Classic Cookbooks For The Chefs On Your Gift List

CELEBRATIONS | by MOLLY MARTIN

NEW COOKBOOKS ARE ALWAYS A GOOD GIFT IDEA for the chefs on your list, but sometimes older classic ones work just as well. Enjoy Cyber Monday and searching for these old favorites.

I’ve never met a cookbook by Madhur Jaffrey that I didn’t treasure. Her short introductions to her recipes, telling how and when they’re served at her home, make me feel like I’ve discovered another branch in my family.

Jaffrey’s “Indian Cooking” is my first stop when a curry is on the menu. “Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India” includes fewer recipes but wonderful longer stories about growing up in India. The one I’ve given most as a gift is “Madhur Jaffrey’s Cookbook: East East/West Menus for Family and Friends,” which I like so much that when I can’t find new copies, I’ve given used ones. Check out the Orange-Flavored Stir-Fried Chicken and the Green Beans with Mustard and Ginger.

Mark Bittman’s Minimalist cookbooks, based on his popular column in The New York Times, have bailed me out of many time-pinched evenings. Judging from the splatter on the pages, one favorite recipe in “The Minimalist Cooks Dinner” is the Broiled Cornish Hens with Lemon and Balsamic Vinegar.

My most recent favorite is “The Soul of a New Cuisine” by Marcus Samuelsson, chef and co-owner of the New York restaurant Aquavit. His Scandinavian take on African dishes has wowed many a guest at our place, for example the Curried Trout with Coconut Chili Sauce, and also the Citrus Cabbage Salad, which no one yet has guessed that the secret ingredient in the peanut-based dressing is … sardines!