The Art & Soul Of Baking

It’s said that cooking is an art and baking is a science; but with extensive instructions, glossaries, cooking tips and volume and weight charts, even the most novice baker will turn out delicious pies, breads, pastries and fancy desserts with ease. This book, from kitchenware retailer Sur La Table, has a cavalcade of recipes ranging from basic cookies to breads to custards. With such beautiful photographs and instructions for fancy garnishes, even the most advanced baker will appreciate this encyclopedic resource.

• The Art & Soul Of Baking
  By Cindy Mushet
  $40.00

Amazon.com

The Bon Appétit Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook

No time to cook? Say goodbye to takeout and quick service restaurants, thanks to this cookbook full of simple, fast, healthy dishes. With 1,100 recipes, no palate is overlooked; shopping guides, storage tips and easy-to-follow instructions ensure no amateur chef feels overwhelmed. A great resource for hungry singles, harried parents and anyone else who finds it hard to make time to cook dinner every night.

• The Bon Appétit Fast Easy Fresh
  Cookbook
  By Barbara Fairchild
  $34.95

Amazon.com

Food Festivals Of Italy: Celebrated Recipes From 50 Food Fairs

Does anyone know great food better than the Italians? Way more than a cookbook, this lovely tome transports food lovers to the stall-lined village streets of 50 local Italian food festivals. Each festival celebrates a different foodstuff, from the traditional (mozzarella, macaroni, pizza) to the unexpected (a chestnut hunt, prickly pears...and frogs). Each festival is accompanied by a recipe or two for you to try. With lots of full-page, colorful, stunningly beautiful photos, and the authors’ loving homage to Italian culture, this book is a perfect gift for any food or travel lover, and can inspire a lifetime of vacations to these Italian festivals.

• Food Festivals Of Italy: Celebrated
  Recipes From 50 Food Fairs
  By Leonardi Curti & James O. Fraioli
  $35.00

Amazon.com

How To Cook Everything: 2,000 Simple Recipes For Great Food

New York Times columnist Mark Bittman wasn’t kidding when he titled this massive cookbook How To Cook Everything. In addition to the 2,000 recipes, it has a sizeable section on kitchen basics, a chapter devoted just to seasoning and a key with icons for vegetarian dishes, "Essential" recipes and dishes that can be made ahead of time. There are also lots of welcome and easy-to-understand illustrations that demonstrate cutting and preparation techniques, as well as a lengthy appendix with menus, a resource list for where to buy specialty items and lists of Bittman’s top 100 essential, fast, make-ahead and vegetarian recipes. A must-have for any budding chef.

• How To Cook Everything: 2,000 Simple
  Recipes For Great Food
  By Mark Bittman
  $35.00

Amazon.com

The New Lasagna Cookbook: A Crowd-Pleasing Collection Of Recipes From Around The World For The Perfect One-Dish Meal

Who doesn’t love lasagna? With this book, anyone can whip up delicious, gourmet recipes ranging from classics to new favorites (black bean tortilla lasagna, spicy turkey polenta lasagna and numerous others we couldn’t wait to try). A number of exciting recipes replace the lasagna noodles with crêpes, polenta and tortillas. The book also includes basics such as making noodles from scratch and homemade sauces, and equipment and cooking tips. A perfect gift for anyone who likes to cook (or eat) Italian.

• The New Lasagna Cookbook: A Crowd-
  Pleasing Collection Of Recipes From
  Around The World For The Perfect One-
  Dish Meal
  By Maria Bruscino Sanchez
  $27.95

Amazon.com

Sauces: Classical & Contemporary Sauce Making

Beginners and advanced cooks alike will love this massive tome—a must-have for any cookbook shelf. A good sauce can turn even the simplest of dishes into something spectacular, and this book offers hundreds of recipes for all occasions and styles. With a section on the history of sauce making and biographical information accompanying most individual recipes, Sauces also serves as a tour through the history of prepared foods. Tips on wine pairing, a glossary and a list of places to purchase specialty foodstuffs make building a menu easy. And with hundreds of recipes ranging from traditional brown sauces to contemporary purées and Asian sauces, the recipient of this book will be enchanted for years to come.

• Sauces: Classical & Contemporary Sauce
  Making
  By James Peterson
  $49.95

Amazon.com