Christmas in the Kitchen

Of all the cookbooks that have come my way this year, by far the most attractive and gift-worthy is Kenvin: An Artist’s Kitchen ($50), by the late local bohemian artist and chef Kenvin Lyman. This gorgeous coffee-table book is spiked with Lyman’s art, recipes and accounts of his life in the kitchen, on ranches and farms, and even as the designer of rock-show posters, including some for Led Zeppelin. More than merely a cookbook, it’s a life-affirming manifesto with recipes.

At the other end of the size scale, there’s the cute little Vegan Stoner Cookbook: 100 Easy Vegan Recipes to Munch, by Sarah Conrique and Graham I. Haynes ($16.99). The “vegan stoner” is a cartoon vegetable too lazy to spend more than a few minutes making vegan meals. You might have seen his/her recipes on its eponymous blog. Most of the recipes are easy, requiring six or fewer ingredients, and they all end with the admonition to “munch!”

In sharp contrast, there is also Great Meat: Classic Techniques and Award-Winning Recipes for Selecting, Cutting, and Cooking Beef, Lamb, Pork, Poultry, and Game ($24.99) by Dave Kelly, from renowned British butcher shop Ruby & White. Don’t know offal from osso buco? Then give this book a gander. Not only is this a treasure trove of information about selecting and preparing meats, but it also features recipes like those for sweetbread fritters with apple and banana puree, or chili-rubbed pork belly with chipotle sauce. It firmly answers the question “Where’s the meat?”

When you invest in high-quality kitchen knives, it’s crucial to maintain them—dull edges cause accidents. I highly recommend Wüsthof’s new Tri-Stone Sharpener ($49.99), a whetstone knife sharpener that features three different grit surfaces for optimum sharpening and honing: fine, medium and coarse. The Wüsthof sharpener, in combination with water, sharpens and hones both standard double-edge blades and sushi-style single-bevel edges. Best of all, it comes with a wooden base that holds the whetstone in place as you work your knives with the confidence and results of a cutlery professional.