Satisfying a hunger for books by cooks

They’re the talents behind such classics as “The Joy of Cooking”

and “The Silver Palate Cookbook.” They include television hosts who

make whipping up a souffle look easier than popping a ready-made pie

into the oven. They’re the chefs, authors and restaurateurs behind

“Food, Glorious Food,” the Newport Beach Public Library’s new

collection of “Timeless Treasures.”

Shelved at the Central Library, the collection features books that

have enhanced readers’ gastronomic pleasures and culinary skills.

Among them, find treasured recipes of seven decades in “The

Settlement Cook Book,” the celebrated volume that first led “the way

to a man’s heart” in 1903.

For more contemporary tastes, there are works by renowned

restaurateurs the likes of Alice Waters, Mark Miller and Mary

Cleaver. Learn secrets behind the farm-fresh fare pioneered by Waters

in “Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook.” Research how to prepare mango salsa

and other Southwestern delights in Miller’s “Coyote Cafe.” Uncover

menus from esteemed New York eateries in Cleaver’s “The TriBeCa

Cookbook.”

Numerous selections focus on ethnic traditions. Check out “Madhur

Jaffrey’s Cookbook” for a dazzling introduction to Eastern cuisine.

Experience Mediterranean tastes with Colman Andrews’ “Flavors of the

Riviera.” Take a virtual tour of kitchens south of the border with

Diana Kennedy’s “The Art of Mexican Cooking.”

Tamer palates may gravitate to favorites featured in “Craig

Claiborne’s Southern Cooking” or Jane and Michael Stern’s “Roadfood.”

For the grand finale, turn to “Debbie Fields’ Great American

Desserts” to concoct 100 confections perfected by the founder of Mrs.

Fields’ Cookies.

Alongside cookbooks and road guides, collection memoirs focus on

those for whom food provides more than sustenance. Find an intriguing

account of pursuing the American dream following the Holocaust in

George Lang’s “Nobody Knows the Truffles I’ve Seen.” After stories of

his happy childhood, the renowned food consultant chronicles how he

fled from Nazi imprisonment after his parents’ deaths in Auschwitz,

and went on to play violin in prestigious music halls and pluck

feathers from chickens at legendary East Coast establishments.

If there is a name synonymous with serious cooking, it is that of

the famed French chef and California native who turned 90 this month.

In addition to Julia Child’s chef d’oeuvre, “Mastering the Art of

French Cooking,” the collection includes “From Julia’s Kitchen,”

featuring a recipe for the original Caesar Salad and a discourse on

the ethics of cooking lobster.

There’s also “Appetite for Life: The Biography of Julia Child,”

Noel Riley Fitch’s delicious account of a woman as appealing as the

fare and cooking techniques she popularized. Read about an icon who

captures the essence of “Food, Glorious Food” in this illuminating

take on how cuisine can inspire life.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach

Public Library. This week’s column is by Melissa Adams, in

collaboration with June Pilsitz. All titles may be reserved by

accessing the catalog at www.newportbeachlibrary.org.