As always, this January brings a flood of books on cozy foods like soup and stews, along with guides to eating healthier. But once you get past the first month of the year, 2011 promises some stellar cookbooks, including chefs’ memoirs, arty takes on recipe writing, and smart guides to cooking seasonally. Here are my top 10 most anticipated cookbooks of 2011 (most but not all of them are slated for publication in the first half of the year).

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams by Jeni Britton Bauer (Artisan, May)

I tore out recipes for Bauer’s frozen yogurt from Food & Wine in June ‘08; the lemon fro yo with blueberry swirl is a classic. I can’t wait to get my hands on more of her recipes.

Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton (Random, March)

Believe the hype! Hands-down the best memoir—food or otherwise—I’ve read in years.

Paella by Alberto Herraiz (Phaidon, June)

Phaidon has a way with international cookbooks, and this one, by Herraiz, who Ferran Adria has called the “best paella chef in the world,” should be no exception.

Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi (Chronicle, Apr.)

A buy-in from Ebury in the UK, this book made it to the finals of Food52’s Piglet cookbook tournament (though it lost when Mario Batali picked Good to the Grain to win instead).

They Draw & Cook by Nate Padavick and Salli Swindell (Weldon Owen, fall)

This collection of artists’ renderings of recipes is one of my favorite food blogs. The book should be a lot of fun.

My Father’s Daughter by Gwyneth Paltrow (Grand Central, Apr.)

I’ll admit I’m rather taken with Gwyneth’s simple recipes, despite her sometimes preachy approach.

Cooking in the Moment by Andrea Reusing (Clarkson Potter, Apr.)

Eating at Reusing’s restaurant, Lantern, in Chapel Hill, hooked me on the chef’s food. This book takes a homier approach, based around the seasons.

The Food of Spain by Claudia Roden (Ecco, June)

Roden’s books on Middle Eastern cooking are classics, and her book on Spanish food should become one, too.

Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson (Ten Speed, Apr.)

This looks like fabulous companion to Swanson’s earlier Super Natural Cooking with new riffs on old faves, and plenty of fresh ideas, too.

The Eleven Madison Park Cookbook by Daniel Humm and Will Guidara (Little, Brown, Nov.)

At the recent Piglet Party panel discussion hosted by Frank Bruni, EMP was cited for its food porn-esque presentation. So expect this book to be gorgeous.