diet, are back to help dieters prepare healthy dinners with yummy recipes designed to fill up the tummy while keeping the calories low. For example, try Mozzarella-Stuffed Turkey Burgers instead of pizza (300 calories); here are the flavors dieters crave, and your dinner still has 200 calories to spare! Each recipe includes calories, cooking time, complementary recipes, and diet tips (such as removing skin from the chicken). For public libraries and dieters.

Shafia is the founder of Lucid Food, a New York City eco-friendly fine catering company. Here, she offers 80 seasonal recipes to help cooks make use of local foods. While her coverage of such topics as organic food, free-range meats, and fair trade products will be old news to green cooks, Shafia's dishes are original and inspired. Cooks are sure to find new recipes to jazz up a meal. How about Persian Stuffed Dumpling Squash with Rose Petals and Chickpea Cakes (Indian-spiced cakes)? And what eco-conscious cook can live without granola? Shafia's Best Granola Ever recipe includes dried apricots, coconut flakes, and cacao nibs. Recommended.