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Book Recommendations:

Recommended by Food Network

Provides all the information budding javaphiles need to discover what they like in a cup of specialty coffee—and how to replicate the perfect cup at home. (from Amazon)

Named a top food & drink book of 2017 by Food Network, Wired, Sprudge, and Booklist. This comprehensive but accessible handbook is for the average coffee lover who wants to make better coffee at home. Unlike other coffee books, this one focuses exclusively on coffee—not espresso—and explores multiple pour-over, immersion, and cold-brew techniques on 10 different devices. Thanks to a small but growing number of dedicated farmers, importers, roasters, and baristas, coffee quality is at an all-time high. But for nonprofessionals, achieving café quality at home can seem out of reach. With dozens of equipment options, conflicting information on how to use that equipment, and an industry language that, at times, doesn’t seem made for the rest of us, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Craft Coffee: A Manual, written by a coffee enthusiast for coffee enthusiasts, is a comprehensive guide to improving your brew at home. The book provides all the information readers need to discover what they like in a cup of specialty coffee—and how to replicate the perfect cup day after day. From the science of extraction and brewing techniques to choosing equipment and deciphering coffee bags, Craft Coffee focuses on the issues—cost, time, taste, and accessibility—that home coffee brewers negotiate and shows that no matter where you are in your coffee journey, you can make a great cup at home.

Recommended by Food Network

Provides all the information budding javaphiles need to discover what they like in a cup of specialty coffee—and how to replicate the perfect cup at home. (from Amazon)

Winner of the 2024 Midwest Book Award in Cookbooks; 2024 IACP Cookbook Award finalist; 2024 Society of Midland Authors Richard Frisbie Award honoree Home coffee-making authority and author of Craft Coffee: A Manual introduces you to the wide world of coffee flavor Have you ever purchased coffee based on delectable flavor notes—strawberry jam, milk chocolate, hazelnut—only to find none of it in your cup? It’s a common experience among coffee lovers. These days, high-quality coffee can taste all kinds of ways, thanks to roasting techniques that help draw out the qualities of the bean. In addition to that characteristic coffee taste, you really can find hints of fruit, chocolate, and nuts in your cup—all it takes is a little knowledge, a little practice, and the ability to slow down and savor. That’s where How to Taste Coffee comes in. With the same accessible, no-shame approach she took in Craft Coffee, bestselling author Jessica Easto explains why flavor notes are not always as straightforward with coffee as they are with other beverages, such as wine, beer, and spirits. You’ll learn how our senses perceive coffee, what creates and affects coffee flavor, and how to practice your sensory skills, using the same tools and resources as coffee professionals. With nineteen exercises designed to help you identify and talk about what you’re tasting, you’ll come away with a more developed palate, an improved ability to choose coffee you’re going to love, and a better understanding of the astounding complexity contained within these tiny beans. A must-read for any lover of coffee, How to Taste Coffee inspires readers to taste widely and sip consciously, with more appreciation, more discernment, and a greater sense of wonder.

Recommended by Food Network

This stunning cookbook showcases the work of Lisa Ludwinski, whose recipes are nothing less than heartfelt. (from Amazon)

A bursting-with-personality cookbook from Sister Pie, the boutique bakery that's making Detroit more delicious every day. “Everything you want in a pie cookbook: careful directions, baker’s secret tips, inspired combinations, and a you-can-do-it attitude.”—Chicago Tribune IACP AWARD FINALIST • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES AND CHICAGO TRIBUNE At Sister Pie, Lisa Ludwinski and her band of sister bakers are helping make Detroit sweeter one slice at a time from a little corner pie shop in a former beauty salon on the city’s east side. The granddaughter of two Detroit natives, Ludwinski spends her days singing, dancing, and serving up a brand of pie love that has charmed critics and drawn the curious from far and wide. No one leaves without a slice—those who don’t have money in their pockets can simply cash in a prepaid slice from the “pie it forward” clothesline strung across the window. With 75 of her most-loved recipes for sweet and savory pies—such as Toasted Marshmallow-Butterscotch Pie and Sour Cherry-Bourbon Pie—and other bakeshop favorites, the Sister Pie cookbook pays homage to Motor City ingenuity and all-American spirit. Illustrated throughout with 75 drool-worthy photos and Ludwinski’s charming line illustrations, and infused with her plucky, punny style, bakers and bakery lovers won’t be able to resist this book.

Recommended by Food Network

Award-winning food writer Georgina Hayden has filled this beautiful cookbook with 120 vegan recipes that are peppered with stories and tips and tricks. We plan to take a page from Hayden’s own cooking approach, first stocking the fridge with fresh staples such as salad leaves, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and a bevy of fresh herbs like mint, coriander, parsley and dill. Then, making a few dishes on Sunday to have a satisfying array of mix-and-match components to nourish ourselves for the week ahead. (from Amazon)

A Food Network Best Vegan Cookbook of 2022 * Observer Food Monthly's Best New Cookbook! 120 vegan recipes from the Mediterranean, Middle East, and Eastern Europe that have stood the test of time, from award-winning food writer Georgina Hayden. In this beautiful cookbook filled with stories, tips, tricks, and striking four-color photography, Georgina Hayden looks to Greece, Cyprus, and beyond to share delicious, almost entirely natural dishes. Whether you're vegan, vegetarian, or simply interested in plant-based eating, you will enjoy these flavor-packed foods which draw from the tradition of nistisima, a Greek word that translates to Lenten, or fasting--often used in relation to animal products. Georgian Hayden explores the history and culture of nistisima to introduce home cooks to this new kind of vegan cooking which has been honed over centuries of religious practice. From bread to salads, dips, and pickles, to harvest cooking with seasonal vegetables, to cakes, puddings, and sweets, Nistisima features recipes for smokey red pepper and walnut flatbread; roast tomato, orzo, and rocket salad with roasted garlic dressing; fresh coriander and olive potatoes; broadbean falafel; and more nutritious, simple dishes more centered around Earth's bounty. A must-have for every plant-focused cookbook shelf, Nistisima is an exciting approach to modern, environmentally equitable vegan cooking influenced by a celebrated tradition.

Recommended by Food Network

This debut baking recipe book from Food Network star Dan Langan delivers on its promise with a collection of foolproof recipes that will totally level up your home baking game. (from Amazon)

The debut baking recipe book from Food Network star Dan Langan! Like many of us, Dan Langan learned young that if you want to make someone smile, all you need to do is give them a cookie. Dan channeled his natural creativity into baking alongside his mother and grandmother, and he soon became obsessed with making and remaking his favorite recipes until they were the tastiest and prettiest versions of themselves. Since then, Dan has become a trusted source for delicious, foolproof bakes and has connected with home bakers via social media, television, and digital videos, and through his website, Baked by Dan. In his debut cookbook, Dan shares 100 recipes for his game-changing versions of familiar classics, such as Red Velvet Layer Cake and Creamy Lemon Chess Squares, as well as unique creations like Seriously Sesame Brownies and a Ricotta and Pistachio Cannoli Tart. He’ll also let you in on the pro secrets that make his bakes better than your usual stand-bys, like toasting not only nuts but oats, poppy seeds, and almond flours to turbocharge their flavor, or by stabilizing whipped cream with a touch of cream cheese to keep it perfectly fluffy. Equally invaluable are Dan’s tips for helping you produce bakes that look as good as they taste, so your dessert bars have razor-sharp edges and your muffins have gorgeously domed tops. Accompanied by charming photography that's as enticing as the treats themselves, this beautiful and instructive book will become a go-to for bakers both seasoned and beginner. Whether you’re an experienced baker looking for a cake decorating book to improve the appearance of your bakes or a novice baker looking for basic dessert recipes, Bake Your Heart Out has something for everyone. Dan Langan’s dedication to testing and perfecting the techniques in this pastry book has made it the perfect cookie, bar, pie, and cake cookbook for anyone who wants to learn how to bake like a pro.