Spring’s parade of cookbooks are bringing a lot of joy into our kitchens. We read, cooked and baked our way through dozens of them, finding respite in some newfound culinary wisdom. Ace L.A. baker Nicole Rucker of Fat + Flour gave us recipes from her new book for London Fog brownies and her signature vegan lemon lavender cookies, using simplified methods that turned her baking world around. Ari Kolender, the chef whose East Hollywood raw bar Found Oyster won us over with pristine seafood and clam shack charm, wrote “How to Cook the Finest Things in the Sea” and helped us feel comfortable cooking all kinds of fish and shellfish. And along with chefs and other food lovers, we explored our own lived-in libraries, highlighting the cookbooks that have meant the most to us, the ones we most cherish, each for our own reasons. Here’s what we’re dog-earing right now.
Fat + Flour: The Art of a Simple Bake
In her new cookbook, Nicole Rucker of Fat + Flour shares insights that helped turn her baking world around.
THE RECIPES
Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Yields Makes 12 cookies
Time About 35 minutes, plus optional cooling time
Yields Makes one 9-by-13-inch tray of brownies
How to Cook the Finest Things in the Sea
Chef Ari Kolender’s L.A. restaurants Found Oyster and Queen St. combine the charm of Charleston and the cult of seafood with chill cross-coastal vibes. His first cookbook is out: “How to Cook the Finest Things in the Sea.”
THE RECIPES
Time 40 minutes
Yields Serves 4 to 6
Time 20 minutes
Yields Serves 4 to 6
Time 20 minutes
Yields Serves 2 to 4
Eating seafood sustainably is simpler than you think. Eat less salmon, tuna and shrimp and more of other kinds of fish and shellfish, for starters.
