Cooking the Books: 10 Cookbooks for Valentine's Day Inspiration
Valentine’s Day has made me hungry for normalcy. With each day blending into the next with its unforgiving sameness and images of romance lurking around every corner, I’m keenly aware of just how far my partners are from me, and how ravenous I am for something as simple as a dinner date at a cozy local restaurant. Trust me, I get it! I want the wine and the candles and the intimate corner booths too. But these are just romantic images superimposed on a deeper, more desperate desire for comfort; for safety, connection, a genuine feeling of home.
The image of safety is not the reality of it, and the landscape is no less dangerous on February 14th than it will have been on all the days before. So instead of going out this Valentine’s Day, try taking one of these cookbooks home–cook with your partner, if you’re lucky enough to live with them, or bake a sweet treat to send to far-flung beloveds.
Love yourselves, your neighbors, and the servers at your local restaurants: stay home. Stay safe. Read books.
written by Abby Rauscher
Jacque
Almond Butter Banana Bread from Dessert Person by Claire Saffitz
I love this recipe because it is so easy and, of course, delicious! I can eat a whole loaf myself but thank goodness I have a roommate who enjoys it as much as I do. The original recipe is gosh-darn-scrumptious but I also tried making it without sugar which worked great (in my opinion)! It obviously won’t turn out as sweet but the natural ingredients stood out to me more without the sugar. I love experimenting with recipes and I feel like this one can’t turn out wrong. Banana + almond butter = yum.
Boiled Apple Cider Pie from Pie Camp by Kate McDermott
I made this pie last Thanksgiving and brought it to Books Are Magic. In my humble opinion, my fellow booksellers enjoyed it! What makes this recipe special is the “boiled apple cider” part. It’s so simple to make boiled apple cider but takes about 5 hours! Literally all you do is boil the cider on low heat until it turns into syrup. I was amazed! The syrup is delicious on it’s own and I saved the rest in a jar for pancakes. Don’t be deterred by making the syrup - it’ll make your pie stand out amongst all the rest, promise.
Emma
I couldn't tell you what I cooked from March to September. We all ate–let's just leave it at that. Even though it was the first time I've cooked every meal for my family, 3x a day, 7 days a week- I have never felt less inspired or interested. Come September, however, and with the addition of some heaven-sent childcare and in-person school,
Ottolenghi Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi
Lamb and pistachio patties with sumac yogurt sauce. I mean, doesn't that just sound like a good idea? It is a very good idea. My friend Yotam, who I love even more after watching him in the Netflix documentary about making cakes to match an exhibit at the Met about Versaille, is obviously the best, and everyone knows it, but this book is a good reminder why–he makes delicious food, and this book truly is simple, easy for pathetic, easily-intimidated home cooks like me.
Falastin by Sami Tamimi & Tara Wigley
This is my new favorite cookbook–we have cooked 5 or 6 dishes from it, and every single one is delicious. Not only are they delicious, they provide that amazing feeling one sometimes gets after making something new–this came from MY kitchen? The roasted cod with cilantro crust takes about 15 minutes, and will make you feel omnipotent. The lemon chicken with za'atar will make you feel like you are nourishing yourself, for real. Because you are. (Mike wants credit for doing most of the cooking from this book, which I hereby officially grant. The only thing nicer than a beautiful, delicious homemade meal is a beautiful, delicious homemade meal that someone else had made for you.)
Snacking Cakes by Yossy Arefi
Now here is a concept I can get behind. This, truly, is how I want to live my life. Who needs to wait for birthdays to bake a cake? Fuck that. It's a pandemic–bake a cake. It'll sit on your counter and you'll nibble at it and if there are small children in your household, as there are in mine, how lucky to live in a house full of cake for no reason. Today, my five year announced that it was the birthday of his favorite, most treasured stuffie. We will be baking a cake. (The cocoa yogurt cake, the book's cover star.)
Shulokhana
Snacking Cakes by Yossy Arefi
Sometimes I get this itch for cake that drives me insane but I don't want to go out (ew) or spend the money (ew ew). Obviously the answer is making a cake yourself and I know it sounds like so much but hear me out - the recipes in snacking cakes are almost all one bowl recipes! They're so easy and quick and low effort and while the title says "snacking" you can totally eat these cakes for every meal because you're the boss of you. Try the berry cream cheese cake which you can make with pantry ingredients and eat in one sitting. It's okay because the fruit life is the health life.
Natalie
Maple-Roasted Carrot Salad from Cooking For Jeffrey by Ina Garten
This brilliant cookbook from our domestic queen Ina Garten is amazing! So many comfort food recipes to choose from but the maple roasted carrot salad is one I make for any special occasion. It's a perfectly balanced salad with creamy goat cheese, spicy arugula, and some sweetness from the carrots and cranberries. Ina knows you should never underestimate the power of a salad and every recipe in this book is a hit! I mean, if she's cooking for Jeffrey, you know it's going to be good.
Nick
Emily: The Cookbook by Emily & Matthew Hyland
We loved going to the Downing Street Emily restaurant and getting Detroit style, rectangular, cheesy crust, pizza. Specifically the peperoni, jalapeno and honey pizza. So what better to celebrate a favorite New York pizza place then making your own pie at home.
Anthony
Sprinkle (*cough* Funfetti) Biscotti from Molly on the Range by Molly Yeh
I loved this recipe for Funfetti Biscotti so much I ran to the bookstore the next day to get Molly’s cookbook. Her recipes are the definition of twee, and you can’t help but feel happy when cooking/eating them. Her tater tot covered hotdish has become a regular winter dinner for our home, much to the dismay of my boyfriend’s and my own waistlines.
This recipe is super easy even for the most inexperienced baker, and an extra fun treat to brighten anyone’s day, like when was the last time you had a slice of Funfetti cake? Make an extra batch to gift to to your neighbor, roommate, coworkers, or mail carrier!
Abby
Rack-Roasted Chicken with Gravy Potatoes from Where Cooking Begins by Carla Lalli Music
Look, I’m no chef–I eat more hot pockets than are typically recommended for a person who doesn’t want to die of malnutrition, and the thought of using more than one pan for anything makes me want to cry. I love Carla’s cookbook because it’s gentle on my tired, wrinkle-free winter brain and gives me lots of tasty options that I don’t have to think too hard about or spend a lot of money on. Her rack-roasted chicken with gravy potatoes is especially inspired–you just toss that whole chicken directly on the oven rack and let all of its delicious fatty juices drip down on the potatoes beneath. It all finishes cooking at the same time, and you feel fancy as hell because you just made a whole meal in your own home! Look at you go!
Nika
Rutabaga Laksa from East by Meera Sodha
Meera Sodha’s amazing vegetarian and vegan recipes have been on my radar ever since I discovered the wonders of The Guardian’s food column (free! recipes!), so I was thrilled when I received this cookbook as a gift. This recipe has all the goodies: coconut, ginger, caramelized shallots (the best of the onion family imo), noodles, cilantro. Plus, it’s vegan! I’m not, but you don’t have to be to enjoy these flavor-packed and lowkey recipes. You can’t go wrong!
