June cookbook releases

Ancient Grains

By Catherine Saxelby, Arbon publishing, $35

For: The fad-follower? Or anyone interested in broadening their carb intake beyond medium-grain rice and wheat pasta.

Catherine Saxelby might be a nutritionist, but don't hold that against her, or this book. There are plenty of recipes here that look and sound appealing; beef burgers with oats and balsamic onions, anyone? There's fodder for those on gluten-free and vegan diets, including nutritional notes and cooking tips for ''ancient grains''.

Recipe extract here: Quinoa, amaranth, roasted tomato and capsicum soup.

Homemade Patisserie

By Vincent Gadan and Michelle Guberina, New Holland, $45

For: The homemade pastry-phobe.

French import Vincent Gadan has worked in plenty of Michelin-starred restaurants and now helps run Sydney's Patisse Cooking School with co-writer Michelle Guberina. The best thing about this book? Not Gadan's touching tribute to ''all the ladies out there'' but the great step-by-step guides (with photos) to pie dough, choux and everything in between.

Recipe extract here: Provincial quiche, and baked chocolate tart.

A Cook's Tour of France

By Gabriel Gate, Hardie Grant Books, $34.95

For: Those who switch off SBS's coverage of Le Tour straight after Gate's cooking segment. It must be that time of year. The world's greatest bike race affords lovable chef Gabriel Gate an annual trip home for a culinary tour of the race route, but also, a yearly publishing opportunity. The 2013 version focuses on regional French recipes with sepia-toned photos of the scenery, rather than of the traditional dishes.

The Small Kitchen

By Sally Wise, ABC Books, $25

For: Empty-nesters, the newly single, or apartment-dwellers.

An excellent idea from Tasmanian food writer Sally Wise: a cookbook that targets Australia's largest growing demographic - single or two-person households. Those living the single life need no longer complain they can't be bothered cooking ''just for one''. Here are almost 150 recipes just for you.

Coffee Encounters: Adventures to Origin

By Smudge Books, edited by Jonette George, $70

For: Coffee geeks.

The serious coffee geek does not just care if the coffee is strong enough, or hot enough. They don't just care that the beans are freshly roasted. They want to know where those beans were picked, by whom, how they were dried and how the particular coffee is best brewed. This 540-pager travels the world's coffee-growing regions, meets the growers and follows the beans back to Australian cups where select roasters and cafes get a big plug.

Also, sample recipe from Kathy Tsaples' Sweet Greek (Melbourne Books, $39.95).