THREE OF THE BEST

MODERN CLASSIC COOKBOOKS

1

Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

These days, if you say “I’ll bring an Ottolenghi salad,” to any party host, you’ll be greeted with both understanding and praise. It’s the book that launched the London-based, Jerusalem-born chef to global prominence, and for 120 good reasons. The ever-practical guide to salads, bowls and bakes approaches vegetables and grains with care and pizazz. With sections devoted to a rainbow of produce, this book is a classic for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. Just don’t forget to add pomegranate molasses to your shopping list. Ebury Press, $39.95.

2

How to Eat a Peach by Diana Henry

Rather than simply writing recipes, Diana Henry crafts seamless menus and creates lasting memories. This book, comprised of 25 menus, not only casts your mind to cooking but creates a mood, imparts a talking point and transports you to another time and place, be it the seaside in Brittany or a mystical evening in Istanbul. As an avid food writer, Henry’s musings are truly a form of globetrotting, without ever leaving your kitchen and dining table. This is the kind of cookbook you’ll have on your shelf and cherish forever. Octopus Publishing Group, $39.95.

3

Beyond Nose to Tail: A Kind of British Cooking: Part II by Fergus Henderson and Justin Piers Gellatly

They’re the pair who are likely to have influenced every other chef in this magazine, and the faces of modern British cuisine. Henderson tackles beasts not just by their horns, but their ears (see his recipe for pressed pig’s ear), insides (there’s a bunch of ways to make the most of sweetbreads and livers) and almost every other part. It’s not all meaty treats – there’s also puddings, sourdough loaves and cakes. Sweet or savoury this book is a must-own for carnivorous cooks. Bloomsbury, $35.