Cooking in Marfa: Welcome, We’ve Been Expecting You

Lebermann and Barnette, cofounders of the Capri restaurant in Marfa, Tex., share enticing recipes in this beautifully photographed cookbook. In their introductions, both Lebermann and Barnette provide dovetailing viewpoints: with regard to the food served at the restaurant, Lebermann cites “the region, the landscape, and our proximity to Mexico” as inspiration; Barnette waxes nostalgic about a local food truck around which people would eat lunch “and catch up on town news.” The recipes reflect that high/low sensibility and Mexican inflection. A chapter of small plates features caviar served with Fritos, an elegant watermelon gazpacho with aged balsamic vinegar, and chicharron—the slabs of fried pork rind sold as snacks in Mexican markets. Composed dishes include a zacahuil (a giant tamale) with poached squash, and a grilled rib-eye paired with a spicy sauce. Frozen desserts include paletas made with cactus pads, as well as dried grasshoppers and tamarind. Recipes are straightforward and professional, as is practical advice for things like making masa from scratch, and sections on tools and ingredients are helpfully illustrated with photographs. This is as much an inviting cookbook as it is an artful keepsake. (May)