1999’s Best Cookbooks

What makes a great cookbook? Just like everything else to do with the subject of food, it’s all a matter of taste.

These are the books I like best this year. Many of them have been reviewed before. Some of them are beautifully written; some of them have wonderful photographs. The one thing they all have in common is that they make me want to cook.

1. “Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook” by Alice Waters and David Tannis (HarperCollins, $34).

Chez Panisse cookbooks are always beautiful, but they are sometimes, shall we say, a little precious. There’s none of that here. This is honest food, gutsy and sophisticated in a straight-ahead way. Almost every recipe sparkles with “I’ve gotta make this” splendor.

Even better for a book lover, this is a real treasure. The always brilliant David Lance Goines illustrations are complemented by elegantly simple page layouts and printed on quality paper. This is not a factory cookbook.

2. “Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home” by Julia Child and Jacques Pepin (Alfred Knopf, $40).

Leave it to these two old pros to blast a hole in the biggest myth in food writing--that there is only one way to roast a chicken. Gently argumentative--maybe disputative is a better word--these two share their thoughts on a wide range of kitchen issues, sometimes agreeing and sometimes not. Whichever, it’s the reader who wins. There are many paths to perfection, and this book has found a new one.

3. “West Coast Seafood” by Jay Harlow (Sasquatch Books, $23.95).

West Coast fish is different than what’s found back East, and this is the best book to tell you why. Not only do you get a full rundown on almost every popular variety, you’ll also get notes on seasonality, information on where they’re caught and cooking tips as well. Then there are the recipes. If you like seafood and you live in California, buy this book.

4. “Saveur Cooks Authentic French” by Colman Andrews and Dorothy Kalins (Chronicle Books, $40).

Is French cooking ready for a comeback? If there’s anything that could get that old heart beating again, it’s this wonderful book. Full of rustic, hearty food, gorgeous photography and winning essays, it’s probably the most beautiful book of the year.

5. “The Cook and the Gardener” by Amanda Hesser (W.W. Norton, $32.50).

Hesser served her culinary apprenticeship working for the wonderful Anne Willan at her French cooking school La Varenne. After work, she would follow Willan’s gardener around the property, asking questions, helping out and generally ingratiating herself. The story of their prickly relationship makes interesting reading and the recipes are well-chosen complements.

6. “The French Laundry Cookbook” by Thomas Keller (Artisan, $50).

Thought the era of the big beautiful book was over? Thought restaurant cookbooks were passe? Think again. Not only is this a tremendous commercial success, it works artistically too.

Credit the fine supporting team of writer Michael Ruhlman, photographer Deborah Jones and (especially) recipe tester Susie Heller for translating Keller’s vision--at once exacting and lavish--into something approaching reality.

Granted, this is not a book you are likely to cook from very often. But you might be surprised at how frequently you wind up dipping into it for a little inspiration and even a recipe or two.

7. “The Oxford Companion to Food” by Alan Davidson (Oxford University Press, $60).

This is one that’s destined to find its way onto the bookshelf of everyone who’s serious about food and wine. Might as well buy it now; you’ll have to sooner or later.

There are very few books that deserve to be called instant classics, but this is one of them. Full of information both utterly practical and delightfully obscure, it is written with an uncompromising eye for accuracy and a rich sense of detail. Is it possible for an encyclopedia to be funny?

8. “The Italian Country Table” by Lynne Rossetto Kasper (Scribner, $35).

Is there still something left to write about Italian cooking? In her second book, Kasper manages to make even the most-covered subjects sound fresh and new. This is a collection of recipes and stories based on the farmhouse cooking of Italy. The food is simple and vibrant and consistently interesting.

9. “The Asian Grocery Store Demystified” by Linda Bladholm (Renaissance Books, $14.95).

The best books don’t always come from the biggest concepts. This one apparently was written after someone walked through an Asian grocery store wondering, “What do I do with all of this stuff?” That thought is not terribly original, but the answer is; it’s a perfectly economical vest-pocket guide that is a real gem.

10. “The Armchair James Beard” edited by John Ferrone (Lyons Press, $24.95).

James Beard might be the most American cook who ever lived. Proud of his Oregon culinary heritage--which involved Pacific Northwest ingredients, an English mother and a Chinese cook--he was nonetheless curious about the cooking of other places. Being American, he was also full of enthusiasms: some well-considered, some less so.

It is unfortunate that that personality was so frequently masked in his cookbooks. Though those will always be vitally important as recipe collections, just think what their impact might have been had they gotten the full Beard treatment, the kind of honest, deeply felt appraisal that informs this book and “Love and Kisses and a Halo of Truffles” (Arcade, $25.95), his letters to Helen Evans Brown.

This is a collection of his journalism, mainly magazine stories written in the ‘70s. Though the quality is sometimes uneven (a few of the pieces could have done with sterner editing), it is still some of the best food writing published this year.

Braised Beef Short Ribs With Gremolata

Active Work Time: 45 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 3 hours 15 minutes plus 4 hours chilling

This recipe is from “Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook” by Alice Waters (HarperCollins, $34). Waters writes that many cooks in the cafe say this is their favorite dish. Short ribs make the most succulent of all braises because they have extraordinary flavor and the perfect ratio of fat-to-lean marbling. In the fall and winter, the restaurant serves them with hand-cut herb noodles or soft polenta and roasted root vegetables. The gremolata--the classic mixture of parsley, lemon zest and garlic--plays the perfect counterpoint.

RIBS

6 to 7 pounds beef short ribs, cut 2 inches thick

Salt, pepper

3 large

onions, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 leeks, white and pale green parts only, washed and roughly chopped

1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped

2 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped

6 cloves garlic, smashed

6 sprigs thyme

8 sprigs parsley

3 bay leaves

1 1/2 cups red wine

3 to 5 cups hot beef stock

* Cut ribs into smaller pieces, roughly square, so each piece includes a bone. Trim excess fat if necessary. Season generously with salt and pepper and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours, or overnight.

* Arrange ribs bone side down in roasting pan and roast at 475 degrees until lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

* Meanwhile, saute onions in olive oil in large skillet over medium heat until lightly colored, 6 to 7 minutes. Add leeks and carrot and cook until slightly softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, thyme, parsley and bay leaves and saute 2 minutes more.

* Spread vegetables in roasting pan large enough to hold ribs. Arrange ribs on top of vegetables, bone side up. Add wine and enough hot stock to barely cover ribs. Cover pan tightly with foil and place in oven. When braise begins to simmer, after about 20 minutes, loosen foil and reduce heat to 350 degrees.

* Begin to test for doneness after 1 1/2 hours. A skewer or paring knife inserted into meat should encounter no resistance, and meat should be nearly falling from bone. When they are tender, uncover ribs and turn them again so that bone side is down. Pour off and reserve braising juices. Raise heat to 450 degrees and return ribs to oven for a final browning. When they are beautifully glazed, after about 10 minutes, remove from oven. Strain braising liquid into bowl, pressing down on solids to extract juices. Allow liquid to settle, then spoon out grease. Pour liquid back over ribs and reheat if serving immediately, or cool, refrigerate and serve next day with Gremolata.

GREMOLATA

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Zest of 1/2 lemon, minced

1 large clove garlic, minced

* Just before serving, mix parsley, zest and garlic and scatter over short ribs. (These ingredients should be prepared at the last minute.)

6 servings. Each serving: 534 calories; 532 mg sodium; 130 mg cholesterol; 27 grams fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 47 grams protein; 1.21 grams fiber.

Crab Soup With Chipotle Chiles

Active Work Time: 20 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour

From “West Coast Seafood” by Jay Harlow (Sasquatch Books, $23.95). Here is a variation on tomato-flavored crab soup, based on one of the classic seafood dishes of Veracruz on Mexico’s gulf coast. The soup gets its particular punch from chipotle chile, the ripened and smoke-dried form of the familiar jalapeno chile. If you like spicy food, use two chiles and some sauce. In Veracruz, the soup would be made with the local blue crab, the same species also found from Texas to New England (Callinectes sapidus). One of our local Dungeness crabs can stand in here for three or four of their smaller Eastern cousins. Look for live crabs at Asian supermarkets.

1 live Dungeness crab, about 1 1/2 pounds

2 tablespoons oil

3 green onions, white parts sliced, tops reserved

1 (16-ounce can) whole peeled tomatoes, chopped, juice reserved

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 to 2 canned chipotle chiles, packed in adobo sauce

Salt

Lime or lemon wedges, for serving

Dried oregano leaves or fresh cilantro sprigs, for serving

* Rinse crab well under cold running water, scrubbing underside with long-handled brush (but watch out for claws). Place crab in deep pot with cold water to cover by several inches. Cover pot and bring water almost to boil over high heat. Turn off heat; let crab steep 10 minutes. Remove and rinse with cold water until cool enough to handle and reserve cooking liquid. Clean and crack crab and extract meat, keeping claw and leg sections as intact as possible. Save shells for broth.

* Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion tops and cook 2 minutes. Add 1 quart crab cooking water, tomato juice and crab shells. Bring to boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes.

* Strain broth, wipe pan dry, return pan to medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. Add garlic and sliced onions and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add broth, chopped tomatoes and chiles and simmer until chile flavor permeates broth, about 2 minutes. Add salt to taste, then add crab meat to broth to reheat, about 2 minutes. Remove chiles before serving. Serve with lime wedges and oregano for seasoning each bowl to taste.

Variation: If it’s more convenient to start with a cooked crab, clean and crack crab as usual and make soup base with shells and plain water. You will lose a bit of flavor, but it will still make good soup.

4 to 6 servings. Each of 6 servings: 96 calories; 322 mg sodium; 27 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams protein; 0.37 gram fiber.

Braised Red Cabbage

Active Work Time: 15 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

From “Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home” (Knopf, $40). You can vary this dish to suit your taste or ingredients on hand. Use regular or savoy cabbage; add minced garlic, apple slices or caraway seeds; or use part red wine or apple cider in the braising liquid.

1 red cabbage (2 to 2 1/4 pounds)

1 large onion, cut into thin slices (about 2 cups)

1/2 cup currants

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 cup chicken stock, plus more if necessary

* Cut out core of cabbage and discard any tough or discolored outside leaves. Slice cabbage in half or quarters, then slice lengthwise into 1/8-inch shreds. You should have about 12 cups.

* Toss cabbage and onion in large nonstick skillet and add currants, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, oil and stock. Bring to boil over high heat, then cover. Reduce heat to medium and braise, stirring occasionally, until there is only a small amount of liquid left and cabbage is moist and just slightly crunchy, about 40 to 45 minutes. (If skillet starts to dry before cabbage is done, add a little more stock and continue cooking.) Adjust seasonings and serve.

6 to 8 servings. Each of 8 servings: 67 calories; 364 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 1.23 grams fiber.