to really sink your teeth into…

We get quite a few cookbooks sent to our offices each month and honestly, many don’t make the cut for inclusion in the magazine or earn our recommendations, but from time to time we start seeing a bit of a theme emerging and know we

Chuck’s Home Cooking

by Chuck Hughes

Montréal-based chef and personality Chuck Hughes is a busy guy.

I’m going to start off with the back of the book and highlight the sweet stuff. There is a whole chapter called “Sugar Shack” that focuses on the most Canadian of ingredients – maple syrup. First off, what a great idea to spend a little attention there with Tire d’erable (p.205) a taffy of sorts made by reducing maple syrup and letting it set on fresh snow for a unique treat, but also “Maple Doughnuts” (p.211), and “Maple Baked Beans” (p.220) get a little love. Plenty of desserts are featured too that cover a good range of options ranging from decadent to sweet.

The bulk of Home Cooking is 10 chapters covering over 80 dishes, but most importantly, at least 2-3 dishes were flagged on my reading as things that my own, sometimes picky family would like –or that I’d plan to make for them. Brown Butter Scallops (p.166) called to me, but also a good recipe for Chicken Schnitzel have a pile building up of great books that we don’t have room to cover in depth for most issues.

To solve this, this month we have recommended a bevvy of weighty and “meaty” tomes that sort of all seem to appeal to a demographic that seems

(p.181) and Braised Beef Short Ribs (p.189) is a crowd pleaser. But too, the selection of breakfasts, soups and stews, and vegetable sides was comprehensive, mouthwatering, and certainly got my family pumped up.

Chef Hughes has a gift for clear instructions and the recipes are well laid out too.

Perhaps best of all is that the dishes do reflect a Canadian palate, and while a little more eastern Canadian, ingredients should be relatively easy to find and work with. Penguin $40

Salt Hank “A Five Napkin Situation”

by Henry Laporte

Refreshing would be possibly the wrong word to describe this one, but it’s in some ways a brutally honest, brevity-rich book that lives up to its “A Five Napkin Situation” byline. Packed with salt-rich, fat-laden, flavour-driven dishes with plenty of grown-up words, admissions of failure and acknowledgements that some to love grilling, love meat-centric (but not skipping the veggies or the sides), messier dishes, and big, flavourful, intense dishes. people prefer things another way.

Break out the napkins – you’re gonna need them.

One example being the Bruschetta Brick Chicken recipe (p.129) that makes a salty and garlicky bruschetta which can be dialed down for a “worse” version.

If you are trying to cut down on the aforementioned salt or fat content in your diet, this might not be your best book to tell your doctor about, but man oh man, if you want some flavour in your meals, you’ll likely want to peruse this one. Thought of another way, all the books on these pages were shown to a small test group of middle-aged men who frequently cook at home or professionally, and ALL of them politely asked if when I was done with it – they could maybe have it. To hell with them – right? Penguin $45

Dinner in One Take by

Bo Corley

This was precisely the sort of cookbook to take your time looking through, as it was exceedingly easy (and foolish) to try to pigeonhole into a simple category of book. This man, Bo Corley – apparently of @bothegoattv – knows how to cook, knows how to layer flavours and how to feed some hungry kids too. Almost every single dish inside is centred around animal-based proteins, which may cause consternation for some flavour fiends, but there is certainly a wide variety of dishes to explore. Importantly, many of these dishes offer variety and quick ways to add flavour. This really is about getting a great meal on the table when time is essential. Herb-Crusted Salmon (p.76) can be on the table in less than a half hour, and if potatoes are your comfort food, “Come to the Table Potato Skillet”, (p.96) would be pretty damn good after a “late night”. Everything is explained candidly with plenty of tips or fittingly called here “Cheat Codes”, things to avoid – and the reason why – when appropriate. But at the same time there is a fine variety between dishes that use the tools, spices, and appliances that we likely have already. Importantly, these are all meant to fill the need for quicker, weeknight dishes, but I’d think that you’d find a few of these will help on our still busy weekend meal planning. Harvard Common Press $33

Tastemaker – Cooking with Spice, Style, and Soul

by Scot Louie

Hey – we should all cook with a little more love and a little more “soul” and Tastemaker should appeal to all sorts who want to incorporate a little more Jamaican influences into their cooking. There are plenty of things to recommend in this one, and there is an excellent balance of veggie, seafood and yes, meaty dishes that can dial up the spice or bring a bit of a sweat – what was most appealing is how many of these dishes have a different approach or would really work at a party or outdoor gathering. Many of these recipes would complement a cold beer or two, and almost all have a little more kick – case in point – think about the Garlicky Lemon Pepper Lamb Chops with Honey Glaze (p.99).

Honestly, the dishes that caught my eye the most were the breakfast and brunch dishes – and the desserts!

Weldon Owen $40

Modern Creole

by Eric Cook

New Orleans and its cuisine is rather exotic for most of us, and visitors to the city tend to rave about the food (and drinks) they experience. Chef Eric Cook – one of the leading lights in New Orleans cuisine, has assembled a collection of modern, flavourful, and family-worthy dishes that may excite the guests at your next gathering.

Starting things off are a number of fairly decadent cocktail and beverage options, but things rocket along quickly into some appetizers (in the chapter fittingly called “Cocktails and Yum Yums”), small bites and so on (seriously check out the Mini Chicken Biscuits with Crystal Honey Gastrique on p. 51) before moving along to some flavourful salads and soups, stews and one-pot cooking. Meat and seafood are covered diligently, but it’s the number and quality of the sides that really shine. Especially if your own cooking involves high quality ingredients simply prepared, and you want some real bangers to show off.

Plenty of spice and layered flavours are found here, with a special focus on seafood, but plenty of attention is focused on soups and stews, along with some inspiration-worthy images that may bring some discussion about whether your eyes are bigger than your appetite – or vice versa. Gibbs Smith $53

Meat Pies

by Brian Polcyn with Michael Ruhlman

Honestly, I almost felt a little dirty perusing Meat Pies. It seemed EXACTLY what my Dr. or my family might suggest I avoid if I wanted to continue watching cholesterol, salt, or calories. But, on the other hand, it’s the melding of two great loves in dining, Meat and Pie.

Hell yeah! In reality, this is so much more. Covering everything from the dough or pastry needed and running the gamut from pot pies, (which are awesome!) tarts and galettes, but also yummy treats like turnovers – ample space is also given to making gluten-free versions. Finding only one or two dishes to recommend was a bit of a trick here as particular tastes will definitely come into play, but Wild Mushroom and Leek Pot Pie (yes, its vegetarian) on p.57 should pack in the flavour, and my family has already flagged for me to make the “Post Thanksgiving Turkey Pot Pie” on p.133. Hopefully my doctor doesn’t read this and see my plans to dig into some Individual Duck Confit Pies (p.146) one night soon. Not to worry either, there are things for the red meat fans, but also poultry, seafood and some vegetarian options too. Exceptionally well photographed throughout and a rather inspiring selection of dishes for crowds big and small, rewarding those that want to make something that looks insanely good at the table. Highly recommended. Norton $54