Staff Picks: Holiday Cooking
by lucroe
It is that busiest time of year for some of us &, if you like to cook, the holidays can be a chance to show off your skills or at least try some recipes you think may impress. Here are some cookbooks to get you started whether you are baking a pie, cooking a vegan spread, or looking to become the next mixologist, there’s a book for you in our collection!
Baking & Desserts
Baking for the Holidays by Sarah Kieffer | Request Now
You have some traditional recipes like for carrot cake and pumpkin pie, but what about something as delicious sounding as Hot Chocolate cake with marshmallow fluff filling (I can feel the sugar rush just thinking about it!) Also included are recipes for candies, pastries, cookies, and more. The author’s other title 100 Cookies is a must for all kinds of scrumptiousness too.
Joan Nathan’s Jewish Holiday Cookbook |Request Now
Nearly 400 recipes for every Jewish holiday and covering Jewish cuisine from different regions of the world. She accompanies each recipe with a bit of culinary history which makes for interesting reading. There are healthy recipes like low cholesterol challah and some classics like Pineapple Noodle Kugel. For more challah, babka, and other bread recipes try the Modern Jewish Baker or master baker Uri Scheft’s Baking Breads.
Milk & Cardamom by Hetel Vasavada| Request Now
Add some delectable Indian spices like ginger, cardamom, saffron, fennel and rose, to your baking this holiday season. Here you will find such treats as Sesame Seed Brittle and Bourbon Biscuits and Gulab Jamun Cake or dive into a European/Indian mashup with the Mango Lassi French Macarons for a wonderful holiday treat!
Sister Pie by Lisa Ludwinski | Request Now
And who can forget the pie…not when you have this perfect pie cookbook from Detroit’s own Sister Pie bakery. Once you have a Sister’s pie, you will never want any others, except maybe your own rendition of one of theirs and this book will help you to recreate them. Here you will find everything to make a pie, from dough to filling to crust. Arranged by seasons, you will find fall and winter chapter has such delicacies as brown butter plum crumble pie and minced pear pie. There are both savory and sweet pies that will make your mouth water just reading about. Another good pie book is the Book on Pie which includes vegan & gluten free options.
Drinks
Modern Classic Cocktails by Robert Simonson | Request Now
For this author what defines a modern classic cocktail is to have a life beyond where it originated, has variations but still maintain its own stature, and it had to be created during the heyday of craft cocktails 2007-2012. Stories of the cocktails along with recipes for such standouts as the Espresso Martini and Amaretto Sour. For more craft cocktails try the New Craft of the Cocktail which includes 500 recipes to quench that thirst.
Mocktail Party by Kerry Benson | Request Now
Here are some delicious and fairly healthy drinks to enjoy the holidays. Crafted by registered dieticians, these non-alcohol and low sugar beverages are sure to please. With names like, Watermelon Mock-jito, No-Bull Bloody, & Blueberry Acai Daiquiri and easy to make with ingredients available at your local market, these will be a hit at any holiday gathering. Other mocktail recipe books include one for Mom’s to be called Drinking for two and others with low to no alcohol like Zero Proof Drinks & More & Drink Lightly
The Meal
Vegan Holiday Cookbook by Katie Culpin | Request Now
Although subtitled …for Thanksgiving & Christmas…the recipes here can apply to many other holidays and parties. Containing 75 plant-based recipes, this should assist the newbie vegan cook as well as those cooking for someone who is vegan. Included are recipes for breakfast to dinner as well as snacks, desserts, & drinks to please. There is Parsnip soup, Sweet Potato Salad, & Cheesy Broccoli Bake with a Pecan Caramel Pie, then off to take a satisfying nap! Other books to compliment this are Vegan Holiday Kitchen & Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook.
Complete Autumn & Winter Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen | Request Now
Enjoy these impressive cozy meals and treats to warm yourself whether it’s after raking leaves, shoveling snow, or as part of the holiday parties. There are entrees like Cider-Braised Pork Roast, breads like Fig and Fennel Bread, and of course desserts like Cranberry Curd Tart. There are chapters for fall favorites using pumpkins, apples, soups & more! Keeping with the cozy inspired cookbook, try the Snowy Cabin Cookbook it will delight with recipes for hearty soups & meals as well as exploring the Danish art of Hygge.
Cook’s Illustrated all Time Best Holiday Entertaining by America's Test Kitchen | Request Now
Here’s a cookbook to help you prep a traditional or a modern Thanksgiving Day meal for a group. Pulled together from 20 years of testing, there are not so usual sides like Roasted Cauliflower Gratin & entrees like Boneless Rib Roast with Yorkshire Pudding or the more traditional Herbed Roasted Turkey & Quick Green Bean Casserole. And of course there are plenty of desserts to go around. Want more snack choices before the main event? Try Beautiful Boards or the Art of the Board.
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