Great Books For The Foodie In Your Life

Sifting through the dross to find a great gift for the foodie in your life can be tough. Especially considering how much amped up "celebrity chef" marketing goes on this time of year.

For me?  A foodie book -- whether it is a book of essays on recipes or travel and dining or essays about the intersection of family, home and food or a combination of all of the above -- has to occasionally make me laugh out loud, it has to make me think about things from a new or renewed perspective, and it must be written well.  Sloppy or dull writing ruins the entire experience for me, and those sorts of books tend to get weeded out of my shelves pretty quickly.

If you have a loved one who enjoys a good, snarky laugh and who has more than a passing familiarity with the finer points of cuisine, Elizabeth David is a wonderful choice.  Her book of essays An Omelette And A Glass Of Wine is well worth reading -- preferably slowly and curled up in a cozy chair with a glass of chateauneuf de pape.

For a more recent take on Elizabeth David, brought vividly to life with superb photographs, take a peek at the sumptuous At Elizabeth David's Table. The photographs are so delicious, you can almost smell the spices wafting off the pages. But it is the simplicity and genius of the recipes therein that will keep you coming back for more. The book is gorgeous, and would be lovely as a coffee table display, but it is one that will be well worth splattering in the kitchen for generations to come -- it is that good.

In terms of home comforts, reading Laurie Colwin's Home Cooking and More Home Cooking is like hanging out with your best friend for the best relaxing retreat you can imagine. Her writing is amazing, but it is how she imbues it with her own inner light that calls you back time and time again -- brilliant stuff.  I took these books with me through a number of my testing and biopsy days the last few months because it truly was as though I were bringing my best friends along to hold my hand -- how often can you say that a book gives you both insight and comfort? 

I cannot express enough how wonderful these books are, and how well Colwin's gentle spirit shines through them to embrace the reader in a gentle spirit of comfort and joy.


Speaking of comfort, have you read Marcella Hazan's brilliant Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking? Her recipes for roasted lemon chicken and for minestrone will astonish you with their purity of taste -- the minestrone is one of those recipes I go back to time and time again, and her roasted lemon chicken has revolutionized how I have cooked poultry ever since the first time I made it.

In my quest to feed my family healthier meals, I have read through book after book on diets and dietary advice.  What is the one book that stands out as an amazingly healthy yet superbly crafted in terms of both taste and satisfaction?  Martha Rose Shulman's Mediterranean Light. Her recipes are never about deprivation, but instead show the reader how to nourish the soul and the taste buds while simultaneously providing healthy nourishment based on real foods. 

Finding gifts for the holidays can be tough.  Especially so when you are in such a rush day in and day out with all of the other things that work and life throw in our paths.  Contemplate a gift this year that will nourish both the body and the soul of someone you love.

These books are w wonderful start to finding something wonderful for someone you love.

Those are but a few of the books I have loved through the years -- and still re-read and love over and over again.  If you have a favorite that I've missed, please share it in the comments!

(YouTube -- The Swedish Chef contemplates cooking the Christmas meal.  Classic stuff.)