Some books that might appeal to the gourmets on your gift list: "The Sunset Cookbook," by Margo True (Oxmoor House; 812 pages; $34.95). A collection of 1,000 recipes highlighting the best of America's Western cuisine -- everything from huevos rancheros to green chili pork stew. The book offers extensive information on technique and nutritional specifics.
"In the Green Kitchen: Techniques to Learn by Heart," by Alice Waters (Clarkson Potter; 151 pages; $28). Waters' goal is to get beginning home cooks comfortable in the kitchen, able to scramble an egg or whip up a pasta dish with no fuss or muss.
"The Essential New York Times Cookbook: Classic Recipes for a New Century," by Amanda Hesser (W.W. Norton & Co.; 935 pages; $40). More than 1,000 recipes culled from the newspaper's archives, including favorites from Rose Levy Beranbaum, Julia Child and Marcella Hazan.
"One Big Table: A Portrait of American Cooking: 600 Recipes From the Nation's Best Home Cooks, Farmers, Fishermen, Pit-Masters, and Chefs," by Molly O'Neill (Simon & Schuster; 864 pages; $50). The former New York Times Magazine food columnist proves that American cooking is alive and well.
"The Gourmet Cookie Book: The Single Best Recipe From Each Year 1941-2009," edited by Sara Moulton (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 161 pages; $18). It's a great keepsake from the now-defunct magazine.
"Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes From My Home to Yours," by Dorie Greenspan (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 544 pages; $40). From classics -- gougeres and eclairs -- to twists -- the Cafe Salle Pleyel hamburger and potato-chip tortilla -- Greenspan celebrates America's French-cooking revival.
"The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual," by Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo (Artisan; 256 pages; $24.95). The New York chefs bring you their greatest hits: simple Italian food made easy.
"Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous: My Search for Jewish Cooking in France," by Joan Nathan (Alfred A. Knopf; 389 pages; $39.95). A collection of 200 recipes and their stories and history in France over the past 2,000 years.
"The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook," by Rachel Saunders (Andrews McMeel Publishing; 384 pages; $35). Ten years of research has gone into this compilation of 120 recipes from the San Francisco Bay Area jam-maker.
"Reading Between the Wines," by Terry Theise (University of California Press; 189 pages; $24.95). A thoughtful and reflective memoir by one of the wine world's top gurus.