John Gorham, chef and owner of Portland, Ore.'s popular Toro Bravo, has created a cookbook/memoir to share details of his life, cooking philosophies and recipes. The first section of Toro Bravo documents his childhood, how he came to be a chef and how he started his Spanish-inspired restaurant. His story is sometimes shocking (and rather profane), but it's also funny and fascinating. Then Gorham delves into the recipes, including spring onions with salbitxada (a Catalan sauce), spicy octopus and prawn stew and a bacon manchego burger. Each recipe has an accompanying vignette about why it's on the Toro Bravo menu--or where Gorham first learned to cook it.

Big bold fonts and bright photographs match Gorham's in-your-face style. Anyone wishing to cook some delicious Spanish food, or who enjoys food memoirists like Anthony Bourdain, will enjoy Toro Bravo. --Jessica Howard, blogger at Quirky Bookworm

Cookbook author Habeeb Salloum and his daughters, historians Muna Salloum and Leila Salloum Elias, serve up a tasty combination of medieval history and cooking in Scheherazade's Feasts. From the 7th through the 13th centuries, the Muslim world stretched from the borders of China to the Iberian Peninsula. It was a period of creativity and innovation in science, philosophy--and the culinary arts, as Muslim cooks used ingredients and techniques from across the empire to create a cuisine worthy of a caliph.

The Salloums present 100 recipes from medieval Arabic cookbooks, place them in historical context, then adapt them for the modern cook. Some are ancestors of dishes available at any modern Middle Eastern restaurant; others combine familiar ingredients in unexpected ways--for example, chicken with pomegranate juice and pumpkin.

Scheherazade's Feast is a perfect holiday gift for adventurous cooks or hungry history buffs. --Pamela Toler, blogging at History in the Margins

Fans of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's cookbooks may be surprised to find no meat in River Cottage Veg. Fearnley-Whittingstall still enjoys eating ethically raised meat and sustainable fish but because vegetables are better for our bodies--and less harmful to the planet--he admits "I'm trying to change your life here" by making them the mainstay of any meal.

To achieve this goal, River Cottage Veg highlights recipes intended to be fulfilling main courses--more than 60 of which are totally vegan--tempting readers with tarts, lasagnas, chilis and tartins like a sweet potato and peanut gratin. Each "hearty" salad includes a starch, protein and seasonal vegetable: potato, tomato and boiled egg, for example, or a "herby, peanutty, noodly" offering. Fearnley-Whittingstall also includes lighter fare, and his list of portable "veg on the go" dishes will be a welcome resource for any healthy chef, along with the pantry list and extensive index. --Kristen Galles from Book Club Classics

Pie Love has recipes to cover a variety of occasions or moods--fragrant apple turnovers, rich chocolate cream pie and savory shepherd's pie are only a few of the easy (and fun) recipes Warren Brown includes. If you're looking for that elusive perfect crust, this book is for you; there are 19 pie crust recipes, with suggested fillings for ideal pairings. (If that isn't enough, there's also five tart crusts to choose from.)

Brown (cookbook author and founder of Washington, D.C.'s CakeLove bakeries) starts out by explaining how a pie crust works and how the ingredients combine together to create the flaky crust we all love. There's no need to fear with his step-by-step instructions and tips for making and improving the dough. Just pair the crust with one of his delicious fillings and you have a delightful treat for any occasion. --Kalee Youngquist, intern at Shelf Awareness

Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi follow up their 2012 cookbook, Jerusalem, with Ottolenghi, a compilation of the most popular recipes from their four London restaurants. Ottolenghi and Tamimi's respective Jewish and Palestinian backgrounds clearly form the backbone of their cooking and baking, and their style has been infused with British elements that make for enticing dishes.

Luscious photographs document recipes ranging from cauliflower and cumin fritters with lime yogurt and zucchini-wrapped lamb kebabs to a sweet-and-spicy beef and pork pie to peach and raspberry teacakes. The descriptions accompanying each recipe are mouthwatering; the many photographs of Ottolenghi employees and customers bring the food they're making and eating to irresistible life.

Recipes include both weights and measurements and are detailed in methodology. Ottolenghi would make a perfect gift for gourmands and Mediterranean-aficionados alike. --Jessica Howard, blogger at Quirky Bookworm

Home bakers are encouraged to tackle normally complex recipes via shortcuts. For kitchens without mixers and food processors, Yvonne Ruperti's One Bowl Baking shows how general prep work can be accomplished by using a single bowl or, in some instances, combining ingredients right in the baking pan.

Ruperti's recipes feature breakfast muffins and scones, "Kitchen Sink" cookies that use odd amounts of anything at hand (e.g., chocolate, coconut and nuts), piña colada and peanut butter and jelly bars and "Sweet Story Cupcakes," a treat handed down from Ruperti's great-grandmother that showcases chopped cherries, walnuts and almond extract. The snack-cake recipe for Mega-Crumb Cake challenges Entenmann's; "Chocolate Monkey Banana Cupcakes with Malted Milk Ganache" taste just like a milk shake. Other chapters include recipes for quick breads, pound cakes, cheesecakes and tarts. Photographs that ooze delicious sweetness accompany clear, concise recipes that range from the easy to the sublime. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines

Who wouldn't want the ability to make the kinds of breads, pastries, muffins and cookies you'd get from a favorite bakery at home? In Napa Valley, Calif., a mother-and-daughter-owned business has provided tourists and locals alike with fresh, fragrant baked goods for years. Now, in The Model Bakery Cookbook, Karen Mitchell and Sarah Mitchell Hanson share their recipes for traditional favorites such as croissants, English muffins and pecan pie, plus banana-walnut muffins with a perfect balance of dense crumb and moist flavor--all of them accompanied by mouth-watering photos that will leave readers unable to resist re-creating these goodies.

While some recipes, such as their ciabatta dough or the popular "Chocolate Rad Cookies," require use of a stand mixer, most can be made with a handheld electric mixer or by hand. Accessible and beautiful, this collection of instructions on producing go-to bakery delights in the home kitchen will please any aspiring baker. --Jaclyn Fulwood, youth services manager at Latah County Library District and blogger at Infinite Reads

From the kitchens and gardens of the writers, photographers, artists, family and friends who produce the quarterly magazine Kinfolk, Nathan Williams has gathered together an eclectic, elegant and global collection of recipes. The Kinfolk Table combines artistic photography with essays, presenting 88 unpretentious, delicious dishes and inviting diners to linger long after the meal is consumed to discuss all manner of matters, large and small.

Sweet potato biscuits, plum and cilantro salad with fresh goat cheese, and mushroom, tomato and white bean stew are just a few of the dishes featured from Brooklyn, N.Y., Portland, Ore., Copenhagen, Denmark, England and beyond. Each recipe carries with it a special meaning, moment or memory, conveyed via the thoughtful comments of the contributing essayists. Creating joie de vivre by sharing food with friends, either spontaneously or through a well-structured meal, is at the heart of The Kinfolk Table. --Lee E. Cart, freelance writer and book reviewer

When Raghavan Iyer moved to Minnesota from Mumbai, he realized that if he wanted to enjoy his favorite dishes from home, he'd have to learn to make them himself. Faced with a dearth of traditional Indian ingredients, he learned to re-create the complex, layered flavors of Indian cooking with what he could find on local grocery shelves. Indian Cooking Unfolded is a collection of this knowledge.

Iyer starts with the basics: rice, ghee, paneer and two spice blends. These fundamentals appear in nearly all of the 100 recipes that follow, from minty potato cakes to start, a main course of the "ultimate chicken curry" and creamy rice pudding for dessert. The chapters begin with the simplest recipes and then progress to more complicated dishes, but even the most complex are easy to follow. With fewer than 10 ingredients in every dish, Iyer's "master class" makes Indian cooking not only appealing, but approachable. --Kerry McHugh, blogger at Entomology of a Bookworm

Food is delicious, fun, nourishing and celebratory--and, in Jane Loxwell's experience, it's "the string that ties experiences together," something that one should enjoy, share and make the most of. Fresh Happy Tasty reflects this belief, with 100 simple and vibrant recipes that will hold equal appeal for novices and advanced home cooks. Her grapefruit, beet and orange salad, Vietnamese-inspired rice noodle, avocado and beef salad, and luxurious lobster quinoa are particular treats.

Loxwell's mouth-watering recipes were developed while she served as the personal chef on fashion magnate Diane von Furstenberg's yacht, and she provides a wonderful pictorial travelogue of her culinary adventures--reinforcing her belief that food is both a personal and sensual experience that demands exploration and experimentation in order to be appreciated fully. --Nancy Powell, freelance writer and technical consultant

Kitchen counter or coffee table? The conundrum of where to display Cuisine Niçoise, Hilary Davis's lavish oversized homage to the recipes and traditions of France's Nice region, is a delightful one.

Simple, frugal, healthy and fresh are the hallmarks of dining in this Mediterranean region. Davis, a food and travel journalist, moved to Nice 13 years ago and immersed herself in foraging, gardening and learning the local cuisine. She found just one regional cookbook, from 1972, so she created her own collection combining traditional and contemporary recipes. She sprinkles anecdotes and bits of local lore throughout.

American cooks can easily replicate these recipes; while a cook in New York might not be able to pick a "fat, juicy Menton lemon" from a nearby tree, Davis's directions allow for available substitutions. And Steven Rothfeld's photographs bring the sun-drenched goodness of the dishes and the locale to brilliant life. --Cheryl Krocker McKeon, bookseller, Book Passage, San Francisco

A Cook's Initiation into the Gorgeous World of Mushrooms is a stunningly beautiful cookbook feast for the eyes. Philippe Emanuelli's recipes take a Eurocentric approach to using a variety of fungi in dishes both basic and complex. The recipes, which assume a basic familiarity with cooking techniques, are organized by way of mushroom type, beginning with wild varieties like the crenellated morel, the wispy yet delicious Fairy Ring and the venerated porcini (or King Bolete), to name a few.

Each recipe is paired with a delicious photograph of the results, seemingly close enough to touch. The typeset design of the book is as impressive as the images and the meals, creating a solid book that will be equally at home on a coffee table as in a well-appointed kitchen. --Rob LeFebvre, freelance writer and editor

"Cooking is a balance between time and temperature," Andrew Schloss writers in Cooking Slow. "Raise the heat and everything speeds up. Lower the heat, however, and the turmoil subsides." With this promise of peace in the kitchen--a siren song to any harried cook--Schloss (Art of the Slow Cooker) pulls the reader into his exploration of six slow-cooking techniques, from roasting and braising to steaming and even grilling. Along the way, he provides helpful temperature charts, cooking tips and lists of kitchen equipment, including (but absolutely not limited to!) the faithful slow cooker.

From standard slow-cooked dishes (Thanksgiving turkey, pot roast, soups and stews) to more unusual gourmet delights (duck ragú with cherries, baby octopus), Schloss explores the layered flavors and time-saving possibilities of slow cooking. Lavishly illustrated with mouthwatering photos, Cooking Slow brims with the promise of delicious meals and the time to savor them. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams

In a world of copper-bottom pans and All-Clad sets that cost hundreds of dollars, the cast-iron skillet can be easy to overlook. But Sharon Kramis and Julie Kramis Hearne want to remind the world this tried-and-true kitchen tool is actually "one of the most important pans in your kitchen."

The 100 recipes in The Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook (an update of the original 2004 edition) range from traditional favorites, such as zucchini-onion frittatas and seared beef tenderloin, to more surprising uses of the skillet, like pecan sticky bread and Best Baked Beans. Kramis and Hearne explore the ways in which cast iron can result in a better browning on a piece of meat, more flavor in vegetables and improved texture in baked goods. Their enthusiasm, coupled with full-color photographs of the results of their easy-to-follow recipes, makes it clear why this age-old kitchen tool hasn't yet gone out of style. --Kerry McHugh, blogger at Entomology of a Bookworm

Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell bought a 60-acre farm house in upstate New York in 2007. Since then, "the fabulous Beekman boys" (as they're known on their Cooking Channel show) have been compiling recipes. The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook is divided into seasons, with delectable treats like peach and berry cobbler, cinnamon bun bundt cake and sweet green tomato hand pies; at the end of each season, there is a page to write down your own family recipes.

The beautiful photography showcases the recipes and the seasonal ingredients that feature in the desserts, and displays the farm in each season. The recipes have clear and detailed instructions that make them easy to follow, with plenty of room for notes--so that readers can remember which desserts they liked and what modifications they made. The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook is made to be passed down and enjoyed for generations. --Kalee Youngquist, intern at Shelf Awareness

From starters like bacon cheese straws and crispy polenta bites, to full meals like velvety chicken with rosemary bacon biscuit topping and fettuccine with bacon and kale, Peter Kaminsky and Marie Rama's Bacon Nation fairly brims with bacon-flavored goodness on every page. There are drool-worthy sections on soup, salads, sandwiches and desserts (French toast bread pudding with bacon and cinnamon, anyone?), making this a definitive guide for cooks looking to incorporate the joy of bacon into every meal.

Bacon Nation also serves up a strong introduction, covering bacon selection and cooking techniques, including the oft-rumored oven baking method and the much-maligned microwave approach. Kaminsky and Rama explain each recipe with care and loving attention, making sure the dishes can be easily produced by pretty much anyone. There's enough bacon fun here to make any home cook, experienced or newbie, into a full-fledged expert. --Rob LeFebvre, freelance writer and editor

In The Artisan Jewish Deli at Home, Nick Zukin and Michael Zusman show how the persecution and diaspora of the Jews resulted in a cuisine that reflected influences as diverse as Romania, Poland, Hungary, Germany and France. "As is true of almost every facet of our many American hyphenated cultures," they write, "pure and authentic this food is surely not."

In this spirit, Zukin and Zusman's cookbook is a homage to "a new breed of Jewish deli--one that looks back to the deli's roots but is sensitive to modern dining preferences... to salvage a great, but floundering, culinary culture." Although traditional favorites like schmaltz, blintzes and knishes are featured, there are plenty of modern updates--including a borscht for every season--and even the contemporary recipes have cultural and historical context. --Kristen Galles from Book Club Classics

In An American Family Cooks, professional chef Judith Choate and her adult sons, Michael and Christopher, share memories, cooking styles and philosophies that embody the idea that food and family are intrinsically linked, as recipes become traditions passed on to future generations.

This comprehensive collection spans from the rustic to the elegant. "Drinks and Nibbles" progress into everyday recipes, modernized, for chicken pot pie and pepper steak (or waffles for dinner). Fish, pasta, pizza, breads and impromptu soups and sandwiches fill the mix, along with sweets like the Choate's signature devil's food cake, fudge and cookies. Wine-pairing suggestions are also included, along with recipes for stocks, stews, canning and preserving. Heartwarming stories, family photos and illustrations abound, culminating in menus and recipes to celebrate Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas--or a classic French feast.

Straightforward instructions encourage home cooks to mix and match recipes to create their own family memories. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines