Food & Wine USA - (12)December 2020

OBSESSIONS

28 DECEMBER 2020

EDITORS’ PICKS

WITH MANY OF US COOKING AT HOME more often, it’s been a great year to grow our cookbook collections.

Some of these new additions delivered a much-needed refresh to our well-worn dinner repertoires,

while others allowed us to channel newfound free time into incredibly rewarding baking projects. Here

are a few of the best cookbooks team Food & Wine picked up and loved in 2020—each one would make a

thoughtful gift that will yield good meals and memories for years to come. OSET BABÜR

e Best Cookbooks of 2020 Snag our new favorites.

OPEN KITCHEN

BY SUSAN SPUNGEN

“The pandemic scuttled Susan

Spungen’s book tour for Open

Kitchen last spring, but noth-

ing can dim her visionary style.

From her cheese board to her

Berry Brita Cake, Susan has the

most delicious imagination. Her

playful palate will inspire you

to sprint to the kitchen and get

cooking.” JOSH MILLER

ARAN: RECIPES AND

STORIES FROM A BAKERY IN

THE HEART OF SCOTLAND

BY FLORA SHEDDEN

“I want to make every single

thing in Great British Bake Off

finalist Flora Shedden’s cook-

book. The book is as whimsical

as her bakery itself, filled with

recipes that go from dawn to

dinner to dessert.”

NINA FRIEND

EVERYDAY FRESH: MEALS IN

MINUTES BY DONNA HAY

“I worked for Aussie cookbook

ninja Donna Hay in my former

life. Regardless, I’d still buy

her gorgeous books, which are

equal parts practical instruction

and visual hedonism. Forced as

I was into cooking every night

this year, this approachable

book has inspired me like none

other.” MELANIE HANSCHE

CHICANO EATS

BY ESTEBAN CASTILLO

“Just like his blog, Esteban

Castillo’s book is filled with vivid

storytelling surrounding his

Mexican-American heritage. I

can’t stop making the Chorizo-

Spiced Delicata Squash Tortas,

and his Cajeta Cream Cheese

Brownie Tart recipe has ruined

me for other brownies.”

KHUSHBU SHAH

FRUIT CAKE: RECIPES FOR

THE CURIOUS BAKER

BY JASON SCHREIBER

“The vibrant cakes, muffins,

pastries, and sweets that fill the

pages of Jason Schreiber’s new

cookbook Fruit Cake will make

you forget about the old door-

stop studded with dried fruit

and try your hand at baking

something more fanciful.”

KELSEY YOUNGMAN

VEGETABLE KINGDOM

BY BRYANT TERRY

“Author and activist Bryant Terry

weaves global influences into a

vegan cookbook that delivers

flavor, beauty, and pleasure in

every recipe. With an emphasis

on the ingredients and flavors of

the African diaspora, this joyful

book has helped me re-center

my cooking on plant-based

sources.” KAREN SHIMIZU

FALASTIN BY SAMI TAMIMI

AND TARA WIGLEY

“Months into using this book, I’m

still transfixed by Sami Tamimi

and Tara Wigley’s beautiful

homage to Palestinian cooking,

which includes colorful

vignettes about the region’s his-

tory, people, and agriculture—

with a healthy side of pome-

granate molasses and fattoush,

just as I like it.” OSET BABÜR

photography by CAITLIN BENSEL

PROP STYLING: CHRISTINE KEELY