Book Club

The Eater Summer 2012 Cookbook & Food Book Preview

by Paula Forbes Apr 19, 2012, 8:35am EDT

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It's almost summertime, cookbook fans, and that means three things: barbecue and grilling books, books on fruits and vegetables, and, perhaps most importantly, pie cookbooks. So what's trendy this summer in particular? Preserving all that seasonal goodness (whether in canning jars or through fermentation), a few decent wine books, two cookbooks based on HBO shows (True Blood, Game of Thrones), and some books on new ways to use your grill.

There are also a few major memoirs and biographies coming out: New York chef Marcus Samuelsson has a memoir called Yes, Chef coming out, and new biographies of Craig Claiborne and Julia Child (and her cats!) are on their way.

Other exciting new releases include Southern Foodways Alliance grand poobah/cookbook author John T. Edge's The Truck Food Cookbook , a book from chef Daniel Boulud's forager called Foraged Flavor; and a big old book on salumi (called Salumi) from the team behind 2005's Charcuterie, writer Michael Ruhlman and chef Brian Polcyn.

Below, the deluge of books to be released this summer (between May 1 and August 31). If there's something missing, do let us know and we'll add it.

Chefs, Restaurants, and Other Famous Food Folk

Beginnings: My Way To Start a Meal by Chris Cosentino
For his first cookbook, San Francisco chef Chris Cosentino starts at the very beginning: with a look at Italian-style first course dishes. And those looking for Cosentino's signature offal dishes will have to wait for book two (or three, or four), because while there is a tripe recipe or two, Beginnings is heavy on the vegetables. (And, okay, the salumi.)
Weldon Owen: May 8.

The Art of Cooking with Vegetables by Alain Passard
A book on vegetables from the French vegetable master: what more could you want? Passard offers 48 seasonal dishes from throughout the year that promise to be "made up of unexpected combinations, complex flavours created with a few simple elements." Expect this one to be drop dead gorgeous.
Frances Lincoln: June 12.

Dirt Candy: A Cookbook: Flavor-Forward Food from the Upstart New York City Vegetarian Restaurant by Amanda Cohen, Ryan Dunlavey and Grady Hendrix
This is New York chef Amanda Cohen's comic book cookbook. To repeat: this is a cookbook that is also a comic book about Amanda Cohen's New York vegetarian restaurant, Dirt Candy. Get excited.
Clarkson Potter: August 21.

Cindy's Supper Club by Cindy Pawlcyn. (Ten Speed Press: May 15.)
Flavor Exposed by Angelo Sosa and Suzanne Lenzer. (Kyle Books: May 16.)
Yes, Chef: A Memoir by Marcus Samuelsson. (Random House: June 26.)
The Skillet Cookbook: A Street Food Manifesto by Josh Henderson. (Sasquatch Books: July 10.)
Susan Feniger's Street Food: Irresistibly Crispy, Creamy, Crunchy, Spicy, Sticky, Sweet Recipes by Susan Feniger, Kajsa Alger, and Liz Lachman. (Clarkson Potter: July 17.)
Cooking Off the Clock: Recipes from My Home Kitchen by Elizabeth Falkner. (Ten Speed Press: August 28.)

Television

The Book of Burger by Rachael Ray
Rachael Ray haters, step aside: she's been in the burger game for years now, throwing her wildly popular Rachael Ray Burger Bashes since 2006. This book has potential to rise above Ray's typical weeknight, super-quick, kid-feeding assembly line type dishes and into the realm of fascinating cookbooks. Expect: interesting recipes hidden among crazy condiments and her personal brand of slang. "Sloppies," anyone?
Atria Books: June 5.

In My Kitchen by Ted Allen. (Clarkson Potter: May 1.)
Ten Dollar Dinners: 140 Recipes & Tips to Elevate Simple, Fresh Meals Any Night of the Week by Melissa d'Arabian and Raquel Pelzel. (Clarkson Potter: August 14.)
True Blood: Eats, Drinks, and Bites from Bon Temps by Gianna Sobol and Alan Ball. (Chronicle Books: August 29.)

Pastry/Bakeries/Sweets

United States of Pie: Regional Favorites from East to West and North to South by Adrienne Kane
If you're going to talk pie, you may as well go fully old school, and that's just what Adrienne Kane does in United States of Pie. Sourcing recipes from old newspaper clippings, housekeeping guides and community cookbooks, the book offers regional, traditional pie recipes interspersed with sidebars including tips on crust creation and why the modern baker should embrace corn syrup.
Ecco: May 22.

How to Build a Better Pie by Millicent Souris. (Quarry Books: June 1.)
Desserts in Jars: 50 Sweet Treats that Shine by Shaina Olmanson. (Harvard Common Press : June 12.)
Plating for Gold: A Decade of Dessert Recipes from the World and National Pastry Team Championships by Tish Boyle. (Wiley: June 13.)
Not-So-Humble Pies by Kelly Jaggers. (Adams Media: June 18.)
Mmm.marshmallows by Carol Hilker. (Ryland Peters & Small: August.)
Dougnuts: Delicious Recipes for Finger-licking Treats by Hannah Miles. (Ryland Peters & Small: August.)
A Year of Pies by Ashley English. (Lark Crafts: August 7.)
Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson. (Ten Speed Press: August 7.)
The Art of Baking with Natural Yeast: Breads, Pancakes, Waffles, Cinnamon Rolls and Muffins by Caleb Warnock and Melissa Richardson. (Cedar Fort, Inc.: August 14.)
The Seasonal Baker: Easy Recipes from My Home Kitchen to Make Year-Round by John Barricelli. (Clarkson Potter: August 21.)

The Blogs

Cowgirl Chef: Texas Cooking with a French Accent by Ellise Pierce. (Running Press: May 15.)
The Sprouted Kitchen: A Tastier Take on Whole Foods by Sara Forte. (Ten Speed: August 28.)

American Regional

The Truck Food Cookbook by John T. Edge
One of the leading experts on Southern cuisine explores the whole nation from top to bottom to find some of the best food truck recipes out there. From the over-the-top grilled cheese cheeseburger to the ubiquituous cupcake to the requisite Asian-inspired taco, this will be a portrait of a moment in the nation's food scene.
Workman Publishing Company: May 8.

Edible Seattle: the Cookbook by the editors of Edible Seattle. (Edible Communities: May.)
Pike Place Market Recipes by Jess Thomson. (Sasquatch Books: May 15.)
The New Granville Island Market Cookbook by Carol Jensson and Judie Glick. (Arsenal Pulp Press: May 15.)
The Maine Lobster Book by Virginia M. Wright. (Down East Books: June 16.)
Taste of Treme: Creole, Cajun, and Soul Food from New Orleans' Famous Neighborhood of Jazz by Todd-Michael St. Pierre. (Ulysses Press: August 14.
The Sweet Magnolias Cookbook: More Than 150 Favorite Southern Recipes by Sherryl Woods. (Harlequin: August 28.)
Bottoms Up: A Toast to Wisconsin's Historic Bars and Breweries by Jim Draeger and Mark Speltz. (Wisconsin Historical Society Press: August 31.)

International

Morocco: A Culinary Journey by Jeff Koehler
Moroccan food: delicious, occasionally healthy, and damn if it doesn't make for some beautiful photography. Jeff Koehler's book promises traditional recipes in addition to "photographs of...iconic Moroccan scenes." Expect: lots of tiles.
Chronicle Books: May 16

New Ukrainian Cookbook by Annette Ogrodnik Corona. (Hippocrene Books: June 2012.)
Balance & Harmony: The Secrets of Asian Cooking by Neil Perry. (Murdoch Books: June 1.)
Love, Laughter and Lunch: The Evocative Memories of a Cypriot Family's Journey by Helen Tsanos Sheinman. (Pointed Leaf Press: June 16.)
Food & Cooking of Shanghai & East China by Terry Tan. (Anness: June 16.)
Irish Food & Cooking by Biddy White Lennon and Georgina Campbell. (Anness: July 1.)
Grandma Elmaleh's Moroccan Cookbook by Lisa Elmaleh Craig. (Hesperus Press: July 1.)
Real Mexican Food: Authentic Recipes for Burritos, Tacos, Salsas and More by Felipe Fuentes Cruz and Ben Fordham. (Ryland Peters & Small: August.)

Single Subject

Joe: The Coffee Book by Johnathan Rubenstein
Coffee nerds, rejoice: here's a book on coffee from New York coffee shop joe. Without getting "too political or preachy about it," the book promises to explain the coffee process from bean to brew and hopefully get you making better cups of coffee.
Lyons Press: June 5.

Foraged Flavor by Tama Matsuoka Wong and Eddy Leroux
Combination cookbook and field guide, Foraged Flavor is the new book from New York chef Daniel Boulud's forager, Tama Matsuoka Wong. The book covers foraging across the country, tips for recognizing plants, and recipe for what to do with them once you've got them.
Clarkson Potter: June 12.

Garlic The Mighty Bulb: Cooking, Growing and Healing with Garlic by Natasha Edwards. (Kyle Books: May 16.)
The Artisan Soda Workshop by Andrea Lynn. (Ulysses Press: May 29.)
The Pickled Pantry by Andrea Chesman. (Storey Publishing, LLC: June 5.)
People's Pops: 55 Recipes for Ice Pops, Shave Ice, and Boozy Pops from Brooklyn's Coolest Pop Shop by Nathalie Jordi, David Carrell and Joel Horowitz. (Ten Speed Press: June 5.)
The Yogurt Cookbook by Arto Der Haroutunian. (Interlink Pub Group: June 18.)
Ten-Minute Bento by Megumi Fugii. (Vertical: June 26.)
Perfect Pancakes and Crepes by Susannah Blake. (Anness: July 1.)
The Joy of Foraging by Gary Lincoff. Quarry Books: July 1.
Pickled by Kelly Carrolata. (Adams Media: July 16.)
The Art of Preserving by Rick Field and Rebecca Courchesne. (Weldon Owen: July 31.)
Jam On: The Craft of Canning Fruit by Laena McCarthy. (Studio: August 2.)
The Face Food Bento Book by Christopher D Salyers. (Mark Batty Publisher: August 10.)
Tortillas to the Rescue Cookbook by Jessica Harlan. (Ulysses Press: August 14.)

Meat

Charred & Scruffed by Adam Perry Lang
Outdoor cookery master Adam Perry Lang throws out the rules of grilling with Charred & Scruffed, tossing foods directly on coals, constantly turning them, roughing up vegetables surfaces, and more. The cure for cookout ennui.
Artisan: May 8

Salumi: The Craft of Italian Dry Curing by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn
If it's half as good as 2005's Charcuterie, Salumi will be the reference guide to cured meat in tube form. Ladies and gentlemen, prepare your meat grinders.
W. W. Norton & Company: August 27.

America's Best Ribs by PhB Davis and CWC Kirk. (Andrews McMeel Publishing: May 1.)
Bob Garner's Book of Barbecue: North Carolina's Favorite Food by Bob Garner. (John F. Blair, Publisher: May 1.)
Smoking Meat: The Essential Guide to Real Barbecue by Jeff Phillips. Whitecap Books Ltd.: May 15.)
Rao's On the Grill: Perfectly Simple Italian Recipes from My Family to Yours by Frank Pellegrino. (St. Martin's Press: May 22.)
Brother Jimmy's BBQ by Josh Lebowitz and Eva Pesantez. (Stewart, Tabori & Chang: June 1.)
Grilling Gone Wild by Peg Couch. (Fox Chapel Publishing: June 1.)
The Butcher's Apprentice by Aliza Green. (Quarry Books: June 1.)
More Fired Up by Ross Dobson. (Murdoch Books: June 7.)
The Great Outdoors Cookbook: 140 Recipes for Barbecues, Campfires, Picnics and More by Phil Vickery. (Kyle Books: June 17.)

Vegan/Vegetarian

Vegetarian Cooking at Home with The Culinary Institute of America from the Culinary Institute of America
Promising to be a no-nonsense guide to meat-free dining, the Culinary Institute of America promises a whopping 200 recipes for the non-carnivores among us.
Wiley: May 8.

Grilling Vegan Style: 125 Fired-Up Recipes to Turn Every Bite into a Backyard BBQ by John Schlimm. (Da Capo Lifelong Books: May 8.)
Pure Vegan by Joseph Shuldiner. (Chronicle: May 23.)
The Hot Knives Vegetarian Cookbook: Spring Blaze by Alex Brown and Evan George. (Mark Batty Publisher: June 5.)
Rawmazing by Susan Powers. (Skyhorse Publishing: June 15.)
Vegan Indian Cooking by Anupy Singla. (Agate Surrey: June 19.
The Fresh & Green Table by Susie Middleton. (Chronicle Books: June 20.)

Booze

Beer

Extreme Brewing, A Deluxe Edition with 14 New Homebrew Recipes by Sam Calagione
The deluxe edition of Dogfish Head brewer Sam Calagione's homebrewing book, Extreme Brewing offers both classic and wild takes on homebrews, recommendations for food pairing, and more. New this edition: 14 recipes including a Coffee & Cream Stout and something called the Smokin’ Cherry Bomb.
Quarry Books: June 1.

Brewing British-Style Beers: More Than 100 Thirst Quenching Pub Recipes To Brew At Home by Dave Line. (Fox Chapel Publishing: August 1.)
Beer, Food, and Flavor: A Guide to Tasting, Pairing, and the Culture of Beer by Schuyler Schultz. (Skyhorse Publishing: August 1.)

Wine

The Makers of American Wine: A Record of Two Hundred Years by Thomas Pinney
Containing two hundred years of American wine history, Pinney's book traces the nation's wine lineage from Nicholas Longworth, who produced the first popular American wine, all the way to the present.
University of California Press: May 7

The New York Times Book of Wine: More Than 30 Years of Vintage Writing edited by Howard G. Goldberg
Full of the best of the New York Times' wine writing, this anthology features pieces from Eric Asimov, Frank Prial, Florence Fabricant, and R.W. Apple, Jr.
Sterling Epicure: August 7.

Uncorked: My Journey Through the Crazy World of Wine by Marco Pasanella. (Clarkson Potter: May 22.)
Drops of God, Volume '04 by Tadashi Agi and Shu Okimoto. (Vertical: June 12.)
Perfect Pairings: For Food and Wine Matching by Fiona Beckett. (Ryland Peters & Small: August.)
Food and Wine Pairing with the Masters by Ken Arnone and Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan. (Delmar Cengage Learning: August 1.)

Liquor/Cocktails

The Screaming Orgasm: 69 X-Rated Cocktails by Kirsten Amann. (Running Press: June 5.)
Mommy Mixology: A Cocktail for Every Calamity by Janet Frongillo. (Ulysses Press: June 12.)
Cocktails: 180 Recipes with Delicious Food Pairings by Gianfranco Di Niso and Davide Manzoni. (White Star Publishers: August 7.)

Memoirs and Histories

The Man Who Changed the Way We Eat by Thomas McNamee
Former New York Times restaurant critic Craig Claiborne is a man who is well-overdue for a decent biography, and hopefully he'll get one in The Man Who Changed the Way We Eat.
Free Press: May 8

Julia's Cats: Julia Child's Life in the Company of Cats by Patricia Barey and Therese Burson
Everyone loves the story of Julia Child, the spitfire cookbook author and TV show host who learned to cook French food and brought it home to America in the form of her classic cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. This book also tells that story, but with cats.
Abrams Image: August 1

Appetite for Life: The Biography of Julia Child by Noel Riley Fitch. (Anchor: May 1.)
How to Cook Like a Man: A Memoir of Cookbook Obsession by Daniel Duane. (Bloomsbury USA: May 8.)
Apron Anxiety: My Messy Affairs In and Out of the Kitchen by Alyssa Shelaskky. (Three Rivers Press: May 22.)
Kitchen Con: Writing on the Restaurant Racket by Trevor White. (Arcade Publishing: June 1.)
Eat the City: A Tale of the Fishers, Foragers, Butchers, Farmers, Poultry Minders, Sugar Refiners, Cane Cutters, Beekeepers, Winemakers, and Brewers Who Built New York by Robin Shulman. (Crown: July 10.)
The Food and Feasts of Jesus: Inside the World of First Century Fare, with Menus and Recipes by Douglas E. Neel and Joel A. Pugh. ( Rowman & Littlefield Publishers: July 16.)
Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz. (Knopf: August 7.)
Knives on the Cutting Edge: The Great Chefs' Dining Revolution by Bob Macdonald . (Red Portal Press: August 14.)
Cheese, Pears, and History in a Proverb (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History) by Massimo Montanari. (Columbia University Press: August 14.)

General/Miscellaneous

The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz
Katz's book goes deep into the funky depths of fermentation: this isn't just sauerkraut and yogurt. No, how about "sour tonic beverages"? Come on, you know you want to grow your own mold cultures. Get on it.
Chelsea Green Publishing: May 14.

Fabulicious!: Fast & Fit: Teresa's Low-Fat, Super-Easy Italian Recipes by Teresa Giudice. (Running Press: May 8.)
The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People, and Communities by Will Allen. (Gotham: May 10.)
Never Cook Sober Cookbook by Stacy Laabs and Sherri Field. (Adams Media: May 16.)
A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook by (Bantam: May 29.)
The Hemingway Cookbook by Craig Boreth. (Chicago Review Press: June 1.)
Dinner: A Love Story by Jenny Rosenstrach. (Ecco: June 5.
Sunday Brunch: Simple, Delicious Recipes for Leisurely Mornings by Betty Rosbottom. (Chronicle Books: June 6.)
Taste Matters: Why We Like the Foods We Do by John Prescott. (Reaktion Books: June 15.)
Recipes from My Jewish Grandmother by Marlena Spieler. (Anness: June 16.)
Comfort Food: Just Like Mother Used to Make by Bridget Jones. (Anness: July 16.)
Mary Jane's Hash Brownies, Hot Pot, and Other Marijuana Munchies by Dr. Hash. (Dog N Bone: August.)
Food Family Style: Simple and Tasty Recipes for Everyday Life by Leigh Vickery. Revell: August 1.)
Helen Nash's New Kosher Cuisine: Healthy, Simple & Stylish by Helen Nash. (Overlook Hardcover: August 30.)

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