Page 3 of 5 < >

16 Volumes Worth Staining

(Photo By Renee Comet/styled By Lisa Cherkasky For The Washington Post; Soup Pot From Sur La Table)

Discussion Policy

Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

DOLCE ITALIANO: DESSERTS

FROM THE BABBO KITCHEN

By Gina DePalma Norton, $35; 104 recipes

The author's name may not be familiar, but her boss's is: Mario Batali. He knows what's good, and that's why author DePalma is the pastry chef at his Babbo restaurant in Manhattan.

If Italians don't get enough credit for their sweets, DePalma's recipe collection could change that. During the few months the uncorrected book proof sat on a Food section desk, it never failed to elicit sighs and a few trips to the copier. DePalma also does a nice job of explaining the origins of regional delicacies.

MADHUR JAFFREY'S

QUICK & EASY INDIAN COOKING

Chronicle, $19.95; 70-plus recipes

Thirty-minute meal options get much more interesting with these recipes from a preeminent Indian cookbook author and cultural icon. Include the following directions with the gift of this tidy paperback: "Take this on your next grocery shopping run. Flip to the 'An Indian Pantry' chapter, visit the international aisle and stock up on all the ingredients Jaffrey suggests." Then the Silken Chicken and Red Lentils Tarka will be within reach on a cold weeknight.

VEGANOMICON: THE ULTIMATE

VEGAN COOKBOOK

< 3 >