Bon Appétit, Best New Cookbooks of Spring 2026

From La Copine, a destination restaurant near Joshua Tree, comes a beautiful debut cookbook with stories of life in the desert and recipes that capture a unique approach to California cooking.

Out in the California desert near Joshua Tree, La Copine spins its own kind of magic, powered by business and life partners Claire Wadsworth and Nikki Hill, the drama of the landscape, the eclectic local population, and of course, the irresistible food.

With celebrity clientele and glowing reviews in the New York Times, Eater, Vogue, and others, this restaurant is beloved by California visitors and locals alike. In their debut cookbook, La Copine, Wadsworth and Hill share stories of their love, life, community, and the spirit of La Copine, one delicious recipe at a time.

Dubbed the West Coast's answer to Via Carota's Rita and Jody, Wadsworth and Hill are passionate, community-driven, California cooks with a deep love for each other and the people around them. They welcome their guests to La Copine (which means "girlfriend" in French) with open arms, create a safe haven for the queer community outside of Los Angeles, and have a deep sense of care and pride for everything they put on the plate.

Home cooks will want to adopt the restaurant's "California soul" style: veggie-forward, innovative yet comforting, light enough for lunch, yet substantial enough to gather around and linger over. From "hunky" salads (as described by the New York Times) to special-occasion sandwiches to summery, boldly flavored grilled meats and vegetables to simple, no-bake desserts, La Copine's food roams far and wide but always imparts a sense of home.

More than the recipes, though, Wadsworth and Hill's backstory as a couple, the business they've built together, and the community they've found in the desert, make for an armchair trip through the remote and spectacular setting, as well as a mission statement for creating a life on one's own terms.

Finally, the secret sauce of Noma is revealed—the long-anticipated follow-up to the bestselling The Noma Guide to Fermentation offers more than 150 recipes for infused oils, vinaigrettes, fudges, spice mixes, rubs, sauces, and other flavor-boosting condiments that professional and home cooks can now make and use to elevate every part of their cooking.

Nothing tastes like the food at Noma. Nothing is as delicious, as surprising, as unique. A big part of the reason why is found in the Noma pantry, the seasonings, condiments, sauces, and other flavor compounds developed over two decades by René Redzepi and the Noma test kitchen. And now 150 of these components that define the inimitable taste of Noma—including roasted kelp salt, smoked egg yolk sauce, Nordic pesto, and lacto-koji beurre blanc—are shared in The Noma Guide to Building Flavour. Most of the recipes are illustrated with step-by-step photo sequences detailing the techniques needed to transform surprisingly familiar ingredients into elements of Noma’s distinctive cuisine. Noma uses these recipes to create elevated preparations for the restaurant (a selection of gorgeous plated-dish photos are included), but readers—whether professionals or avid home cooks—will find plenty of inspiration for their own kitchens, aided by do-able suggestions from Noma chefs.
 
In conversational essays and anecdotes woven throughout the book, Redzepi shares how staff members from around the globe have influenced Noma’s flavor palette, and how Noma chefs take pristine seasonal ingredients and blend, grind, dry, smoke, macerate, reduce and otherwise elicit the most potent and desirable flavors that make up the sensory language of Noma. Between the narrative portions and the meticulous recipes, chefs and home cooks alike will discover new dimensions of flavor and expand their ideas of what food can be.

Caribbean cuisine reveals a culture of boundless imagination and creativity. It is the result of resourcefulness and ingenuity, where the need to survive and thrive shaped dishes that stand as powerful representations of its various cultures.

In The Caribbean Cookbook, chef Rawlston Williams celebrates the diverse foods, flavors, and culinary traditions of this vibrant region. Featuring more than 380 recipes from 28 countries and island nations, the book includes classic marinades, sauces, and preserves; broths and soups; rices, grains, and vegetables; and chapters dedicated to Sea & River, On Land, Flour, Sugar, Juice, and Rum. The iconic ingredients synonymous with the Caribbean – citrus, nutmeg, coconut, tamarind, pimento, pineapple, rum – are showcased throughout, with spices as the stars, elevating other ingredients to create layered and satisfying dishes.

This intensively researched recipe collection includes both beloved classics and lesser-known specialties. Home cooks around the world will discover Jamaica’s Jerk Chicken and Dominica’s Callaloo Soup; Puerto Rico’s plantain-based Mofongo; Green Fig Salad from Saint Lucia; Haiti’s Seafood Creole; a sweet Cashew Cake from Aruba; and other authentic dishes. There’s plenty for armchair travelers to enjoy, too: Rawlston’s descriptions of the islands’ histories, culture, and traditions bring each recipe to life, while stunning color photography of the food and landscapes offers a whirlwind journey across one of the world’s most beautiful destinations.

Beautifully designed in bold tropical shades, The Caribbean Cookbook is a powerful, joyful ode to the many flavors of this incredible region.

From the bestselling author of Copenhagen Food, this Scandinavian cookbook is a collection of simple, summer recipes to enjoy at home.

With the never-ending sunlight, this magical time of year allows for pause and presence as the days stretch ever longer and the landscapes come alive. Scandinavian summer is more than just a season.

Make the most of the season’s abundance, from slow mornings with Rhubarb and Rye Bread Crumble or Eggs with Summer Chanterelles, to light lunches of Smørrebrød or Fennel-cured Salmon, and sweet favorites like Apricot Almond Cake or Kringle with Rosehip Jam. There are fresh and flavorsome recipes for every time of day – so, whether it’s for afternoon fika, archipelago picnics, or ideas to preserve the late summer harvest, you will find endless treats to share with friends and family.

Featuring stunning location photography from across the Nordic region, as well as evocative narrative, Midnight Sun is a timeless collection of recipes and stories that will be a favorite for many years to come.

A love letter of a cookbook that captures the allure of Maine and its iconic food and bounty of ingredients, from Devin Finigan, chef-owner of Aragosta, named one of Food & Wine’s best restaurants in 2024 and 2025.

There is an allure to Maine that captures the imagination of so many: it’s a longing for a simpler pace of life, it’s the idyllic small towns, village greens, seaside vistas, and an endless coastline. With Maine’s pristine seafood and seasonal fruits, produce, and grains, Maine is also a magical place to cook. From a kitchen on a rugged coastline in Deer Isle, Maine, chef Devin Finigan uses Maine’s iconic ingredients—from lobster and clams to honey and fiddleheads—to make incredible meals. Her Lobster Rolls, Scallops with Wild Ramp Sauce, Mussel Chowder, Duck Breast with Peach Sauce, Tomato Galette, and Whoopie Pies draw thousands of visitors each year who book tables months in advance to dine at her restaurant Aragosta, which was named the #2 best restaurant in the U.S. by Food & Wine. Finigan’s first book captures everything about Maine that makes it the destination that 37 million people choose to visit each year. With 75 recipes for classic Maine dishes and new spins on old favorites, plus 100 gorgeous photos, this will be the Maine cookbook to transport fans, foodies, and tourists alike to this unspoiled region. The foreword will be written by Erin French, chef and bestselling author of The Lost Kitchen.