Cooking the books

Talk with Your Mouth Full
(Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $27.50)
Since winning The Next Food Network Star a couple of years ago, the Hearty Boys (Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh) are the local-boys-done-good. Their careers were launched on their penchant for throwing parties, and this book is supposed to show you how to make your own a success.
Who it’s for Novice to intermediate cooks who like to entertain. If you’re into passed hors d’oeuvres and can stuff things before wrapping them in bacon, this is your book. If main events like red wine–braised short ribs and chicken potpie bore the hell out of you, keep walking.
Notable quote “To look appealing, food needs some ‘negative’ or empty space around it. Always use oversized platters. In addition, take care not to overcrowd your platter. Give your food a little room to ‘show off.’ ”
We triedMoroccan lentil soup with harissa yogurt. This is a supersimple recipe that yields supersimple results. We were hoping for something a bit more memorable, but the harissa helped add some interest.—HS

Elizabeth Falkner’s Demolition Desserts
(Ten Speed Press, $30)
Falkner, who opened her pastry-focused restaurant Citizen Cake in San Francisco ten years ago, runs the gamut in her first book, from intricate plated desserts to simple chocolate-chip cookies.
Who it’s for Atypical bakers. Falkner looks less like a typical pastry chef than a biker, and her cookbook follows her lead: Sprinkled with anime drawings, it has the energy of a video game. But it’s also for serious bakers: Projects like her “S’more A Palooza”—malted hot chocolate, chocolate–peanut butter ice cream, toasted homemade marshmallows, crushed homemade graham crackers and peanut rice curry—are pretty intimidating. Falkner includes a “Minimalist Version” for most of her recipes, but even these can involve some serious baking skills.
Notable quote On her anime alter ego, Caremi Keiki: “Caremi likes to make larger-than-life sculptures from dessert ingredients…. While she is quite clever and a bit of a show-off, I’m fully behind her point: Always have as much fun making dessert as eating it.”
We tried The Candy Bar Cupcakes, brown-sugar cake filled with caramel and topped with peanut-butter icing, peanuts and fleur de sel. The caramel sauce had to be made three times; Falkner’s recipe left us with a pot of scorched liquid sugar. But once we got that right, the dessert came together beautifully: nuanced, not overly sweet and, in the end, a totally scarfable cupcake.—David Tamarkin

My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals
(Bloomsbury, $39.95)
Melanie Dunea is a photographer, not a chef; and it shows. In the book’s first three quarters, the chefs’ answers to five set questions (what would be their last meal on earth, who would they choose as dining companions, etc.) are paired with Dunea’s often playful photos (Lidia Bastianich with a hat of dried pasta, a naked Anthony Bourdain with a bone covering his bone). The last quarter lists the recipes themselves.
Who it’s for Fans of celebrity chefs. Not so much a cookbook as a coffee-table conversation piece, My Last Supper is more for those interested in reading that, for the music accompanying his final meal, Eric Ripert prefers “the sounds of nature” than it is for those curious about the how-to of great chefs’ cooking. The recipes range from one-ingredient simplicity (Fergus Henderson’s live sea urchins) to you-really-think-I’m-gonna-cook-that? complexity (Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s 25-ingredient tuna and chili tapioca with Asian pear).
Notable quote “No froufrou French. No snout-to-tail. No fucking foie gras.”—Tyler Florence
We tried Nancy Silverton’s eggplant caponata, roasted eggplant sautéed in a tomato sauce with capers and olives. Combining toasted pine nuts, sweet currants and earthy thyme, the caponata makes for hearty fare. But we weren’t so convinced of this basic dish’s last-supper status. We were convinced, however, that My Last Supper is mostly a gimmick timed for the holidays.—Novid Parsi