You may have noticed Susie's mentions of her new cookbook rating app but I thought it deserved an entire post.  Susie must thoroughly test more new cookbooks than anyone else around - as well as her posts for EYB, she reviews cookbooks for The Boston Globe and NPR.  So it made sense that Susie used all that experience to create a cool new app, CookShelf, that provides ratings for cookbooks - now available for download here.

Susie has applied several ratings - Skill (how much experience is required?), New (how innovative are the recipes?), Gift (how applicable is the book and to whom?), and Keeper (which books will stand the test of time?).  In addition she adds her own entertaining summary about the book. She has rated 200 books so far and will be adding several new ones every week.  She will also add new features e.g. she just added a Cookbooks as Mother's Day Gifts selection.  And finally, there are links to the recipe listing for every book that is indexed on EYB.

All this for $2.99 - a bargain (and a great gift for the cookbook lover in your life).  We have 5 copies of the app to give away to EYB members.  Please add a comment on what your most important criteria is when choosing a cookbook as a gift. Please make sure you are signed in to EYB when you comment so we have your email address to send you the promo code if you win.  Giveaway expires on May 9th.

Every month Susie Chang reviews new cookbook releases and notes trends. And she may also occasionally throw in a review of a "not-quite cookbook."

We're arranging for similar roundups like Susie's for books published in the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand, but until we formally launch those, we'll still be noting new arrivals and providing brief descriptions.

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The pace is picking up! With May's usual cookbook explosion just around the corner, we're seeing the first grilling and gardening books (no doubt soon to be followed by canning and preserving books). A few last comfort-food stragglers sit side-by-side with fun cocktails and various pleas to eat lighter and faster.

 

Family Table: Favorite Staff Meals From Our Restaurants to Your Homes (Michael Romano & Karen Stabiner):  The famed restaurateurs share recipes for "family meal" - easy enough for the home kitchen, tasty enough for the front of the house.

 

  

 

It's All Good: Delicious, Easy Recipes that Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great (Gwyneth Paltrow): The actress continues her bid for transformation into a lifestyle guru - watch out for incoming sniper fire!  

  

 

 

The Drunken Botanist (Amy Stewart ): The perversely delicious sequel to Wicked Plants and Wicked Bugs.

 

 

 

 

Mad Hungry Cravings: 173 Recipes for the Food You Want to Eat Right Now (Lucinda Scala Quinn):  Yet more recipes for the tasty, calorific standards everybody loves.

 

 Home Made Summer (Yvette van Boven): The third "Home Made" installment is maybe less labor-intensive than its predecessors, but copious oven treats will raise the kitchen temperature.

 

 

What's for Dinner?: Delicious Recipes for a Busy Life (Curtis Stone): You might have thought that Curtis Stone's previous books were the easy, weeknight ones, but this one really is.  This time he really means it.

 

 

 

 Gluten-free Girl Every Day (Shauna James Ahern):  A welcome, more laidback sequel to Ahern's chatty, restauranty debut cookbook, Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef.

 

 

 

Cooking for Two (America's Test Kitchen):  All-new recipes from the test kitchen, sized to fit exactly two.

 

 

Wicked Good Burgers: Fearless Recipes and Uncompromising Techniques for the Ultimate Patty (Andy Husbands, Chris Hart, and Andrea Pyenson): Just in time for grill season, a team of Boston-based food notables fires it up.

 

 

 

The Fresh 20: 20-Ingredient Meal Plans for Health and Happiness 5 Nights a Week (Melissa Lanz): The successful online meal planning, created by working mom, Melissa Lanz, now shares how to create 5 simple, healthy and homemade dinners each week using just  20 fresh, seasonal ingredients. 

 

 

 

Old-School Comfort Food (Alex Guarnaschelli ): The Manhattan chef and daughter of a redoubtable cookbook editor shares what she knows about stick-to-the-ribs food.

 

 

 

Vinaigrettes and Other Dressings: 60 Sensational Recipes to Liven Up Greens, Grains, Slaws, and Every Kind of Salad (Michele Anna Jordan):  Making the salad you know you're supposed to eat anyway a whole lot less boring.

 

 

The New Persian Kitchen (Louisa Shafia): Non-elaborate, non-time-consuming Persian food at last!

 

 

 

 

VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00 to Lose Weight and Restore Your Health (Mark Bittmann)  Not only does Mark Bittmann know how to cook everything, he knows how to make you lose weight, too!

 

 

Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist (Tim Federle): Well, OK, it's just a romp, a fun summer cookbook.  But who can resist a title like that?

 

 

 

This month's trends:

Food trucks (Eat St., New York A La Cart), cooking in cupcake and muffin tins, camping cookbooks, and food histories to bring to the beach (Taco USA, Extra Virginity)

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And here are the new arrivals from the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand:

 From the U.K.:

After publishing four regular cookbooks, the popular fast food chain Leon now produces four short specialized books on: 
Breakfast & Brunch 
Brownies, Bars & Muffins
Smoothies, Juices & Cocktails
Soups, Salads & Snacks

 

John Whaite Bakes, by John Whaite:  The winner of the 2012 Great British Bake Off shares his best recipes for every day and every mood.  If you are feeling down or happy, in love or heartbroken, John provides the perfect recipe for you.

 

 

 

 

Patisserie at Home by Will Torrent:  Rising star in the world of pastry, Will Torrent guides you with step-by-step techniques to produce perfect French pastries.

 

 

 

And from Australia & New Zealand:

Everlasting Feast by Lauraine Jacobs:  Favourite recipes and stories of a life in food come together in a beautiful cookbook by one of New Zealand's best-known food writers and great friend of EYB.  Lauraine shares 100 of her favourite recipes and cooking tips that tell the fascinating stories of her life in food, including her time as food editor of Cuisine magazine and as the first international president of the IACP.

 

 

 

 

At My Table  by Chelsea Winter:  Hearty, mainstream New Zealand recipes from 2012 MasterChef New Zealand winner.

 

 

 

Karen Martini Collection by Karen Martini: A wonderful compilation of 170 of Karen's most enduring recipes from her popular cookbooks  Where the Heart is,  Cooking at Home, and  Feasting. The recipes reflect Karen's own inimitable style of simple accessible cooking and her food philosophy based on fresh produce and big flavours. 

 

 

 

Cook with Love by Pete Evans:  A compilation from another popular Australian author, Pete Evan's has chosen 150 of his favourite recipes from his cookbooks. Divided into chapters on breakfast, lazy lunches, family meals, food for entertaining, fish and seafood and more. Cook with Love provides tips and advice for both novice and experienced cook.

 

 

The Green Kitchen by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl:  David and Luise's Green Kitchen Stories blog has a cult following and inspires people around the world to cook super-tasty, healthy vegetarian recipes using only natural ingredients.  Over 100 recipes from their everyday life, along with some simple tips on how to get a more varied and greener pantry.  They have found food inspiration from all over the globe, including from their Scandinavian heritage.  This book is published as  Vegetarian Everyday in the USA.

 

From India: Food Family and Tradition by Suba Mahadevan and  Kumar Mahadevan:  From the talented chef behind Sydney's most iconic Indian restaurants, Abhi's and Aki's. Kumar Mahadevan weaves a full array of recipes with the unique tale of his family's journey from India to Australia. This book offers a full range of traditional curries, contemporary seafood dishes and interesting vegetarian meals.

We recently chatted with Karen Stabiner. Stabiner, a renowned food journalist, just spent two years with Michael Romano to create a new cookbook, Family Table: Favorite Staff Meals from Our Restaurants to Your Home. The book  takes the reader backstage at some of New York's most famous  restaurants -- Danny Meyer's Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Blue Smoke, Maialino and others, to find out what chefs cook for the staff before they serve their customers.

We talked to Karen about the inspiration and purpose of the book - Here's what she had to say:

"The people who work at your favorite restaurant need to eat, too. At Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group restaurants in New York City, the staff sits down together twice a day for what they call "family meal," cooked by their colleagues. Family Table is a collection of these behind-the-scenes recipes, the best food you'll never see on a menu from some of New York's most beloved restaurants.

It's exactly the kind of food a home cook aspires to make: Great taste, lots of variety, prepared under the same constraints we face - it has to be pretty quick to prepare, it has to allow the cook to do three other things at the same time, and it's based on what's on hand and what's economical.

Family meal is democracy in action: the kitchen staffers divide up responsibilities, but anyone with a great recipe can chime in, which is why a Union Square Cafe porter contributes Dominican Beef and a Gramercy Tavern prep chef makes her signature marinated chicken every Saturday, midday.

And it's a world tour: The dishes have nothing, necessarily, to do with the restaurant menu but everything to do with happy food memories. Cola-braised short ribs show up at Maialino, an Italian restaurant, because the cook's from outside New Orleans. At The Modern, the elegant restaurant at the Museum of Modern Art, the executive chef is Alsatian, but family meal might be spicy bacon and eggs with picked kimchi.

Collecting recipes - from four dozen contributors - was a crazily liberating experience. Most home cooks have specialties, because who has the time to learn everything? Suddenly, thanks to the family meal cooks, I can make not just Italian food but Japanese, Chinese, South American, Spanish, and I must admit, some new Italian dishes that have quickly become favorites.

There was one more step to take, to make "Family Table" complete: We've included the stories of that backstage family, one by one. There are 30 stories sprinkled throughout the book, to introduce the reader not only to the chef whose name is on the menu but to the people who turn his or her vision into one beautiful plate after another.

What defines a cookbook, usually, is a single perspective, whether it's a chef's, a country or region, or a method. I have a battered copy of Tom Colicchio's Think Like a Chef because it tells me not only what to do but why; I co-wrote Piero Selvaggio's Valentino Cookbook because talking to him, and learning about his food, was like traveling abroad and through time; my copy of Nancy Silverton's Desserts falls open naturally to the page with the recipe I've made for my daughter for 23 years straight.

What defines Family Table, though, is the simple desire to sit down together, take a break in the day, and share a lovely meal. It's what the restaurant families and our families have in common - in addition, now, to 150 great ways to celebrate that bond."

It felt strange to be driving in to Boston yesterday, the day after the terrible bombings at the Boston Marathon finish line.  It was a gorgeous spring day, traffic was light but there was an edgy feeling, not helped by the large numbers of heavily armed police, security and army around the city. But having lived in London during the IRA's bombing campaigns, I know that you must continue with normal life and not give in to the fear that the terrorists try to instil in us all.

I particularly didn't want to miss the intimate lunch for Yvette Van Boven at Les Zygomates. Yvette is in the USA doing a small book tour to promote her latest book, Home Made Summer - she has already been in New York and today flies to San Francisco. You can see the events on her website.

The lunch was a perfect spring menu of recipes from the book - Oysters with ginger-lime sauce, Asparagus pie wth a green salad, and White wine sorbet ice with berries.  There are lots more recipes I want to cook from the book - if you haven't checked out Yvette's books (the others are Home Made and Home Made Winter) then take a look.  The photography by Yvette's husband, Oof Verschuren, is gorgeous and her design and illustrations are really personal to her.

I coudn't think of a better counterpoint to Monday's horror than to sit for a couple of hours eating and talking about cooking and restaurants with Yvette and Oof.  Food is a great unifier - around the table we had Dutch, English, Italian-American and other heritages - but the common language of food made us feel a connection that helped alleviate the sadness of the day before.

Fiona (left) and Jane (right) were honored to present the Eat Your Books General Cookbook Award last night to Maricel Presilla for her important work, Gran Cocina Latina.  The Awards were tremendous fun and you can see the complete list of winners here.

HIghlights of the night were:

• Meeting Charles Phan of the wonderful Slanted Door restaurant (where we had an amazing dinner two nights ago) - he won the Chefs and Restaurants Award for Vietnamese Home Cooking
• Chatting with Thomas Keller  - his Bouchon Bakery won the Food Photography and Styling Award
• Seeing the fabulous Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi rightly win Cookbook of the Year
• Three of the indexed blogs on EYB won awards - Food52 won several, Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen won the First Book: Julia Child Award, and Irvin Lin of Eat the Love won Best Food Photography
• Congratulating the many other award winners who were there in attendance.

 

 

We have a site redesign released today. We have dropped the left navigation - all links are now from the tabs across the top.  This has allowed us to increase the size of the images of book covers and recipes.  There is now also a images view for books and recipes - read more in our Help topic. You access the images view at the top of the search page - the view options are from left to right - condensed view, standard view, images view.

There are now Help tips on each page.  You can close these if you wish - any time you want to reopen a tip, click the ? next to the page header.  We have also redesigned our Help section.  It is now much easier to find answers to your questions,  We will also be adding instruction videos over the next week.

You will notice a couple of new icons on the books and recipe listings.

You will be familiar with the first three - ratings stars, speech bubble for notes & reviews, heads for number of Bookshelves. The next one is for Bookmarks - click this to add a bookmark and to create a new bookmark. The final icon is a TV screen - a new feature of videos for books and recipes.  These will be added in coming months - wherever you see this icon, click it and you will see a demonstration by the book or recipe creator.

Finally, an improvement to shopping lists is that you can remove individual recipes from the shopping list.  We plan to do a lot more work on the shopping lists and meal planning functions.

Let us know what you think of the changes - and as always, make requests for other new features you would like to see in the Forum, Give us your feedback.

... and the winner is Jerusalem  by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

After last year's tie for first place, this year we have a very clear winner.  For the second year running Yotam Ottolenghi takes the crown, this time with his restaurant partner Sami Tamimi.

We amalgamated 214 Best Cookbooks of 2012 lists from TV, Radio, Newspapers, Magazines, Websites, Blogs and Booksellers across the world to come up with the definitive guide to the best books on food and drink.

Check out the complete list of top 10 cookbooks plus the top books in the UK; Canada and Australia and the top Drinks; Vegetarian and Vegan and Memoirs and Food Writing.

Our favorite time of year!  More cookbooks come out at this time of this year than any other, as publishers launch their new releases in time for the holiday season.  So to help you start your wish list, here's our selection of the best of what's new in the next couple of months. Make sure your loved ones are well aware of what's on your list - nothing worse than being given '100 Best Cupcakes' when you really wanted 'Bouchon Bakery'. Not that we need to wait to be given them of course!

Some trends? Edwardian cookbooks, hoping to pick up on those famished for a taste of Downton Abbey till Season 3 starts. Cookbooks from small bakeries and delis. Lots of bread books. Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern continue to be the strongest regions for ethnic cookbooks. And while we're not seeing as many cookbooks from top chefs (remember last year's epidemic of chefs' "home cooking" books?)--perhaps a sign of publishers' contracting confidence--there remains much to look forward to for the adventurous home cook.

USA

Burma: Rivers of Flavor by Naomi Duguid (Artisan). Duguid's first solo venture since the end of her partnership with Jeffrey Alford--more of a cookbook in looks and usability than their previous books, but with similarly riveting photographs and travel narratives.

Vietnamese Home Cooking by Charles Phan (Ten Speed). An ambitious entrant into a crowded field.

Bouchon Bakery  by Thomas Keller & Sebastien Rouxel (Artisan).  Bring the heavenly creations of Bouchon to your own kitchen with detailed instructions on how to achieve perfection.

Japanese Farm Food by Nancy Singleton Hachisu (Andrews McMeel). A Californian, married to a Japanese organic farmer, Nancy writes about her amazing life and demystifies the rural Japanese kitchen, laying bare the essential ingredients, equipment, and techniques needed for Japanese home cooking.

The Great Meat Cookbook by Bruce Aidells (Houghton Mifflen). A definitive guide to the new landscape in meat since publication of his 1999 best seller.

The Food52 Cookbook, Volume 2 by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs (William Morrow).  Amanda and Merrill are back with the best recipes from talented home cooks all over the world. Volume 2, features seventy-five of the latest community favorites.

The Science of Good Cooking by Cook's Illustrated (ATK). The team at CI has spent the past 20 years investigating every facet and every detail associated with home cooking through tens of thousands of kitchen tests. They distil this experience into 50 basic cooking concepts.

Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish (10 Speed). Now you can make the famous breads and pizzas from this critically lauded Portland baker. This season's "serious" bread book.

Baked Elements: Our 10 Favorite Ingredients by Matt Lewis, Renato Poliafito and Tina Rupp (STC). Obsessive exploration of peanut butter, malted milk, and 8 other ingredients by edgy Brooklyn bakers.

The Mile End Cookbook by Noah Bernamoff and Rae Bernamoff (Clarkson Potter). Jewish comfort food from a classic delicatessen.

The Epicurious Cookbook (Clarkson Potter). Will anyone really buy a book of recipes that are available for free, already searchable and sortable, online? We'll see.

The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook by Tom Douglas (William Morrow).  Now you don't have to go to Seattle to taste the delights from this famous bakery.

Home Made Winter by Yvette van Boven (STC). Delicious recipes, beautiful photos, step by step instruction and Yvette van Boven's own hand drawn artwork throughout the book will make you want to make everything yourself - even Bailey's!

Come In, We're Closed: An Invitation to Staff Meals at the World's Best Restaurants by Christine Carroll, Jody Eddy and a foreword by Ferran Adria (Basic Books). What they eat before they seat.

Modernist Cuisine at Home by Nathan Myhrvold and Maxime Bilet (The Cooking Lab). Will these really work at home in a conventional kitchen? The original Modernist Cuisine set made the same claim, but it proved unfounded.

Simply Sensational Cookies by Nancy Baggett (Wiley). So far, the cookie book to watch this season.  Classics through to modern, innovative ideas for the adventurous baker.

Barefoot Contessa Foolproof by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter). Renowned for making home cooks look good, Foolproof shows you how to make a game plan so everything is served hot while you keep your cool. 

The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman (Knopf). Long-awaited first book from the popular blogger. 100 recipes--almost entirely new, plus a few favorites from the site.

Cook Fight by Julia Moskin and Kim Severson (Ecco). New York Times food section writers go head-to-head.

The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook (Adams Media). House specialties from upstairs and downstairs, including Mrs. Patmore's Dropped Roast Chicken.

My Berlin Kitchen by Luisa Weiss (Viking).  Part memoir part cookbook, this is a beautiful account of Luisa's journey from Berlin to New York and back, one recipe at a time. Luisa is author of the popular blog The Wednesday Chef.

Canal House Cooks Every Day by Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer (Andrews McMeel). A first venture between hard covers for the earthy yet luminous food periodical.

US versions now available

Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi (Ten Speed Press)  See UK.
What Katie Ate by Katie Quinn Davis (Penguin Putnam) See Australia.
Turkey: More than 100 Recipes, with Tales from the Road  by Leanne Kitchen (Chronicle). Originally printed in 2011 in Australia, follow Leanne's trip round Turkey with gorgeous photos and recipes from the region.

 

United Kingdom

Hugh's Three Good Things... On a Plate by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (Bloomsbury). Combinations that make magic. Salty, sweet, crunchy. Sharp, rich, crumbly. Hot, bland, crisp - Hugh's done the research.

Cake by Rachel Allen (Harper Collins).  Cakes for every occasion, from the classic, tiered or small cakes, to free-form or wedding and birthday cakes, Rachel has the perfect, fool-proof recipe.

Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cookery Course by Gordon Ramsay (Harper Collins). Follow Gordon's course and he'll "cook you into a better cook".  Lots of tips and tricks and over 300 modern recipes - and he won't shout at you!

Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi (Ebury) (US-Ten Speed Press).  Another sure hit from these talented chefs.  Already on many EYB Bookshelves this is a 'must have' book for anyone who wants to spice up their cooking.

Jamie's 15-minute Meals by Jamie Oliver (Penguin)  If you enjoyed 30-minute meals you can have all the taste in half the time.

Leon Family & Friends: Book 4 by Kay Plunkett-Hogge & John Vincent (Conran Octopus). Recipes to make the most of the time available to feed your family and celebrates the power of food to bring people together. 

Nigellissima by Nigella Lawson (Chatto & Windus). Nigella's gastronomic heart is in Italy. In her new TV series and the simple and speedy recipes in her new book she brings the spirit of Italy into the kitchen and onto the plate, elevating everyday eating into no-fuss feasts. 

The Kitchen Diaries Vol II by Nigel Slater (Fourth Estate). Another inspiring record of the food he buys, prepares, eats and shares throughout the year. Many from his hugely successful TV series, Simple Suppers

Mark Hix on Baking by Mark Hix (Quadrille).  Mark's interpretation of 'baking' means this is much more than a traditional baking book - pretty much anything that can be cooked in the dry heat of an oven.

Salt, Sugar, Smoke  How to preserve fruit, vegetables, meat, and fish  by Diana Henry (Mitchell Beazley).  A treasure trove of recipes taken from the world's store cupboards, Diana takes a fresh approach to these kitchen arts.

Madhur Jaffrey's Curry Nation by Madhur Jaffrey (Ebury). Recipes from Madhur's latest television series showcases the best of Indian cuisine in Britain and even occasionally combines the two cultures. 

Easy by Bill Granger (Collins UK) (Harper Collins Aus) . In his inimitable easy going style Bill takes 16 well-loved and accessible main ingredients and offers 100 simple yet original dishes

The Collection by Antonio Carluccio (Quadrille). Over 300 of Antonio's best recipes, drawn from seven of his best-selling cookbooks, are brought together to form this ultimate compilation. 

 

Australia

Limoncello and Linen Water by Tessa Kiros (Murdoch) Tessa celebrates the heritage of Italy, the country she has chosen to call home, and a tribute to the women in our lives.

Desserts by Belinda Jeffery (Lantern). Drawing her inspiration from across the globe, Belinda brings an irresistible range of desserts to create a perfect ending to any meal.

Sydney Seafood School by Roberta Muir (Lantern). For the first time, the School shares its wealth of tips and techniques, along with more than 80 outstanding recipes from Australia's leading chefs.

What Katie Ate by Katie Quinn Davies (Lantern). From the popular blogger and talented food photographer, simple, seasonal recipes and the best from her blog.

My Umbrian Kitchen by Patrizia Simone (Lantern). Patricia's dishes served at her celebrated restaurant in south Australia have been inspired by her childhood in rural Italy.  Her cookbook keeps these traditions alive. 

Greater Mekong by Luke Nguyen (Hardie Grant). Travelling from China to Vietnam, Luke tells the stories, experiences and recipes from the TV show of the same name. 

A Sardinian Cookbook by Giovanni Pilu and Roberta Muir (Lantern). Since opening Pilu restaurant in 2004, Giovanni has introduced many to Sardinian food, a cuisine that's in his blood and close to his heart. Now he brings it to a wider audience through this cookbook.

Easy Weekends by Neil Perry (Murdoch). Famous for his restaurants this book is a celebration of how Neil cooks at home. More than 100 recipes that focus on flavoursome food for the weekend - casual Fridays through to more formal dinners.

The Complete Middle Eastern Cookbook by Tess Mallos (Hardie Grant). A completely revised and updated edition of this classic cookbook first published in 1977.  More than 500 classic and contemporary dishes from eighteen countries.

Delicious: Home Cooking by Valli Little (HarperCollins). From one of Australia's leading food writers and editor of Delicious magazine, Valli shares some of her favourite recipes to cook at home, plus tips and tricks to turn a family classic into a cover-worthy meal without the fuss.

Peter Gordon Everyday by Peter Gordon (HarperCollins) (Jacqui Small in the UK). Famous for his fusion style food, Peter shows how to create his signature recipes every day of the week. Using only supermarket-sourced ingredients and simple methods.

Fresh and Light by Donna Hay (HarperCollins). Using the freshest ingredients and pantry staples, Donna shares her personal tricks for a lighter touch and create a balance to give you flavoursome, healthy food.

New Zealand

Simple Pleasures by Annabel Langbein (Annabel Langbein). Annabel stays true to her philosophy that quality natural ingredients need little in the way of fussy preparation.  Using seasonal ingredients fresh from her kitchen garden the recipes are drawn from her new TV series of the same name.  

Get Fresh by Al Brown (Random House). Much more than a cookbook, Al visits and creates menus from the best produce from NZ's farmers markets with his witty prose and his favourite NZ music from the CD that accompanies the book - based on the TV series.  

Ruth Pretty Cooks at Home by Ruth Pretty (Penguin). Ruth shares stylish cooking ideas, entertaining secrets and more than 100 delectable recipes to impress at home.

Nourish by Simon Gault (Random House).  Masterchef judge, Simon selects his favourite recipes from his renowned restaurant.

Riverstone Kitchen Simple by Bevan Smith (Harper Collins). This second book from Riverstone Kitchen is full of mouth-watering recipes that are easy to prepare, as well as simple growing tips for the keen home gardener and cook.

We have added seven great new blogs this month - add the entire blog or individual recipes to your Bookshelf. 
 

A blog completely devoted to chocolate - what a great theme for a blog to help satisfy the cravings of us chocoholics. Choclette from Chocolate Log Blog thought so and all 269 recipes on her blog use some form of chocolate. Her passion for baking has gone from adding jam to the tarts as a small child to this creative blog using the most wholesome ingredients - so it's healthy too!

As an avid traveller and lover of all things to do with food, Cara Water's blog, Gourmet Chick,  covers reviews of restaurants, hotels and anything else food related that she comes across on her travels. In typical Antipodean style she has visited most continents, so should you be embarking on a trip it's worth checking to see if Cara's been there too and benefit from her experiences.  She has an eclectic mix of recipes that reflect her interest in many different cuisines.  

As a self-confessed geek and food lover, Kavey Favelle has been posting about food on the net since 2006.  She started her blog, Kavey Eats, in 2009 which covers her love of food, travel, photography, eating out and eating in. With an Indian heritage and being well travelled her recipes incorporate many different flavors and ingredients. You'll find great ice cream recipes, as Kavey runs a 'Bloggers Scream for Ice Cream' competition each month.
 

Based in a fairly remote part of England and surrounded by the most incredible produce and producers, Dominic Franks' blog, Belleau Kitchen, shares his recipes featuring the wonderful local produce and is therefore as seasonal as can be.  Dominic grew up influenced by his mum and Delia Smith's cooking - his recipes reflect their simple, classic style.

 

The importance of food in Brian Samuels' life is such that it has helped shape the person he is today. Through recipes, personal anecdotes, and historical/cultural information, his blog, Food for Thought aims to make people think about the role that food plays in our lives.

 

Fashion and food may seem like an unlikely combination for a blog, but Katy Atlas does it with great style at Sugarlaws.  Her recipes range from the healthy to the indulgent and always beautifully presented and photographed.  Katy started her blog as a single living in a tiny Manhattan kitchen. She now lives in Houston with her husband and two dogs and a lot more space.

 

An obsession with baking led Ruth Clemens to enter the first series of the Great British Bakeoff.  Her second placing led to a new career in the baking industry, including her own cookbook, The Busy Girl's Guide to Cake Decorating.  Her wonderful baking blog The Pink Whisk is a wealth of knowledge of all things baking and decorating - including how to create a Sugar Veil, create beautiful cakes for all occasions or when to soak your fruit in time for Christmas (it's now!).

Famed baker Dorie Greenspan, author of the wonderful book Baking: From My Home to Yours and the blog In the Kitchen and on the Road with Dorie (recipes indexed on EYB), had a pop-up cookie store in NYC for a while.  It would appear around celebrations such as Christmas and Valentine's Days.  Now she has teamed up with her son and a business partner to create a couple of permanent cookie outlets in the city.  The New York Times reports that the store will be named Beurre & Sel (butter and salt) - appropriate since the cookies will mainly be French sablé cookies (butter cookies).