Hot from the oven: latest cookbook releases 2014

Mr Hong: A Glimpse into the Mind of the Brilliant Chef Behind Mr Wong, El Loco and Ms G's
By Dan Hong
RRP $49.99, Murdoch Books

Fast food. Fine dining. Dan Hong loves them equally. In Mr Hong, this son of Vietnamese restaurateurs who wound up running some of Sydney's hottest kitchens shares recipes from both ends of the dining spectrum. Whether it's black pudding with calamari, romesco salsa and sauce nero; his take on the cheeseburger; or chawanmushi, spanner crab and shellfish oil, it quickly becomes apparent that Hong is all about flavour – often dial-it-up to-11 flavour. Many of the recipes are tortuously cheffy but simple hacks and sub-recipes add wider appeal. Mr Hong reveals a man of many obsessions: watching Epic Meal Time on YouTube; a six-month project to perfect salt-and-pepper squid ("Australia's national dish"); and sneakers (the end papers feature Lucky Peach-style shoe illustrations). And yes, you'll find his cult classic, Stoner's Delight, among these pages.

Best bit Mapo tofu, with the spiced pork layered on silky soy milk custard.

Good for Dan Hong fans and boundary-pushing home cooks.

Roslyn Grundy

Thug Kitchen: Eat Like you give a F—
By Michelle Davis and Matt Holloway
RRP $29.99, Hachette Australia

It's OK, everyone who wants to eat kale but fears losing street cred: Thug Kitchen is here for you. It's the hardcover version of a cult LA food blog that aims to make vegan food totes accessible by filling the recipes with swears. Many, many f---s are given as they instruct you in the making of salads ("plant nachos"), roasted chickpea and broccoli burritos and tofu-based fudge pops. So many, in fact, I start to feel like it's secretly written by a parent trying to get their 20-something kid to eat their greens. The authors are actually a late-20s couple from Hollywood, currently being criticised for essentially 'playing thug'. Still, at least it's not Goop – Gwyneth Paltrow's wafty, raw-living lifestyle blog. And the recipes have merit. The instructions are easy; the ingredients are readily available and the roasted sriracha cauliflower bites look amazing. Word, bitches.

Best bit Coconut-lime rice with red beans and mango.

Good for vegans who hate smug vegans.

Gemima Cody

The Islands of Greece
By Rebecca Seal
RRP $45, Hardie Grant

British author and journalist Rebecca Seal makes no secret of her love affair with the Greek Islands. Her latest offering,The Islands of Greece: Recipes from across the Greek seas, which follows on from Istanbul: Recipes from the Heart of Turkey, cheeses, Greek oregano versus non-Greek oregano, and includes recipes such as tomato fritters from Santorini, fava dip (surprisingly, not made from fava beans), red peppers stuffed with cheese, dakos, many variations on the humble sardine, vine leaves stuffed with pork, traditional tzatziki, octopus, moussaka and even souvlaki. Beautiful photos by Steven Joyce accompany the recipes and each includes a historical anecdote or a personal story of where Seal found the dish. She explains why the dish is important to the Greek culinary culture and sometimes sets out recipes in layman's terms so that even the most inexperienced cook can complete them, and she offers suggestions of replacement ingredients that may be difficult to find outside of Greece.

Best bit Slow-cooked lamb with chickpeas, oh, and the Greek doughnuts.

Good for A Mediterranean holiday feast.

Rachel Short

Venice Cult Recipes
By Laura Zavan
RRP $49.99, Murdoch Books

Native to the Venetian city of Treviso, Laura Zavan knew exactly what she was doing when she wrote Venice Cult Recipes. She wrote it because she felt disappointed when people returned from trips to Venice without experiencing the local food. The seafood-heavy book contains 100 dishes, including recipes for crostini, antipasto and carpaccio (she acquired the recipe from the son of the owner of legendary Venice eatery Harry's Bar, who invented it), black cuttlefish risotto, minestrone, many ways to serve polenta and, of course, pasta. At the end of each chapter, Zavan includes a "promenade" section with a map marked with Venetian restaurants, trattorias and markets she believes visitors should try. There's a detailed shopping list and a suggestion for the kinds of cheeses, smoked meats and wines you should have on hand if you wish to do some real Venetian cooking.

Best bit The tiramisu.

Good for Cooking in your own kitchen, but feeling like you're in Venice.

Rachel Short

Hungry for That, Recipes from the Beatbox Kitchen
By Raph Rashid
RRP $39.95, Hardie Grant Books

Melbourne food truck pioneer Raph Rashid has compiled a colourful mixtape of hits from his Beatbox Kitchen and Taco Truck fleet. Chapters are broken into burgers, tacos, sangers, salads and mains, plus four bonus doughnut recipes as a nod to his latest venture, All Day Donuts. The dishes are largely inspired by travels across the US, and Rashid draws on his Malaysian heritage. It's fun fusion food for an outdoor fiesta, and the casual photos, Mexican oil-cloth spreads and quirky illustrations (corn chips wearing sunnies and chillies in funky leggings) add summer vibes.

Best bit La Paloma sandwich (an ode to the Brunswick cafe's cult roll).

Good for Laid-back summertime soirees.

Annabel Smith

Scandinavian Baking: Loving Baking at Home
By Trine Hahnemann
RRP $49.95, Quadrille

If your knowledge of Scandinavian baking begins and ends with Danish pastries, this lovely hardback will be a treat. Danish chef and caterer Trine Hahnemann grew up in a Copenhagen commune with parents "very busy changing the world", and taught herself to cook in the communal kitchen by mixing ingredients together without a recipe and baking cakes that were "pretty much inedible". Her sixth cookbook, intended as a comprehensive guide to Scandinavian baking at home, paints a rich picture, sharing cultural notes and traditions along with recipes for cakes and pastries, breads, savouries and Christmas treats. It's also a chance to explore some less common ingredients such as rosehips and wheat berries, rye flour and gooseberries. And those Danish pastries? Turns out that in Denmark they're called wienerbrod, or Vienna bread, although the reason remains in doubt.

Best bit Rye and orange cookies – thin lacy biscuits crunchy with rye flakes.

Good for Keen home bakers.

Roslyn Grundy