Holiday haul: The best new cookbooks

New cookbooks of the season teem with passion, quirkiness and flavor. Our favorites are perfect for the cooks on your list (including you).

“The Art of Living According to Joe Beef; A Cookbook of Sorts”
By Frederic Morin, David McMillan and Meredith Erickson
(Ten Speed Press, $40)
Believe the title: This boisterous book is as chock-a-block with whimsy as Joe Beef, the celebrated Montreal eatery from chefs Morin and McMillan. It tracks the evolution of three restaurants, tucking witty tales (Canadian trains, building a smoker) among the recipes (quirky, playful, classic, liberally seasoned with Quebecois panache), and served with spoonfuls of the chef’s sass.

“Bi-Rite Market’s Eat Good Food:A Grocer’s Guide to Shopping, Cooking, and Creating Community through Food”
By Sam Mogannam and Dabney Gough
(Ten Speed, $32.50)
How many of us, having gotten lost in some super-size supermarket, have silently prayed for an old-time grocer to magically appear and show us around? Meet Mogannam, owner of San Francisco’s Bi-Rite Market. He roams every aisle, from bakery to meat to produce to fish, telling you what to buy, how to store it and what to do with it. Ninety recipes, too.

“The Cheesemonger’s Kitchen”
By Chester Hastings
(Chronicle, $35)
This rich volume delves deeper than the cheese plate, using the star ingredient in every course from soup to entree and on through dessert. Hastings, a trained chef and now cheese monger at Joan’s on Third gourmet market in LA, delivers 90 recipes in which cheese lends accent (roasted squash anointed with pecorino) or stars (ricotta fritters with chocolate). And the cheese course? He’ll direct your choices there as well, with savvy tips on wine, accompaniments and design.

“Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook; 2,000 Recipes from 20 Years of America’s Most Trusted Food Magazine”
(America’s Test Kitchen, $40)
Some books impress by the sheer audacity of their ambition. Backed up by the magazine’s famed mission to test every recipe relentlessly until it is the best it can be, this nearly 900-page volume lands with an authoritative wallop. Its scope boggles. Flipping through, you’re struck by the idea: Everything is here. Everything. What’s more, the why and how of recipes are explained in a way that sets the home cook up with the confidence to wade right in, no matter the dish.

“The Food52 Cookbook; 140 Winning Recipes from Exceptional Home Cooks”
By Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs
(William Morrow, $35)
Billed as the first online community cookbook, this work combines a populist pool of recipes submitted by home cooks with the informed sensibilities of the authors, who bring a deep knowledge of food to the book. The dishes were voted on by Food52.com readers themselves in a series of weekly contests conducted over a year; some of their feedback is included.

“Kokkari; Contemporary Greek Flavors”
By Erik Cosselmon and Janet Fletcher
(Chronicle, $40)
If your idea of Greek food is flaming cheese served with an “Opa!” or two, this cookbook will come as a revelation. Freshness, quality, flavor really count in Greek — and Californian — cooking. You can taste it at Kokkari in San Francisco. And you can taste it at home, too, as this is one of those rare restaurant books you’ll actually be able to use. Clear, accessible recipes show you how.

“The Mozza Cookbook”
By Nancy Silverton with Matt Molina and Carolynn Carreno
(Knopf, $35)
Does every list of cookbook favorites contain a beloved Italian? Silverton’s “Mozza,” drawn from the traditional food at her LA restaurants Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza, earns its spot with the preponderance of recipes we want to make and eat — which is to say, all of them. The collection of tempting stuzzichini (bar bites) alone, well ... then a chapter solely on the namesake ingredient, mozzarella. And on and on. The best part? The recipes, given a good source for Italian ingredients, are eminently doable.

“Rustica; A Return to Spanish Home Cooking”
By Frank Camorra and Richard Cornish
(Chronicle Books, $35)
A love letter to Spain’s cooks and culinary traditions, the richly designed volume captures Camorra’s search for the country’s old-school techniques and foundations. The Spanish-born, Australian-raised celeb chef-owner of Melbourne’s MoVida eateries spices his 120-plus recipes with essays on “The Jamon Phenomenon,” the “Art of Cutting Jamon” and “Red Food” (pimenton or Spanish paprika).

A taste of the best
A sampling of recipes from our favorite cookbooks of the season
BROCCOLINI WITH CARAMELIZED SHALLOTS AND PECORINO
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Servings: 8

Adapted from “The Cheesemonger’s Kitchen,” by Chester Hastings. Hastings makes this dish with pecorino Piacentinu, a sheep’s milk cheese “spiked with wild saffron and studded with whole black peppercorns,” from the Sicilian town of Enna. To approximate the flavors, toss a pinch of saffron and plenty of cracked pepper with the grated cheese before spreading on the broccolini.
Ingredients:
2 pounds broccolini
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 large shallots, sliced
1 ½ ounces pecorino cheese, grated
Pinch saffron
Freshly cracked pepper
½ cup bread crumbs
1. Trim the broccolini of its tough outer membrane with a paring knife, starting with the base and peeling up toward the florets. Heat plenty of salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add the broccolini; cook until just cooked but still very firm, 4-5 minutes. Drain; lay broccolini stalks out flat to help them cool down and prevent them from overcooking.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet until hot but not smoking; add the shallots. Cook over medium heat until deeply caramelized and crisp, 3-5 minutes.
3. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lay the broccolini in a large oiled gratin dish or on a baking sheet; scatter the shallots on top. Toss the cheese in a small bowl with saffron and cracked pepper to taste. Sprinkle broccolini with the cheese, then the bread crumbs. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Bake until the surface is golden and crisp, 20-25 minutes.
Nutrition information:
Per serving: 161 calories, 8 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 4 mg cholesterol, 15 g carbohydrates, 7 g protein, 169 mg sodium, 2 g fiber.
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PAN-FRIED TUNA WITH SMOKY PAPRIKA
Prep: 25 minutes
Marinate: Overnight
Cook: 8-10 minutes
Servings: 6

Adapted from “Rustica: A Return to Spanish Home Cooking,” by Frank Camorro and Richard Cornish.
Ingredients:
2 ¼ pound skinless tuna fillets, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons fennel seeds, toasted, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
¾ cup dry white wine
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
1. Put tuna, paprika, fennel seeds, oregano, garlic and parsley in a bowl with ½ cup wine. Mix well; cover with plastic wrap. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Heat half the olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add half the tuna; season to taste with ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook until golden, 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons wine; turn tuna. Cook other side, 1 minute. Place on a warm serving plate. The idea is to cook and color the tuna, but not overcook it.
3. Wipe skillet clean with a paper towel. Repeat cooking with remaining olive oil, tuna, wine and salt. Allow to cool a little before serving.
Nutrition information:
Per serving: 340 calories, 14 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 102 mg cholesterol, 0 g carbohydrates, 48 g protein, 80 mg sodium, 0 g fiber.
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LENTILS LIKE BAKED BEANS
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Servings: 4-6

Red lentils sub for navy beans in this recipe adapted from “The Art of Living According to Joe Beef,” by Frederic Morin, David McMillan and Meredith Erickson. The result? Baked bean flavor with a smoother texture than the classic dish. Try them with eggs at breakfast (baked beans are often served with eggs in Canada) or pork chops.
Ingredients:
4 slices bacon, finely diced
1 onion, finely chopped
½ teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups red lentils, picked over, rinsed
4 cups water
¼ cup ketchup
2 tablespoons each: maple syrup, vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 tablespoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon salt
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Fry bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Add onion; cook, stirring, until softened, 4 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Add lentils, water, ketchup, syrup, oil, vinegar, mustard, pepper and bay leaf. Stir well; season with the salt. Heat to a boil. Cover. Place in oven. Bake until lentils are tender, about 35 minutes. (For softer lentils, cook 10 minutes longer.) Taste; correct seasoning with salt, pepper, syrup and vinegar.
Nutrition information:
Per serving (for 6 servings): 330 calories, 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 46 g carbohydrates, 19 g protein, 410 mg sodium, 4 g fiber.
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WARM RICE PUDDING
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 55 minutes
Servings: 6
Toppings for this dessert vary according to the season, write Erik Cosselmon and Janet Fletcher in “Kokkari: Contemporary Greek Flavors.” Options include: honey-roasted pears in vanilla syrup, dried-fruit compote, roasted peaches and sugared berries.
Ingredients:
3 cups whole milk
¾ cup whipping cream
½ cup arborio rice
¼ cup sugar
1-inch piece vanilla bean, split lengthwise
Pinch each: ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, salt
¼ teaspoon grated orange zest
1 egg yolk

1. Combine the milk, ½ cup cream, rice and sugar in a saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the pan; add the pod. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and orange zest. Heat to a simmer over medium heat, stirring; reduce the heat to low. Let bubble gently, uncovered, stirring often to prevent sticking, until rice is fully cooked and mixture is creamy and thick, 50-60 minutes.
2. Whisk the egg yolk with remaining ¼ cup cream. Whisk in some of the hot rice mixture to warm the yolk; stir back into the saucepan. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Remove from heat. Cover loosely with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming; let cool until just warm. Serve the pudding at once, or cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours; bring to room temperature before serving and thin, if necessary, with a few tablespoons milk.
3. To serve, remove the vanilla bean. Divide pudding among six dessert plates. Add desired topping.
Nutrition information:
Per serving: 275 calories, 16 g fat, 9 g saturated fat, 88 mg cholesterol, 28 g carbohydrates, 6 g protein, 86 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.