Summer’s Best Cookbooks

It is ridiculous how happy warm weather makes me. Everything seems to call for a celebration when the sun is shining and blue skies are on the horizon. And there’s no better way to celebrate than with food.

Summertime is a time of parties, celebrations, impromptu get-togethers, lazy pool days, late-night BBQs, and so much more. I always find myself wanting to cook more when the weather is nice. So much food is in season this time of year and I have so many occasions to share it with friends. I’ve been stocking up on some seriously awesome cookbooks that I can’t wait to break out for all my summer soirees. I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorites with you!

 

Afternoon Tea At Home

In the follow-up to “Chocolate at Home”, Will Torrent is back and in his new book “Afternoon Tea at Home”, he showcases the key techniques involved in pâtisserie, baking, chocolate work, and serving savory dishes in 80 beautifully illustrated recipes, including guest recipes from top restaurants and hotels, including The Ritz, The Dorchester, The Berkeley, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Harrods, Belmond, and New York’s Gramercy Tavern.

Eating Clean

The essential guide to fight inflammation, heal your gut, and reset your body with detox and clean eating. After suffering for a decade from a range of ailments like Lyme Disease, Hypothyroidism, and Leaky Gut Syndrome, Amie Valpone, creator of TheHealthyApple.com, healed herself through clean eating and detoxing. In “Eating Clean,” Amie provides guidance on how to fight inflammation and reset your body, including a 21-Day Elimination Diet, instructions for food reintroduction, a 2-week meal plan, and an extensive pantry list. 

Garlic

A celebration of garlic from festivals to folklore plus a stunning collection of more than 65 delicious recipes from around the world. Jenny Linford’s inspired recipes include delicious ideas for dips, snacks, meat, poultry, and fish plus pastas and breads. 

200 Best Smoothie Bowl Recipes

Smoothie bowls are the perfect way to add fresh fruits, superfoods, and proteins to everyday fare. Adding a smoothie bowl to morning routines guarantees a great start to the day, and they’re perfect for lunch too. Smoothie bowls are thicker than regular smoothies – thick enough to eat with a spoon. These 200 recipes can be enjoyed anytime for a refreshing, filling and healthy meal or even a delicious dessert.

Cooking with Cheese

A deliciously indulgent recipe book containing both traditional recipes and new ideas–the perfect gift for all cheese lovers! Make the most of this perennially popular ingredient with 80 deliciously inspiring recipes. From delicate appetizers to hearty comfort food, from sublime salads to decadent desserts, cheese offers something for every occasion.

101 Vegetarian Grill & BBQ Recipes

The sun’s out, your friends are coming over, the fridge is full of crisp white wine chilling nicely and you’re ready to grill. But you have a vegetarian (or two) coming – what to cook? Don’t be fooled into thinking that the marriage of pure heat and raw meat is the only option. There are so many delicious and healthy ways to cook all kinds of meat-free food over the coals or on a gas grill. Here you’ll find ultimate inspiration in chapters organized into Small Bites Skewers Burgers Hot Sides; Salads Salsas, Relishes Sweet Treats.

Fresh Made Simple

Each of the 75 recipes in Fresh Made Simple is a charming full-page illustration showing, rather than telling, how to make the dish described. Each meal or snack begins with one delicious ingredient, and the cook builds around that to make a simple yet elegant creation. An avocado, seasoned with lime and salt, elevates a fried egg on toast; fresh-picked blueberries and an ear of corn add sweetness and texture to standard pancakes. From pineapple cilantro salsa and asparagus apple salad to a kale egg scramble, tortilla soup, and crostini, these simple recipes celebrate the unbeatable flavors of fresh ingredients.

150 Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

The classic grilled cheese sandwich is now one of the biggest trends in cooking, and it’s enjoying an incredible resurgence in popularity. These recipes begin with the comfort food feel of the grilled cheese which we all love and then make them incredibly versatile — they’re uptown, downtown, simple, gourmet, seasonal. And the recipes aren’t limited to just lunch or dinner. There are recipes for snacks, appetizers, and even desserts. Perfect for the home cook who wants tasty, economical meals featuring fresh ingredients.

The Keepsake Kitchen Diary

Food is memories, sweet and simple. Whether it’s your grandmother’s famous stuffing or the life-changing chocolate cake you shared on a rainy candlelit night with your favorite person, each taste and smell draws us back and our thoughts burst with nostalgia, love and even tears. We wanted to create a book that not only records the recipes that encapsulate our special moments, but also the memories that inevitably coincide with them. Introducing the Keepsake Kitchen Diary ™, a culmination of what we love about food and its direct line to the soul.

Questions of the Day: Are you a fan of cookbooks? What season most inspires you to cook? What’s your favorite dish to make?