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Take a kitchen journey with David Tanis and Heart Of The Artichoke.

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November 2010

Marketplace / Gift-Finder

The Best Food & Drink Book Gifts

Favorite Books Of 2010

We get a lot of cookbooks and other food books to review. Some don’t offer more than the books we currently have; some are fascinating, but a bit esoteric for most home cooks (Moroccan food, for example). Here are our favorites of the year. From helping you make better meals to educating you about interesting spirits, these books are sure to please. Also be sure to check out our other Holiday Gift Lists for this year, including Best Books For Healthy Eating, and last year’s General Gourmet Food Books.

Prices and product availability are verified at publication but are subject to change. Shipping is additional. These items are offered by a third party and THE NIBBLE has no relationship with them.


500 Cheeses: The Only Cheese Compendium You'll Ever Need By Robert Muir Anyone with a love of cheese who wants to learn more about it will be happy to have this guide. While it may not be the only compendium you’ll ever need (new cheeses are developed regularly), it’s a great start. For an immediate start, check out THE NIBBLE’s Cheese Glossary. 500 Cheeses $16.95 Buy online at a discount at Amazon.com		For the turophile in your life.

A Bird In The Oven And Then Some By Mindy Fox Roast chicken is one of America’s favorite foods. The book claims 20 different ways to roast the perfect chicken, plus 80 recipes. Don’t expect a list or discussion of 20 different ways to roast chicken; they’re actually 20 different recipes for roast chicken. The 80 other recipes are delicious sides to go with them (we immediately made the polenta with truffled cheese). Math notwithstanding, this is a delicious gift for people who enjoy a roasted bird, along with lovely photos of golden birds. A Bird In The Oven And Then Some $24.95 Buy online at a discount at Amazon.com		Change up the roast chicken recipe and the sides.

Avec Eric By Eric Ripert It’s hard not to love Eric Ripert, and to want to know more about him. (What we’d really like to know, not in the book, is how many days a year the traveling TV show host and TV show judge actually spends at Le Bernardin.) While this isn’t autobiographical, he does provide commentary on the recipes, which are all do-able by the home cook. Our only complaint: the typography could be larger. Chef Ripert must have great eyes. Avec Eric $34.95 Buy online at a discount at Amazon.com		Hang out with Eric Ripert as he shares his spin on classic recipes that we actually can cook.

Boozehound: On The Trail Of The Rare, The Obscure, And The Overrated In Spirits By Jason Wilson Your favorite imbiber will enjoy reading this informative and often hilarious journey to seek out rare and obscure spirits. Wilson, the spirits columnist of The Washington Post, inspires you to try something new (the easy way, at your favorite bar—had Peruvian pisco lately?). Boozehound: On The Trail Of The Rare, The Obscure, And The Overrated In Spirits $22.99 Buy online at a discount at Amazon.com		The title is cheeky, but this book is for connoisseurs of fine spirits.

Food Landscapes By Carl Warner If Santa’s elves left the North Pole and journeyed to the Land Of Good Food, they could very well inhabit Carl Warner’s fantasy food landscapes. It takes you around the world with 25 tableaux constructed from appropriate regional ingredients. Each photo is joined by an essay about the creative process and behind-the-scenes materials. Give a copy to your favorite artist, photographer or creative thinker. Carl Warner’s Food Landscapes By Carl Warner $22.50 Buy online at a discount at Amazon.com		It’s hard to believe that these fantasy landscapes are photographs of tableaux created by the photographer, using only fruits, vegetables, cheeses, breads, fish, meat and grains.

Gifts Cooks Love By Diane Morgan And Sur La Table Making handmade gifts takes time, so presenting them to family and friends this holiday season is a personal way to show that you care. From Orange Cardamom Marmalade and Salmon Gravlax to Rustic Rosemary Parmesan Crackers and Blueberry-Blackberry-Basil Margarita Puree, the recipes in Gifts Cooks Love will help you create the perfect gift for any occasion. There are even simple-to-make no-cook food gifts. In addition, the book outlines helpful kitchen tips and ingredient notes as well as guidance for creatively wrapping and presenting these edible gifts. Gifts Cooks Love By Diane Morgan And Sur La Table $25.00 Buy online at a discount at Amazon.com		Give a personalized gift this holiday season with the ideas in this book.

Heart Of The Artichoke And Other Kitchen Journeys By David Tanis David Tanis, chef for 25 years at the ground-breaking Chez Panisse in Berkeley, carries the restaurant’s standard of local, seasonal foods in this charming new book. He speaks our language in home cooking: casual, yet sophisticated; easy-to-prepare yet impressive on the palate. Page by page, the book shows you how easy it is to make great food everyday. Heart Of The Artichoke And Other Kitchen Journeys By David Tanis $22.50 Buy online at a discount at Amazon.com		Easy-to-prepare recipes that impress with a sophistication of flavors.

One Big Table: A Portrait Of American Cooking By Molly O’Neill Molly O’Neill, for many years the food columnist at the New York Times, spent 10 years “and many miles” creating this book. The subhead says it best: “600 Recipes From The Nation’s Best Home Cooks, Farmers, Fishermen, Pit-Masters, And Chefs.” The book celebrates recipes and stories from our diverse population: Chinese, Japanese, European, Mexican and so forth. For those of us who grew up on Fannie Farmer and The Joy Of Cooking (which remain valuable cookbooks), this hefty volume is the NEW style of American Cookbook, with helpful historic commentary. Give to anyone who enjoys cooking, or is just learning to do so. One Big Table: A Portrait Of American Cooking $50.00 Buy online at a discount at Amazon.com		It may look small in this photo, but this is one packed, 600-recipe book.

Salted: A Manifesto On The World’s Most Essential Mineral, With Recipes By Mark Bitterman Mark Bitterman is a “selmelier”—the salt version of a sommelier who advises you on wine. With specialty food stores in Portland, Oregon, and New York City, he opens customers’ eyes to the diversity of culinary salts. A great reference and cooking guide, for your favorite serious cook. Salted: A Manifesto On The World’s Most Essential Mineral, With Recipes By Mark Bitterman $35.00 Buy online at a discount at Amazon.com		An excellent culinary accompaniment to the great book Salt, by Mark Kurlansky.