6 savoury cookbook recommendations for the holiday season
The Next Chapter's cookbook panel share six books they keep going back to
During the holiday season we look forward to spending time with friends, family and hopefully some delicious food! If you are planning to cook up a festive meal or looking to inspire the burgeoning chefs you know, The Next Chapter's cookbook panel has got you covered!
Aparita Bhandari is a Toronto arts reporter who loves to cook, especially desserts and Lindsay Cameron Wilson is a Halifax-based food writer and photographer. Read on for the cookbooks for foodies of all skill levels that they shared with Antonio Michael Downing.
Ottolenghi Comfort by Yotam Ottolenghi
Ottolenghi Comfort is celebrated chef Yotam Ottolenghi's take on comfort food, from quick and easy recipes to those that'll take the whole afternoon. Bringing together childhood memories and cuisine from around the world, this book celebrates and elevates the food that feels like home.
Aparita Bhandari says: "This is a great cookbook, kind of an overview of different cuisines, but with that element of comfort added to it."
The Violet Bakery Cookbook by Claire Ptak
Pastry chef and owner of Violet Bakery in east London, England, Claire Ptak curates a cookbook of over 100 baking recipes in The Violet Bakery Cookbook. From classic desserts to elevated breakfast ideas, Ptak encourages the use of simple ingredients and instructions for any pastry-lover to follow.
Lindsay Cameron Wilson says: "She really introduced me to the idea of baking in a seasonal way … She sort of rotates flavours through basic baking depending on what's happening in the UK and I just love that idea."
Salt Hank: A Five Napkin Situation by Henry Laporte
Social media star Henry Laporte, better known as @Salt_Hank, shares his uncompromising approach to amazing-tasting food in his cookbook Salt Hank: A Five Napkin Situation. It also features a guide to creating your own food content and recipes for the 16 best sandwiches he's ever made.
Aparita Bhandari says: "I picked this up and I was pleasantly surprised. There is not a thing that he will not fry but there are a lot of lovely recipes over here. He's got his mom's pasta recipe, which my daughter thought was really easy and we made it."
The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater
The Christmas Chronicles is a collection of stories and recipes from English cook and BBC presenter Nigel Slater. Focusing on nourishing meals to cook before, during and after the holidays, Slater writes about his love for the winter season and how to make the most of your leftovers.
Lindsay Cameron Wilson says: "This is the book, even if I have 5 minutes in a manic moment in December, it just calms me right down. His recipes are our comfort recipes as well and cozy and sort of traditional."
Martha: The Cookbook: 100 Favourite Recipes by Martha Stewart
Celebrating Martha Stewart's 100th book, Martha: The Cookbook: 100 Favourite Recipes has something to satisfy everyone's taste and shares handy tips along the way. A combination of stories from Stewart's personal life and career, with recipes for every meal, Stewart's cookbook is an insight into the celebrity's life through food.
Aparita Bhandari says: "Her cookbook is full of different recipes like how to make the perfect eggnog … to desserts that you would sort of expect from her magazine. So it's all of that, but there's also a lot of story and a lot of her photos. So if you're interested in the phenomena, then maybe this is a cookbook for you."
My Grandmother's Kitchen by Jehane Benoit
My Grandmother's Kitchen, first published in 1964 as Secrets et recettes du cahier de ma grand/mère, is a collection of Quebecois recipes from Madame Benoît who was a culinary icon in Canada known for writing 30 books in her lifetime. This cookbook contains recipes like toutière, a French Canadian meat pie.
Lindsay Cameron Wilson says: "It's black and white and thorough and kind of a Quebecois Canadian joy of cooking, which is like our history and tradition."
Aparita Bhandari and Lindsay Cameron Wilson's comments have been edited for length and clarity.
