Rob Shaw
A good cookbook is more than just an collection of recipes. It’s a tome of culinary inspiration, of new kitchen techniques, of the stories, travels and philosophies behind that plate of food. It helps, too, if there’s stunning photography to bring the book to life. We’ve scoured the shelves, dog-eared the pages, and here, we have GT‘s favourite cookbooks of 2019.
South by Sean Brock
South
Sean Brock is a leading voice for Southern US cooking, and known best for his revival of heritage ingredients. If you want to cook with fire, smoke, cast iron and cornbread, this is the book for you.
Dishes: Blackberry cobbler; bacon jam!
Tu Casa Mi Casa
Tu Casa Mi Casa
Know your tepache from your tortilla? Enrique Olvera of Mexico’s acclaimed Pujol restaurant shares recipes from his family (and Mexico City’s) kitchen – so much flavour-packed goodness, best enjoyed when shared.
Dishes: Barbacoa; tetelas; churros.
Food of the Italian South
Food of the Italian South
GT contributor and author Katie Parla travels from coast to countryside around Puglia, Campania and Basilicata in her quaint book of regional Southern Italian cooking – and it’s one beautiful journey.
Dishes: Cauraro; sesame-nut brittle.
Alpine Cooking
Alpine Cooking
Alpine Cooking is set in the heart of Europe’s mountains, chalets and grand hotels, and we just love the nostalgia. It’s winter somewhere, so dust off that fondue set.
Dishes: A Proper Bullshot; spinach and cheese mezzaluna.
The Whole Fish Cookbook
The Whole Fish Cookbook
Josh Niland is a wizard of head-to-tail fish butchery and seafood sustainability. If you’d like to know how to reverse butterfly, cure or simply cook a perfectly dry-aged fillet of fish properly, then read on…
Dishes: King George Whiting Kiev; fish sausage roll.
The Garden Chef
The Garden Chef
An ingredient-driven book celebrating urban roof gardens, backyard veggie patches, farms and stunning gardens around the globe, plus stories of some of the world’s best restaurants.
Dishes: Elderflower fritters with honeycomb and salt; chewy carrots.
The Book of St. John
Fergus Henderson served British cooking to the world on a silver platter, with bone marrow and parsley salad. There’s more offal and other British classics including the Christmas pudding.
Dishes: Pear and sherry trifle; Welsh rarebit.
The Gaijin Cookbook
The Gaijin Cookbook
($50.99, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
With Chris Ying as co-author, Japanophile and New Yorker Ivan Orkin reveals what it’s like to be an outsider living in Japan. There’s a plethora of Japanese recipes he loves to cook at home, and at his restaurant, Ivan Ramen. We loved cooking from this book.
Dishes: Okonomiyaki (savoury pancake); oyakodon (chicken and egg bowl).
Eleven Madison Park: The Next Chapter, revised
Eleven Madison Park: The Next Chapter, revised
With recipes straight off the pass of one of the world’s best chefs, Daniel Humm, the highly innovative recipes are exquisite, and full of EMP theatre.
Dishes: Eggs benedict with caviar and asparagus; cookies and cream.
