From Napa to New York, 5 fall cookbooks inspire kitchen creativity
Pistachio power, Cali-Baja seasonings and Jew-ish noshes are just a few of the culinary delights in the pages of upcoming cookbooks.
Nothing beats a beautiful cookbook for inspiring home cooking dreams. Flipping through the vibrant pages and watching kitchen wizards create artfully plated, edible magic across the spreads provides plenty of inspiration.
This fall, publishers are releasing a slew of titles aimed at making you a better home cook. Here are five of our new favorites, whether you’re craving a new take on Jewish fare, the enticements of the California-Baja border, or dishes inspired by the philanthropic World Central Kitchen.
The World Central Kitchen Cookbook
The pages of celebrity chef, restaurateur, and philanthropist José Andrés’ upcoming book “The World Central Kitchen Cookbook” will provide inspiration for not only eating well but also doing good.
The recipes and photos highlight both World Central Kitchen’s mission – feeding people in the midst of disaster – and the care taken to adapt recipes to disaster victims’ palates and provide comfort in the moments people need it the most.
WCK values are used to divide the cookbook into chapters. For example, the “Urgency” chapter includes foods that can be eaten on the go, whereas the “Hope” section includes soups and stews, such as Ukrainian Borsch, that are designed to provide maximum comfort. And celebrity chefs from around the world have contributed recipes for everything from Ayesha Curry’s Chicken Parmesan to Tyler Florence and Guy Fieri’s Thanksgiving spread served a year after the Paradise fire to families, city officials, and first responders.
“There is no one correct way to feed people in the aftermath of a disaster.” It’s a way of listening and learning, of thinking and acting in the world that we’re sharing with this book in a million different ways.” Jose Andrés
Details: “The World Central Kitchen Cookbook: Feeding Humanity, Feeding Hope,” by José Andrés and World Central Kitchen with Sam Chapple-Sokol (Clarkson Potter, $35), benefits WCK’s emergency response efforts. The book will be released on September 12th.
Pistachio: Savory & Sweet Recipes Inspired by World Cuisines
In this new cookbook, the North Bay duo of James Beard award-winning food writer Georgeanne Brennan, who lives in Winters, and Napa’s Barbara Bryant take a deep dive into the delicious world of pistachios.
Brennan develops recipes title-first, imagining an enticing recipe name first, then imagining what the dish might look like and the ingredients to get there. Then she considers how a home cook, rather than a restaurant chef, might prepare the dish. “Make it manageable without sacrificing flavor,” she says.
The dishes range from sweet to savory, including pistachio-topped lime cheesecake and roasted delicata squash with pistachios and harissa yogurt.
“Pistachio: Savory & Sweet Recipes Inspired by World Cuisines,” by Barbara Bryant and Georgeanne Brennan (Cameron + Company, $30), will be released on September 26. Meet Brennan and Holmes at Brennan’s L’Apero les Trois Aperitif Tasting Room and Lounge in Winters on Oct. 15 at 12:30 p.m. Tickets ($115 or $185 per couple) include an aperitif, wine, lunch, and a signed copy of the book; see https://laperolestrois.com/events/ for more information.
I Could Nosh: Classic Jew-ish Recipes Revamped for Every Day
On September 12, best-selling author of the “Jew-ish” cookbook Jake Cohen will release an encore volume. His book “I Could Nosh: Classic Jewish Recipes Revamped for Every Day” is full of wit and wordplay, with chapter titles like “Challah Back,” “Nosh Pit,” and “The Breakfast and the Furious.”
According to The New Yorker, his sophomore book is a deeper exploration of his Jewish — or rather Jew-ish — identity. Cohen’s challah recipe, for example, is accompanied by variations for chall-zones, pletzel, monkey bread, babka, and sufganiyot, as well as an entire chapter of flavored schmear varieties to pair with bagels.
“‘Are you hungry?’ is one of the first questions any Jewish mother or grandmother will ask you, in a tone that is equal parts loving, worried, and aggressive.” “Whether you’re ravenous, disgustingly full, or somewhere in the middle, the only acceptable response for any Askhenazi Jew is, of course, ‘I could nosh.'” — Jacob Cohen
Jake Cohen’s “I Could Nosh: Classic Jewish Recipes Revamped for Every Day” (Harvest, $35) will be released on September 12.
Still We Rise: A Southern Biscuit Love Letter with Over 70 Sweet and Savory Recipes
Erika Council, chef and owner of Atlanta’s Bomb Biscuit Co., has written an irresistible ode to the biscuit in all its flaky, tender glory. She shares over 70 biscuit-related recipes, including spreads, sandwiches, and a homemade biscuit mix.
Council’s grandmother was a soul food chef, teacher, and Civil Rights activist, and she draws on her grandmother’s legacy in her culinary practice today. The end result is a cookbook that is both inspiring and educational, with recipes ranging from a Glori-Fried Chicken Biscuit Sandwich to Honey Roasted Peach Biscuits.
“In my research into biscuit books, none highlighted the contributions of Black bakers and chefs, despite the fact that my entire education on this subject has been guided by Black hands,” says the author. Some learn through direct instruction, while others learn through osmosis. This cookbook is a love letter to the African American women and men who have inspired and taught me throughout my life. ‘They’re still here, because I’m still here,’ my mother would say. Erika Council’s
Erika Council’s “Still We Rise” (Clarkson Potter, $26) was released on August 8. It is now available in local bookstores and online.
Tijuana Tacos, Ensenada Aquachiles, San Diego Cali Burritos, and More
Michael Gardiner, a San Diego food writer and restaurant critic, has written an ode to modern and traditional Baja California-meets-SoCal fare in “Cali Baja Cuisine,” which will be released shortly after Labor Day.
Consider Tijuana tacos, San Diego-style burritos, and a variety of other dishes. There are recipes for golden beet pozole, smoked pulled lamb shoulder with seared tomatillo, and crab in guajillo-pork broth with pickled asparagus. Plus, a cultural primer on the porous borders that separate northern Mexico from Southern California.
“Cali-Baja cuisine is not, in the end, just chef-driven restaurant food.” It’s a cuisine based on the region’s natural bounty (on both sides of the border) and the flavors beloved by the locals… It’s everyone’s multicultural and cross-cultural palate, influenced by wherever they may have come from.” Michael Gardiner’s
Details: Meet Michael Gardiner, author of “Cali Baja Cuisine: Tijuana Tacos, Ensenada Aquachiles, San Diego Cali Burritos + More” (Rizzoli, $40), on September 24 at 3 p.m. at Omnivore Books in San Francisco.
