The Year In Cookbooks -- Here's A Sampling Of The Best Of The 1994 Bookshelf

A small, 50-recipe cookbook by a food-world unknown became the blockbuster book of 1994.

The publishing phenom was "In the Kitchen with Rosie" (Alfred A. Knopf, $14.95) - the fastest-selling hardback in history, the publisher said. By late November, there were 6 million copies in print and sales were still said to be "super-strong."

The book's sales secret? A double whammy: low-fat recipes and a connection to TV's Oprah Winfrey, who employs Daley as her personal chef. Oprah told her national audience that Rosie's cooking helped her shed 72 pounds, and she had Rosie on her show three times.

In its short life since coming out in April, Rosie's book has become the fourth-ranked cookbook of all time in total sales, just behind that venerable classic, "Joy of Cooking."

"In the Kitchen with Rosie" got mixed reviews - including mediocre ratings by Seattle Times recipe tasters - but consumers didn't seem to care; they snapped it up anyway.

Meanwhile, publishers continued to churn out dozens of other cookbooks, some forgetable, others interesting, taste-tempting or beautiful. Vegetable, vegetarian and low-fat cookbooks kept turning up in the mix. And, as always, there were new chocolate cookbooks and books made irresistible by their lavish photography.

Here's a sampling from the 1994 bookshelf:

Around the world

-- "James McNair Cooks Italian," (Chronicle, $14.95). One of the world's best-selling cookbook authors, McNair has the luxury of calling most of his own shots.

He does the photography and food styling for his own recipes, a rarity in the business. His specialty is the single-subject cookbook. His 22 titles have been translated into several languages.

This most recent book is the start of a new series on world cuisines. Next up is Southeast Asia. He plans one ethnic book a year plus one single-subject book every other year, ensuring his place on cookbook shelves for the future.

-- "Healthy Italian Cooking," by Emanuela Stucchi (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $29.95). If you never cooked a single recipe from this book, you could still feast on the stunning photographs by Gus Filgate. The recipes themselves are meatless but include dairy and eggs, with lots of vegetables and lively seasonings. Whether "healthy" includes low-fat is hard to say, since there's no nutritional data and many recipes use butter and cheese.

-- "Pierre Franey's Cooking in France," by Pierre Franey and Richard Flaste (Knopf, $30). A few years ago his "Pierre Franey's Cooking in America" book and companion television series had him on the road exploring food finds throughout this country. Now he has done the same in his native France, reporting on regional as well as haute cuisine specialties, again with a companion PBS show.

-- "Classic Chinese Cuisine," by Nina Simonds (Morrow, $19.95) Even the classics can stand a bit of touching up. This food writer and cooking teacher is delighted that she was given the chance to update and revise the 225 recipes and the text for the new edition published this year. "I reduced the amount of oil in many of the dishes and weeded out a little of the esoteric," she says. The book is the product of her nearly four-year study of Chinese cuisine and culture in Taiwan.

-- "Mediterranean The Beautiful Cookbook," by Joyce Goldstein (Collins, $45). Lavishly photographed books of this kind, for coffee table as well as kitchen, have become scarcer this year. The author, a San Francisco restaurateur noted for her creativity, this time has assembled 250 classic recipes reflecting favorite dishes from North Africa, Turkey, the Middle East, France, Italy and Spain.

-- "The Norwegian Kitchen," with recipes from members of The Association of Norwegian Chefs (KOM Forlag, $39.95). Published in Norway, this coffee-table-size book has several photographs of the spectacular countryside, but most of the focus is on the favorite foods, with 350 recipes for such specialties as Smoked Salmon Quiche, Yellow Pea Soup with Salt Pork and Lingonberry Cake.

-- "Focaccia: Simple Breads from the Italian Oven," by Carol Field (Chronicle, $22.95). The author provides more than 50 recipes for this versatile flat bread, many embellished with fillings, spreads and toppings. She includes both savory and sweet renditions of this food that is beginning to rival pizza in popularity.

Vegetarian - or almost

-- "Almost Vegetarian," by Diana Shaw (Clarkston Potter, $18, paperback). Here's a book for the growing number of semi-vegetarians among us. Some eat no red meat, but do occasionally eat fish and poultry; others eat no flesh foods, but do eat dairy foods and eggs. The recipes here exclude red meat, but most include one or another of the other animal foods. Many of the vegetable main dishes and other recipes look flavorful and inviting. Most, but not all, are relatively low-fat. There are menu suggestions and tips on buying vegetables, herbs, legumes, vinegars and other ingredients.

-- "The Vegetarian Table: Italy," by Julia della Croce (Chronicle, $19.95). Among the great charms of Italian cooking is its simplicity, this food writer and cooking teacher says: "A few drops of extra virgin olive oil added to freshly cooked vegetables give so much flavor." The book includes 80 recipes for soups, salads, pastas, polentas, risottos, vegetable and bean dishes. The author, who works and lives in Manhattan, is planning to move here within the next few years to be close to relatives and close to the Pike Place Market with all its fresh produce.

-- "Still Life with Menu Cookbook," by Mollie Katzen (Ten Speed Press, $19.95). Katzen presents a revised edition of her 1988 book, already a vegetarian classic. The 200-plus recipes have been retested for greater fat reductions and more vegan options. Even more of Katzen's vivid paintings accompany her reliable recipes.

The light side

-- "Lighthearted Everyday Cooking," by Anne Lindsay (CMC Books, $16.95). This Toronto food writer and home economist also authored "The American Cancer Society Cookbook." She knows how to cook for good health, but as a bonus, she also knows how to create recipes with flavor and eye appeal. "Some of the least expensive foods at the market, including beans and vegetables, can taste wonderful with herbs and spices," she says. "And don't cut all fat out of the diet. We need a little bit of it."

-- "Graham Kerr's Kitchen," (Putnam, $21.95). The Camano Island resident, who tapes his companion PBS television cooking shows at Channel 9 in Seattle, uses ideas from home cooks and professionals in this book, an extension of his crusade to get people to eat less fat without forsaking flavor, aroma, color and texture. In several instances, he takes favorite recipes submitted by fans, revamps them to make them more healthful, then reports on reactions after testing in their home kitchens.

Cooking heritage

-- "Savoring the Seasons of the Northern Heartland," by Beth Dooley and Lucia Watson (Alfred A. Knopf, $25). Part cookbook, part history, this handsome volume preserves the rich cooking heritage of the upper Midwest. Photos and stories of earlier times in a land of long, hard winters help explain the enduring appeal of hearty soups, stews and breads and the welcome accorded summer's vegetables and berries. The 200-plus inviting recipes are updated for modern tastes.

-- "Jewish Cooking in America," by Joan Nathan (Alfred A. Knopf, $30). Part of the same series as the above book, this one also contains nostalgic photographs and lore. That Jews have come to America from all over the world is reflected in their stories and foods. This book's recipes, rooted in so many lands, attest to the cultural diversity of American Jews and of America itself. -- "A Taste of Old Cuba," by Maria Josefa Lluria de O'Higgins (Harper Collins, $25). With the influx of Cubans moving to the United States, it's high time to learn more about their cuisine. The author, now living in Miami, grew up in Cuba during the 1920s and 1930s, then returned for summer visits with relatives, collecting many of the 150 recipes in the book and stories to go with most of them.

Sweets and things

-- "Classic Home Desserts: A Treasury of Heirloom and Contemporary Recipes from Around the World," by Richard Sax (Chapters, $29.95). How sweet it is! The author devoted much of the past decade to collecting these 350 recipes from professional and home cooks. The range is eclectic and inviting. For example, a comforting New England Oatmeal Pudding with Warm Maple Syrup and an elegant Austrian Walnut Torte with Coffee Whipped Cream.

-- "Mrs. Fields I Love Chocolate Cookbook," by Debbi Fields (Time-Life Books, $12.95, paperback). The founder of the Mrs. Fields Cookies chain presents 100 chocolate recipes, from Twice-Topped Brownies to Chocolate Turtle Pie, Double-Fudge Chip Cake and Chocolate Torte with Raspberry Sauce.

-- "Pillsbury Healthy Baking," edited by Grace Wells and Nancy A. Lilleberg (Viking, $22.95). "Healthy" is a relative term when it comes to baked goods. The recipes certainly aren't fat-free or sugar-free but they are fat-reduced. Included are cookies and bars, quick breads, yeast breads, muffins, cakes, pies, cobblers and other desserts.

Time-savers

-- "Spur of the Moment Cook," by Perla Meyers (Morrow, $25). One of the season's best, this book was designed for people who say: "I love to cook, but who has time?" A cooking teacher and food writer, who spends about a third of each year in Europe gathering ideas, she gives suggestions for stocking the home pantry and encourages spontaneity and flexibility in shopping and in making her more than 175 recipes.

-- "Nathalie Dupree Cooks Great Meals for Busy Days," (Potter, $19). Plenty of tempting recipes are in this most recent product of the Georgia cooking instructor and television personality, but don't be misled by the title. Included are Slow Slow Chicken, roasted for 2 1/2 hours, and Raspberry Meringue Cake, baked for 2 to 3 hours. She says the bulk of the work often can be done the day before you eat the food, but we're still talking about logging considerable kitchen time.

-- "The Weekly Feeder," by Cori Kirkpatrick (Peanut Butter Publishing, $19.95). Planning is a big part of feeding a family. Seattleite Kirkpatrick makes it easier with six weeks' worth of balanced dinner menus, recipes and grocery lists, presented in a large ring binder. The recipes are generally easy, with commonplace ingredients. Some use convenience foods such as canned beans and canned corn as well as fresh ingredients.

From the sea

-- "Clambakes & Fish Fries," by Susan Herrmann Loomis (Workman, $10.95). A former Seattle resident now living in France where she's researching farm cooking for her next cookbook, Loomis lets her love of the Northwest shine through in some of her seafood celebration meals, including Jerry Erickson's grilled halibut dinner on Bainbridge Island and Mauny Kaseburg's feast of lamb and clams on Whidbey Island. The book includes recipes for salads, slaws, dips, breads, pies, crunches and cakes to accompany the seafood.

-- "Jane Brody's Good Seafood Book," by Jane Brody with Richard Flaste (W.W. Norton & Company, $27.50. This latest from Brody, the New York Times personal-health columnist and best-selling cookbook author, should make a splash with her fans. Included are varied, low-fat seafood recipes; illustrated tips on buying, cleaning, filleting and storing fish; basic cooking methods; a seafood glossary; and discussions of health benefits and seafood-safety issues. One missing item: nutritional data.

Cup and mug

-- "Starbucks Passion for Coffee" by Dave Olsen (Sunset Books, $14.95). John Phillip Carroll and Lora Brody are responsible for the 34 recipes in this handsome book, including coffee cakes, biscotti, muffins, tarts and cookies. Coffee isn't used as an ingredient in many of the recipes, but it's a recommended accompaniment to all of them.

-- "America's Best Beers" by Christopher Finch and W. Scott Griffiths (Little, Brown and Company, $14.95). With an introduction by Seattle microbrew guru Charles Finkel, this is a guide to more than 350 microbreweries and brewpubs, including profiles of the beer makers and reviews of hundreds of their products.

Also . . .

-- "The Complete Vegetable Cookbook," by Lorraine Bodger (Harmony Books, $30). This good-looking, 356-page book gives vegetables their due, with interesting recipes for everything from artichokes through leeks and peppers to tomatoes and turnips. Also included: menu suggestions, a chapter on salads, and tips on buying and storing each vegetable and on compatible ingredients.

-- "The Bread Book" by Betsy Oppenneer (Harper Collins, $27.50). Written by a former local resident and cooking teacher now working and living in Georgia, this book of more than 200 recipes and techniques for baking breads, muffins, rolls, biscuits and pizzas is distinguished by clear and detailed instructions. Oppenneer has taught bread baking for more than 30 years, but to make certain her recipes would work for the readers she enlisted family, friends, students and colleagues to test them.

-- "The Union Square Cafe Cookbook" by Danny Meyer and Michael Romano (HarperCollins, $30). These partners in one of Manhattan's acclaimed restaurants share many of their favorite recipes. Their menu changes with the seasonal abundance of the marketplace. The black and white photographs of dishes as they are served at the cafe is by design. "I enjoy looking at the heavily styled color layouts in Gourmet and other food magazines, but often that's not real-life cooking," Meyer says. "The home cook should not be made to feel like a loser because they can't duplicate the look of the food and the settings." The book includes more than 30 recipes for vegetables.

-- "The Great Food Almanac: A Feast of Facts from A to Z" by Irena Chalmers (Collins, $25). Just plain good fun reading. You'll learn that New York City has 3,033 ethnic restaurants, Americans each eat 11 pounds of peanuts a year and that Miss Piggy once sagely advised: "Never eat more than you can lift."