Spring 2012 New Releases
and a Few Announcements

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First, we'd like to let you know about three upcoming events at the store.

Win a copy of Modernist Cuisine

Food professionals who visit the store between May 3 and May 8 during regular business hours can enter a drawing for a free copy of Modernist Cuisine (http://modernistcuisine.com/.)  Yes, that's the dazzling 6-volume set on innovative technique, equipment, and ingredients, which retails for $625, though just $525 here at Kitchen Arts & Letters. There's no charge to enter and if you win and live in the lower 48 United States, we'll ship it to you free.  That span of days coincides with the time when many people are in town for the James Beard Awards and we're trying to add to the festive atmosphere. 

We'll draw the winner's name at noon on May 9.  All you have to do is visit us to enter. You can't enter any other way, and you can't enter for your buddies, sorry.

Meet Andoni Luis Aduriz

On Saturday, May 12, the chef of the acclaimed Michelin three-star restaurant Mugaritz will be at Kitchen Arts & Letters to sign his new book, his first in English.  We'll send a separate email shortly announcing the time.  In this case, though, if you can't make it, just give us a call to reserve a copy and tell us how you'd like to have it personalized: 212-876-5550.

Come on in for a Sale and a Pop-Up Event!

On Saturday June 12, starting at 11 am, we'll have our second-ever Clean Up Sale in which we heavily mark down books of every sort.  The books may be damaged, out-of-date, or well-used.  Many were abandoned on our doorstep and all are looking for good homes. Prices will be $1, $2, $5 and $10.  Last year was a smash hit and we're eager to repeat it.

Just as much fun, though: The crew from People's Pops, an NYC artisan frozen dessert company which you may have seen at places like The Brooklyn Flea and The Highline, will be here.  They will have just published their first book and Nathalie Jordi, a cofounder and author, is one of our former employees. They'll be selling their pops outside the store--and if you buy their book from us you'll get a free pop from them!

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Tadashi Agi and Shu Okimoto. THE DROPS OF GOD. Volumes 1, 2, and 3.

These surprisingly engaging manga (Japanese graphic novels) explore the world of fine wine with wit and intelligence as they use dramatic plots to educate readers about grapes, winemaking techniques, tasting and serving practices, and just about anything else related to the appreciation of fine wine. Darn impressive. line-drawings throughout. p. $14.95 each.

APICIUS MAGAZINE NO. 17.

The most recent issue of this handsome survey of the world’s restaurant chefs includes articles on Kobe Desramaults of Belgium’s In De Wulf, Ramon Freixa of Restaurante Ramon Freixa in Madrid, and a long feature on the closing of El Bulli. En Español. color throughout. p. $55.00

Mark Best. MARQUE.

Rene Redzepi says that Marque, in Sydney, is “almost a complete reflection of [Mark Best], which is even rarer than finding a chef with his self-perception intact.” Playful, thoughtful, and sophisticated, Best’s food draws together an array of influences (El Bulli, Harry’s Bar, Alain Passard, kimchi, maple syrup, Greek salad) and offers a highly distinctive freshness which has generated a great deal of excitement among our professional customers. Worthwhile. Beautiful color photography, too. cl. $79.95

Mark Bittman. HOW TO COOK EVERYTHING: THE BASICS.

Bittman’s How to Cook Everything has been a standard home cookbook for more than a decade, but this new photo-intensive cousin is designed to help would-be cooks who think they cannot turn on the stove without visual instructions. In addition to images of finished dishes and simple techniques, Bittman includes a number of useful cooking guides showing, for example, how to distinguish between rare and medium-rare meat. The 185 recipes are primarily for safely familiar dishes, but there’s enough adventure here to lead budding cooks into new areas as well. color throughout. cl. $35.00

April Bloomfield. A GIRL AND HER PIG.

As the chef of three highly popular NYC restaurants—The Spotted Pig, The Breslin, and The John Dory Oyster Bar—Bloomfield has created a reputation for earthy yet meticulously prepared food which uses traditional British cuisine as a starting point but draws on influences worldwide. Despite the intense attention her restaurants receive, she is regarded by most who know her as focused and rather laconic. This first book is nevertheless personal and captivating as she presents cheffy food that is still well within reach of serious home cooks. Sweetbreads with braised baby artichokes and prosciutto; chilled crab trifle; roasted peanuts with rosemary and garlic. color throughout. cl. $29.99

Aaron Bobrow-Strain. WHITE BREAD.

A professor of politics at Whitman College in Washington, Bobrow-Strain traces the rise and frequently changing status of store-bought loaves in the United States. His highly readable social history highlights just how difficult it initially was for Americans to trust bread made outside the home, why they eventually became convinced it was a symbol of progress, and why ever since it has been so strongly associated—for better or worse—with ideas of status, purity, and authenticity. Stimulating and remarkably low on academic jargon. cl. $27.95

Bompas and Parr. JELLYMONGERS

This is the US edition of Jelly with Bompas and Parr, and it is just as eccentric and adventurous an excursion into gelatin whimsy as the UK original. Flaming gelatin, glow-in-the-dark gelatin, bacon gelatin. It’s all here, all shimmering seductively. color throughout. cl. $19.95

Guillaume Brahimi. GUILLAUME.

Brahimi is an A-list Aussie chef (Guillaume at the Sydney Opera House and Bistro Guillaume in Melbourne). This large and lavish book presents menus and recipes for special events, many of them in grand private homes. A real boon for caterers, with table settings, beautifully plated courses, and plenty of cocktails. color throughout. cl. $98.00

Gesine Bullock-Prado. PIE IT FORWARD.

Everyone loves a great pie, but so many bakers regard them as intimidating. Bullock-Prado, a commercial baker based in Vermont, wants to inspire and embolden you, offering many great flavor ideas here to pique your interest: raspberry-lemon panna cotta tartlets; butterscotch meringue pie; fleur de sel caramel-almond brownie pie. color thoughout. cl. $29.95

Francois Chartier. TASTE BUDS & MOLECULES.

Using analysis of molecular components in the same way the perfumers do, Chartier—who collaborated with Ferran Adria on the 2009-2010 menu at El Bulli—sets out a sophisticated paradigm for understanding and exploring flavor relationships, particularly between wine and food. For instance, knowing that the volatile molecule called sotolon occurs in both roasted fenugreek seeds and in maple syrup explains why many curry powders can benefit from being used in dishes sweetened with that boiled sap. And the method by which a cut of beef is cooked seems to have a bearing on which wines are best paired with it. Fascinating and thought-provoking. color throughout. cl. $37.50

Josiah Citrin. IN PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE.

Citrin, chef at Los Angeles’s highly regarded Mélisse restaurant, has self-published this good-looking, ambitious showcase for his food. It is, with no apologies, a chef-to-chef book, much like last year’s Eleven Madison Park, and it strongly demonstrates just how well self-publishing can serve a professional chef. Kabocha squash agnolotti with pomegranate, black trumpet mushrooms, and walnut crumble; skate with kohlrabi, cucumber, olives, and anchovies; paper-roasted rabbit with white bean hummus and Meyer lemon jus. color throughout. cl. $45.00

Noël Cossart. MADEIRA: THE ISLAND VINEYARD.

Originally published in 1984 and now updated by Emanuel Berk of The Rare Wine Company, a Connecticut dealer in extraordinary vintages and collections, this intensive treatment of a legendary wine region was written by a fourth-generation member of one of the island’s great wine producing families. Combining strong methodology and important historical information drawn from Cossart’s intimate knowledge and detailed commentary from Berk on the recent resurgence of Madeira’s reputation, this is the sort of detailed perspective we wish we could offer for many other regions as well. b-&-w photos. cl. $40.00

Shane Delia. MAHA.

Proud of his Maltese heritage, Delia opened his restaurant Maha in Melbourne in 2008, and inspired by Malta’s status as a culinary crossroads, he drew freely on the cuisines of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. His food is clearly rooted in home cooking, but there is a definite imagination at work here: pickled fennel with dill and fennel pollen; olive oil-poached calamari with mussel and cinnamon rice; za’atar-roasted lamb cutlets with smoked almond vinaigrette. color throughout. cl. $64.95

Crescent Dragonwagon. BEAN BY BEAN.

There’s nothing humble about this jazzy treatment of everything from adzuki to tepari beans, with fresh and dried legumes alike. Dragonwagon, a James Beard Award winner for her Passionate Vegetarian, likes her food flavorful and not-too-serious, which makes for some very fun cooking. Ethiopian lentil stew; cornbread and bean pie a la hippie; lemon-mustard green and yellow beans. paper. $15.95

Alain Ducasse. NATURE.

There have been many cases in which a world-renowned chef has offered supposedly simple food which has not seemed so simple to most of us. But Ducasse’s newest work of vegetable-centered cooking is actually very accessible. There are a few times when ingredients may require some extraordinary shopping, but for the most part the 190 recipes here are not only easy to execute but easily adapted to whatever is on hand. Buckwheat crepes with andouille sausage and leeks; eggplant and goat cheese clafoutis; cauliflower and broccoli in bulgur. color throughout. cl. $45.00

Teague Ezard and Chris Donnellan. GINGERBOY.

Zippy Asian-inspired street food from a Melbourne, Australia, hotspot: spiced pork neck with fried sticky rice balls and green chili sambal; soy-cured ocean trout with turmeric and coconut caramel and pickled daikon; tom kah custard brulée. Adventurous cooking, adventurous eating. color throughout. cl. $87.95

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Nick Fisher. THE RIVER COTTAGE FISH BOOK.

The US edition of this intelligent, opinionated British guide to choosing and cooking sustainable fish and shellfish is at last available. Measurements and ingredient names in the recipe section have been adapted for our shores. The species encyclopedia included in the book has been Americanized with endnotes rather than fully revised, but there are always suggestions for substitutes when a particular creature simply is not found in US waters. Anglers as well as cooks will find this completely absorbing. color throughout. cl. $45.00

Marc Frederic. LE CHARCUTIER ANGLAIS.

Passionate and detailed, this self-published guide to contemporary charcuterie from a European-trained Englishman preserves the sort of conversational authority one would expect in on-the-job training from a true character. And so while Frederic shows himself very much a teacher, urging the use of the best equipment and ingredients, he is also an uncontainable, somewhat madcap raconteur, unable to resist sharing tales of where he first encountered a particular technique or remarkable idea. It is easy to imagine that he and Martin Picard of Au Pied de Cochon (see below) share somewhere an earnest but irrepressibly good-humored common ancestor. This is the real thing. color throughout. cl. $55.00

Pierre Gagnaire. UN PRINCIPE D’EMOTIONS.

This idiosyncratic, freewheeling collection of interviews with the Michelin three-star chef offers a little of everything: reproductions of his menus at various points in his career, photographs of his elegant presentations, pages from his kitchen notebooks, and extensive musings on everything from restaurant decor to ingredient quality. Not the usual chef’s showcase book, but then little about Gagnaire is ever usual. En français. color throughout. p. $69.95

Lucio Galletto and David Dale. THE ART OF PASTA.

This seductively photographed volume—winner of the IACP’s latest award for best photography in a food book—has been catching nearly everyone’s eye. A short but informative section on pasta making is followed by an array of ingenious recipes which feel fully Italian but still surprise: linguine with orange pesto and eggplant; tagliatelle with prosciutto and figs; rabbit canneloni with Jerusalem artichoke sauce. color throughout. cl. $79.95

Dani Garcia, LAS TAPAS DE DANI GARCIA.

An imaginative collection of modern tapas from one of Spain’s leading chefs, nicely photographed and full of fresh ideas, often rendering traditional dishes in new ways. Cherry gazpacho with queso fresco and anchovies; “steak tartare” fashioned from fresh and dried tomatoes; Malagan white shrimp with miso vinaigrette. En Español, but the great color shots are definitely multilingual. p. $24.95

Mary Gitlin and Topher Ellis. THE GREAT AMERICAN CEREAL BOOK.

An enticingly detailed catalog of more than 150 years’ worth of breakfast cereals and their packaging. The cereals are grouped by era, from their emergence as health foods until their evolution into the virtual apex of food processing. It’s almost shocking just how many brands there have been. Cheerfully illustrated throughout in full color, with boxes, advertisements, and the occasional prize. cl. $19.95

Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer. CANAL HOUSE COOKING NO. 7.

Under the Canal House spell yet? This lovely three-times-a-year series of appealing home cookbooks continues with a new volume focused on Italian cooking, inspired by a month the authors spent cooking in a Tuscan farmhouse. There may be no subject harder to make fresh than Italian countryside cooking, but they do it. In spades. color throughout. flexibind. $19.95

Pierre Hermé. PASTRIES.

The celebrated Parisian pastry chef offers 50 pairs of recipes: for every classic dessert or goodie—blancmange, kouign-amann, madeleines—he presents an imaginative offspring in which flavor or texture or form (or several of these) are elevated. Ginger and grapefruit, for instance, transform tiramisu into something otherworldly. Fascinating and beautiful. color throughout. cl. $50.00

Mark Jensen. THE URBAN COOK.

Jensen is the chef at The Red Lantern, the Sydney restaurant in which Luke Nguyen (see below) is a partner, and Vietnamese-inspired dishes do appear frequently here, but they are not the only source for Jensen’s ideas about thoughtful home cooking. His concern with using local, seasonal, and sustainable ingredients is hardly unique, but the way he translates that passion into everyday food is captivating: steamed Asian greens with tamari sauce and fried shallots; barbecued spiced lemon and orange marinated octopus; chicken braised with white wine, cream, and thyme. color throughout. cl. $67.50

Jeanne Kelley. SALAD FOR DINNER.

A longtime contributor to Bon Appetit and Fine Cooking, Kelley offers plenty of ideas for easy weeknight meals which are usually built around fresh vegetables. Some very appealing photography makes them especially vivid. Wide-ranging, from good sturdy Caesar and Cobb salads to such exotics as kohlrabi and black quinoa with coconut and cashews or fig, fennel, and barley salad with bucheron, speck, and honey-spiced walnuts. color throughout. cl. $35.00

Ian Knauer. THE FARM.

The Knauer farm in Pennsylvania has been in the family since the eighteenth century and Ian Knauer, a former food editor at Gourmet, draws deeply on the food grown there for this collection, a charming meander through culinary terrain as varied as Pennsylvania Dutch classics, casual Italian fare, or the occasional American melting pot inspiration: roast chicken basted in wheat beer; twice-baked chipotle potatoes; ramp tagliatelle. A good choice if you’re feeling you’ve lost a little of your drive in the kitchen. color throughout. cl. $30.00

Jim Lahey. MY PIZZA.

Lahey’s Sullivan Street Bakery has been a NYC fixture for well over a decade but his recent pizza joint, Co. (pronounced “Company”), has been generating just as much buzz. Here he offers his distinctive, simple no-knead dough, known for producing a flavorful, thin, crispy crust, and a truly imaginative array of toppings. The Amalfi pie features anchovies and green olives in a basic tomato sauce; the leek and sausage pie uses a bechamel sauce; and the poached baby artichoke pie relies on a rustic walnut puree. color throughout. cl. $27.50

Giorgio Locatelli. MADE IN SICILY.

What’s a London-based chef who grew up in Lombardy doing writing about Sicily? Giving it the same deliberate, meticulous, yet imaginative treatment he brought to his previous Made in Italy. At first glance this may seem simply a recipe collection, but Locatelli includes extensive discussions of most important ingredients because he wants you to see them as the Sicilians see them. Very little that Locatelli does fails to seem elegant, but he does not try to strip away the essential heartiness of Sicilian food. Salad of crushed olives; roast kid with anchovies, rosemary, and lemon; Christmas caponata with almonds, celery, capers, raisins, and pomegranate. color throughout. cl. $45.00

Andrew McConnell. CUMULUS, INC.

A stylish casual restaurant in an artsy area of Melbourne, Cumulus, Inc. offers the sort of eclectic fare that seems typical of Australia these days. Asian, French, Italian, and English motifs appear, and while few dishes borrow ingredients from outside their origins, there’s still an appealing aura of creativity about the food. color throughout. cl. $87.95

James Mackenzie. ON THE MENU.

Mackenzie’s Pipe & Glass Inn in Yorkshire is Michelin’s Pub of the Year for 2012. This gastro-destination places an emphasis on traditional English ingredients given a sophisticated presentation. Crispy braised lamb shoulder with spring vegetables and pearl barley; creamed Shetland mussels with cider, curly kale, and smoked bacon; treacle tart with eggnog ice cream and nutmeg custard. Captivating. color throughout. cl. $59.95

Jean-Francois Mallet. TAKE AWAY.

In this vivid photographic survey of street food around the world, Mallet, a former chef and current food journalist, displays a dazzling array of shops, stalls, and stands, as well as fresh produce, cooling drinks, and crispy fried treats. Captions are short, but your curiosity will be fully engaged. color throughout. cl. $35.00

Greg & Lucy Malouf. MALOUF.

This gorgeous compendium presents beautifully photographed and sometimes updated versions of the Maloufs' recipes from their five previous books (Arabesque, Moorish, Saha, Turquoise, and Saraban), all of which offer imaginative and stylish takes on Middle Eastern food. Skewered tamarind fish with dried-lime butter; cardamom and honey-glazed duck breasts with baby root vegetables; fried potatoes with garlic, green chile, and coriander. color throughout. cl. $66.00

Nobu Matsuhisa. NOBU’S VEGETARIAN COOKBOOK.

Handsome and playful, this collection of imaginative fare offers an array of small plates and finger food, along with the occasional entree. Crispy rice cubes with taro and pumpkin mash; roasted turnips with shaved kombu and dry miso; soy milk pudding with tomato sauce and mushrooms. color throughout. cl. $39.95

Jim Meehan. THE PDT COCKTAIL BOOK.

PDT (for Please Don’t Tell) is a NYC bar famed for its inventive drinks, as well as for the fact that one enters by stepping into a phone booth inside a hot dog joint. Meehan, the legendary chief mixologist there, offers more than 300 recipes, many his own but many drawn from historic and contemporary sources. The intelligent, stylish vibe is reinforced by extensive illustrations from Chris Gall, making the book something of a twenty-first-century version of The Savoy Cocktail Book. color throughout. cl. $24.95 For a limited time we have signed copies on hand.

Matt Moran. DINNER AT MATT’S.

Moran’s Aria restaurant in Sydney is known for its casual-chic fare, and his newest book offers imaginative, slightly dressy dishes: split pea soup with ras el hanout; roast veal loin with shallot tarte tatin and horseradish creme fraiche; lobster salad with tomato and lime dressing. color throughout. cl.$67.50

Philippe Mouchel. MORE THAN FRENCH.

Mouchel was formerly the chef of a Paul Bocuse restaurant in Melbourne, and he has since opened his own place there known as PM 24. In this, his first book, he demonstrates how his French cooking has taken new inspiration from his time in Australia, deftly incorporating new flavors that add depth and character without seeming radical: curried cauliflower cream soup with crab meat and curry oil; tuna and avocado tartare with yuzu and ginger vinaigrette. color throughout. cl. $87.50

Seamus Mullen. SEAMUS MULLEN'S HERO FOOD.

Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis shortly after opening Boqueria in NYC several years ago, Mullen came to embrace a philosophy of eating more of what he knew was good for him rather than less of what might be bad. He was also convinced that food one enjoys eating is much more beneficial than food one feels one should eat. In this, his first book, he offers seasonally arranged recipes for the ingredients and the dishes fitting that view, and few of us could object to the likes of anchovies, eggs, sweet peas, berries, fish, and mushrooms. Honestly, the good-for-you aspect of this book is completely hidden by the good-to-eat. color throughout. cl. $35.00

Marion Nestle and Malden Nesheim. WHY CALORIES COUNT.

Nestle, author of the splendidly useful What to Eat among other titles, and Nesheim, former director of Cornell University’s Division of Nutritional Sciences, set out to explain just exactly what calories are, how their values are estimated, and just how much variation there is to the way in which individuals respond to a surfeit or shortage. Throughout, the role of politics in the way calories are reported is a constant refrain. The authors want us to think critically about the flow of calorie factoids in which we are submerged and understand when and how they are revealing—or not . cl. $29.95

Andrea Nguyen. ASIAN TOFU.

This fresh, imaginative take on tofu includes an easy, practical lesson on making your own (we tried it, and it works like a charm), as well as a wide assortment of recipes for both traditional and imaginative foods. Malaysian grilled tofu pockets; Japanese silken tofu and edamame soup; Vietnamese cellophane noodle and tofu rolls. Nguyen makes it appealingly clear that tofu is to be prized for itself and not for its utility as a meat substitute. color throughout. cl. $30.00

Luke Nguyen. INDOCHINE.

Raised in Australia by a family that fled Vietnam in 1978, Nguyen is a partner in Sydney’s Red Lantern restaurant. Here he traces the French impact on Vietnamese cuisine in a beautifully photographed and thoughtfully written survey. Nguyen works hard to balance culinary enthusiasms with a keen awareness of the costs of colonialism and often brings into the book local people who share their perspectives. Quite vivid. color throughout. cl. $87.95

Ewald Notter. THE ART OF THE CONFECTIONER.

An award-winning sugar artist and founder of an internationally recognized pastry school, Notter here offers detailed instruction in pastillage and sugar casting, pulling, and blowing. Precise step-by-step photographs detail the creation of everything from small intricate flowers to large competition-style sculptures. An important addition to the field and very welcome. color throughout. cl. $65.00

Neil Perry. ROCKPOOL BAR & GRILL.

Perry first made his name at Rockpool, a restaurant which vaulted Sydney onto the world-class restaurant scene, but it’s been fifteen years since he has produced a book featuring the food of his signature restaurant. This large (456 pages) impressive volume displays the confidence and panache of a chef who is clearly at home in a range of cuisines and happy to draw on them all: salad of baby beets, pickled onion, grilled zucchini, farro, feta, and white beans; confit duck with roasted mango; prune and armagnac creme brulee. color throughout. cl. $84.95

James Peterson. VEGETABLES.

A renowned cooking teacher and seven-time winner of the James Beard Award for his books, Peterson here offers a revised and expanded edition of his masterful guide to cooking vegetables. Thirty vegetables have been added, along with 50 recipes, as well as extensive color photography which places an emphasis on technique. A very useful update. color throughout. cl. $35.00

Martin Picard. AU PIED DE COCHON: SUGAR SHACK.

Too much is apparently never enough where Picard, chef of Montreal’s iconic Au Pied de Cochon, is concerned. In this fascinating, wild celebration of all that can be done with maple syrup, Picard displays an affection for this distinctively North American ingredient that is exuberant, infectious, and deep. The syrup becomes a compelling part of a range of dishes which includes pea soup with foie gras, veal curry, and pickled ramps, along with many sweet items. color throughout. cl. $69.95

Damien Pignolet. SALADES.

Largely French-inspired, but far from traditional, this collection of side and full-meal salads comes from the chef of several highly regarded Sydney restaurants. Since salad making often relies more on ideas than technique, it’s fortunate that Pignolet is so generous with his inspirations: green beans and butter beans with smoked ham and creamy wholegrain mustard; roast pumpkin, mushroom, and spinach with spicy toasted almonds; mussels, mushrooms, and apples. color throughout. cl. $74.95

Michel Portos. LE SAINT-JAMES EN 65 RECETTES.

Le Saint-James is a Michelin two-star restaurant in Bouliac, a village across the Gironde from Bordeaux, and Portos’s cuisine strongly reflects that city’s status as one of France’s great ports, where flavors from across the world combine. Restrained presentation does not disguise creativity here: vegetable maki rolls with langoustine croquants; turnip ravioli with caviar and fennel vinaigrette; melon, tomato, and star anise tart. En français. color throughout. cl. $95.00

Stéphane Reynaud. BARBECUE & GRILL.

Why turn to a French chef for a book about barbecuing? Maybe because it’s well worth seeing a fresh take on the usual backyard warrior fare. If you’re suspecting that all your cookouts have the same feel, this could be the antidote. Monkfish and chorizo skewers; pork fillets with pistachio pesto; yellowfin tuna with shallot-lime marinade. color throughout. flexibind. $27.95

Sverre Sætre. NORWEGIAN CAKES AND COOKIES.

This pleasant collection of baked goods offers a mix of traditional and modern recipes from the chef of an Oslo patisserie whose innovations are quite appealing. Homey lefse griddlecakes are served with blueberry curd; red currant and milk chocolate truffles; rhubarb soup with cinnamon and sour cream. color throughout. cl. $19.95

Jeff Scott and Blake Beshore. NOTES FROM A KITCHEN.

We’re delighted to be carrying the special dual slipcased-edition of this dramatic two-volume examination of how some of the country’s leading chefs develop their ideas and put them into practice. We have never really seen anything remotely like this visually arresting, lavishly produced set—though it sets us imagining what it would have been like to see a similar work produced in France during the ascendancy of Chapel, Bocuse, and the Troisgros brothers—and we suspect it will be a long time before something else this creative comes our way again. Volume I features Sean Brock and Johnny Iuzzini; Volume II covers Michael Laiskonis, George Mendes, Emma Hearst, Joel Harrington, Matt Gaudet, Zak Pelaccio, Jason Neroni, and Neal Fraser. Superb color photography throughout. cl. $150 for the set.

Jeff Scott and Blake Beshore. NOTES FROM A KITCHEN NOTEBOOKS.

Two handsome blank notebooks for recording your own culinary ruminations are available, bound in the same luxurious cloth as the large volumes above. The red notebook features cover, endpaper, and vellum inserts decorated with notes and images from the profile of Sean Brock; the blue notebook does the same using the profile of Michael Laiskonis. 7¾” v 10¾”, 80 unlined pages. cl. $24.95 each.

Nigel Slater. RIPE.

Slater’s passionate, intelligent, practical salute to fruit is highly seductive, a mixture of simple, appealing recipes and lucid writing. Arranged by type of fruit—so that you can get ideas when you have overdone it with peaches at the farmers’ market—accompanied by thoughtful notes on flavor pairings and noteworthy varieties and illustrated with beautiful photography, this is as inspiring as it is practical. (In the UK, this book was published as Tender, Volume 2.) color throughout. cl. $40.00

Suvir Suran. MASALA FARM.

The New Delhi-born and Manhattan-entrenched chef of (the recently closed) Devi is now the owner of an upstate New York farm with his longtime partner, and if you think that therein lies quite a tale, you’re right. Suran may not be the likeliest farmer or shepherd, but he is a natural storyteller, and this engaging mixture of narrative and recipes has proven to be remarkably popular with KAL customers. color throughout. cl. $29.95

Gordon M. Shepherd. NEUROGASTRONOMY.

A professor of neurobiology at the Yale School of Medicine, Shepherd is a leading researcher in brain circuitry. His most recent work focuses on how the brain creates the perception of smell and thus of flavor and how these in turn influence emotions, food preferences, and cravings for many kinds of substances. Complex science is made accessible to a lay audience as Shepherd speculates on a wide array of human behaviors which are motivated by the way we taste. line drawings throughout. cl. $24.95

Pearl Sofaer. BAGHDAD TO BOMBAY.

Born in India to a clan of Iraqi Jewish immigrants, Sofaer combines a family memoir with distinctive recipes for the dishes her family prepared. Her recreation of exotic locales and simple traditions offers a rich perspective on the way in which families can be preserved by the food they love. b-&-w photos throughout. p. $19.95

David Strauss. SETTING THE TABLE FOR JULIA CHILD.

Tempting as it may be to regard the years before the publication of Mastering the Art of French Cooking as barren of culinary sophistication, Strauss, professor emeritus of history at Kalamazoo College, wants us to consider that a variety of forces had already been preparing America to embrace haute cuisine. Identifying themes as diverse as class, gender, and the work of fine artists, Strauss offers an enriched vision of the society which was ready to be entranced by Julia, Beck, and Bertholle. b-&-w illustrations; color insert. cl. $45.00

Barb Stuckey. TASTE WHAT YOU’RE MISSING.

Stuckey leads the marketing, food tracking, and consumer research functions at Mattson, a company devoted to developing new foods and beverages. Her arresting first book argues that much common wisdom about taste and flavor is wrong—and that with some self-training people are much better prepared to create and enjoy good food. A series of at-home experiments throughout the book allows readers to gain practical understanding of just how many different elements combine to affect flavor, and throughout Stuckey points out just how often we are influenced by factors that we overlook. Fun and enlightening for cooks, restaurateurs, and intelligent eaters. cl. $26.00

Cesar Vega, Job Ubbink, and Erik van der Linder, editors. THE KITCHEN AS LABORATORY.

An astute and ambitious survey of the ways in which cooks and scientists alike are exploring a host of assumptions about food and cooking. From attempts at creating a stretchable ice cream and stabilizing homemade ketchup to devising the perfect cookie dough, contributors from a variety of backgrounds show how serious minded people strive to solve culinary problems. b-&-w photos throughout. cl. $29.95

Anne Willan with Mark Cherniavsky and Kyri Claflin. THE COOKBOOK LIBRARY.

Anyone with an interest in the history of cooking, let alone cookbooks, will find this an absorbing and informative guide. Willan, a culinary educator and author of the legendary La Varenne Pratique, and her husband, Cherniavsky, a longtime antiquarian cookbook collector, have teamed up with food historian Claflin to survey the four centuries after the first printed cookbook appeared in 1474. They address the evolution of recipe forms, changes in the types of authors whose work was being published, the ascendancy of different national cuisines, and a host of other relevant topics, including many handsome illustrations as well as verbatim recipes accompanied by contemporary renditions. b-&-w illustrations throughout. cl. $50.00

Kit Wohl. THE JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION’S BEST OF THE BEST.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of their Outstanding Chef award, the foundation has gathered signature recipes from all recipients, beautifully photographed. So here are Alice Waters, Jean-Louis Palladin, Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, David Bouley, Michel Richard, Dan Barber, Grant Achatz, and many others. color throughout. cl. $60.00

Zakary Pelaccio. EAT WITH YOUR HANDS.

If the promise of “Southeast Asian-inspired, French- and Italian-inflected food” is one you have not heard of before (or even thought of), then perhaps you have not been to Pelaccio's NYC restaurants, Fatty Crab and Fatty 'Cue. Chef Zak's first book has a rambunctious, free-wheeling air that fits very well with his cross-cultural cuisine. Turmeric-rubbed chicken with celery mostarda; pig jowls with strawberry salad; smoky eggplant and chicken salad. Unlikely you'll have shelves of books at home with these recipes. color throughout. cl. $39.99

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HOW TO ORDER.

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THE STORE.

We are located at 1435 Lexington Avenue, between 93rd and 94th Streets, in New York City. Our hours are Monday, 1-6; Tuesday to Friday, 10-6:30; Saturday 11-6. We are closed Saturdays in July and August. We are also open Sunday from 1-5 in December during the weeks before Christmas.