ON THE DEAN’S LIST: MY 15TH -- HEY, IT’S MY FIFTEENTH !!!! -- ANNUAL SURVEY OF FOOD AND WINE-RELATED BOOKS SUITABLE AS HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR THE 2011/12 PARTY PERIOD DECEMBER 2011 =============================================================== By Dean Tudor, Ryerson Journalism Professor Emeritus and Gothic Epicures Writing, www.deantudor.com (World Wine Watch Newsletter). Blogs: http://gothicepicuresvincuisine.blogspot.com. http://fauxvoixvincuisine.blogspot.com. ------ There are so many new food and wine books out there for people who have picky tastes!! What to choose? I have cast about for material and have come up with a decent selection to satisfy any pocketbook, any host, and any friend. All books and book-like materials that are listed here are RECOMMENDED, and probably can be purchased at a discount via Amazon.Ca or Chapters.Ca (with free delivery on a total purchase of over $25). Price Alert: because of US dollar fluctuations with Canada, all prices may vary. I have used CAD for Canadian publishers. Part One: TOP GIFT IDEAS ======================== A. Art/travel/history books might be the best books to give a loved one (or to yourself, since you are your own best loved one), because most may cost you an arm and a leg. Books for the coffee table have their place in the gift scheme: just about every such book is only bought as a gift! And don’t let the prices daunt you. Such books are available at a discount from online vendors. Because of the “economy”, not too many pricey food and wine books were released last year and this year, and book reviewers were cut off from many foreign imports and expensive books. --ESSENTIAL PEPIN (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011, 685 pages, $45 CAD hard covers) is the lead-off, most important cookbook of the year, and a desirable book for gifting. It’s by Jacques Pepin, of course, and contains more than 700 of his personal faves from all of his cookbooks and other places. There is even a newly produced, three hour searchable DVD which demonstrates every technique that a home cook should ever need. All of his recipes have been examined, and most have been recast for the modern 21st century audience. He’s been working for 60 years as a chef. There’s a minimal amount of memoir-like material here, except for a chapter on how his cooking and tastes have changed over six decades. And the binding is meant to last. This is his 26th book, yet it is still hard to believe that it needs endorsement praise from Waters, Bourdain, and Bastianich. Well-worth buying for yourself or as a gift. --ELEVEN MADISON PARK; the cookbook (Little, Brown and Co., 2011, 384 pages, $55 CAD hard covers) is by Daniel Humm (executive chef since 2006 and a Beard Award winner in 2010) and Will Guidara (general manager). The New York restaurant has had “four stars” from any number of reviewers; it is known for its elegance, precision, and lightness. It’s on the San Pellegrino list of World’s Best 50 Restaurants. The book is also part memoir as it is the history of the place, open since 1998, with background material on the early lives of Humm and Guidara. And, of course, all roads lead back to the awesome Fernand Point. There are 160 preps here, plated as they appear at the resto: asparagus textures with shrimp and anise hyssop; John Dory seared with variations of garlic and crayfish; yogurt apricots, curry and pickled onion. The photos are simply phenomenal. Naturally, the arrangement of the book is by season. --THE COUNTRY COOKING OF ITALY (Chronicle Books, 392 pages, $56 CAD hard covers) is by Colman Andrews, with photos by Christopher Hirsheimer. It’s a follow-up book to their 2010 James Beard Best Cookbook of the Year (The Country Cooking of Ireland). All regions are covered through 230 preps and gorgeous photos. It’s a deluxe package written by one of the top food writers in the world, for foodies and armchair travellers alike, with an emphasis on rural culture and rustic food plus local traditions and wines. --THE FOOD LOVER’S GUIDE TO WINE (Little Brown and Co., 2011, $35 US) is the latest from Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, both former wine writers for the Washington Post and other publications. They have also written “The Flavor Bible” and “What to Drink with What You Eat.” Here, the basic premise is if you love food, you know flavour, and you can master wine. It is not really that simple, but the authors give it their best shot. There is a huge section on wine types and food pairing, but precious little on supertasters. Nor is there any index. But there is a huge resource list for websites, glossary, wine expert bios, books, and various lists. It’ll be great for wine parties as you can expound on your new knowledge. --WINERD (Chronicle Books, 2011, $35 US) is a wine tasting game “that crushes grape fears”, according to producer Tamara Murphy. It’s a board game that tests everyone’s wine knowledge with each sip. You are supposed to taste three different wines and then make pronouncements about each according to colour, smell and taste, plus answer a trivia question. It’s a great idea, good lively fun. The board is 20 x 20 inches, there are trivia cards for 285 questions, game pieces and die. Give it a shot, what can you lose? --FOODIE FIGHT REMATCH (Chronicle Books, 2011, $22.95 US) is a food challenge trivia game; the first in the series was called FOODIE FIGHT. It’s a board game that tests your food knowledge through 150 cards (containing 750 questions), a kitchen poster, one die, and game pieces and boards. Questions cover food categories of kitchen science, history and geography, farming, fishing, gardening, shopping, food culture, cooking vocabulary, and ingredients. Give it a shot, what can you lose? (see also above for wine). --RAW DESSERTS (Skyhorse Publishing, 2011, 126 pages, $19.95 CAD) is by Erica Palmcrantz and Irmela Lilja, raw food educators. This is their second co-authored book on raw food. Here are recipes for cookies, cakes, pastries, pies and other things. All the goods are made with natural ingredients, not heated over 42 degrees Celsius, and are free of white sugar, gluten, eggs, and lactose. A boon to the infirm and to vegans everywhere. Preps include chocolate truffles, plum marmalade, hazelnut nugat, and key lime raw pie. --DISH (Artisan, 2011, 280 pages, $40 CAD) is a gorgeously illustrated book, featuring 813 colourful dinner plates. The text is by Shax Riegler, a decorative arts specialist and magazine editor. It begins with the wooden Mediaeval trenchers, through the bone China trade, and up to the colourful melamine plates of today. There are plate highlights in history, sidebars about designers, and a list of the top 100 patterns of all time. The arrangement is by major topic, such as “elegance and tradition”, colour and form, flora and fauna, people and place, and holidays and celebrations. There’s a resources page plus a bibliography. Good job all round. --1000 GREAT EVERYDAY WINES FROM THE WORLD’S BEST WINERIES (DK Books, 2011, 352 pages, $28 cad hard covers) explores many of the wineries covered in last year’s Opus Vino book. There’s the usual primer, glossary, food and wine pairing suggestions, and photographs (900 of them). For Ontario, the great value everyday wines are apparently Cave Spring Cellars Riesling Estate, Chateau des Charmes Cabernet Franc, Hillebrand Trius Riesling, Inniskillin Vidal Icewine (everday? Really?), Lailey Chardonnay, Le Clos Jordanne Village Reserve Pinot Noir, and Tawse Sketches of Niagara Riesling. There are addresses, websites, and tasting notes. The arrangement begins with France and narrows down to “emerging regions”. This is a good look at modestly priced wines, in the frame of a modestly priced book. --MY LAST SUPPER: THE NEXT COURSE (Rodale, 2011, 208 pages, $45.99 CAD) deals with 50 great American chefs and their final meals. Photographer Melanie Dunea has come back from her first book, “My Last Supper”, with this sequel covering the second course. Her photos are here, as well as interviews and recipes. New here are Emeril Lagasse, Joel Robuchon, Susur Lee, Paul Bocuse, Michael Symon, Morimoto, Tom Colicchio, and Bobby Flay (among others: I guess that also includes all the Iron Chefs America people as well). She asks them the question that drove the first volume, “What would you eat for last meal on earth?” I could do without some of the pseudo- chefs, including the one who turned the question around and declared what would be the choice of a FIRST meal in the afterlife. Spare me. Recipes are included, of course. A great book for the foodies. --FEEDING THE DRAGON (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2011, 290 pages, $28.99 CAD oversized paperback) is a culinary and cultural travelogue through China with recipes, written by siblings Mary Kate Tate and Nate Tate. They’ve lived and toured throughout China, studying, teaching and working in restaurants. They biked the back roads, trudged through muddy fields, explored alleyways, and managed to get recipes. It’s a good travel book, with the usual photos, that began as a blog (www.feedingthedragon.com) . There are Buddhist vegetarian dishes, lamb kebabs, spicy eggplant, chicken lettuce cups – easy enough for novices to do. Regions include Beijing, Shanghai, Fujian, Hong Kong, Macau, Yunnan, Tibet, Sichuan, and Xinjiang. There’s a glossary of Chinese ingredients, substitutions, a US resources section, and material on navigating ethnic grocery stores. --OLIVE OIL AND VINEGAR FOR LIFE (Skyhorse Publishing, 2011, 227 pages, $35.95 CAD oversized hard covers) is by Theo Stephan who runs her own organic olive oil and vinegars brands (Global Gardens) in Santa Barbara. There are now over 50 products in her lines, and of course they are used in this coffee table book which promotes the lifestyle of what she calls Caliterreanean (wider in scope than the older term, Cal-Ital). There are 250 preps here, such as lemon veggie chips, pomegranate pork BBQ, acorn squash with ratatouille and chicken sausage, and scallops ceviche with red curry. --ULTIMATE FOOD JOURNEYS (DK Books, 2011, 226 pages, $45 CAD oversized hard covers) purports to cover the world’s best dishes and where to eat them. The weight of the book itself means only young people can cart it about. It’s part of the Eyewitness Travel series, a series meant for armchair travellers. It begins in Europe, of course, with boeuf bourgignon (France), pizza (Naples), tapas (Spain), kebabs (Turkey), bratwurst (Germany), roast lamb (Greece), injera (Ethiopia), fish curry (India), jambalaya (USA), and ceviche (Peru) – about 125 iconic dishes in all. Scampi, for example, is listed for the Adriatic (Croatia). There are pictures and descriptions of the region, plus how to get there, where to stay, and co-ordinates for tourist information. There’s a description of scampi and useful Croatian wines, but no recipe. Canada is not mentioned at all, and Mexico gets just one dish: mole poblana in Puebla, Mexico. An appetite-provoking read. --MOURAD: NEW MOROCCAN (Artisan, 2011, 390 pages, $40 US) comes from Mourad Lahlou, chef-owner of San Francisco’s Aziza, now a Michelin-starred restaurant. It’s upscale Moroccan with new North American twists, especially in the classic chicken tagine, the basteeya, and the lamb shanks. The first part of the book has seven extensive cooking classes on the basics of Moroccan cuisine, with the basic recipes, and then 250 pages of current preps. Double columns type, good layout and photography, plus a ton of endorsements from Keller, Hesser, Pepin, Bourdain, and Ripert. --TRADITIONAL SWEDISH COOKING (Skyhorse Publishing, 2011, 192 pages, $33.95 CAD oversized hard covers) is a nifty illustrated guide to Swedish cuisine, written by food writer Carolin Hofberg who lives in Sweden. It focuses on local foods such as fresh dill, horseradish, allspice, juniper berries, fish, and lingonberries. But this is not your IKEA food. It’s a picture book too with lingering photos of plated delights and rambling landscapes. All courses are covered, with dill and chive bread, gingerbread muffins with lingonberries, cloudberry jam, elderflower parfait, barley risotto with crispy bacon, and game meats. --ILLUSTRATED STEP-BY-STEP BAKING (DK Books, 2011, 544 pages, $39 CAD oversized hard covers) is a lush and plush book for those beginners (or even experienced cooks) who have a fear of baking. These are easy-to-follow recipes with more than 1500 photos of techniques and final plating. Caroline Bretherton has a UK café and has worked in television cooking shows; she beings that Brit sensibility to the details. There are 80 classic preparations here, with a further 240 variations based on transferable skills and substitutions. She also has some classics without variations, such as buttermilk biscuits, pumpkin pie and devils food cake. There are cakes, pastries, cookies, soufflés, cheesecakes, pies, tarts, savouries, and breads (all yeasted or flat or quick). There’s an indication of quantities, time in preparing, and time in baking. And metric tables of equivalents to balance the avoirdupois listing of ingredients. --AUSTRIAN DESSERTS AND PASTRIES (Skyhorse Publishing, 2011, 272 pages, $29.95 CAD hard covers) is by Dietmar Fercher and Andrea Karrer; it was originally published in German last year. Austrian food usually gets lost among the Germanic, but desserts always manage to shine forth, especially such as Esterhazyschnitten (meringue slices with butter cream), schaumrollen, or Bundt cake. Here are 180 preps guaranteed to brighten up your Christmas buffet table. B. For the more literate person, there are the histories and “memoirs” of writers, chefs, and wine people. Some have called these memoirs “creative non-fiction”, many with embellishments and gilding. And most of them suffer from a lack of indexing, which makes it difficult to find what the writer said about another person or subject. But this also avoids the potential for lawsuits and disjointed noses. Nevertheless, they are rewarding to read. Who cares about poetic license? Here then are some that stood out from last year’s run, and any of them would make great gifts for the reader. Here we go, in no particular order (and one of them is a novel)… --SUMMERS IN FRANCE (Gibbs Smith, 2011, 224 pages, $35 US) is by Kathryn Ireland, an interior designer who lived near Toulouse. This is about country life with three kids in France, in the Tarn-et-Garonne area in south France. She records events, including her excursions to towns, markets, the house she lives in, her cow barn, gardens, and outdoor eating. It is also useful for the quality photos. --FOLKS, THIS AIN’T NORMAL (Center Street, 2011, 361 pages, $28.99 CAD) is by the irrepressible Joel Salatin, a third-generation Shenandoah Valley organic farmer feeding some 4000 families and 50 restaurants. This is his seventh book on local farming issues. Here he gives “a farmer’s advice for happier hens, healthier people and a better world”, with material from his earlier self-published books and magazine writing. Eclectic topics abound, including getting the US government out of the food regulation business. And thank God for an index which ties it all together!! Good agrarian reading. --FOUR KITCHENS (Grand Central Publishing, 2011, 337 pages, $27.99 US) is by Lauren Shockey, who trained at the French Culinary Institute and has an MA in food studies at NYU. This memoir refers to her cooking career in New York, Hanoi, Tel Aviv, and Paris – working in four kitchens. In a sense, hers is a female perspective and counterpart to Anthony Bourdain. While there is a scattering of recipes, the preps are not indexed and could be hard to find again. --SEMI-SWEET; a novel (Hachette, 2010, 2011 in North America, 365 pages, $15.50 CAD) is the story about love and cup cakes. It’s by Roisin Meaney of Ireland, a clone of Maeve Binchy-style. The heroine opens a cup cake shop in Clongaruin, Ireland – just as her long-time boyfriend leaves her. These trials and tribulations, coupled with food, are sure to pass the time nicely over the holidays. --BREAKING BREAD (University of California Press, 2010, 2011, 283 pages, $18.95 US soft covers) is about recipes and stories from immigrant kitchens. This is the paperback reprint of the 2010 book. Lynne Christy Anderson, an academic at Boston College, pulled it together for the “California Studies in Food and Culture” series, number 29. These are stories of hand-rolled pasta, homemade chutney, backyard gardens, local markets, foraging, and so forth, as recounted through memories, recipes and culinary traditions of immigrants. The preps include dolmades (Greece), adobo (Philippines), peixada (Brazil), and quesadilla (Salvador). Well-worth a read, although an index might have been useful for the 25 stories and 25 recipes. --THE BRISKET BOOK (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2011, 208 pages, $34.99 CAD hard covers) is by food writer and cookbook author (at least six) Stephanie Pierson. So far as I know, this is the first cookbook devoted to brisket, with recipes coming from celebrity chefs and authors. Of course, the book is meant for meat-lovers, principally that guy who is hard to buy for at Christmas time. It is loaded with personal accounts and stories and memoir-like material from connoisseurs and chefs. I have always found it difficult to get brisket in Toronto: it seems to go directly to restaurants or smokehouses. Along with chicken livers and sweetbreads, brisket is definitely a speciality, “order in advance” item. So here are a variety of 30 preps, interviews with chefs, photos, graphics (including cartoons), all put together in a fun sort of way (complete with index). --MAN WITH A PAN (Algonquin Books, 2011, 326 pages $18.95 CAD) is from John Donohue, an editor at the New Yorker. This is a book about men who cook for their families. He’s found 34 well-know culinary men such as Mario Batali, Mark Bittman, Mark Kurlansky, and Thomas Keller who tell about their cooking done at home: their roles, how they came to it, and how they feel about it.. Along the way are revealed the best times to shop, assigning gender roles to gay couples, explaining vegetarianism to kids, advice on scheduling, and the like. It’s illustrated with 21 food cartoons from the New Yorker, and it includes recipes (unfortunately, unindexed). Some writers have suggested books and cookbooks to read such as those of Julia Child and Marcella Hazan. There’s an uneven writing style but the spirit is terrific for the stories. --NEW MEXICO TASTY RECIPES (Gibbs Smith, 2011, $8.99 US paper covers) is by Cleofas M. Javamillo. It’s only 34 pages long, with 75 recipes, but it was originally published in 1939. These are Spanish recipes as used in New Mexico, and include pipian, albondigas, chile caribe, pozole, quesadias, potajes sabroses. Additional material covers the traditional use of Hispanic food from other sources. There are some menus, and the preps run in narrative style. This can also double as a stocking stuffer for that particular person. --READING BETWEEN THE WINES (University of California Press, 2010, 2011, 189 pages, $17.95 US paper covers) is by Terry Theise, an award-winning wine writer and US wine importer. He makes the case for artisanal wine producers in this idiosyncratic memoir-like account of the beauty of the wine experience. Of course, it helps that he imports such boutique wines. He specializes in German and Austrian wines, plus Champagnes, and much of his focus is on these regions. His is another well-reasoned argument against the 100-point scale of measurement of wine. A short book, but an enjoyable read for the wine lover in your life. --EATING MUD CRABS IN KANDAHAR (University of California Pr., 2011, 215 pages, $27.50 US hard covers) has stories of food during wartime, written by foreign correspondents. This is not macho food, or even peasant food. This is about eating food under extreme conditions during the past 20 years. Look to a North Korean dictator who gorges while others starve, or drinking with an IRA cell, or siege food in Bosnia. Other countries with “war zones”: Pakistan, Gaza and Israel, El Salvador, Haiti, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq, Georgia, Rwanda, It is all about survival and emergency rations too. Some of it is humour as well. The book reminds us to be thankful over the Holiday season. --MERCHANT OF SONOMA – Chuck Williams (Weldon Owen, 2011, 245 pages, $26.95 CAD hard covers) is a generous biography of one of the USA’s leading food pioneers. For over fifty years, the founder of Williams-Sonoma has introduced everything from the basic to the sophisticated kitchen equipment for the home. It’s a standard biography by William Warren, but it is enlivened by the photographs provided by Williams and his family. A first rate easy read for the holidays, with 34 indexed recipes covering all courses. --DINNER WITH TENNESSEE WILLIAMS (Gibbs Smith, 2011, 176 pages, $19.99 US) is by Greg Picolo, chef operator for The Bistro at Maison de Ville in New Orleans, located across a hidden French quarter courtyard from where Williams lived. Picolo annually puts on a Williams-themed menu dinner during the Williams Literary Festival. Others involved here are Kenneth Holdritch, a Williams academic, and Troy Gilbert, a free-lance journalist. The memoir details Williams living in New Orleans and his association with food in his writings. There are 100 recipes, including such Williams’ faves as Waldorf salad, crawfish callas, veal sweet breads, and pecan-crusted black drum fish. --AMERICA THE EDIBLE (Rodale, 2011, 272 pages, $18.50 CAD) is by television host of the US Travel Channel Adam Richman. It’s a history of dining from nine US cities. This is the paperback reissue of the 2010 hard bound book. He’s covered Los Angeles (twice), Honolulu, Brooklyn, St. Louis, Cleveland, Austin, San Francisco, Portland Maine (lobster roll), and Savannah. There’s about a half-dozen restaurants listed and commented on, per location. Nine recipes are scattered. There are maps, quirky comments, and lots of memoirish materials. If you know American cities, then you might want to read this book over the holidays. C. Family values Christmas gift cook books would have to include: --SO SWEET! (Andrews McMeel, 2011, 136 pages, $17.50 CAD hard covers) comes from the Sur La Table chain of cooking stores. It’s good value for Christmas, with 50 recipes for cookies, cupcakes, whoopee pies, and baked doughnuts. Kids can do this stuff too. Flavours are emphasized, such as sweet, salty, chocolatey, fruity and nutty. --SWEET TREATS (CICO Books, 2011, 128 pages, $24.95 CAD) is loaded with ideas for making, decorating and gifting desserts. Designer Laura Tabor gives 35 step-by-step recipes for cakes, cookies and candies. The techniques include decorations, some of which are painstaking. There are chocolate cameos, marshmallow pearls, Faberge-like Easter eggs, Valentine fondant locket, candy cufflinks, and more. A fun book. --CELEBRATING PANCAKES, WAFFLES AND CREPES (Leisure Arts, 2011, 144 pages, $14.95US paper covers) is by Avner Laskin, a chef and cookbook author. This is something that every kid likes to make, so it is perfect for families. My wife likes waffles, I like crepes, but we’ll settle on any of these. Laskin gives the basics of pulling together a batter, and the use of some equipment (waffle makers), and then goes on to explore separately pancakes, waffles and crepes, both sweet and savoury. There are just under 100 recipes, with the lowest number going over to crepes (too bad for me). But lots of ideas and variations for toppings and fillings. --POP BAKERY (CICO Books, 2011, 64 pages, $18.95 CAD) is another fun book with 25 preps for cakeballs on sticks, meant for kids. There’s panda pops, Russian dolls pops (don’t ask), skull pops and more. --MY FAMILY TABLE; a passionate plea for home cooking (Andrews McMeel, 2011, 264 pages, $40 CAD hard covers) is by John Besh, award-winning chef and creator of seven acclaimed New Orleans restaurants, plus gigs on Food Network, PBS, and Today show. He specializes in local heritage and ingredients of New Orleans (his “My New Orleans” was acclaimed last year). Here, he emphasizes the act and art of family cooking. His kitchen wisdoms, strewn among the 140 preps, include master recipes such as Creamy Any Vegetable Soup and Risotto of Almost Anything. There’s a heavy Louisiana-Deep South influence here, but it is useful for such topics as Sunday suppers, the big casserole meal, school night cooking, breakfast with the kids, fried chicken, BBQ, brunch, desserts, and holidays. --ULTIMATE COOKIES (Gibbs Smith, 2011, 272 pages, $24.99 US paper covers) is by Julia M. Usher, who writes for Dessert Professional. As well, she has designed desserts for weddings (and written about them) and other parties, many one-of-a-kind. Here she takes on cookie design. There’s the basic cookie dough, but it is all in the decorations. In addition to lots of templates, there are extremely detailed instructions on how to make the decorations and how to apply them. A parchment pastry cone, for example, is a must. Typical creations include, just for Christmas, wreaths and holly, snowmen, santas, reindeers, sleighs, gift boxes, and the like. Every major kid holiday is here, such as Halloween and Easter. The photos of plated cookies are priceless. She has 40 cookie projects, illustrated with 300 photos. --THE SLOW COOK BOOK (DK Books, 2011, 352 pages, $28 CAD hard covers) is by Helen Whinney. It covers pot roasts, casseroles, paellas, risottos, heavy soups, pilaffs, ribs, stews, curries, gumbos, tagines, chillies, desserts and more – in 200 recipes for both techniques of slow cookers and/or regular ovens in each prep. There’s lots of code for service, freezing or not, prep times, cooking times, and even both avoirdupois and metric measurements. For levels of complexity, it moves from meatballs to cassoulet. --POPSICLES AND OTHER FROZEN TREATS (Ryland, Peters and Small, 2011, 64 pages, $18.95 CAD) is much the same, with granitas, water ices, and sherbets (all sweets, no tomatoes). --THE FOOD ALLERGY COOKBOOK (Skyhorse Publishing, 2011, 235 pages, $23.95 CAD hard covers) is by Carmel Nelson and Amra Ibrisimovic, both suffering from food health issues. Nelson is the prime writer of this guide to living with allergies and pepping up your main family meals. Here are 101 recipes for cooking allergen-free foods that exclude the most common such as dairy, gluten, soy, corn, shellfish, and nuts. Each is easy to prepare with readily available ingredients. There’s a primer on healthy foods, menus for meals (with recipes) and the usual arrangement by course. At the end , there is a list of helpful websites and books. --WHOOPIE PIES (Ryland, Peters & Small, 2011, 64 pages, $18.95 CAD) shoes that we have moved from cupcakes to filled cookie cakes. These come directly from the Amish, such as chocolate and marshmallow fluff pies, raspberry and cream pies, and a variety of party pies. --I LOVE MEATBALLS! (Andrews McMeel, 2011, 156 pages, $22.99 CAD hard covers) is by Rick Rodgers, cooking instructor and author of numerous cookbooks. It’s a tad pricey because it is hardback rather than the more approachable paperback (maybe next year? As a reprint?). But you can safely find a good price on Amazon or Chapters. Here are 50 different types, many traditional from different cultures (Italian, Thai, Chinese, Greek, Swedish, Moroccan, Indian and others. In addition to meats, Rodgers also uses seafood (I guess these would be fishballs). There are six categories, ranging from apps to pasta, sandwiches, soups, and sauces. Good for the family: kids can make these. --FABULOUS BROWNIES (Ryland, Peters & Small, 2011, 64 pages, $18 CAD, is by Annie Rigg. These are cute and creative ideas for decorated brownies; there is a stunning owl decoration on the back page. The first chapter covers the brownie basics. This is followed by “pretty” petit fours types, then “indulgent” treats, and then “kids” (by and for). There are 30 recipes plus variations. Part Two: STOCKING STUFFERS =========================== Stocking stuffers are at the top of everybody’s gift list: something affordable (under $10, up to $20) that can also double as a host gift, something small and lightweight. Most of the books here are paperbacks. And of course, they can stuff an adult stocking. Typical for food are: --200 CASSEROLES (Gibbs Smith, 2011, 208 pages, $12.99 US spiral bound) is by Stephanie Ashcraft and Janet Eyring, cookbook authors. This is a pretty basic collection of preps for easy oven, stovetop and slow cooker casseroles. The arrangement is by course (breakfast, mains, sides, etc.) with material on family dining and finicky kids and entertaining. --SMALL PLATES (Ryland, Peters & Small, 2011, 64 pages, $17.95 CAD) is by Annie Rigg. It is a small collection of international dishes, ranging from Spanish tapas to Middle East meze and Chinese dim sum, arranged by main ingredient such as meat, seafood and veggies. The first recipe in the book -- creamy pancetta and onion tart -- works for me. --NOW EAT THIS! 100 quick calorie cuts (Grand Central Life and Style Books, $13.99 CAD soft covers) is by Rocco Dispirito, who had one of the first gourmet reality shows on American television. It is a flip book, detailing info on how you can cut your calorie count at both a restaurant and (on the other part of the book) at home – fifty tips for each.. It comes with the usual disclaimers about consulting a health professional before you attempt to lose weight, It’s a colourful book, full of good advice. The part about eating out is well worth the price (e.g., such basic stuff as saying “no” to desserts is effective and saves you money too). --MACARONS (Ryland, Peters & Small, 2011, 64 pages, $21.95 CAD) is by Annie Rigg. The 33 recipes here cover the basics, and then goes on to flavour combinations. There are chapters on fruits and flowers, coffee, caramel and chocolate, and nuts and spices. --WHO PUT THE DEVIL IN DEVILLED EGGS? (Skyhorse Publishing, 2011, 173 pages, $15.95 CAD) is really just short trivia about American food history. There are 48 foods here, such as lobster roll, baked Alaska, corn dog, iced tea, waffle, and mac and cheese. Author Ann Treistman situates the book in the 1950s, so there is stuff about Velveeta and Jell-o as well. Each food gets a short history, a photo, and a recipe or so. An interesting book that should appeal as a holiday read, short and light. --PRESERVES AND PICKLES (CICO Books, 2011, 64 pages, $21.95 CAD) is by Gloria Nicol who gives us a basic primer on preserving techniques and equipment. Emphasizing health and safety issues. Then she gives some 25 recipes for jams, jellies, curds, pickled relishes, and chutneys. --MAPLE SUGAR (Storey Publishing, 2011, 144 pages, $15.95 CAD soft covers) is by naturalist Tim Herd who gives us the “sap to syrup” story. It gives data about the various grades, the history of maple sugaring, how to identify the different kinds of maple trees from leaves or twigs, bark or flowers. There are reproductions of older advertisements. Plus, of course, 20 recipes for classics such as maple nut bread, maple-glazed salmon, and baked beans. --SEAFOOD FAVORITES (Gibbs Smith, 2011, 96 pages, $10 CAD soft covers) is from the Charleston Cooks! Maverick Kitchen store. It’s reflective of coastal South Carolina heritage and the Low Country region. There are dips, sauces, sides, plus a stream of preps for scallops, oysters, shrimp, snapper, flounder, grouper and others. --THE WILD BLUEBERRY COOK (Down East Books, 2011; distr. Nimbus, 82 pages, ISBN 867-0-89272-939-5, $14.95 US hard covers) is by Virginia M. Wright, senior writer at Down East magazine and cookbook author. She covers production, pie-eating contests, baking competitions, trivia, and an annual musical in Maine which celebrates its “official berry”. There are some interviews with growers, rakers, beekeepers, winemakers, and food scientists. Plus 16 recipes. --CAKE SIMPLE; recipe for bundt-style cakes (Chronicle Books, 2011, 132 pages, $19.95 US) is by Christie Matheson, a co-author of several cookbooks including Flour. There’s an endless variety of shapes and forms; more than 50 recipes here attest to that. There are the classics (brown sugar, lemon-poppy seed, mint chocolate), the gooey (gingerbread with orange-cream cheese frosting), the upscale (kumquat-coconut with tarragon), and mini-bundts (like a cupcake). A nice single-purpose book. --200 SOUPS (Gibbs Smith, 2011, 208 pages, $12.99 US spiral bound) is by Madge Baird, a cookbook editor and author. This is a basic collection using beans, lentils, vegetables, beef, chicken, pork, fish, potatoes, tomatoes, and pantry items. There are simple and there are complicated recipes here, a little bit of something for everyone. --THE HUMMINGBIRD BAKERY BAKING ORGANIZER (Ryland, Peters & Small, 2011, $19.95 CAD) is meant for recipe storage. You can file and store preps, as well as contacts and source lists. There are lined pages for recording your own recipes, divided into six tabbed and themes baking sections. Also, there are six baking recipes from The Hummingbird Bakery (London UK). Other little books, for beverages, include: --GREAT WHISKEYS (DK Books, 2011, 384 pages, $17 CAD) is a pocket-guide, although it is heavy because of the slick paper. The material was previously published in the longer “World Whiskey”. 500 of the “best” whiskies from around the world are covered, in an A – Z arrangement by name, regardless of country of origin. There are tasting notes, of course, with colour photos of the bottles. There are also whiskey tour notes for Islay, Speyside, Ireland, Japan, and Kentucky. --VINTAGE COCKTAILS (Skyhorse Publishing, 2011, 218 pages, $19.95 CAD) is a guide to retro cocktails for the home mixologist. Amanda Hallay, the compiler, is a cultural historian and fashion writer. Vintage cocktails are really the truly classics, and the M.O. here should be “know the classic recipes before you break the classic recipes”. For 90% of the action, you need go no further than your basic martini, grasshopper, Negroni, mint julep, Pimm’s cup, sidecar, daiquiri – and 57 more. Each comes with a thumbnail pop history. There’s the usual primer on cocktail making and how to deal with hangovers. And great retro style illustrations by David Wolfe. --GINGER BLISS AND THE VIOLET FIZZ (Harvard Common Press, 2011, 292 pages, $19.95 US) is by A. J. Rathbun, an award-winning spirits writer. It’s a nifty collection to 200 cocktails, all of which use new and classic liqueurs, such as Chartreuse, crème de cassis, St. Germain (elderflower), and PAMA (pomegranate). The drinks too range from new to old, such as the new Ginger Bliss and the older Violet Fizz from the book’s title. There’s the basic primer on cocktails plus a description of the newer liqueurs. A nice little book for those who like a kick of sugar/fruit in their drinks. Annual calendars are always monster hits and are often appreciated, both the wall and the desk type. The best of the desk are the two “page-a-day” (PAD) calendars from Workman. THE WINE LOVER’S CALENDAR 2012 (Workman, 2011, $15.99 CAD) has been put together by Karen MacNeil, author of “The Wine Bible”. Saturday and Sunday have been combined on one page. There is a new varietal highlighted each month, tips galore for pouring and tasting, food and wine matching, bargains, pop quizzes, horoscope wines, quotes, etc. And 125 “must try” wines are highlighted (many can be found in Canada). 365 BOTTLES OF BEER FOR THE YEAR 2012 (Workman, 2011, $15.99 CAD) too has a combined Saturday and Sunday page. Most of the beers appear as imports in Canada, but otherwise there are few Canadian brews included. Lights, lagers, ales, porters, stouts, seasonal beers, and lambrics – they’re all here. Other material in this PAD includes beer festivals, beer facts, label lore and vocabulary. There are also 100 “must-try” beer recommendations. If you buy any of the PAD calendars, then you can go online to the website and pick up other stuff, usually free at www.pageaday.com. For wall calendars, there is COLLECTIBLE TEAPOT CALENDAR 2012 (Workman, 2011, $15.99 CAD) which has, for every month, a distinctive teapot and tea service set, plus an indication and preps for sweets and nibbles for a tea party. Great fun, which encourages you to have a monthly tea party, even if you don’t own the appropriate tea pot. KITCHEN ORGANIZER (Workman, 2011, $16.99 CAD) is a bit of a twist – it’s a magnetic calendar organizer for your fridge. There are tear-off pages for each week, each with a grid. There are also illustrations and witticisms from such as my fave Dorothy Parker, whose knife could slide through pemmican. This is a very handy way to track appointments and plan activities, for families or business people. There’s a diary/food advisor/day book called THE HUMMINGBIRD BAKERY ENGAGEMENT CALENDAR, 2012 (Ryland, Peters and Small, $26.95 CAD), laid out like an appointment book. The recipes have been previously published in The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook, and of course, if you don’t have that book, this wire- bound book is highly recommended. There’s a handy pocket in the back to store cuttings, notes, and business cards. It’s a 13-month planner, and there is also a gatefold pull-out planner for 2013. On to the wine annuals. The two leaders are HUGH JOHNSON’S POCKET WINE BOOK 2012 (Mitchell Beazley, 2011, 320 pages, $15.99 CAD hard bound) and OZ CLARKE’S POCKET WINE GUIDE 2012 (Pavilion, 2011, 360 pages, $15.95 CAD hardbound). Both are guides to wines from all around the world, not just to the “best” wines. Similarities: Johnson claims more than 6000 wines are listed, while Clarke says more than 7000, but then recommends 4000 producers. News, vintage charts and data, glossaries, best value wines, and what to drink now are in both books. The major differences: Johnson has been at it longer – this is his 35th edition (Clarke is celebrating his 20th anniversary) -- and has more respect from erudite readers for his exactitude and scholarliness. His book is arranged by region; Clarke’s book is in dictionary, A – Z form (about 1600 main entries). It is really six of one, or half a dozen of another which one to use. Apparently, Amazon.Com reports that many people buy both, for about $20 US total. Both books have notes on the 2010 vintage, along with a closer look at the 2009. It is fun to look at the two books and find out where they diverge. As a sidelight, Johnson and Oz are moving more into food: there is a 16 page section on food and wine matching in the former, while Oz has 6 pages. Johnson also has a listing of his personal 200 fave wines. Both books could profit from online accessibility or a CD-ROM production. What I don’t like about both books is that they come out too early. Johnson was available August 15, while Clarke was released on Sept 6. I guess that this gets them off the hook about having to comment on the 2011 harvest and vintage!! Other wine annuals – mostly paperbacks -- deal with “recommended” wines, not all of the wines in the world. They can afford the space for more in-depth tasting notes (TNs) of what they actually do cover (usually just wines available in their local marketplace). --THE WINE TRIALS 2012 (Workman, 2011, 288 pages, $17.95 CAD soft covers) is by Robin Goldstein, with Alexis Nerschkowitsch. Both have food and wine credentials, in addition to authoring restaurant review books and travel books. They have been assisted by named contributing writers and 500 named blind tasters. The object of the book is to come up with hidden wine values. The cover proclaims brown-bag blind tastings for wine values under $15. That’s $15 US, of course, and does not allow for discounts and sales so prevalent in the US marketplace. It is possible that a top rated US wine at $20, going on sale for under $15, could be well over $30 in Ontario. Most of the wines sold in Ontario are under $25 – the trick is to find the best ones. This book could give some guidance. They have full-page reviews for 175 wines under $15 US that outscored $50 to $150 bottles, using hundreds of blind tasters who filled in a simple form. The authors have lots of material justifying their choices. Only about half the wines are available in Ontario, and many are not value priced because of the LCBO mark-up policy and lack of sales/discounts. The book just whets your appetite for a privatized company to sell wine in Ontario. --BILLY’S BEST BOTTLES; wines for 2012 (McArthur & Company, 2011, 240 pages, $19.95 CAD soft covers) by Billy Munnelly is back for another round (22 ed), creating more emphasis on wine and food pairing, party planning, and some social manners. There’s some info about country trends and frequently-asked questions about wine. Plus data on Ontario winery tours. His whole concept of wine is organized by Mood, with sections on wine colour and style/weight, and the wines are usually those available at the LCBO. Most should be available across the country. He has over 200 best international wine buys, with most under $20 and many under $12. And there is a wine index at the back where wines are listed by region. Check out www.billysbestbottles.com.