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Spring's best new cookbooks, from pizza to pastries
Pizza, an array of brownies and Cantonese-American mash-ups are on the menu
This season's batch of new cookbooks are wanderers. You could head to Pakistan, the Caribbean (two times) or bop from one friend's dinner party to another's with the optimal dish in hand for sharing.
'Kin: Caribbean Recipes for the Modern Kitchen'
Marie Mitchell is the child of Jamaican immigrants and lives in the United Kingdom. Her debut cookbook is a collection of recipes that celebrate the flavors of her ancestral Caribbean and the diaspora it has influenced. That means honey-shellacked jerk wings with cassava fries, tomato curry and coconut buns. (out now, $35, W.W. Norton)
'Pakistan: Recipes and Stories from Home Kitchens, Restaurants, and Roadside Stands'
One impactful aspect of the best cookbooks is their ability to overturn your thinking. With this new book, Maryam Jillani shows the complexity of Pakistan, a country too often in the West lumped with its neighbor to the southwest, India. "Pakistan" is part travelogue, part cultural study and a compendium of Pakistani recipes that showcase the singular diversity of the country's cooking. (out now, $40, Bookshop)
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'Salt Sugar MSG: Recipes and Stories from a Cantonese American Home'
"It's about the delicious places that live in between American and Chinese traditions," said chef Brandon Jew of Mister Jiu's in San Francisco about Calvin Eng's cooking in "Salt Sugar MSG." The chef at Bonnie's in Brooklyn, named for his mother, Eng plays well with both classic Cantonese and American dishes.
Taro steps in for potatoes in diner-style hash browns. Pork schnitzel is seasoned with salt and pepper and served with ranch. "Some chef-authored cookbooks feel fussy in a way that's ultimately unfriendly to cooking at home, but 'Salt Sugar MSG' feels cheffy in a more accessible way," said Bettina Makalintal at Eater. (out now, $40, Clarkson Potter)
'The Scarr's Pizza Cookbook: New York-Style Pizza for Everybody'
The world needs another pizza cookbook like — well, most everyone loves pizza, so bring it on. This debut cookbook from Scarr Pimentel, the mind behind the beloved Manhattan pizzeria Scarr's, celebrates New York-style pizza, with an emphasis on natural and organic ingredients. The results are both classic and modern; now you can achieve the same at home. (out now, $30, 4 Color Books)
'Kwéyòl / Creole: Recipes, Stories, and Tings from a St. Lucian Chef's Journey: A Cookbook'
Nina Compton has had a peripatetic cooking journey. Born in Saint Lucia, she lived in Jamaica and Miami before settling in New Orleans. In the Crescent City, she opened Compère Lapin and Bywater American Bistro, restaurants that sing the pleasures of her distinctive Caribbean-centered cuisine. The book, coauthored with Osayi Endolyn, is organized around those four locations — Saint Lucia, Jamaica, Miami, New Orleans — to show how the quartet shaped Compton. (April 1, $37.50, Clarkson Potter)
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'Third Culture Cooking: Classic Recipes for a New Generation'
Zaynab Issa, a recent member of the lauded Bon Appétit food team, is known for her smart, big-flavored cooking. In her first cookbook, her style is dubbed "third culture cooking" — not wholly that of her Tanzanian-Indian beginnings, not strictly American but a hybrid and reconsideration of all of it. French onion ramen, udon carbonara, tandoori tacos, baklava granola: "Issa's recipes are mashups of everything you'd want to eat," said Jaya Saxena at Eater. (April 1, $35, Abrams)
'Fat + Flour: The Art of a Simple Bake'
Nicole Rucker, owner of the Los Angeles bakeries Fat + Flour, is the rare pastry person who is beloved by both other pastry people and the baked-goods consuming public. Any cookbook from Rucker is cause for clanging together your measuring cups with glee. In her latest, she walks you through how to make superb pies and cookies, and does so with clear, lighthearted instructions. (April 8, $35, Knopf)
'What Can I Bring?: Recipes to Help You Live Your Guest Life'
If you have ever been invited to someone's house and felt exhausted at the notion of meekly proffering yet another bottle of wine when you arrive, this book by Casey Elsass aims to revitalize your guest obligations. The book is divided into eight sections, and each tackles a different occasion, including tailgates and brunch. The recipes are accessible but will still impress every kind of host — and the other guests in attendance. (May 20, $30, Union Square & Co)
Scott Hocker is an award-winning freelance writer and editor at The Week Digital. He has written food, travel, culture and lifestyle stories for local, national and international publications for more than 20 years. Scott also has more than 15 years of experience creating, implementing and managing content initiatives while working across departments to grow companies. His most recent editorial post was as editor-in-chief of Liquor.com. Previously, he was the editor-in-chief of Tasting Table and a senior editor at San Francisco magazine.
