Cooking the books

Desserts by the Yard
(Houghton Mifflin, $35.95)
As the executive pastry chef for Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, Sherry Yard has traveled extensively; in this book she takes readers from her New York childhood (Brooklyn blackout cake, Italian lemon ice) to Vienna (apple strudel, mocha semifreddo) to the Academy Awards, for which she famously makes the desserts (good luck with those recipes).
Who it’s for The middle-aged baker. Yard seems nostalgic for her early years, and many stories involve now-forgotten celebrities. Plus, the overly styled photos look like something out of a Williams-Sonoma catalog circa 1980. But these middle-aged folks need not be trained bakers; there are desserts for every level of cook.
Notable quote “I gave [Henry Winkler] a bag [of cookies] to take home. That night, I happened to be watching The Tonight Show, and there was Henry—giving the cookies to Jay Leno!”
We tried The Homemade Twix Cookies, shortbread topped with a layer of caramel and a layer of chocolate. Unlike Falkner’s recipe, this caramel sauce came together on the first try—and it tasted better, having incorporated sweetened condensed milk. But the dessert itself was too sweet; it was almost all caramel (which is to say, almost all sugar). A real Twix bar is better balanced.—David Tamarkin

The Best of American Beer and Food
 (Brewers Publications, $22.95)
With 20 years of beer and food writing under her belt, local author Lucy Saunders pens a state of the union on North America’s exploding craft-beer scene and shares roughly 80 recipes from chefs across the country.
Who it’s for An experienced cook with a taste for beer. Some of the recipes, while streamlined, are better suited for your inner Julia Child than your inner Sandra Lee. And if you’re looking to get schooled on why, say, an American quadrupel ale would pair well with port pomegranate short ribs, you’re out of luck. There are pairing recs, but no “why” behind them.
Notable quote “With so many factors influencing taste, I offer ‘suggested pairings’ in terms of beer styles, designed to fit my subjective notion of what tastes best.”
We tried Pan-seared pilsner sirloin tips with herbed pecan orzo and shiitake–blue cheese sauce (recommended with a brown ale; we chose Dogfish Head’s Indian Brown Ale). One of the easier recipes in the book, it also proves that cooking with beer has added bonuses: Since we didn’t use the whole 12-ounce bottle, we were happy to polish off the remaining Veltins pils. And Saunders only says that “this rich beef dish pairs well with nut brown ale.” It’s up to us to figure out that a more caramelly ale like the Dogfish would cut nicely into the tangy blue cheese.—Tim McCormick

A Great American Cook
(Houghton Mifflin, $35)
If you don’t know who’s pictured behind this not-so-humble title, the subtitle won’t help much either: Recipes for the Home Kitchen of One of Our Most Influential Chefs. Chef Jonathan Waxman’s ego may leap off the cover, but he earned his cred at Chez Panisse, and then his own NY restaurant Jams. He’s currently chef-owner of Barbuto in the West Village and West County Grill in Cali.
Who it’s for The foodie with a penchant for New American. The Chez Panisse ethics we associate with Alice Waters are sprinkled throughout the book (“use farm, not factory, chickens raised in as natural a setting as possible”), and the dishes look like they could very well be a specials card at your favorite simple, seasonal restaurant: squab and corn cakes; fettucine with cremini mushrooms and onion marmalade; and sweetbread and celery-root salad.
Notable quote “We were determined to marry the philosophy of the French with an American sensibility…. Our culinary synthesis of ingredient-focused cooking, charcoal grilling and lighter sauces became the basis for what many referred to as ‘California cuisine.’ ”
We tried Curried catfish with apple-corn fritters. The resulting dish was so delicious we’re adding it to our standard repertoire and are likely to make it again before you read this. So long as you can read and you’re not a chicken about getting some hot grease on your forearms via fritter-frying, you’re likely to do fine with this recipe, no matter what your level of kitchen ability is.—Heather Shouse