this alice waters book is the most useful for me. it goes through nearly every vegetable, its season, and how to prepare them in a few different ways. very practical and simple to read. not to mention she's the most influential business women i've ever heard of, check her out. 
delia smith is a well known chef from the uk, i first peeked at this book because of the nice close up photos of veggies, but soon realized how good the recipes looked. you have to substitute ingredients sometimes because of the uk/usa differences, but they always work out. amazing vegetarian recipes!
by far my favorite book, always find something new and yummy to make. some of nick malgieri's recipes are pretty involved, but sometimes you have to spend time with things to make them awesome. i've made puff pastry and breads and sweet treats from this book, all of which have been delicious. if i have a baking question.. i consult this book.
liz and i recently catered and art opening and we like last minute decision making so, in attempt to not bake another cupcake.. i picked up modern baker and found this recipe that i am sure i'd never seen before. caramel crumb bars, buttery dough and a creamy caramel filling...yum.
caramel crumb bars-from nick malgieri's the modern baker
preheat to 350* set rack in lowest level of the oven
prepare 9x13x2 inch pan, butter and line with buttered parchment paper
makes about twenty-four 2 inch squares
DOUGH
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spoon flour into dry measuring cup and level off)
FILLING
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened, condensed milk
1. for the dough, beat the butter with the sugar and salt in an electric mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed until soft and light, 2 to 3 minutes. add the vanilla.
2. on the lowest speed, beat in 2 1/4 cups of the flour, scraping the bowl and paddle with a rubber spatula and continuing to mix just until the dough is smooth, and the flour has been absorbed.
3. remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape 3/4 of the dough into the prepared pan. use the palm of your hand to press the dough down evenly, without compressing it too much. chill the dough-lined pan. work the remaining 1/4 cup flour into the remaining dough with your fingertips, so that it forms 1/8- to 1/4- inch crumbs. set aside at room temperature.
4. for the filling, in a medium saucepan bring the butter, corn syrup, brown sugar, and condensed milk to a simmer, stirring occasionally. allow the mixture to boil gently, stirring often, until it starts to thicken and darken slightly, about 10 minutes. pour into a stainless-steel bowl to cool for 5 minutes.
5. remove the dough-lined pan from the refrigerator and scrape the cooled filling onto the dough, using a small offset spatula to spread the filling evenly on the dough. scatter the crumb mixture on the filling.
6. bake until the filling is bubbling gently and is a deep caramel color and the dough and crumb topping are baked through, about 30 minutes.
7. cool the pan on a rack until lukewarm, 15 to 20 minutes. lift the slab of baked dough out of the pan and onto a cutting board before it has cooled completely. cut the slab into 2 inch squares.
keep these at room temperature if you are serving them within a day. if not, wrap and freeze them and make sure to defrost and bring them to room temperature before serving.
