Do you love to curl up with a good book about food? Bookworms with culinary inclinations have a great selection this winter. The long list of recent releases includes cookbooks, travel adventures, and stories of famous restaurants – all are welcome companions on a cold day. Warm your foodie heart with one of our 12 reading recommendations.
1. More Cheese, Please
If you love fromage (we take ours with charcuterie) you need this petite and whimsical guide to all things cheese by Anne Saxelby, a leader in American artisan cheese. We’ve always enjoyed her playful approach and this book shares her expertise as a purveyor, how to pair it and have fun with creative ways to indulge in eating cheese.
2. Best Food Writing of 2020
This book captures the food industry at a critical moment in history – after all, 2020 was an intense year. Read some of the powerful stories – by the best food writers – that span the top NYC restaurants to the chile factories of New Mexico and get a glimpse into the complexities of our food system. We can all appreciate it more after the wild ride of 2020.
3. The Bread Comeback
With home cooks spending more time in the kitchen, there is no doubt that 2020 was the year of bread baking. Yeast was hard to find in the spring, and sourdough bread became a popular hashtag, with many loaves getting attention on Instagram. In this book, Marc Vetri, who has long been a leader in the American movement toward high-quality bread, offers his secrets to making simple bread in home ovens.
4. A World of Flavor
Marcus Samuelsson has always been recognized for his creative cooking, combining vibrant African spices and his Swedish culinary roots into a cuisine uniquely American – and his own. Samuelsson is an extraordinary chef with a compelling voice, who shares more than just 150 recipes in this deeply nuanced book featuring ingredients and techniques from around the globe.
5. A Guide to Meat
We always love a good meat cookbook, and the venerable Cook’s Illustrated team has released a handy book fit for every carnivore’s shelf. Besides breaking down all the primal cuts, and explaining cooking techniques, this book offers over 300 recipes for cooking your favorite proteins.
6. Armchair Travel
With travel limitations being what they are, this wonderful tome gives you the chance to virtually travel through Central Asia. Caroline Eden’s prior work, The Black Sea, was one of the most awarded cookbooks of 2019, and this one is getting noticed too. More of a memoir/travel book with a cast of characters and their stories, it also has recipes from the region that have been adapted to ingredients available in the U.S.
7. Mexico at Home
Born of the popular blog Mexico in My Kitchen, this cookbook has easy-to-follow recipes, lovely images, and stories from Mexico designed to preserve family recipes. Learn to make authentic dishes and tortillas at home with Mely.
8. Family Recipes Revived
Our friend chef Alex Guarnaschelli shares recipes from her mother, a world-famous cookbook editor, along with recipes she wishes she grew up with, and insights from generations of collective cooking experience. Her approachable recipes will inspire you to run to the kitchen and cook.
9. The New Casual Cooking
When Christopher Kimball and his team put together a cookbook everyone takes notice. In Cookish, he encourages simple recipes with six or fewer ingredients – and pantry staples – that can be thrown together in no time. Anyone can be a great cook with these techniques and an intuitive approach to the kitchen.
10. Perfect Culinary Execution
On the other end of the spectrum is the culinary perfection that defines Per Se and The French Laundry. This is the sixth volume in Thomas Keller’s library of cookbooks and every elegant page reflects the high standards he is known for, as the culinary conversation between his east and west coast restaurants unfolds.
11. The History of a NY Restaurant
Celebrate one of NYC’s most beloved restaurants – Il Buco – in the pages of this book. Since 1994, this establishment has stood the test of time with a wide range of artisans, farmers, winemakers, chefs, and regulars as part of the family. Besides being a cultural history of a place and time, it offers more than 80 recipes you can enjoy at home.
12. The Story of Fäviken
Renowned chef Magnus Nilsson closed Fäviken, his one-of-a-kind restaurant in remote Sweden, at the height of its success as a world-class destination. This beautiful book is more than a history of the restaurant, it’s a chronological list of every dish ever served, a commentary on food culture, and includes 100 recipes.
When you’re ready to start cooking be sure to have meat in the fridge. Shop dartagnan.com for all the best meat, poultry, game and more.