9 cookbooks to look forward to this spring
Maybe you’re new to veganism and want to change your meal planning. Or you’re a cannabis enthusiast who wants to bake more than just brownies. This spring, authors like Emani Corcran and Chris Sayegh can help you achieve these goals. And for home cooks seeking the healing power of food, writers Jack Hazan and Jerry Mai take you on a journey to discover your food memories.
No matter what direction your spring cooking is headed, here are our spring cookbook picks.
‘Yogurt & Whey: recipes from an Iranian immigrant life’
Homa Dashtaki, W.W. Norton & Company, $37.20, bookstore.org
The day Homa Dashtaki was born marked the beginning of the Iranian Revolution of 1979. When Dashtaki and her family moved to the United States, yogurt was a source of comfort – not just to eat it, but to make it from scratch. to make. It brought her family together to create their empire of handmade, hand-sifted pots. Now the founder of The White Mustache Yogurt Co. makes his debut Yogurt and whey: recipes from an Iranian immigrant life. Find yogurt-focused recipes accompanied by illustrations and learn the delights of lemon whey meringue pie, ghormeh sabzi, whey ceviche, and pineapple margaritas.
‘Pulp: a practical guide to cooking with fruit’
Abra Berens, Chronicle Books, $32.55, bookstore.org
Bright and colorful, Abra Berens’ third cookbook teaches you how to elevate roast pork, cornbread, soups, and other fruit-infused main dishes. In a can-do attitude that rivals Beren’s roots, Pulp is organized by fruit to help you broaden your repertoire of techniques with ingredients already in your pantry. The book contains over 215 recipes, plus over 100 photos. Pick up the cookbook and enjoy “a beautiful ride through the fields, orchards, and kitchens of the Midwest,” writes Tim Mazurek in the foreword.
‘Mayumu: Filipino-American desserts remixed’
Abi Balingit, Harvest Publications, $37.20, bookstore.org
Abi Balingit spent the pandemic selling pasalubong boxes (souvenirs) of treats made in her tiny New York kitchen. She would sell out in hours and donate the proceeds to organizations she supported. Now Balingit invites everyone from the curious baker to the advanced to venture into the world of Philippine delicacies. From halo-halo baked Alaska to adobo chocolate chip cookies, Balingit’s cookbook debut celebrates the Filipino-American experience with 75 recipes and personal essays in this vibrant, playful deep dive.
‘Blk + Vegan’
Emani Corcran, Page Street Publishing, $22.31, bookstore.org
Emani Corcran grew up letting her wild curiosity about flavors run wild. But her relationship with food changed as her family faced illness and loss. Inspired by the 2007 documentary What health, Corcran devoted her life to veganism. Her food blog Blk and Vegan shared her journey exploring the kitchen that culminated in this 160+ page food diary featuring recipes like vegan ribs, spicy silken tofu, and herb-infused “feta.”
‘Mind Over Batter’
Jack Hazan, Chronicle Books, $32.55, bookstore.org
Jack Hazan is a licensed psychotherapist and his new book will help you sort through different parts of your story with some baking therapy. Bake through feelings of anxiety and frustration with recipes like Five-Star Meringue Birthday Cake and cheesecake with a pomegranate twist. Break with the help of what’s going on in your head Mind Over Batter.
‘Indian taste every day’
Maya Kaimal, Clarkson Potter Publishers, $26.04, bookstore.org
Maya Kaimal enjoys cooking traditional Indian dishes with inventive twists, from slathering tandoori marinade on cauliflower steaks to adding garam masala to the puff pastry crust of a chocolate cake. The 240-page cookbook is full of recipes that reflect her cooking style. Get a feel for tarka techniques and masala mixes to take on your own adventures in the kitchen.
“Sugar High: 50 Cannabis Dessert Recipes”
Chris Sayegh, Simon Element, $21.38, bookstore.org
At the University of California-Santa Cruz, Chris Sayegh pioneered the study and understanding of cannabis. It led him through years of research and recipe testing that culminated in Sugar high. The cookbook offers a history lesson on cannabis in North America, dosage calculation, infusions and recipes for nostalgic treats such as cherry sorbet and apple pie. Whether you’re venturing into the world of weed for the first time or looking to up your cannabis cooking game, dive into this love letter to cannabis and desserts.
‘Ikoyi: a journey through brutal heat with recipes’
Jeremy Chan, Phaidon Press, $60.40, bookstore.org
In London, the Michelin-starred Ikoyi restaurant is run by childhood friends Chef Jeremy Chan and Iré Hassan-Odukale. The two opened the restaurant in 2017 with menus that harmonize heat and umami, with an emphasis on the bold flavors of sub-Saharan Africa. Learn more about Ikoyi’s cooking, philosophy and story in Chan’s bright orange cookbook. Browse 82 micro-seasonal recipes, including smoked jollof rice and crab custard, photos of steamed foniobrioche and other plated dishes, and written stories from Chan as you experiment with global spices and produce native to the British countryside and sea.
Vietnam: morning to midnight
Jerry Mai, Smith Street Books, $27.85, bookstore.org
Enter Jerry Mai’s family dining room and watch her food memories unravel as you create your own Vietnam: morning to midnight. The cookbook shares Mai’s long love affair with Vietnamese food that began when she visited her native country in 1992. Inside, you’ll find dishes Mai grew up with, including her mother’s signature hủ tiêu nam vang.