A Bounty of New Cookbooks

As the saying goes, “So many books, so little time.” This is certainly fitting for recent cookbook publishing. Foodies will be pleased with the abundance of offerings available to add to their collection — memoirs, anniversary editions, iconic authors and more.

Find a new favorite or enjoy the latest by your tried and true chef. Here’s to happy reading and happy cooking!

“The Brain Health Kitchen” by Annie Fenn, M.D.

Fenn, the founder of the Brain Health Kitchen, a science-based cookbook and care manual for the brain, believes food is our most powerful tool for resisting cognitive decline. She focuses on 10 foods with neuroprotective benefits to include in our diet, along with the six foods to avoid because they can accelerate cognitive decline. Fenn then describes how to prepare healthy foods using brain-friendly cooking techniques.

The 100 recipes in this book are beneficial, delicious and work for everyone — meat-eaters, vegans, vegetarians and gluten intolerant. Look for the fun Science Bites scattered throughout the book, where Fenn explains the brain benefits of certain foods, such as berries, quinoa, oat bran, watercress and more.

“Ottolenghi Comfort” by Yotam Ottolenghi

Author of 10 cookbooks and writer for both the Saturday Guardian and New York Times Magazine, Yotam Ottolenghi may be best known for championing vegetables and ingredients once considered exotic. This mission has led to what many cooks call “The Ottolenghi Effect.” Consequently, his recipes are full of color, flavor, bounty and sunshine. Who wouldn’t love that description!

He’s co-authored this book with three cooks from different cultures and communities — Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley — making for an interesting mix. The over 100 recipes included are unique, elegant and presented in a way that’s easy to follow, with photos so inviting one reviewer stated “they invited a culinary brain dance.”

As we move into the winter months and start craving comfort food, here’s hoping you’ll be inspired and reach for “Comfort” again and again.

“Martha: The Cookbook” by Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart’s latest cookbook is not only her 100th book, but it’s published an astonishing 42 years after her first! What a long history and journey from her first book, “Entertaining,” published back in 1982. For many who were new to cooking and homemaking, Stewart’s early books (and later magazines) were aspirational guides, with an impact so profound some consider her the first influencer.

The latest book contains 100 of Stewart’s favorite recipes from over the years and provides something for everyone and for every level of cook. The quality of the book itself is what readers have come to expect from the domestic diva and perfectionist, featuring beautiful photos of both the recipes and never-before-seen images from Stewart’s private archive. Extra features are the little lessons from her personal life and from her kitchen.

Stewart was the first woman who saw the marketability of her own life and turned it into a lifestyle brand, becoming the first self-made female billionaire. Her goal was to write books to educate and inspire readers to create the life they’ve dreamed of and to elevate the everyday. Well done, Martha!

“Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir” by Ina Garten

Ina the iconic — this word fits her well. Readers will likely discover newfound respect for Garten’s determination, conviction and trust, given what it took for her to accomplish all she’s done. We learn about her difficult childhood with mentally and sometimes physically abusive parents and are reminded of her high-level job in Washington, D.C. and then her food shop in the Hamptons before building her brand. But there’s so much more.

Read the story of her first food business while in college, selling doughnuts to her fellow students. And learn of her separation from her husband when she yearned for an equal partnership and searched for who she was and what she wanted.

The title, “Be Ready When the Luck Happens,” certainly fits with the last few lines of Garten’s book: “I concentrate on what’s in front of me and work hard because I love what I do, and I have fun doing it. And then I leave the door open, so I’ll be ready when the luck happens.”

Get yourself a copy and pour yourself a cosmo. Cheers to Ina!

“America’s Test Kitchen 25th Anniversary Cookbook”

You may know America’s Test Kitchen from its successful and longest-running cooking show on TV. And it’s still going strong. Through their mission to inspire confidence, community and creativity in the kitchen, they’ve taught millions of people to be better cooks.

And to celebrate their 25th anniversary, they’ve created an impressive cookbook, with a beautiful linen-style cover and ribbon bookmark — a kind of love letter to their cast and crew.

From more than 13,000 options, they’ve chosen 500 new and classic recipes for this book. In addition to the recipes, you’ll read about recipe development, the science of good cooking as well as the ingredients and equipment. There’s also a Cast Q&A section, where 16 contributors answer questions such as first recipe made, must-have kitchen tool, ultimate comfort food, best advice for home cooks and the like.

Every cook, whether seasoned or a novice, will find gems in this book. I already have my list of new recipes to try.

Wellington Square Bookshop is an award-winning bookshop in Eagleview Town Center. Patrons are primarily local, but many come from around the world to this curated shop with an excellent staff. There’s a coffee and tea bar serving pastries, comfortable spaces to curl up with a good book, plus monthly book clubs and a poetry group. Follow them on Instagram and visit WellingtonSquareBooks.com. 549 Wellington Square, Exton.