The Globe and Mail
Fall is traditionally cookbook season: More titles are released in October than any other month of the year, coinciding with cooler temperatures (we want to turn our ovens on) and harvest time (so much to inspire us!). It’s a great time to be in the kitchen.
Hunter Chef in the Wild: Game, Fish, and Fowl Recipes and Techniques for Cooking Outdoors, by Michael Hunter (Penguin Canada)
Skilled hunter, angler, outdoorsman and founder of Antler Kitchen & Bar in Toronto, chef Michael Hunter takes readers along on his outdoor adventures, connecting them with the source of their food: Fresh and saltwater fish and wild game are prepared outside using a variety of cooking methods, including (but not limited to) grilling, smoking and spit-roasting.
Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love: A Cookbook, by Samin Nosrat (Random House)
Samin Nosrat offers plenty of good things – words, ideas, recipes. Her latest book is a compilation of delicious food from her kitchen, staples such as whipped tahini and creamy oregano dressing, and fancier dishes such as Dungeness crab with Calabrian chile butter. There are also guides – such as a summer salad matrix to use with seasonal produce that aids in decision-making while combining complementary textures and flavours – and she writes about how to create dinner rituals and cook and eat with our communities. All good things when it comes to how we eat.
Bread Etc.: Recipes + Techniques for Baking with Sourdough, Yeasted Dough, Pizza Dough + More, by Matthew James Duffy (Appetite by Random House)
Chef, culinary instructor and bread fanatic Matthew James Duffy has cooked and baked all over the world, in bakeries, pizzerias and Michelin-starred restaurants. In Bread Etc. he distills the complex art of kneading, shaping and baking doughs, with recipes well-suited to both novice and advanced bakers.
These tiny apple crumb cakes will satisfy your fall muffin craving
Anna Cooks: 125+ Delicious & Achievable Recipes for Every Meal of the Day, by Anna Olson (Appetite by Random House)
Known for her boundless baking expertise, chef Anna Olson explores her savoury side for the first time in book form, with a beautiful, approachable collection of breakfasts, soups, salads, snacks and dinner ideas that will keep you well-fed until it’s time for dessert. (And of course there is a chapter on dessert!)
Thyme for Dessert: Sweets and Treats Inspired by the Flavours of the Pacific Northwest Coast, by DL Acken (Touchwood)
A tribute to flavours associated with West Coast cuisine – think spruce tips, haskaps and blueberries – Acken’s sweet recipes highlight fresh Canadian ingredients and feature her beautiful food styling and photography.
Eight exciting wines that announce the onset of the festive season
Indian Food Is Easy: Vibrant, Comforting Recipes for Every Day of the Week, by Vijaya Selvaraju (Appetite by Random House)
Recipe developer and food personality Vijaya Selvaraju, who grew up in a household that celebrated food and passed on culinary customs and techniques, makes Indian cuisine more approachable by simplifying traditional recipes for busy home cooks without compromising on taste. Her cookbook reflects her warm personality, as she makes it easier to get your favourite Indian dishes on the table.
Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America, by Sean Sherman with Kate Nelson and Kristin Donnelly (Penguin Random House)
Turtle Island delves into rich culinary traditions and Indigenous foodways, illuminating how they teach us all to connect with the natural world. With a focus on the histories and stories of Indigenous communities in each region, the book features more than 100 ancestral and modern recipes from three-time James Beard Award–winning Oglala Lakota chef Sean Sherman.