Kate's Global Kitchen: Summer Cookbook Picks

Kate's Summer Cookbook Picks

Summer Reading—with Recipes!

What makes summer cookbooks different from other cookbooks? Time. Attitude. Company. In the summer, I finally have the time to relax and leisurely enjoy perusing cookbooks. (I even get the time to read non-food books—how shocking!) I joyfully try out foreign recipes, exploring different techniques, and experimenting with new foods. And I get to share these feasts of fancy with friends, dining alfresco on snacks or whole meals. This is my time of year to relax and have fun, and I do it with great commitment.

So while I'm off in July and August recharging my culinary batteries, I present my picks for the best summer cookbook reads.

Summer cookbooks don't have to be published in summer. They may have been published in fall, or hit the shelves years ago (although this set of picks are all recent titles), but what qualifies them in my mind is that they make for good reads. "Read" is the operative word here. For even if you don't feel like cooking, these books will take you places. You can join a road trip through the Deep South, close your eyes and shop Parisian markets, skip from islands to mainlands in the Pacific Rim, or jump off the train in Naples to spend a few delicious weeks by the sea. Or, consider the everyday parts of our lives—you can always learn something new about basic foods, including salt, pepper, and dessert (which are considered by many to be as essential as the air we breathe).

Enjoy the words, savor the recipes, and I'll be back in September to bid the sunny season adieu and to welcome the first falling leaves of Autumn with new recipes, new cookbooks, and new columns.

Ciao and Buon Appetito!

Kate Heyhoe
The Global Gourmet