Mother's Day Cookbooks

Gift Mom with some baking or cooking inspiration this weekend and the family could benefit all year long. We think one of these new titles will be the perfect gift for Mom (unless, of course, she hates cooking).

For the gluten-free or healthy baking mom:

LET THEM EAT CAKE: CLASSIC, DECADENT DESSERTS WITH VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE, AND HEALTHY VARIATIONS
by Gesine Bullock-Prado
Stewart, Tabori, & Chang, 224 pp, $35

Pastry chef Gesine Bullock-Prado takes great pride in her sweet tooth and she's known for whipping up luscious pies, cakes, tortes, tarts, and all manner of glorious European pastry treats. Rather than looking at requests for vegan, gluten-free, or healthier versions of her creations as an insult or an imposition, she's embraced those requests in her typical fashion – with tips that are practical, helpful, and eminently doable. Her new book offers more than 80 of her most extravagant desserts and each recipe includes instructions for making three alternatives for each one. Give this book to Mom and she can make her cake (or cookies or ice cream) and eat it too.

For the fashion-conscious, cake decorating mom:

STYLISH CAKES: THE EXTRAORDINARY CONFECTIONS OF A FASHION CHEF
by Charlotte Neuville with Michael Coffindaffer
Harper Collins, 239 pp, $40

New York's premier couture cake designer Charlotte Neuville shares recipes and techniques for recreating her very stylish inventions at home. There's everything from stacked cakes inspired by haute couture gowns to sugar cookies iced with Jackson Pollock-like splashes, and cakes festooned with all sizes of her signature pearlized gelatin bubbles. Intrigued about how she makes them? The tutorial that provides the opportunity to master that technique alone could be worth the price of the book for a Mom who loves dramatic, sophisticated decor.

For the color-crazed, sparkle-loving mom:

THE SWEETAPOLITA BAKE COOK: 75 FANCIFUL CAKES, COOKIES, AND MORE TO MAKE AND DECORATE
by Rosie Alyea
Clarkson Potter, 205 pp, $22.99

Sweetapolita blogger Rosie Alyea specializes in colorful desserts, as this festive book ably demonstrates. Her baked goods and designs utilize plenty of food paste color gels, edible marker pens, and every hue of sparkling sugar and luster dust in the rainbow. She shares recipes for making edible chalk, candy birthstone gems, and edible candy clay, plus techniques for such things as creating a water color effect on fondant. There are also more basic instructions for things like filling pastry bags, slicing cake layers for tortes, and covering cake layers with fondant. Hours of fun for Mom and the kids.

For the mom or grandmother who reads and cooks with kids:

A FINE DESSERT: FOUR CENTURIES, FOUR FAMILIES, ONE DELICIOUS TREAT
by Emily Jenkins and Sophie Blackall
Schwartz & Wade Books, 44 pp, $17.99

This charming, beautifully illustrated kids book traces a dish called raspberry fool from England in 1720 to Charlotte, South Carolina in 1810, to Boston in 1910, and finally to San Diego in the present day. Different families in different eras use evolving technology to prepare and enjoy the same fine dessert. Reading along, kids learn about food, culture, culinary history, and the value of spending time with family in the kitchen and around the table. The simple recipe is included so that the reader can see his or her family as part of the ongoing culinary continuum.

For the seasonal cooking, soup-loving Mom:

SOUP YOURSELF: 50 SIMPLE YET SUBLIME SOUP RECIPES FROM THE EAST SIDE CAFE
by Ruth Carter and Elaine Martin
Eastside Cafe/Blame Books, 55 pp, $12.93

This slim, spiral-bound treasure has recently been rereleased by one of Austin's landmark eateries, offering soups for all four seasons. Soup maker extraordinaire Ruth Carter and chef Elaine Martin took their seasonal inspiration from the big, beautiful organic garden right outside the beloved restaurant, creating memorable soups that patrons came to love. Mom can use herbs and produce from her own garden or the farmers' market and either way, the family wins. The book is now for sale on the restaurant website and in the little shop next to the restaurant, Elaine's Pork & Pie.

For the dedicated home baker:

SIFT: SPRING 2015
King Arthur Flour, 55 pp, $12.95

Serious bakers across the country know the value of King Arthur flours and their regular catalogs provide great ideas and shopping opportunities. Now the venerable, employee-owned Vermont company has branched out into the magazine business. Sift is a magazine for bakers, created and written by bakers. The inaugural Spring issue is chock full of seasonal baking ideas, features on regional foods, cookbook reviews, useful tips and techniques, as well as more than 60 kitchen-tested recipes. The first issue is still available via the company website with the fall magazine scheduled to appear in August. No subscriptions available yet.