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Bonus: From Classic Catering’s Library, Harriet’s Holiday Book Picks:

Big Heart Little Stove, Bringing Home Meals & Moments from the Lost Kitchen by Erin French
Erin French’s third book Big Heart Little Stove, Bringing Home Meals & Moments from the Lost Kitchen would be a welcomed gift for any home cook.  French writes that all her life she has been figuring out how to do a lot with a little and this theme threads its way throughout most of the book.  Straightforward recipes with subtle touches create seductive plates, sage advice from the mothers in her life and the effectiveness of simplicity elucidate this principle. This beautiful new cookbook is a thoughtful guide to good food, the art of hospitality and the intangibles that elevate a shared meal.

Seafood Simple by Eric Ripert
Like a Zen master gaining a beginner’s mind, Eric Ripert’s eighth book, Seafood Simple, returns to the basics after decades of practice.  The meals I have enjoyed at his two restaurants included some of the finest dishes I have ever tasted and epitomize simple elegance. In his latest cookbook, he allows the reader an opportunity to make seafood the main dish with minimal fuss.  The recipes are arranged by cooking technique and rarely stray into unknown realms; merluza with curry oil and yellow cauliflower is about as exotic as it gets.  Systematically practicing the techniques and dishes in Seafood Simple would make an excellent New Year’s resolution for the home cook wanting to gain confidence in fine seafood preparation.

Veg-Table Recipes, Techniques + Plant Science for Big-Flavors, Vegetable-Focused Meals by Nik Sharma
Open Veg-Table Recipes, Techniques + Plant Science for Big-Flavored, Vegetable-Focused Meals and you will know you are in the hands of not only a chef but a scientist as well. The end pages are lined with a charming “Table of Vegetables” akin to the periodic table of elements but with new invented symbols. Nik Sharma is a molecular biologist, food blogger and cookbook author whose novel recipes are packed with flavors linked to his Indian heritage, time in the south and boundless curiosity. I can’t wait to try Za’atar Onion Rings with Buttermilk Caraway Dipping Sauce, Cauliflower Bolognese and Bombay Potato Croquettes.

Kid in the Kitchen, 100 Recipes and Tips for Young Home Cooks by  Melissa Clark & Daniel Gercke
Kid in the Kitchen, 100 Recipes and Tips for Young Home Cooks is not a new book but that should not deter you from considering it as a holiday gift.  Written by cookbook author Daniel Gercke and his wife Melissa Clark, a New York Times food columnist and cookbook author as well. Written with the authority of parents who cook with their child, there is a wide variety of family friendly dishes, lots of helpful advice and well written recipes that anticipate questions that the new cooks are likely to ask. Set the table and Not-Quite-Instant Ramen, fun pizza ideas and Picadillo, spicy ground meat with olives and raisins might grace it soon.

The Upstairs Delicatessen: On Eating, Reading, Reading About Eating & Eating While Reading by Dwight Garner
The Upstairs Delicatessen: On Eating, Reading, Reading About Eating, & Eating While Reading by Dwight Garner certainly appeals to two of my favorite passions.
Dwight Garner is a book critic for the New York Times and his new memoir will naturally captivate book-lovers and enthusiastic eaters.  Beware, The Upstairs Delicatessen leads to lots of rabbit holes and possible caloric pursuits. Happy Holidays.