The cookbooks we can't cook without

Easy dishes, intense tastes
Simplicity married to intense flavor is really the charm of Leslie Revsin’s recipes. Revsin was the first woman chef at the legendary Waldorf-Astoria, and “Come for Dinner: Memorable Meals to Share with Friends” (John Wiley & Sons, $29.95) was one of the last books she penned before her untimely death in 2004. Revsin’s approachable recipes reflect her innate understanding of ingredients and how gracefully they can come together. This book enables you to easily create classic dishes with Revsin’s twists — pistachio sugar cookies, feta cheese with tahini and walnuts, roasted tomato gazpacho with cumin, and many more. With doable menus, “do ahead” options for each recipe, and an inviting, evocative style, Revsin’s book is a must-have for home cooks who love to entertain.

The kitchen-sink approach
Mark Bittman, author of the popular weekly New York Times column, "The Minimalist," has written many successful cookbooks. His flagship book, “How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food” (Macmillan, $35), containing 1,500 recipes, is currently in its twelfth printing. Essentially a "Joy of Cooking" for today’s cook, Bittman's opus spent more than 130 weeks on the Los Angeles Times Cookbook Hot List. Written in an endearing voice with an “anyone can cook” attitude, it takes the fear out of the kitchen. Although the book has been parsed into smaller volumes ("How to Cook Everything: The Basics"; "Holiday Cooking," etc.), I recommend buying the original.

Authentic Indian
“Savoring India” (Oxmoor House, $39.95), written by Julie Sahni, a cooking teacher and leading authority on Indian cuisine, has all the earmarks of a Williams-Sonoma publication — breathtakingly beautiful pictures and authentic recipes. This book also offers engaging sidebars on Indian customs and festivals, and is a must-have for lovers of Indian food. The book spans the Indian spectrum, bringing recipes from the deserts of Rajasthan, the beaches of Goa and the emerald lagoons of Kerala.  Don’t let the glossy coffee-table appearance fool you: It is not just for armchair cooks. "Savoring India" is sure to get plenty of mileage in your kitchen. -Monica Bhide

Monica Bhide writes about food and culture from suburban Virginia. She is the author of the "The Everything Indian Cookbook" and "The Spice is Right."

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