Ready to learn new cooking skills and have more entertainment at home while refreshing prior knowledge of Miami’s culinary landscape? There is no shortage of good old-fashioned books to open and learn valuable information about the magical city’s most essential history, topics, and recipes.
Ranging from tales of beloved local cocktails to beautiful step-by-step photos for making amazing sweet desserts, the list below lists some of the best titles worth keeping.
Mango and peppercorns, a food memory, an unlikely family and the American dream
by Katherine Manning, Lyn Nguyen and Tung Nguyen
Fans of the now-closed famous Vietnamese restaurant Hy Vong can revive the umami that defined it through some of the restaurant’s most popular dishes like beef noodle soup and spicy baby back ribs. Corn Mango and peppercorns, a food memory, an unlikely family and the American dream is more than just a cookbook – written by the team behind restaurant Calle Ocho Tung Nguyen, Katherine Manning, Lyn Nguyen, with Elisa Ung – it interweaves women’s alternate perspectives on their experiences as they raise the girl of Tung, Lyn, and their decades-long partnership. Authenticity was the key to making Hy Vong a popular culinary destination, as was their story: pregnant woman Nguyen fled her homeland of Saigon and a Midwest-born graduate student and waitress Manning took her home. with other displaced Vietnamese refugees. Their unlikely and heartwarming friendship grew out of food and its power to bring cultures together.
Miami Cocktails: An Elegant Collection of Over 100 Magic City Recipes
by Gabriel Urrutia
Organize a party? Need a tropical concoction for a hot night? Learn to shake, stir and soak up some of Magic City’s best libations like a local with Gabriel Urrutia, an award-winning spirits industry veteran who takes devotees on a journey through Miami’s best bars and the bartenders who make them. part of one of the country’s most vibrant cocktail scenes. Read all about Miami twists and turns on classics, where to find local produce year-round, and create a true Miami home bar, before delving into over 100 recipes complete with glasses and garnish tips.
Miami Cooks: Recipes from the City’s Favorite Restaurants
by Sara Liss
Chief Kal Abadala of A fish called Avalon makes one of the best paellas in town and now foodies can do the same with this book from Miami food writer Sara Liss. Beautifully photographed with cooking recipes and information on some of the most famous local chefs, Miami Cooks: Recipes from the City’s Favorite Restaurants navigates the city’s vibrant culinary fusion of Latin, Caribbean and Mediterranean cuisines offering 70 dishes for home cooks of all skill levels.
Miami Spice: Florida’s New Cuisine
by Steven Raichlen
Ever wanted to learn how to mix up a South Beach sangria or choose the right plantains to whip up the perfect Cuban mariquita (plantain chips)? Award-winning writer Seven Raichlen is the guide on this tour of Floridians’ backyards, including local fruits like mango and tamarind, as well as seafood and native ingredients like stone crabs and sazon. Recipes come from the crossroads of Latin American and Caribbean cuisines like Cuban Thanksgiving Turkey, Haitian Coleslaw, and Guava Cheesecake. Raichlen’s tale shines as it explores how Miami is the birthplace of inventive and vibrant Nuevo Latino cuisine, and how the city’s fine-dining restaurants are redefining the American notion of Latin cuisine.
Taste of Miami: A COVID-19 relief effort for the restaurants we love
by Neuélane
A coffee table book as well as a masterclass on Miami’s favorite foods, this community-driven title was released by local ad agency Neuelane 2020 as restaurants struggled to stay afloat at the strongest from the global COVID-19 pandemic. With 50 local recipes from some of the most beloved restaurants, chefs and taste makers, ranging from creative small bites, entrees, “literally sweet†desserts and exotic cocktails. Learn the secrets of what makes “bread of the beast” from Beast Burger or the popular Eating House Cap’n Crunch Pancakes from scratch. One hundred percent of the book’s profits are donated to featured restaurants.
Three Miami guys celebrate Cuba: 100 great recipes to entertain in Cuba
by Glenn M. Lindgren, Jorge Castillo and Raul Musibay
For Cubans, getting together with family around food is a tradition. Combine that with friends, music, tropical cocktails and sweet desserts and a celebration is in place. The three authors, founders of the popular site iCuban.com, highlight Cuban cuisine and its blend of Spanish, New World and Caribbean flavors that satisfy the soul. Their best advice? Party tonight, diet tomorrow.
Norman Van Aken’s Florida Cuisine
by Norman Van Aken
Van Aken’s take on Florida cuisine reads like a dear friend learning to cook comfort food. Throughout the book, the acclaimed chef showcases Sunshine State’s versatility in everything from classic white soup to fusion-style dishes like lamb vindaloo. The step-by-step recipes are made even more informative with genuine advice and stories straight from her cooking.
