Ingredients

Fruitcake always mysteriously shows up on the dessert table during the holidays. My question is why. Why does this loaf of smashed fruit—and is that bread?—end up on the same table with the delectable desserts?

Following any alternative diet can be tough — look to these books for some tips and ideas to make it easier. “The Joy of Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Baking: 80 Low-Carb Recipes that Offer Solutions for Celiac Disease, Diabetes, and Weight Loss,” by Peter Reinhart and Denene Wallace (hardcover,Ten Speed Press, 2012, 216 pages, $30). By using nut and seed flours instead of starches, Reinhart and Wallace have crafted no-sacrifice, easy-to-bake recipes that revolutionize baking for special diets — and satisfy anyone’s craving for warm bread or decadent cake.

“The Butch Bakery Cookbook,” by David Arrick with Janice Kollar (hardcover, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2011, 192 pages, $19.99). This is not your mother’s cupcake cookbook! You can forget the pretty sparkles and the flowers on top, forget the pastel cupcakes for Easter or Halloween. These aren’t cupcakes for little kids, but grown-up cupcakes full of contemporary, inventive flavors— like bacon, whiskey, coffee, and cayenne pepper.

Looking for something quick and easy to take to your next potluck? This one is a simple hit that goes a long way — a dish that only gets better as you improvise and throw in more of your favorite ingredients.

The French are renowned for complex recipes, but their bread is a surprisingly simple mix of only four ingredients.