Latest wave of cookbooks offers variety

Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2000 | 7:24 a.m.

When trend-setting super chef Charlie Trotter dines at home, what does he cook? Surprisingly simple, delicious dishes that most home cooks can easily duplicate.

Trotter is just one of the many acclaimed chefs who share their recipes and culinary philosophy in this year's bounty of cookbooks. Some of these volumes are more for looking than cooking, but the photos and commentary are always top rate. No one who is interested in food can resist a gorgeous new cookbook from a celebrity chef, or for that matter any cookbook. This has been a banner year for cookbooks. From the simplest to the most challenging, cookbooks make wonderful gifts:

* "Charlie Trotter Cooks at Home," Ten Speed Press, $32.50: For the first time, the superb chef addresses the needs of the home cook, offering more than 125 recipes from his own collection of favorite home recipes. Perfectionist, though realist, the chef recognizes that home cooks may not have access to the finest ingredients. "Great food doesn't have to entail frantic foraging for ingredients and performing Herculean feats in the kitchen, however. With a few basic foodstuffs and a touch of bravado, home cooks can create flavorful dishes that will impress even the most ardent gourmet." Good advice, terrific book.

* "Wolfgang Puck's Pizza, Pasta, and More," Random House, $35: Puck's many restaurants and appearances on "Good Morning America" and the Home Shopping Network keep him hopping, but he still managed to find time to complete another cookbook. Basic easy-to-duplicate recipes with great appeal, this newest Puck cookbook was inspired by sons Cameron and Byron, "Who enjoy eating pasta and pizza, but enjoy making them even more." Throughout the book there are magnificent photo studies of Puck at work by Steven Rothfeld.

* "Simple to Spectacular," by Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Mark Bittman, Broadway Books: Combine the cooking of two chefs, one complex and sophisticated (Vongerichten) the other a master minimalist (Bittman) and learn how to "Take one basic recipe to four levels of sophistication." Interesting concept.

* "Mario Batali Holiday Food," Clarkson Potter, $23: It's a joy to watch Batali cook in his inviting kitchen on the Food Network. His no-nonsense, but warm style is appealing. Batali includes much more than complete holiday menus in his 'Holiday Food' cookbook. There are recipes for irresistible holiday cookies, a host of desserts and many charming anecdotes. Bring an Italian touch, a la Batali, to your holiday table.

* "The Cambridge World History of Food," edited by Kenneth F. Kiple and Kriemhild Conee Ornelas, Cambridge University Press: A monumental two-volume work "covering the history of food and nutrition through the span of human life on earth." A remarkable book for scholars and those fascinated by the history of food and nutrition. An invaluable reference.

* "The Olives Dessert Table: Spectacular Restaurant Desserts You Can Make at Home," by Todd English, Paige Retus and Sally Sampson; Simon & Schuster, $35: To-die-for desserts from the Olives restaurants founded by English. Recipes range from "Righteous Chocolate" to "Dreamy, Creamy Custards" to no-fail souffles, seasonal fruits and tarts, cakes, ice cream and sorbets, to cheese and bread.

* "Commander's Kitchen" by Ti Adelaide Martin and Jamie Shannon, Broadway Books, $35: This smashing cookbook, and a branch of the acclainmed New Orleans restaurant, Commander's Palace, arrived in Las Vegas at the same time. Martin is Ella Brennan's daughter; Shannon is Commander's New Orleans' current executive chef. A delicious history of the venerable restaurant with more than 150 recipes.

* "Artisan Baking Across America: The Breads, The Bakers, The Best Recipes," by Maggie Glezer, Artisan, $40: Arguably the best book on artisan baking by "a uniquely qualified, totally obsessed certified bread baker." Glezer teaches and writes about bread for beginners and professionals. Step-by-step instructions, recipes categorized by skill level, and mail-order sources for the best ingredients will help you on your way to becoming a winning artisan bread baker.

* "Joy of Cooking All About Series," Scribner, $19.95 each book: America's Classic cookbook by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker is now a single subject series -- "All About Soups and Stews," "All About Vegetarian Cooking," "All About Chicken," and "All About Pasta and Noodles." Filled with colorful photos, recipes and helpful hints, these contemporary "Joy of Cooking" books carry on the traditions of the original.

* "Alfred Portale's 12 Seasons Cookbook," by Portale with Andrew Friedman, Broadway Books, $45: Portale is the chef/co-owner of New York City's award-winning Gotham Bar and Grill. Many of the same earthy, satisfying recipes that have made Gotham Bar and Grill such a favorite can be found here.

* "Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia," by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, Artisan, $40: Epic in size and content, this extraordinary volume explores the endless variety of Asian foods. The authors are world travelers, photographers, writers and expert cooks. Their journey began in Southern China and included Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. Travel with them as they eat traditional foods in villages and small towns and learn the flavor secrets and techniques they gathered from chefs and market vendors along the way. Endlessly fascinating.

* "The Cheese Lover's Cookbook & Guide." by Paula Lambert, Simon & Schuster, $35: Lambert, owner of the Mozzarella Company in Dallas, knows all about cheese. She was so eager to have the best cheeses, she built her own factory. She has received dozens of awards for taste and consistency of her cheeses. Included are mail order sources for every possible kind of cheese, instructions on buying and storing and how to serve you favorite cheese. Many original recipes.

* "The World of Jewish Desserts: More Than 200 Recipes From Jewish Communities From Alsace to India," by Gil Marks, Simon & Schuster, $30: Gil Marks is a rabbi, chef, historian and a leading expert in the field of Jewish cookery. Operating on the philosophy that no meal is complete without dessert, Mark gives us an endless supply of delectables from communities around the world and spices them with a little culture and history. So what makes a dessert Jewish? As Tevya would say, "tradition."

* "Betty Crocker's Bisquick Cookbook," IDG Books, $21.95: The introduction of Bisquick baking mix in the 1930's was the first of its kind. The story of its discovery on a train by a General Mills sales exec is pure serendipity. Well past lunchtime, the biscuits he ordered arrived in minutes. The chef's secret? He premixed the dry ingredients and fat in advance and stored the mix in an ice chest. Recognizing the potential of a premixed baking mix he took the idea back to General Mills. Bisquick appeared on grocery shelves in 1931 and was an instant hit. It still is. Many of the all-time favorite recipes are in this collection.

* "Beard on Food," Running Press, $18.95, from the James Beard Library of Great American Cooking: First printed in 1974, this is Beard, the Dean of American Cooking, at his best. This classic collection of essays was compiled from four years of his popular syndicated newspaper column. Recipes and food memories from the master. Julia Child wrote the introductory note; the foreward is by William Rice.

* "Stephan Pyles Southwestern Vegetarian," Potter, $30: Bold, inventive, vegetarian recipes from a fifth generation Texan who knows that even real men eat their veggies. These hearty, pleasing, dishes -- gratins, casseroles, breads, desserts and much more are simply terrific. The Lone Star pantry is filled with jellies, jams, preserves, pickles and pestos. Mighty fine eating with nary a critter involved.

* "Better Homes and Gardens Treasured Recipes: 200 Prizewinning Dishes from America's Hometown Cooks," Meredith Books, $29.95: Hundreds of prizewinning recipes that celebrate the magazine's many contests. Recipes date from 1930-2000. A homespun and nostalgic collection.

* "David Ruggerio's Italian Kitchen: Family Recipes from the Old Country," Artisan, $30: A delicious tribute to Ruggerio's ancestral roots in Naples and Sicily. The more than 150 recipes were collected from family members who lovingly passed down their recipes and cooking secrets to the next generation. Friends contributed, too. As satisfying as a bowl of minestra i lenticchi (lentil soup with macaroni).

* "The Best American Recipes 2000: The Year's Top Picks from Books, Magazines, Newspapers and the Internet," by Fran McCullough and Suzanne Hamlin, Houghton Mifflin, $26: It must take almost as much time to research this kind of recipe collection as it does to write one from scratch. Certainly it takes infinite patience and good eyes. Seven pages of credits are listed. Recipes were chosen as much for ease of preparation as for taste.

* "Nick Stellino's Passione: Easy, Elegant and Irresistible Recipes to Bring the Pleasures of the Italian Kitchen to Your Table Every Day," Putnam, $28.95: Who could resist PBS cooking star Nick Stellino's sensual approach to home cooking. In his latest cookbook he charm us with simple things -- pasta, pizza and panini. Bellissimo.

* "George Foreman's Big Book of Grilling, Barbecue and Rotisserie," by George Foreman with Barbara Witt, Simon & Schuster, $23: It was inevitable that the affable Foreman would again score a knockout with another cookbook. A winner in the ring as well as on television, Foreman scores points with a cookbook free of any commercial mention. Easy recipes plus nutrition information.

* "The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles," by the Editors of Cook's Illustrated Magazine, Potter, $32.50: Using the same illustrated recipe format as the magazine is very helpful to beginning cooks. Here you will find the answers to such basic question as should you add oil to the cooking water; what type of tomatoes make the best sauce and much more. Also, noodle dishes from Chinese and Japanese wheat noodles to rice and cellophane noodles. Slurp away.

* "Country Breads of the World: 88 of the World's Best Recipes for Baking Bread" by Linda Collister and Anthony Blake, The Lyons Press, $35: Each of the recipes is easy-to-follow and to understand. From the simplest to the most elaborate celebration breads, the complete bread-making process is explored. You'll meet wonderful characters who live to bake bread. Marvelous photography.

* "Bon Appetit: The Christmas Season," Conde Nast/Potter, $29.95: The season to be jolly is upon us, and what could make us jollier than a new cookbook from Bon Appetit. Menus and suggestions for ten holiday parties should ease the concerns of any harried party giver. Recipes for gifts from the kitchen, Christmas cookies and candies and Christmas projects, too.

* "Taking Time for Tea: 15 Seasonal Tea Parties to Soothe the Soul and Celebrate the Spirit," by Diana Rosen, Storey Books, $16.95: Rosen loves tea parties, no matter what the occasion. For more than ten years the avid tea maven has traveled the world in search of the perfect cup of tea. She shares her knowledge and experiences. Not just for tea aficionados.

More to come in the Sun's Good Table columns.

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