In the Green Kitchen: Techniques to Learn by Heart
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Champion of the sustainable, local cooking movement for decades,Alice Waters presents In the Green Kitchen, her essential cooking techniques to be learned by heart plus more than 50 recipes—for delicious fresh, local, and seasonal meals. There are many good recipes in Alice Water's newest book for all of us. Plus they easy enough for beginning cooks ito make using local fresh food which is the best and healtiest way to cook.
I have given this book as a gift to several young people who wanted to cook (real food!).
Always surprized to learn how easy it is and how much fun as well.
by Andrew Beahrs 
Penguin Press HC, publishes (June 24, 2010)
In Mark Twain’s A Tramp Abroad, Twain ncludes a list of 80 American dishes he missed while on his tour of Europe. The foods he longed for were connected to cherished moments in his life, from the New Orleans croakers he ate as a young man on the Mississippi to the maple syrup he savored in Connecticut . Using Twain’s works as his guide, Beahrs sets out across the country to hopes of finding as many of the writer’s favorite dishes as possible. This is an excellent read, learns much about 19th century native foodstuffs, gains new interesting facts about Mark Twain and even makes the case for him as a passionate locavore. (definition: One who tries to eat only locally grown foods)
The Perfect Peach: Recipes and Stories from the Masumoto Family Farm
The Masumoto family’s amazing heirloom peaches—which are available for a few weeks each year at the best produce markets and top restaurants in the country—are widely considered the best peaches
in the world. With recipe and location photographs fresh from the orchard, this cookbook paints an lovely portrait of an organic farm that has been in the family for four generations. The eloquent essays share the soul of family farming and the nuances of a life filled with peaches, The Perfect Peach is for anyone who longs for the flavor of a perfectly yummy ripe peach.
* Bay Wolf Restaurant Cookbook
"Want to end up with a lusty, luscious, sumptuous, and evocative meal, the BAYWOLF COOKBOOK profoundly delivers." ...Berkeley Daily Planet
* California Rancho Cooking: Mexican and Californian Recipes
Jacqueline Higuera McMahan's personal history as an eighth-generation Californian adds spice to this sumptuous celebration of "the first fusion food." The recipes, blending Spanish, Mexican, and Californian cuisine, include Butterflied Lamb in Pomegranate Juice, Adobado (Chile-Soaked Pork or Spareribs), Grilled Trout Wrapped in Fig Leaves, and Strawberry Enchiladas with Sweet Milk Tortillas. McMahan also shares early California lore and memories of family meals.
* The Cafes of San Francisco: A Guide to the Sights, Sounds, and Tastes of America's Original Cafe Society
The
guide to the cosmopolitan San Francisco Bay Area through its unique cafés. Includes over 300 full-color photographs, 35 in-depth profiles, a directory of more than 340 cafes, and café stories, thoughts, and recipes from café lovers including former Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr., Francis Ford Coppola, Chef Joey Altman, Caffe Trieste, Jane.org, Absinthe, Zero Degree, Caffe Proust, The Republic of Tea, and more
* China Moon Cookbook
Child Award! 250 homestyle recipes for "Chinese Bistro" fare from acclaimed San Francisco restaurant where food light and fresh, casual yet impeccably flavored.
* Cooking for Heart and Soul: 100 Delicious Low-Fat Recipes from San Francisco's Top Chefs - A Cookbook to Benefit the San Francisco Food Bank
A Cookbook to Benefit the San Francisco Food Bank
available new or used
* The Farallon Cookbook: The Very Best of San Francisco Cuisine 
San Francisco's upscale Farallon Restaurant is known for its imaginative coastal cuisine. Chef Mark Franz is true genius. So now, even if you can't afford to eat here, you can prepare some of the dishes yourself. available used.
* Fog City Diner Cookbook by Cindy Pawlcyn, founding chef of San Francisco's original Fog City Diner, shares her flair for reinventing American food. The recipes are easy to follow. available used
* The San Francisco Chronicle Cookbook by Michael Bauer, Fran Irwin, and Micheal Bauer
375 of the best recipes from world-renowned chefs and food writers including Paul Bertolli, Marion Cunningham, Mark Franz, Marlena Spieler, Flo Baker, and many others.available new or used
* Everybody's San Francisco Cookbook
by Charles Lemos
A great introduction to ethnic cooking,includes wonderful receipes of Japan, China, Middle East,and South America.
* Fields of Greens: New Vegetarian Recipes From The Celebrated Greens Restaurant New Vegetarian Recipes from the Celebrated Greens Restaurant Greens Restaurant in San Francisco changed the way Americans view vegetarian cooking . In addition to almost 300 recipes, chef Annie Somerville lists farmer's markets throughout the country and gardening tips for growing your own produce.
* Firehouse Food: Cooking with San Francisco's Firefighters
by George Dolese, Steve Siegelman, Paul Moore (Photographer), Stephen Siegelman
Firefighters are famous for their food and it's no wonder since they cook their own meals seven days a week. "Firehouse Food" introduces firehouse life, its brave denizens, and more than 100 of their best recipes. 80 photos.
*The Flavors of Home: A Guide to Wild Edible Plants of the San Francisco Bay Area by Margit Roos-Collins
A delightful guide, field book, cookbook, and botanical essay rolled into one, Ideal for both experienced forages and casual hikers.
The French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller, Susie Heller (Photographer), Michael Ruhlman, Deborah Jones (Photographer)
Thomas Keller is the chef/proprietor of The French Laundry in the Napa Valley. Ruch Reichl acclaims his restaurant as "the most exciting place to eat in the United States". The French Laundry Cookbook captures, through recipes, essays, profiles, and extraordinary photography, one of America's great restaurants, its great chef, and the food that makes both unique.
One hundred and fifty superlative recipes in this book are exact recipes from the French Laundry kitchen. No shortcuts have been taken, no critical steps ignored.
* The Lazy Gourmet: Magnificent Meals Made Easyby Robin Donovan, Juliana Gallin with foreward by Joanne WeirViva Editions (May 1, 2011) This is a brand new book and already has 5 stars. Visit twolazygourmets.com and learn more about Robin Donovan and Juliana Gallin, two San Francisco friends who brought together this excellent easiest
of all gourmet cookbook, full of tantalizing appetizing surprises.
* The Lhasa Moon Tibetan Cookbook by Tsering Wangmo
This Tibetan restaurant is the only one in the Bay area. Their cookbook is simple to understand and it is easy to prepare the receipes. Included are 80 recipes for vegetarians and meat lovers alike. There are soups, snacks, famous Tibetan momos, noodle dishes, tsampa and breads, cheeses, chilli sauces and the infamous Tibetan tea.
* The Millennium Cookbook: Extraordinary Vegetarian Cuisine
Millennium is considered to be one of the top ten vegetarian restaurants in the country and Eric Tucker, the chef at Millennium does an amazing job of making the elegant cuisine offered at Millennium available for home cooking.
* Mustards Grill Napa Valley Cookbook
Anyone who has been to Napa Valley knows Mustards' Grill as the local institution for great meals and fine wine, with its ranch house feel, roadhouse welcome, mustard fields and vineyards as a backdrop. Here are Chef Cindy Pawlcyn's favorite recipes and signature dishes. Color photos.
* Food in History by Reay Tannahill
* Spice: The History of a Temptation by Jack Turner
* The True History of Chocolate (Second Edition),
by Sophie & Michael Coe
This delightful and best-selling tale of one of the world's favorite foods draws upon botany, archaeology, and culinary history to present a complete and accurate history of chocolate.
Michael Chiarello's Casual Cooking
Believing that fine cooking doesn't’t have to be a nerve-wracking experience, Napa Valley chef Michael Chiarello has perfected scores of recipes that are both delicious and stress free.
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A Passion for Desserts
The pastry chef of San Francisco's Farallon Restaurant presents a tempting array of recipes including Raspberry Ice Cream Sandwiches, Espresso Cupcakes, Cinnamon-Apple Crêpes, Chocolate Mocha Truffle, and other extraordinary desserts.
* The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Mealsby Michael Pollan
* The Omnivore's Dilemma for Kids: The Secrets Behind What You Eatby Michael Pollan
* The PlumpJack Cookbook: Great Meals for Good Livingby Jeff Morgan, Gavin Newsom (Foreword) A beautiful cookbook for anyone who relishes the good things in life—full of the elegantly earthy fare that has made PlumpJack’s restaurants some of the most popular and highly acclaimed in Northern California.
* Patricia Unterman's San Francisco Food Lover's Pocket Guide The bible of food guides for the West Coast food mecca, with more than 600 listings, updated and condensed for the first time into a handy hip-pocket size. As a restaurateur, journalist, and food critic for more than 30 years, Unterman is the Bay Area's most respected authority on food.
* Raw by Charlie Trotter and Roxanne Klein
Since 2000, numerous eateries experimenting with raw food have opened in many cities in the United States and Canada. The desire for increased energy, clearer skin and clearer thinking are said to be the positive effects and people who do prefer raw foods claim their lifestyle is good not only for the human body, but also for the planet. Free of fish, meat, dairy and eggs, it emphasizes eating unprocessed, locally produced and organic ingredients. The authors of this book are two of the most popular experts on the methods of preparing beautiful and delicious raw foods. 4 star
* The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market Cookbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Impeccable Produce Plus 130 Seasonal Recipes This lovely book by Peggy Knickerbocker & Christopher Hirsheimer is a part cookbook and part reference guide, the perfect size for carrying through the market when you need to navigate through the epicurean maze that is Saturdays.
* Edible Schoolyard: A Universal IdeaAlice Waters created a revolution in 1971 when she introduced local organic fare at her Berkeley California restaurant Chez Panisse. Twenty-five years later she and a small group of teachers and volunteers turned over long-abandoned soil at an urban middle school in Berkeley and planted the Edible Schoolyard. The schoolyard has since grown into a universal idea of Edible Education that integrates academics with growing cooking and sharing wholesome delicious food. (published -12/17/08)
* The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution Legendary chef Alice Waters', newest book, "The Art of Simple Food" is for everyone who wants to learn to cook, or to become a better cook. She writes about her passion for using the freshest seasonal ingredients around to create the most delicious meals, and shares her simple but delicious recipes.
* San Francisco Flavors: Favorite Recipes from the Junior League of San FranciscoMany tips from San Francisco's most celebrated chefs. 40 illustrations. 24 color photos.
The Junior League of San Francisco uses all the proceeds from this book go to support their charitable work.
* San Francisco Seafood: Savory Recipes from Everybody's Favorite Seafood Cityby Michele Anna Jordan
The author, the Chronicle's food editor for many years presents recipes form 30 of the city's top restaurants, many of which, specialize in seafood, including Jeremiah Tower's Stars restaurant delicious crab souffle, the Tadich Grill, San Francisco's classic sea food restaurant, shares their remarkable oyster Hangtown Fry. A. Sabella, one of the finest of seaford restaurant contributes the recipe for their outstanding Cioppino. John Dory from Fringale's presents his Braised Leeks, Wild Mushrooms and Artichokes. Jordan offers ideas for substitutions and helpful shortcuts when possible as some of these recipes are complicated. And of course the perfect wine is suggested for each dish.
* The Seventh Daughter: My Culinary Journey from Beijing to San Francisco by Cecilia Chiang A classic collection of recipes framed by Cecilia Chiang's gripping life's story. Beginning with her account of a privileged childhood in 1920s and 1930s raised in a 52-room mansion in Beijing, she chronicles a 1,000-mile trek on foot in the wake of the Japanese occupation, her arrival in San Francisco, and her transformation from accidental Restaurateur to culinary pioneer. Cecilia Chan's often credited with introducing San Francisco, and the United States, to a more authentic version of Mandarin cuisine. The book's recipes feature cherished childhood dishes and definitive Mandarin classics, while showcasing Cecilia's purist approach to authentic Chinese home cooking.
* The Stinking Rose Restaurant Cookbook Celebrate garlic cuisine made famous by the very popular San Francisco restaurant, The Stinking Rose. 36 recipes, along with other garlic hints, tips and facts.
* The Tadich Grill: The Story of San Francisco's Oldest Restaurant, with Recipesby John Briscoe
The Tadich Grill is quintessentially "old" San Francisco and has not changed much since the 1930s. Their wonderfully fresh seafood is professionally served by waiters that have been there for decades. Although there is always a wait, it is well worth it. The book contains more than 100 pictures and many of their outstanding recipes. Have you ever had a Hangtown Fry?
* Tapas (Revised): The Little Dishes of Spain
by Penelope Casas
Penelope Casas, who introduced the classic little dishes of Spain to American cooks more than twenty years ago, now gives us a splendid updated edition of that seminal book—with fifty exciting new recipes and eight full pages of new color photographs showing tapas in all their glory.
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The Tra Vigne Cookbook-Seasons in the California Wine Country
Unforgettable classics from renowned Napa restaurant - organized by seasons and offers recipes for his favorite vegetables picked at their peak. This is one of those beautiful cookbooks that you can browse through and all of a sudden you're feeling hungry!
* Weir Cooking in the City: More than 125 Recipes and Inspiring Ideas for Relaxed Entertaining
Joanne Weir is an award-winning author, cooking teacher, and chef. She cooked for five years at Chez Panisse and has studied with Madeleine Kamman. She is the host of the popular public television series Weir Cooking in the Wine Country
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Wolfgang Puck's Pizza, Pasta, and More
Wolfgang Puck, of San Francisco's Postrio Restaurant, shares casual and easy to prepare recipes, starting with the basics of stocks, sauces, dressings, and condiments. These delicious recipes reflect Puck's lively personality and passion for fresh tastes and ingredients.
* The Tassajara Recipe Book
by Edward Espe Brown
The author introduces the recipes the recipes that have made the kitchen at the Tassajara Zen Center famous for more than thirty years with charming stories about where they came from and suggestions for how and when to serve them.
Edward Espe Brown is the best-selling author of a number of popular cookbooks and past president of the San Francisco Zen Center. He helped found and run the internationally acclaimed Greens Restaurant in San Francisco with the renowned chef Deborah Madison. He lives in Fairfax, California.
* The Tassajara Bread Book
by Edward Espe Brown
The anniversary edition of the book that started a generation of Americans baking--now with exciting new recipes--hailed by the Washington Post as "the bible for bread baking." Includes 113 fabulous recipes for breads, pastries, desserts, and more. 2 halftones. 31 line drawings.
Tassajara Zen Mountain Center -- the first Zen training monastery in the West -- in the Ventana Wilderness inland from Big Sur. Every spring and summer, Tassajara's practice opens to include guests and becomes a hot springs resort.
* The Zuni Cafe Cookbook:
A Compendium of Recipes and Cooking Lessons from San Francisco's Beloved Restaurant:
by Judy Rodgers, Gerald Asher
1 edition (June 1, 2010)-
Putting a historical spin to the notion that you are what you eat by looking at 5 immigrant families
from what she calls the "elemental perspective of the foods they ate." German, Italian, Irish, and J
ewish (both Orthodox and Reform) from Russia and Germany--they are new Americans, (1863 1935)
*After the Shake, They Baked Cooking in the Streets, San Francisco 1906
After lost their cookbooks in the fires that followed,
the residents of San Franciso still managed to continue
a most important aspect of daily life.
Also Included in this publication is The Refugees' Cookbook.
This book is only available from The Virtual Museum of San Francisco
*Backroads of the California Wine Country: Your Guide to the Wine Country's Most Scenic Backroad Adventures by
Karen Misuraca