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 Entertainment | Books | December 2007 
Best of the Cookbooks
 Lesley Chesterman - Gazette (Montreal)
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Even in this hyper-digital age, there's something to be said for leafing through recipes and photos to get stoked about food.
Where do you turn to for recipes? Mom... the Internet... newspapers and magazines...or the back of the Chipits package? "All of the above" is my answer, yet my primary source is still cookbooks.
Yes, I spend hours every day on the web picking up tips on message boards for smoking pork butt, or swapping molten chocolate cake recipes with pastry chefs I chat to online. In search of something to do with that rotting banana on the counter, chances are I'll Google banana recipes before facing my extensive cookbook collection. But when I want to unwind, books are what I turn to first, for there's nothing quite like prying open a new cookbook and spending a good hour perusing the recipes, deciphering the latest trends, marking the pages to revisit, and - best of all - ogling the glossy colour photographs.
Fiction nuts wait impatiently for the latest Ruth Rendell, P.D. James or Ian Rankin novel to come out, while non-fiction fans count the days till the launch of Cherie Blair's memoir. I get excited hearing about Anne Willan's latest French tome, Anthony Bourdain's latest travel diary or that both Sherry Yard and Alice Medrich have new pastry books on offer.
Last year's popular trends in cookbooks included chef-authored books, cooking for kids, Spanish cuisine, tapas and everything Italian, as well as chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. This year, the single-subject book - meat or vegetarian especially - dominates, as well as pastry books, and numbered volumes dedicated to basic cooking techniques.
Below are some of the standouts of 2007.
We've listed the price indicated on the jacket cover, but you may be able to find these books for less from booksellers who have adjusted prices to reflect the rise in the Canadian dollar. Many online sources offer a discount as well.
Happy reading, or perhaps I should say, happy cooking.
(Our team of reviewers consists of Gazette Fine-Dining Critic Lesley Chesterman, Food Editor Julian Armstrong, Casual-Dining Critic Sarah Musgrave and reporter Susan Schwartz. The initials of each writer are at the end of the reviews.)
Ethnic
My China - A Feast for All the Senses by Kylie Kwong (Penguin, $66). Australian-Chinese chef Kylie Kwong traversed her homeland with food in mind, and the result falls into the travelogue category - if present trends continue we'll need coffee tables in our kitchens. The 80 recipes are approachable, like straightforward stir-fried choy sum with garlic or classic Szechuan mapo tofu. But they're widely spaced between 480 pages of photo essay, so ideal for someone who has been or is contemplating a trip to China. Gift it with shao hsing wine, used in many recipes. SM
Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet - A World of Recipes for Everyday by Padma Lakshmi (Weinstein, $40.50). That this book gets glowing reviews from both Nigella Lawson and Madhur Jaffrey says something about its approach. Top Chef host Lakshmi follows up on Easy Exotic with a chatty collection of streamlined dishes that wander from Persian chicken soup and Indian-style Krispy Fried Chicken to a friend's ratatouille. Peppered with bright photos, it's a lifestyle thing - easy and elegant entertaining without going too deep. A chapter called In Praise of Bacon appeals. Gift it with Anoushka Shankar CD Rise. SM
Aromas of Aleppo - The Legendary Cuisine of Syrian Jews by Poopa Dweck (HarperCollins, $62.95). This Z to A guide to a specific branch of Sephardic cooking starts with zataar on flatbread and winds up with almond milk. There's also spiced beef hashu and kibbeh in all its forms, in bulgur pockets, in stew and in caramelized onions. You don't need Dweck's religious devotion to cooking to make use of her gorgeously photographed book - she generously points out that tamarind concentrate can be homemade as per her instructions or storebought. Gift it with store-bought tamarind paste. SM
Authentic Mexican - Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico by Rick Bayless. (HarperCollins, $37.95). For those who missed his first edition 20 years ago, Bayless, a Chicago restaurateur with the TV series Mexico: One Plate at a Time, was a genuine foodie before the term existed. Sure, the illustrations are dated - the few colour pics make it a rarity these days - but it's sprinkled with factoids worthy of attention. And charcoal-grilled cobs of corn sprinkled with cheese and chilies or crêpes with cajeta never go out of style. Gift it with topnotch tequila reposado. SM
The Ethnic Paris Cookbook - Bringing the French Melting Pot Into Your Kitchen by Charlotte Puckette and Olivia Kiang-Snaije (DK, $35). Residents of multicultural metropolises will no doubt appreciate the concept of recipes associated with local restaurants and épiceries. Like city streets, however, it takes some navigating to get familiar with the scope of cuisines covered. Whimsical drawings accompany instructions for shopping for and cooking with Vietnamese fish sauce, African manioc, Tunisian harissa and Middle Eastern pastry. Gift it with tickets to Jane Birkin's Montreal concert in February. SM
Where Flavor Was Born - Recipes and Culinary Travels Along the Indian Ocean Spice Route, by Andreas Viestad (Chronicle Books, $40). There's a fun spirit in this cookbook's surfer typeface, bold design and somewhat chaotic arrangement of recipes according to spice. Turmeric, vanilla, pepper and curry dishes from all over the map are not cohesive, but personal reflections of this Scandinavian chef's experiences in Indonesia, Mauritius and South Africa, to name a few. Gift it with a recent world atlas. SM
New Greek Cuisine: Featuring 150 Recipes From Jim Botsacos, the Chef of New York's Acclaimed Molyvos Restaurant, by Jim Botsacos (Broadway Books, $39.95). Even if you've never eaten at Molyvos, you won't feel you've missed out once you've made Botsacos's Warm Wild Mushroom and Watercress Salad. The chef doesn't come off as a brainiac in these pages, and you may want to step up the amount of garlic in his tzatziki ingredients, but his tips are to the point and his recipes deliver fare that's both haute and homey. Gift it with the finest Greek honey you can find. SM
Mediterranean Grilling, by Diane Kochilas (Morrow/HarperCollins, $37.95). The latest fine book from one of the top interpreters of Greek cuisine. Living both in Greece and New York and writing for the large Greek daily newspaper called Ta Nea, Kochilas says she's now writing about the oldest culinary art form in the Mediterranean. Her more than 100 recipes are well written; fish, lamb and vegetable dishes are mouthwatering. Photographs by the author's husband, Vassilis Stenos, are good. Combining the Mediterranean diet with grilling makes a winning combination from a fine writer. JA
Christmas
The Complete Christmas Book, by the editors of Canadian Living magazine and executive food editor Elizabeth Baird. (Transcontinental, $24.95, and also available in French). You'll find fresh ideas for every part of Christmas and holiday menus as well as chapters on "fun family projects" and edible gifts. Under projects, the magazine's test kitchen gives all the details on making gingerbread men, houses, tree decorations, even picture frames, plus a village of rice crisp cereal "snowmen." Gift ideas include cookies, fudge, truffles, easy preserves and even treats for your dog or bird. A Christmas dinner countdown, various types of parties, and table and tree designs should help any host/hostess do a better job and enjoy the process. JA
Beginners
The Guy Can't Cook, by Cinda Chavich (Whitecap, $24.95). A 350-recipe sequel to the Calgary writer's earlier book for girls. These are entertaining and useful books from a prize-winning cookbook author. She paints the transition from school to work place: "In college it was Kraft Dinner and taco kits. Today it's pasta with aged cheddar and quesadillas on the grill." Improve the quality of the foods you buy, Chavich suggests, and your meals will improve, too. How to stock your pantry before you try cooking, 10 essential sauces to have on hand (such as black bean sauce and Dijon mustard), and what she calls "added artillery" in the form of roasted red peppers, herb oils, and tapenade, are sections leading the eager male from "sustenance" sandwiches to decadent grilling to major party dishes. Tips throughout. Girls would also enjoy this book. JA
Vegetarian
How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman. (John Wiley & Sons, $41.99). Follows How to Cook Everything, by the author of the New York Times column The Minimalist. Problem with many vegetarian cookbooks is too much earnestness. Not this one. Suitable for vegetarians but also for omnivores who, like Bittman, want a more health-conscious, planet-friendly diet, this comprehensive 996-page volume is accessible even to the novice cook. Recipes for dishes ranging from quinoa with caramelized onions to creamy baked noodles with eggplant and cheese are unfussy and yummy. Excellent charts on such topics as everyday grains and grilling vegetables. And Bittman's tofu recipes just might make converts of even the most diehard tofu haters. SS
Canadian
Dish Entertains by Trish Magwood (HarperCollins, $44.95). This is the Canadian glamour cookbook of the year, but it's not just a pretty face. Magwood, host of the TV show Party Dish, which still airs in reruns on the Food Network, runs a cooking school and catering business in Toronto.
She has produced a user-friendly feast of a book that offers plain and family dishes as well as fancy party food. After studying her recipes for herb-crusted beef tenderloin with step-by-step photos, her grilled leeks with Dijon cream, and her caramelized pears with mascarpone, my next party menu is set. She draws on the cooking of her mother and grandmother plus international culinary trends. Besides the well-written recipes and outstanding photography by Brandon Barré, her book shows her catering side with its make-ahead tips and menu ideas. JA
Pure Food: How To Shop, Cook and Have Fun in Your Kitchen Every Day by Christine Cushing (Whitecap, $29.95). To quote Toronto food critic James Chatto in the foreward, this is a book "of recipes for real people with real lives to lead." This TV chef knows her onions and keeps her recipe choices to the practical yet international. Dip into its handsomely illustrated pages and ideas for future meals will come quickly, all made with fresh, seasonal foods. Greek-born, chef-trained, Cushing is a professional at explaining how to make a fine meal. She has applied her superb training to producing a most usable collection. A veteran communicator, she throws in extra information with each dish. JA
Make It Tonight by Elizabeth Baird and the Canadian Living test kitchen (Transcontinental, $24.95). Tailor-made for the hurried cook. Based on favourite dishes from the magazine's column of the same name, the book is divided into really quick (15 to 20 minutes), fairly quick (30 minutes), those with only five ingredients, one-pot type, and choices made in various appliances or for a party. I haven't had a failure from this book in two months of testing, as readers of The Gazette's own dinner in a hurry column may have noticed. Tips and variations on recipes are welcome additions. JA
Southern
Hallelujah! The Welcome Table, a lifetime of memories with recipes by Maya Angelou (Random House, 2007) $25.95. With this collection of 80 mainly Southern-style recipes, poet and literary legend Angelou includes 27 entertaining and moving short stories to explain what made her favourite foods so memorable. The book begins in her childhood kitchen in Arkansas, where her grandmother prepared an "unimaginably good" lemon meringue pie and a "divine" caramel cake. We follow her to San Francisco, Italy, Paris, London and Nashville while she prepares everything from cassoulet to turkey with cornbread stuffing. LC
Dessert
Desserts by the Yard: From Brooklyn to Beverly Hills: Recipes from the Sweetest Life Ever, by Sherry Yard (Houghton Mifflin, $44.95). This, the second book by this acclaimed American pastry chef, is far more accessible than her first, The Secrets of Baking. With a focus on desserts and a narrative detailing her path from Brooklyn childhood filled with cheesecake and strawberry sodas, to her post today as pastry chef to the stars at L.A.'s top celeb-resto Spago, this book offers a story with every cake and oatmeal cookie. With enticing photographs and detailed recipes both simple and sophisticated, this book will please beginners and pros. LC
A Passion for Baking by Marcy Goldman (Oxmoor House, $34.95). Montreal baker Marcy Goldman is on her third book, and this one offers home bakers a wealth of recipes for everything from Caesar salad bread to crème brûlée cheesecake. Goldman's icing-topped cakes, chocolate-topped scones and cheese-topped bubble bread are sure to appeal to bakers looking for decadent treats as well as bake-sale favourites. Though the pastry expert may find these confections too basic, others will crack out the Oreo cookies and chocolate chunks and get baking. This is a good choice for beginners, who will benefit from Goldman's baking tips in the introduction. LC
Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey: Desserts for the Serious Sweet Tooth by Jill O'Connor (Chronicle Books, $24.95). Though not usually a fan of these sort of decadent desserts dripping with marshmallows, white chocolate chunks and caramel sauce, I cannot deny this book's appeal. I won't be making the cheesecake milkshake, but I am tempted by retro classics like sticky toffee pudding, butterscotch pots, S'mores and banoffee pie. The only word for this book's layout is "cute," which means the teenage baker in the family (who can spare a few calories) is the right candidate to bake up this super-sweet comfort food. LC
Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich (Artisan, $36.95). Desserts have gotten pretty complicated over the past two decades, and now it's time to ditch all of those fussy tuiles and fruity mousses in favour of the one thing that really counts: flavour. That's the philosophy behind this new book, penned by a woman renowned for her no-nonsense approach to baking. Divided into eight chapters featuring flavours like milk, grains and nuts, fruit, honey and sugar, and chocolate (Medrich's specialty), this book is also filled with baker's tips and plenty of colourful photographs sure to inspire many an afternoon of simple yet sophisticated baking. LC
Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen by Gina DePalma (Norton, 2007) $42. Babbo is the most acclaimed Italian restaurant in Manhattan, which means any book coming from this kitchen is worth a look. Italian cuisine may not known for its desserts but that doesn't deter Gina DePalma, who here gives us recipes not for cannoli or tiramisu, but tarts, cakes, creams, custards, fritters, cookies, biscotti, gelatos, sorbettos and semifreddos. Besides all these delicious-looking recipes, DePalma's strength is her passionate and intelligent voice. With many helpful hints and notes on ingredients, even the most discerning gourmets will be turned on to the idea of chocolate-dunked doughnuts for dessert. LC
Meat
Pork & Sons, by Stéphane Reynaud (Phaidon Press, $49.95). One of 2007's most talked about cookbooks, this impressive collection of recipes focuses on one ingredient: pork. Beginning with a detailed description of the art of "pig killing" and ending with recipes for wild boar, this book will help you turn everything from pig's cheeks to trotters into a delicacy. Author Reynaud hails from the Ardèche region of France, and his recipes reflect a rustic purity and simplicity all too rare on the cookbook scene. With whimsical illustrations and profiles of Reynaud's family and friends including bistro owners, sausage makers and Armagnac importers, this wonderful book offers not only a taste of pork roasts, racks and terrines, but the convivial spirit of French country life. LC
The River Cottage Meat Book by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (Ten Speed Press, $37.71). With detailed texts on important subjects like the morality of killing animals, the difference between good and bad meat, advice on buying meat, and facts on organic meat production, this book should be required reading for every devoted carnivore. Then there are the excellent graphics detailing the provenance on the animal of each cut of meat, and writings on often neglected odd bits like tongue, brains, trotters and so on.
The second part of the book tells you just how to cook all this precious flesh, be it roasting, spit-roasting, braising, curing or preserving, with an emphasis on British favourites like roast beef, pork pie, black pudding or toad in the hole. But this collection isn't entirely Brit-centric. It really is for meat lovers in search of the ultimate cuts and dishes. LC
French
Bocuse in your Kitchen by Paul Bocuse, (Flammarion, $37.95). If you're looking to get back to the basics, you won't do much better than this book by none other than the most famous chef in the world, Paul Bocuse. First published 25 years ago, the traditional French dishes here - like lapin moutarde, pot-au-feu, trout meunière, chocolat mousse and apple tart - are still relevant and in the appealing pictures look as fresh today as they did a generation ago. This is the perfect no-nonsense cuisine for family and friends, sans the truffles and caviar, but filled with ingredients that are more readily available today than they were in 1982. LC
Country Cooking of France by Anne Willan (Chronicle Books, $59.95). French cookbooks are a dime a dozen, but this one more than merits its hefty sticker price. Written by British cookbook author extraordinare Anne Willan, this is divided not by region but by dishes like soups, fish and shellfish, poultry, breads and cakes and so on. Equally suited as either coffee-table book or cookbook, this elegantly designed 400-page tome includes numerous texts on French culinary history, regional cooking, ingredients and more than 200 classic and modern French recipes. And when it comes to recipes, you're in good hands. No one is more of a stickler for recipe testing than Willan. LC
Chocolate and Zucchini: Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen by Clotilde Dusoulier (Broadway, $24.95). Regarded as one of the best - and first - food bloggers, Dusoulier welcomes legions of fans on her site, chocolateandzucchini.com. There's a wonderful new wave of young voices coming from France, epitomized by this whimsical 27-year-old Parisienne. Her book is filled with 75 easy recipes like chilled shrimp and spinach soup, French toast with tomatoes and parmesan, broccoli and apple quiche, and chocolate caramel tart. Not only are the recipes charming, but each one comes with head notes by Dusoulier describing how she found each recipe, the customs around the French table, and hints on how to cook with confidence. LC
The Art of Simple Food, by Alice Waters (Potter, $44). Alice Waters, the Grande Dame of seasonal, local, and organic cooking in America, wants us all cooking wholesome food, and this book is sure to point us in the right direction. Comprised of 250 "everyday" recipes, this book is ideal for beginners with a taste for classic dishes occasionally zuzzed-up with ingredients like kale, faro and persimmons. Though one would wish Waters had not played this collection quite so safe (ethnic flavours are practically non-existent) this book still offers a good reference for cooks in need of comfort food recipes like roast chicken, Caesar salad, corn bread and poached pears. LC
Cook with Jamie: My Guide to Making You a Better Cook by Jamie Oliver (Hyperion, $41.95). Books focused on cooking techniques tend to be as dry as day-old baguette. Those not already in the kitchen will need some convincing to get them there, and Jamie Oliver might just be the guy to do it. This, Oliver's biggest book to date, combines technique pages interspaced with Oliver's incredibly appealing Italian/British-style recipes. What's unique here is that the language used in the recipe instructions has a teaching tone to it as if Oliver is right by your side sautéing steak, rolling fresh pasta and deep-frying squid. Oliver's enthusiasm is infectious. If you don't own a cookbook, this one, with so much to offer, would make a brilliant start. LC
Asian Flavours of Jean-Georges, by Jean-Georges Vongerichten (Broadway, 2007) $50. If you're looking for the trendiest food right now, Asian street food is it, thanks in part to Jean-Georges Vongerichten, a French chef who owns 17 restaurants world-wide and has a love for Asian accented French fare. In this book, the chef shares some of his favourite recipes from his restaurants Spice Market and Vong, and when you see ones like shrimp dumplings with fragrant lemongrass broth and Thai-fried chicken wings with hot-and-sour sauce and salted mango, and warm rice pudding with passion fruit sorbet, you'll be happy he did. Novice cooks take note: this is a chef-driven cookbook with drawn out instructions and obscure ingredients. LC
Reference
Beard on Food by James Beard (Bloomsbury, $29.95). At first site this book, first published in 1974, reads like old news and old rants. But keep reading and you'll understand why Beard, along with Julia Child, was responsible for improving American dining. With hundreds of essays with endearing titles like "Raves for Radishes," "Nothing Beats Homemade Bread," and "Let's Keep Christmas Simple," as well as more than 250 recipes, this book offers a culinary education of the highest order. Beard's name may be synonymous with American cuisine, yet his love for international food served at everything from elaborate holiday feasts to a simple picnic is what makes this book so timeless. LC
The Elements of Cooking by Michael Ruhlman (Scribner, $28). Inspired by Strunk and White's classic writer's guidebook The Elements of Style, this 250-page reference book includes eight essays on cooking topics such as the use of salt, the making of stock, and essential kitchen tools. There's also a glossary of cooking terms ranging from the obvious (parchment paper) to the esoteric (shallow poach). Though there are many excellent culinary dictionaries and encyclopedias on the market (chief among them, the Larousse Gastronomique), Ruhlman's oeuvre contains many newer cooking terms, ingredients and techniques that are essential in modern cooking. An excellent choice for the cooking student or keen foodie. LC
The Amateur Gourmet by Adam D. Roberts (Bantam, $32). This charming book is written by a blogger who, in search of gourmet utopia, interviews some of New York's food luminaries to uncover the secrets of food shopping, fine dining, onion chopping, knife wielding and how to cook for a date or your family. Roberts's humour and naïveté are what make this book such a fun read, and there are even a few key recipes to turn you from amateur to pro foodie in record time. The only downside here is the book's high price, considering it's a small format with only 200 pages. (Keep an eye out for it in the sale bin.) LC
The Oxford Companion to Italian Food, by Gillian Riley (Oxford, 2007) $39.95. Italianophiles are sure to relish this elegant, 600-page dictionary of Italian food terms, ingredients, and dishes, as well as extensive essays on each city and region. From Abruzzo (the home of high-quality wines and olive oils) to zuppa inglese (English-style trifle), this book covers everything you'll want to learn about Italian cuisine. The book would also be a great asset for anyone traveling in Italy even though it doesn't list restaurants and hotels. It does provide many answers about customs and history that extend beyond the table. LC
In French
Pasta et Cetera à la di Stasio, by Josée di Stasio (Flammarion, $39.95). Québécois cooking's sweetheart Josee di Stasio returns to her Italian roots here with a gorgeous 200-page collection of recipes with stunning photographs to match. Chapter titles include antipasti & minestri (entrées, soups and salads), La Pasta, and dolci (dessert). As anyone who watches her cooking show knows, di Stasio's strength is her no-nonsense style. Everything here is not only appealing but easy to prepare, be it for a chic dinner party or midnight snack. Dishes are either familiar (Bolognese, carbonara or biscotti) or untried (pistachio and arugula pesto), which means pasta lovers are more than well-served. But there's a lot here besides pasta. Her fish soup with fennel and orange is downright seductive. LC
La cuisine et le gout des épices by Ethné and Philippe de Vienne (Trécarré, $39.95). Fixtures at Montreal's Jean Talon Market, this spice merchant couple started their importation business out of suitcases. From their travelling and catering background, they've collected recipes for Berber chicken, fish tajine and a recado negro so hot it must be made outside. Substitution suggestions are a bonus, as are annexes laden with charts that identify characteristics of different ingredients by sight, origin, taste and culinary application. Gift it with Épices du Cru's four-salt kit. SM
Cuisine Revisitée by Ian Perreault (Les Éditions GID, $29.95). What a treat to have a cookbook by one of Montreal's most talented chefs, Ian Perreault who - alas - closed his restaurant, Area, last year. This collection of innovative recipes based on classics including many of the dishes that many of his admirers enjoyed most, including his seriously delicious soups, his grilled meats, inventive seafood dishes and simple desserts. Perreault includes an interesting chapter where he reworks recipes of several of his "vedette" friends. He also includes all sorts of cooking hints, and every recipe is paired with beautiful colour photographs. LC
Champignons by Jean-Paul Grappe (Editions de l'Homme, 2007) $24.95. This is a beautiful little book every mushroom lover should purchase. With 70 recipes and an abundance of appealing photographs, Champignons offers many variations on mushrooms, be they wild ceps or plain button. Chef-author Grappe has long been associated with the Institut d'Hôtellerie et Tourisme du Quebec and has taught many of Montreal's top chefs and up-and-comers. Here he collaborates with one of them, the talented Myriam Pelletier, to produce a sophisticated book including recipes for mushrooms with fish, fowl, meat, pasta or solo as well as a glossary of mushroom varieties and four pages of basic recipes to help you along the way. LC
Wine-pairing
The Definitive Canadian Wine & Cheese Cookbook, by Gurth Pretty and Tony Aspler (Whitecap, $35). The perfect gift for the cook who likes to use cheese as an ingredient in cooking. Quebecers will note that this Ontario team of cheese-lovers is particularly partial to Quebec cheeses. A first read of their well-illustrated book caused me to insert half-a-dozen bookmarks for dishes I want to try, such as Garlic Oka Gratinée Soup, using Oka Classique (the best Oka), Creamy Pork Chops à la D'Iberville, with cheese from the superb Fromagèrie au Gré des Champs, and Port Cheddar Apple Tarte Tatin, with port-flavoured Perron cheddar. The writers include tips on cooking with cheese, the different types, how to buy and store it, give a cheese party, and pair the right wine with each. JA
Wellness
Cooking with Foods that Fight Cancer, by Montrealers Richard Béliveau and Denis Gingras (McClelland & Stewart, $29.99). Put the credo of biochemist and cancer researcher Richard Béliveau into practice at table. This forceful proponent of the value of eating an anti-cancer diet has joined with fellow researcher Denis Gingras to produce a good-looking book about eating for health. This book is a sequel to Foods That Fight Cancer (2006). The first 100 pages are devoted to research made palatable about the benefits of eating to prevent cancer or obesity, followed by 160 healthy recipes that are mostly from Quebec chefs, plus a few from Béliveau. A knowledge of cooking is required to prepare the recipes. Published in French last year as Cuisinier avec les aliments contre le cancer, it's most useful for its concise health information. JA
Briefly noted: Toronto cookbook author Judith Finlayson, best-known for her slow-cooker books, has written The Complete Whole Grains Cookbook: 150 recipes for healthy living (Robert Rose, $27.95). As usual, she grabs the tastebuds with lively ideas from around the world. She's keeping up with slow-cooking, too, writing The Best Diabetes Slow Cooker Recipes (Robert Rose, $27.95 U.S.) thereby adding to a growing collection of cookbooks designed for diabetes, but useful to everyone who wants to eat a healthy diet. Another in that group is Choice Menus by Toronto dietitians Marjorie Hollands and Margaret Howard (HarperCollins, $26.95), in cooperation with the Canadian Diabetes Association. A revision of their 1993 book, it has more more than 100 recipes and 124 menus.
Dietitian Howard is also a preserving specialist and she and Ellie Topp, a Toronto home economist, have revised and expanded their earlier book with The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving (Firefly, $19.95). For jam and jelly makers, this book offers all the tips they need, plus more than 300 recipes. Another specialty book is the tiny, second collection from Montrealer Margaret MacNaughton Glassford, a stroke victim who learned to cook with one hand. She calls her books The Only Hand: A Cookbook (self-published, $19.95). She offers 72 recipes in the new coilback, which is available on www.onlyhandcookbook.com. JA |
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