The NoMad Cookbook

This vibrant, eclectic cookbook by the proprietors of the restaurant and bar at the NoMad Hotel offers a bird’s-eye view of the quirky and fabulous offerings the restaurant is known for. In the spirit of a Prohibition-era “book safe,” the cookbook offers a host of recipes for snacks, appetizers, mains, and desserts. Simpler dishes include marinated tomatoes and salmon rillettes; more complex are the hot dogs with bacon, black truffle, and celery. Every palate will find something to rejoice in here. Appetizers, such as white asparagus with shad roe and quail egg, radicchio with Granny Smith apples and mozzarella, and tagliatelle king crab with Meyer lemon and black pepper, are simply stunning. Main dishes are equally mouth- watering, though technically more demanding and full of rare ingredients; readers will be challenged by salsify with blood pudding and lady apples, and sweetbreads pan roasted with spring vegetables. Dessert highlights from a stellar array of options include blackberry cobbler with brioche and lime, and chocolate tart with hazelnut and caramel. A basics chapter showcases smaller touches with big impact, such as dressings, doughs, and pickles. A surprise cocktail recipe book by Leo Robitschek is concealed in a hidden back panel, and the libations are spectacular and diverse, including apéritifs, light and dark spirits, classics, and soft cocktails. Superb in both substance and scope, this collection offers a feast for the senses that will be savored at length. (Oct.)