The Best Cookbooks of 2011

A few of my favorite cookbooks from 2011. Some are missing because I've loaned them out and people refuse to give them back.

It's been just over a year since we began the Cooking the Books column and it's been quite a year for cookbooks. Luminaries such as Jacques Pepin, Paula Wolfert and Michael Ruhlman all released new cookbooks in 2011. The popularity of craft cocktails has led to a number of great cocktail books on the market, and the DIY movement is alive and well in the kitchen--with cookbooks now available for making everything from bitters and charcuterie to soda and bottled sauces.

I received more cookbooks in the last 12 months than I can ever hope to review. Below are the ones I did review however which will have a permanent place on my bookshelf. And I've given honorable mention to a handful of books that I love, but for whatever reason didn't have a chance to fully review. They are good enough to mention here though, because I think you'll like them too.

Truly Mexican

Roberto Santibañez believes sauces are building blocks for great meals. He has divided this book into chapters on salsas, guacamoles, adobos, moles and pipianes, and sides, rather than by courses. Each recipe has several serving suggestions, in addition to detailed recipes like pork braised in tomatillo sauce, enchiladas made with mole poblano and adobo-marinated fish or skirt steak. Rather than showcasing the regional variations of Mexico's cuisine, he shows just how much the seemingly disparate food has in common. There is valuable information about ingredients like chayote and epazote, and a chart on chiles with flavor notes, toasting tips, average size, and heat level.