Eat. Cook. L.A.: Recipes from the City of Angels

Food writer Crapanzano (The London Cookbook) is a New Yorker with the culinary heart and soul of an Angeleno. Here she considers the menus of restaurants, coffee and juice bars, and food trucks from across L.A. to present 80 excellent recipes that focus on simplicity, freshness, and bright flavors. Twists include a Kale Mary (tequila, juiced kale, and green tomatoes are swapped in for vodka and red tomatoes) from the Rose Cafe in Venice Beach, and avocado hummus, from the Bellwether in Studio City, topped with a light za’atar salad of parsley and sesame seeds. More substantial dinner entrees range from Italian options like spicy fusilli to Wolfgang Puck’s chinois lamb chops with cilantro and mint vinaigrette. For dessert, there are fruit-filled ice creams and sorbets, and two puddings—a kaffir lime pudding is thickened with avocado while Vietnamese coffee pudding consists of milk and cream, kissed with vanilla and espresso. There are brief profiles of chefs and their eateries, along with a special section dedicated to the trend-setting work of Nancy Silverton and Suzanne Goin of Campanile and La Brea Bakery, complete with Goin’s recipe for chanterelle lasagna with English peas and parmesan pudding. The City of Angels takes flight in this vibrant survey of its diverse cuisine. (Apr.)