Welcome to the Eater Summer Cookbook and Food Book Preview. Here you will find Summer releases (May 1 to August 31) that are about, written by, or could be useful to chefs/restaurants. Also, per reader request, you'll find more non-American books than in previous lists. Release dates on those are taken from Amazon and in some cases may be the US distribution date as opposed to the release date in their home countries. Any Canadian, British, Australian, or other English-language publishers who don't see their books listed, feel free to email your titles and they'll be added.
While Summer may be the quietest of the cookbook seasons, this year it also happens to be packed with quality books. Beloved Brooklyn neighborhood restaurant Franny's is coming out with their first book, as is Louisville chef Edward Lee. Fire, as always, is a theme for summer: Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn has a book on Texas barbecue, while those who are a bit more DIY might look to Bon Appetit's would-be grilling bible, The Grilling Book. Former New York Times restaurant critic Raymond Sokolov has a memoir coming out called Steal the Menu, named after the advice Craig Claiborne gave him for reviewing. And the bartenders have you covered on the cocktail front with titles from Tipsy Texan David Alan and British barmaster Tony Conigliaro.
Now, on to the summer preview. If there's anything missing from the list, you know what to do.
Chef/Restaurant Books
Eater's Picks
Smoke and Pickles: Recipes and Stories from a New Southern Kitchen by Edward Lee.
Louisville chef Edward Lee (610 Magnolia, Milkwood) is the only person who could have created his food. He grew up in Brooklyn with a family of Korean immigrants before moving to the South, and his unique take on "food with Korean roots and Southern soul" is on display in this, his first cookbook. Expect: new pantry staples like strawberry ketchup and pickled chai grapes, seasonal variations on kimchi, new uses for country ham, and a thorough schooling on putting together rice bowls with whatever happens to be in season.
Artisan: May 1.
Thai Street Food by David Thompson.
David Thompson is one of Australia's most prominent chefs, and in this revised version of one of his most beloved cookbooks, he explores the area of his expertise: Thai food. Earl Carter's photography of Thai street scenes are a true highlight.
Conran Octopus Ltd: June 3.
Franny's: Simple Seasonal Italian by
Melissa Clark, Andrew Feinberg, and Francine Stephens.
Beloved Brooklyn restaurant Franny's is getting a cookbook, and one with a foreword by Alice Waters no less. Co-written by New York Times columnist Melissa Clark, the Franny's cookbook promises to teach readers how to make the same simple Italian fare that chef Andrew Feinberg serves up in the restaurant. This book has instant dog-earing potential.
Artisan: June 4.
World-Class Swedish Cooking: Artisanal Recipes from One of Stockholm's Most Celebrated Restaurants by Björn Frantzén and Daniel Lindeberg.
Forget Copenhagen: the restaurants of Sweden are the new hotness. Take for example Frantzén in Stockholm, currently number 12 on the World's Top 50 Restaurants list. With this cookbook, they have potential to become the next Faviken. Unlike the Faviken cookbook, though, World-Class Swedish Cooking seems like it might actually be something you can cook from.
Skyhorse Publishing: July 1.
Hot Doug's: The Book by Doug Sohn.
More a history of the restaurant combined with the musings of owner Doug Sohn than a true recipe-driven cookbook, Hot Doug's promises to be an irreverent look at the legendary Chicago sausage house. It will be filled with stories from famous fans (Paul Kahan, Mindy Segal, Homaro Cantu, Aziz Ansari) and ephemera from Sohn (apparently there is a list of every single sausage double entendre he's ever heard).
Agate Midway: July 9.
Vedge: 100 Plates Large and Small That Place Vegetables in the Spotlight by Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby.
Philadelphia's Vedge is a vegetarian restaurant garnering mainstream accolades, and their cookbook is dropping at a moment when vegetable cookbooks are all the rage. Congratulations, vegetable lovers: here's a restaurant cookbook just for you.
The Experiment: July 17.
Notable Mentions
- In the Kitchen with Alain Passard: Inside the World (and Mind) of a Master Chef by Christophe Blain. Chronicle Books: May 7.
- Nuovo Mondo: New Italian Food by Hardie Grant Books: May 7.
- Saraban: A Chef's Journey through Persia by Greg Malouf and Lucy Malouf. Hardie Grant Books: May 7.
- The Adobo Road Cookbook: A Filipino Food Journey-From Food Blog, to Food Truck, and Beyond by Marvin Gapultos. Tuttle Publishing: May 7.
- Pizza Pilgrims Cookery: Recipes from the Backstreets of Italy by Thom Elliot and James Elliot. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd: May 23.
- A La Grecque: Our Greek Table by Pam Talimanidis. Hardie Grant Books: May 14.
- Pitt Cue Co. Cookbook by Tom Adams, Jamie Berger, Simon Anderson, and Richard H. Turner. Mitchell Beazley: June 3.
- Flour, Too: Indispensable Recipes for the Cafe's Most Loved Sweets & Savories by Joanne Chang. Chronicle Books: June 4.
- Le Pain Quotidien Cookbook by Alain Coumont. Mitchell Beazley: June 11.
- The Red Spice Road Cookbook: An experience in cooking South-East Asian Food by John McLeay. New Holland Australia: July 16.
- The Square: Sweet by Phil Howard. Absolute Press: July 23.
- Save with Jamie: Shop Smart, Cook Clever, Waste Less by Jamie Oliver. Michael Joseph Ltd: August 29.
- The American Craft Beer Cookbook: 150 Recipes from Your Favorite Brewpubs and Breweries by John Holl. Storey Publishing, LLC: August 28.
- Gordon's Great Escape Southeast Asia: 100 of My Favourite Southeast Asian Recipes by Gordon Ramsay. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd: August 29.
Pastry/Bakery Books
Eater's Pick
Spirit House Desserts by Helen Brierty.
Spirit House is a restaurant and cooking school located near the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. The book will contain the restaurant's riffs on modern Thai cuisine (including dishes like yellow bean cinnamon sponge cake and pineapple tarte tartin) and is divided into sections called Fire, Ice, Treats, Bling and Cocktails.
New Holland Australia: July 1.
Notable Mentions
- Ruby Violet's Ice Cream Dreams: Ice Cream, Sorbets, Bombes, Peanut Brittle and More by Julie Fisher. Hardie Grant Books: July 1.
- Man'oushe: Inside the Street Corner Lebanese Bakery by Barbara Abdeni Massaad. Interlink Pub Group: July 15.
- The Hoosier Mama Book of Pie: Recipes, Techniques, and Wisdom from the Hoosier Mama Pie Company by Paula Haney. Agate Midway: August 6.
Regional Cookbooks
Eater's Picks
The Supper Club Book: A Celebration of a Midwest Tradition by Dave Hoekstra.
Not one but two books are out this year on the northern Midwest tradition of Supper Clubs; of the two, Hoekstra's is a broader look. (Ron Faiola's Wisconsin Supper Clubs came out this Spring and is more of a history/road trip book.) Hoekstra goes to Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, and Illinois to dig into the traditions of these old school shrines to meat, potatoes and stiff drinks, and gets the Garrison Keillor stamp of approval in the foreword.
Chicago Review Press: June 1
Treme: The Cookbook: In The Kitchen with the Stars of the Award-Winning HBO Series by Lolis Eric Elie.
Okay, okay, yes, this is a cheesy cookbook based on an HBO show. However, unlike the True Blood cookbook, they appear to have taken this one seriously. Expect recipes from New Orleans restaurants like Upperline, Bayona, Restaurant August, and Herbsaint, and some contributions from guest stars of the series like David Chang and Eric Ripert. Foreword by Treme restaurant writer Anthony Bourdain.
Chronicle Books: July 23.
Harbor Fish Market by Nick Alfiero.
What says summer more than Maine seafood? Brush up on your lobster intel just in time for family cookouts with this collection of recipes from the 30-year-old Portland, Maine seafood market, Harbor Fish Market.
Down East Books: August 7.
Notable Mentions
- Pizza City: The Ultimate Guide to New York's Favorite Food by Peter Genovese. Rivergate Books: April 25.
- The Southern Tailgating Cookbook: A Game-Day Guide for Lovers of Food, Football, and the South by Taylor Mathis. The University of North Carolina Press: August 5.
- New York Street Food by Jacqueline Goossens, Tom Vandenberghe, and Luk Thys. Lannoo Publishers: August 16.
Meat and Fish
Eater's Picks
The Prophets of Smoked Meat: A Journey Through Texas Barbecue by Daniel Vaughn.
Planning a road trip through Texas this summer? Make sure to pack a copy of Vaughn's first book as your road map to the best of Texas barbecue. This also happens to be the first book of Anthony Bourdain's Ecco line of books, so expect more like this in the future.
Anthony Bourdain/Ecco: May 14.
The Grilling Book: The Definitive Guide from Bon Appetit edited by Adam Rapoport.
This massive volume on the art of playing with fire has potential to be the grilling book you've been waiting for. (Side note: why are so many grilling cookbooks just not very good?) Anyway, The Grilling Book delivers on its promise to teach you how to grill everything from leg of lamb to fig crostini, and has more ideas for sauces and marinades and rubs than you could use in a lifetime of summers.
Andrews McMeel Publishing: May 14.
Notable Mentions
- Everyday Barbecue: At Home with America's Favorite Pitmaster by Myron Mixon and Kelly Alexander. Ballantine Books: May 7.
-
The Perfect Protein: The Fish Lover's Guide to Saving the Oceans and Feeding the World by
Andy Sharpless and Suzannah Evans. Rodale Books: May 28. - Famous Dave's Barbecue Party Cookbook: Secrets of a BBQ Legend by Dave Anderson. Famous Dave Anderson: June 11.
- The Catch: Sea-to-Table Recipes, Stories & Secrets by Ben Sargent and Peter Kaminsky. Clarkson Potter: July 30.
- The Hunter's Guide to Butchering, Smoking, and Curing Wild Game and Fish by Philip Hasheider. Voyageur Press: July 31.
Big Name Cookbook Authors and Other Famous People
Eater's Picks
Greedy Man in a Hungry World: How (almost) Everything You Thought You Knew About Food is Wrong by Jay Rayner.
British critic Jay Rayner let's out his inner grouch to take down what he interprets as some of the food world's biggest myths. And if clips of Rayner reading the book out loud are any indication, the book should be a hilariously scathing journey through the most trumped-up food credos touted by "gimlet-eyed, self-regarding food warrior[s]" today.
Collins: May 23.
The Hot Sauce Cookbook: Turn Up the Heat with 60+ Pepper Sauce Recipes by Robb Walsh.
A small, simple book, really, but Walsh's titles are always treats and The Hot Sauce Cookbook is no exception. It's recipes for hot sauces from around the world, and what to do with them (included some ideas from chefs like David Chang and Bryan Caswell). What more do you need?
Ten Speed Press: May 14.
Food DIY: How to Make Your Own Everything: Sausages to Smoked Salmon, Sourdough to Sloe Gin, Bacon to Buns by Tim Hayward.
This is British food writer Tim Hayward's first book, and it purports to be a "comprehensive manual for the DIY cook." And this book will teach you how to do everything (or at least most things): make butter, cheese, sloe gin, "smoke salmon in a gym locker," dry your own bresaola, bake clam in wheelbarrows, and make your own doner kebabs.
Fig Tree: July 25.
Notable Mentions
- Nine Lives: A Chef's Journey from Chaos to Control by Brandon Baltzley. Gotham: May 2.
- Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives: The Funky Finds in Flavortown: America's Classic Joints and Killer Comfort Food by Guy Fieri and Ann Volkwein. William Morrow Cookbooks: May 14.
- The Best Recipes from the 25 Best Cookbooks of the Year from Food & Wine. Food & Wine: August.
- Livwise Cookbook: Easy, Well-Balanced, and Delicious Recipes for a Healthy, Happy Life by Olivia Newton-John. Lyons Press: August 6.
- Eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for the Single Cook by Joe Yonan. Ten Speed Press: August 6.
- The Book of Schmaltz: Love Song to a Forgotten Fat by Michael Ruhlman. Little, Brown and Company: August 13.
- Grand Forks by Marilyn Hagerty. Anthony Bourdain/Ecco: August 27.
Booze
Eater's Picks
The Audacity of Hops: The History of America's Craft Beer Revolution by Tom Acitelli.
Curbed Boston editor Tom Acitelli shows he's about more than just real estate with this history of American craft brews. Starting from 1975, Acitelli traces the "plucky triumph" of small breweries against the corporately-owned giants. And bonus points for the title.
Chicago Review Press: May 1.
Tipsy Texan: Spirits and Cocktails from the Lone Star State by David Alan.
Who knows more about what to drink in hot weather than Texans? Use Austin-based bartender/booze educator/blogger David Alan's guide as your summer drinking bible and stay refreshed through the Fall.
Andrews McMeel Publishing: June 11.
The Cocktail Lab: Unraveling the Mysteries of Flavor and Aroma in Drink, with Recipes by Tony Conigliaro.
Here's the US release of British mixology mastermind Tony Conigliaro's The Cocktail Lab. Curious what wild things are happening in the London cocktail scene? Start here.
Ten Speed Press: July 16.
Notable Mentions
- Viva Tequila!: Cocktails, Cooking, and Other Agave Adventures by Lucinda Hutson. University of Texas Press: May 1.
- Postmodern Winemaking: Rethinking the Modern Science of an Ancient Craft by Clark Smith. University of California Press: June 3.
-
True Blood Drinks and Bites by
Gianna Sobol, Alan Ball, and Dawn Yanagihara. Chronicle Books: June 11. - A Vineyard Odyssey: The Organic Fight to Save Wine from the Ravages of Nature by John Kiger. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers: July 16.
- 99 Bottles of Wine by David Schuemann. Val De Grace: August 13.
- Drink More Whiskey: Everything You Need to Know About Your New Favorite Drink by Daniel Yaffe. Chronicle Books: August 27.
Single Subject
Eater's Pick
Mastering Fermentation: Recipes for Making and Cooking with Fermented Foods by Mary Karlin.
Fermentation is all the rage right now, and Karlin's book promises to be a solid intro to the fine art of letting food go bad on purpose.
Ten Speed Press: August 27.
Notable Mentions
- Salt Block Cooking: 70 Recipes for Grilling, Chilling, Searing, and Serving on Himalayan Salt Blocks by Mark Bitterman. Andrews McMeel Publishing: May 28.
- A Cook's Initiation into the Gorgeous World of Mushrooms by Philippe Emanuelli. Chronicle Books: August 20.
Memoirs, Histories, Other
Eater's Picks
Steal the Menu: A Memoir of Forty Years in Food by Raymond Sokolov.
Critic memoirs are always juicy reads, and former New York Times restaurant critic Raymond Sokolov has seen four decades worth of American (and international) restaurants come and go. Bring this one to the beach.
Knopf: May 14.
Notable Mentions
- My Delicious Life with Paula Deen by Michael Groover. Simon & Schuster: May 4.
- Coquilles, Calva and Crème: Exploring France's Culinary Heritage: A Love Affair wtih Real French Food by G. Y. Dryansky and Joanne Dryansky. Pegasus: June 1.
-
Growing Up In Restaurants: The Story of Eating Out in Britain from 55BC to Nowadays by
James Pembroke. Quartet Books: June 1. - Ferran Adria and El Bulli: The Art, the Philosophy, the Gastronomy by Jean-Paul Jouary. Andre Deutsch Ltd: June 6.
- The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Adventure, Commerce, and Obsession by Adam Leith Gollner. Scribner: June 11.
- On the Noodle Road: From Beijing to Rome, with Love and Pasta by Jen Lin-Liu. Riverhead Hardcover: July 25.
- Turning the Tables: Restaurants and the Rise of the American Middle Class, 1880-1920 by Andrew P. Haley. The University of North Carolina Press: August 1.
- Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time by Adrian Miller. The University of North Carolina Press: August 15.
- Seeking the Historical Cook: Exploring Eighteenth-Century Southern Foodways by Kay K. Moss. University of South Carolina Press: August 30.
- One Soufflé at a Time: A Memoir of Food and France by Anne Willan and Amy Friedman. St. Martin's Press: August 27.
Did we miss anything? Do let us know.
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