7 exciting new cookbooks to explore this fall

Looking for a new cookbook to add to your kitchen and culinary repertoire this fall? To help you sort through the dozens and dozens of tasty titles that are new on shelves (or will be soon), we reached out to independent booksellers across Canada for their top recommendations. 

Here are the standout titles that these cooking enthusiasts — and book lovers — are most excited about.   

Best of Bridge Everyday Celebrations by Emily Richards and Sylvia Kong (available Oct. 25, 2022)

Steph Minett, co-owner, The Bookshelf:

"Best of Bridge Everyday Celebrations by Emily Richards and Sylvia Kong is a lovely, all-season collection of recipes that encourages everyone to celebrate each other with food! I always love the Best of Bridge series because the recipes are not only delicious, but accessible and easy-to-follow.

"Everyday Celebrations is no exception, featuring delectable offerings for all occasions and tastes including Hearty Ragu Pappardelle, Mushroom and Brie Puffed Pancake and Mustard Herb Pork Chops, plus brunch and dessert options! With full-colour photographs throughout, this wonderful collection is punctuated with warmth and humour. Highly recommended."

Where the River Narrows by J-C Poirier (available Nov. 8, 2022)

Hilary Atleo, co-owner, Iron Dog Books:

"Reading J-C Poirier's Where the River Narrows is a transportative experience. Somehow, the focus on traditional Quebeçois cooking hearkens back to a childhood sense of security, even here in drizzly Vancouver, where maple syrup is a luxury and we are more inclined to grill in January than to braise. With sections that move seamlessly from challenging classic French to practical down-home cuisine, Poirier's book is as good to read as it is to cook from. Top recipes to try are the Tarte au Sirop d'Érable, Épaule d'Agneau Sept Heures and Pâté au Saumon. Poirier's restaurant St. Lawrence in East Vancouver is destination-worthy dining and this cookbook makes it possible to experience at home."

Small Batch Bakes by Edd Kimber (available Oct. 4, 2022)

Justina Elias, cookbook buyer, Munro's Books:

"Bakers who live alone often have to get creative about what to do with their surplus. Scaling recipes down is an unreliable art (ever try halving a single egg?), and neighbours and co-workers only have so much stomach and fridge space to spare. With Small Batch Bakes, you get recipes that serve one, two, four or six — the perfect resource for adventurous bakers looking to cut down on waste. As the very first winner of The Great British Bake Off, Kimber understands the limitations of a home kitchen, and his new book is a great addition to earlier titles on baking with a single tin. Practical, minimalist, and, yes, delicious, his eco- and budget-friendly recipes are the new frontier of baking."

What's for Dessert by Claire Saffitz (available Nov. 8, 2022)

Emma Healey, bookseller, Type Books:

"I spent a lot of lockdown baking my way through Dessert Person, Claire Saffitz's last book. I've always been an amateur baker, but often found myself at odds with cookbooks whose instructions felt vague or difficult to follow, or whose rules for timing and temperature didn't jibe with my rental-apartment oven's temperamental fluctuations. 

"What really set Dessert Person apart for me was the clarity and comprehensiveness of Saffitz's instructions, which encourage you to pay close attention to how a batter or a dough should look and feel. Her voice is friendly and precise in equal measure, and the whole book made me a more confident baker. This new book, which promises simple but satisfying recipes, is the perfect follow-up for those of us who are spending a little less time in the kitchen these days, but want to keep up the momentum we developed during the early days of the pandemic."

Budmo! by Anna Voloshyna (available Oct. 25, 2022)

Sharon Budnarchuk, co-owner, Audreys Books:

"Ukrainians love to cook and celebrate whenever they can with a crowd of people and lots of food. Budmo! contains recipes for large family gatherings, weekend brunches and weeknight meals. Many of the traditional recipes have a modern twist, like Green Sorrel Borscht ….  I look forward to the new inspirations on old favourites." 

The Miracle of Salt by Naomi Duguid (available Oct. 11, 2022)

Mika Bareket, owner and buyer, Good Egg:

"Naomi Duguid does not write mere cookbooks, but immersive explorations of a place or topic WITH recipes. Think of The Miracle of Salt as a super fun and authoritative course book with luscious photos. The topic, salt, is ubiquitous and essential, and it takes a special writer like Ms. Duguid to avoid cliché, cover necessary ground and also surprise and delight readers and cooks. 

"A big chunk is devoted to the traditions and techniques of preserving and fermenting food, but this tasty tome also covers starters and sides, mains (mostly veg, some meat and fish), desserts and drinks. I don't have a major sweet tooth, but I can't resist a cookie or bowl of ice cream with a salty kick, so that's what I'll be gravitating towards. I've never had a miss with any of her recipes — they are as trustworthy as a Swiss clock, but casual like a favourite pair of jeans." 

Mezcla by Ixta Belfrage

Gail Norton, co-owner, The Cookbook Co. Cooks

"Ixta was the co-author with Yotam Ottolenghi of one of my favourite cookbooks, Flavor. And Mezcla — meaning mix, blend or fusion in Spanish —  offers the same exciting, delicious recipes. She is unabashed about it being fusion food; it is a mix of her heritage, growing up in Tuscany, summers visiting her grandparents in Mexico and a dash of Brazil in there, too. She grew up immersed in food and cooking. 

"She has such a lively style of writing and realizes that some days we need faster cooking and other days allow for more time cooking. I loved cooking her Fish Poached in Charred Tomato Broth, delicious and just a bit of a twist in the flavours for an interesting dish. She gets you excited to cook with the intriguing combinations, and I have a few new ingredients to add to my pantry arsenal."

Truc Nguyen is a Toronto-based writer, editor and stylist. Follow her at @trucnguyen.