The top cookbooks of 2015

We watch movies on our iPads, read novels on our smartphones and send texts on our watches. Technology continues to shrink our tangible world.

And yet, almost shockingly, the cookbook world is thriving.

This year, 15 dense and gorgeous books reminded us that often, it’s not what’s on the screen but what’s in our hands that’s truly exciting. From restaurant books both local and international to accessible cooking companions, we got a taste of everything: covers that belong on coffee tables instead of kitchen shelves; books that made us want to hightail it out of our lives to far-flung locales; and stories so crazy and intimate we devoured them within hours.

Here are our favorites from the year:

Atelier Crenn. In order to cook your way through “Atelier Crenn” — the debut book from Dominique Crenn, named after her Michelin two-star San Francisco restaurant — you’d need to be part scientist, part mathematician and fully insane. Recipes are often 10 pages long, include as many as 10 sub-recipes and use ingredients that you can’t get in stores that sell food. So why do we like it? For one, it’s prettier than anything we’ve seen in a while; the cover alone is worthy of a place in a styled home. It gives an inside peek into the mind of the talented French chef — we now know she must be meticulous in ways we can’t even begin to fathom. And, if you were ambitious enough to get involved, it might just work: We tested one tiny sub-recipe for a honey chamomile cake, and the results were spot-on.

“Atelier Crenn,” by Dominique Crenn with Karen Leibowitz (Haughton Mifflin Harcourt; 358 pages; $50).

This Is Camino. Restaurant books can give us a glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes, but few do it as well as “This Is Camino.” In part, it’s because chef-owner Russell Moore’s casual, familiar cooking style translates to the prose; it’s as if Moore and co-author Allison Hopelain are hanging with a friend in the kitchen giving bits of advice as they cook through a meal. It’s also because there is a literal behind-the-scenes section in the book, “A week at Camino,” in which we witness a six-day timeline detailing the funny, the intense, the banal and the crazy. And it’s good that we get to live vicariously because few readers will be able to cook this book. Camino’s live-fire cooking style means that several recipes require an intense heat that few will reach in their home kitchens. But through vivid photographs of ingredients and real vignettes, we have a sense of the restaurant. In this case, that’s enough.

“This Is Camino,” by Russell Moore and Allison Hopelain with Chris Colin (Ten Speed Press; 262 pages; $35).

Near & Far. Flip though “Near & Far,” the latest book from blogger-turned-lifestyle guru Heidi Swanson, and at first glance it looks totally Swanson-esque, filled with the virtuous, home-style dishes that have become her signature. Swanson’s blog, 101 Cookbooks, often features the exact same type of meals. But this book is actually more of a departure, and we’re glad to see it. The premise is that the author has, at this point, traveled much of the globe, and these are the recipes she’s collected from Morocco, Japan, Italy, France and India (hence the “Far”), juxtaposed next to the dishes that make up her everyday San Francisco life (that’d be the “Near”). The photos — most were shot and styled by Swanson herself — are both a travelogue and an invitation (case-in-point, we were totally drawn to the photo of nori granola, which, as the name suggests, is a savory, umami spin on the original). It’s these types of images and unusual-yet-appealing recipes that have made Swanson popular — and this collection is no exception.

“Near & Far,” by Heidi Swanson (Ten Speed Press; 330 pages; $29.99).

The Mission Chinese Food Cookbook. Oh, Danny Bowien, we can’t imagine that you ever intended a mere mortal to complete one of the recipes in your “Mission Chinese Food Cookbook,” what with the lengthy ingredient lists and gazillion prerequisite sub-recipes. But damn if this book isn’t a crazy good read. This is the epitome of a candid look at a singular restaurant tale. It follows Bowien from his adopted childhood in Oklahoma to New York and San Francisco (and back again to each a few times), told through conversations between the chef and co-author Chris Ying, plus others in Bowien’s sphere. The narrative is intensely personal, funny and, at times, dark and revealing. So it’s really not the salt cod fried rice, the kung pao pastrami and the sizzling cumin lamb that we’ve come to love at Mission Chinese. It’s the story. And it’s a good one.

“This Mission Chinese Food Cookbook,” by Danny Bowien and Chris Ying (Ecco; 318 pages; $34.99).

Donabe. Given how ancient the art of Japanese clay pot cooking is in Japan, it’s surprising that it hasn’t had more of an impact here. But it seems to be having a moment, thanks to Naoko Takei Moore, who began importing the donabe several years ago and teaching classes using the clay vessels. Now, in this book, aptly named “Donabe” and written with local chef Kyle Connaughton, home cooks are able to discover the magic of these one-pot meals. Is owning a $200 donabe a requirement for working through the book? The short answer is yes, if you want to do it right. But the authors certainly give cheats, and because these are mostly single-dish meals — salmon and hijiki rice; pork and vegetable miso soup; minced meat curry — they temper the difficulty of the recipes with easier prep and cleanup. It might be an investment worth making. The book itself is a coffee-table stunner.

“Donabe,” by Naoko Takei Moore and Kyle Connaughton (Ten Speed Press; 308 pages; $35).

Hartwood. Every so often, a book like “Hartwood” comes along — with its beautifully photographed beaches, evocative ingredient shots and anecdotes of a simpler life — and makes you wonder whether it would be sane to buy a one-way ticket to Mexico. Of course, that’s exactly what New Yorkers Eric Werner and Mya Henry did when they decided to open Hartwood, an open-air restaurant in the jungle on the Yucatan Peninsula. A year or so earlier, the duo were vacationing in Tulum when they decided they didn’t want to go back to the city, and spent the following months planning their eventual return to Mexico. Hartwood has since become a place where the ultra-local cuisine — ceviche with ginger and mezcal; pan-roasted grouper cheeks with radishes and tomatoes; avocado leaf short ribs with serrano-chile creamed corn — has drawn an international following, and its two happy chef-partners have built a home. We want in.

“Hartwood,” by Eric Werner and Mya Henry (Artisan;302 pages; $40).

Nopi. Yotam Ottolenghi releases a book, and the world pays attention. Of course, he has the goods to back it up — his 2012 “Jerusalem” was an instant cult hit, attracting readers to its Israeli dishes. Ottolenghi’s latest book, “Nopi,” written with chef Ramael Scully, is the companion book to their London fine dining restaurant, and with gold-rimmed pages and sleek design, it looks the part. Like his other books, the recipes aren’t for the faint of heart or those pressed for time; these might be even more difficult as this is a decidedly restaurant book. The blend of Ottolenghi’s bold style and Scully’s Asian roots is seen in dishes like roasted beef tenderloin with cucumber kimchi and fresh plum, or spiced chickpea patties with coconut and curry leaf paste. In true Ottolenghi — and Nopi — style, it’s unlike anything we’ve seen.

“Nopi,” by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ramael Scully (Ten Speed Press; 336 pages; $40).

The Violet Bakery Cookbook. The baking book selection is thin this season, and perhaps that’s one reason we’re especially fond of “The Violet Bakery Cookbook,” from Chez Panisse alum Claire Ptak. More likely, however, it’s the collection of recipes, which stem from her East London bakeshop. With an eye toward seasonal fruit, simple ingredients and whole grain flours, the recipes are tempting without feeling gratuitous — most don’t have the multiple-step techniques often required to turn out impressive pastries. It’s also fun to follow Ptak’s delicious journey through the markets and restaurants of London and to ultimately end up at Violet. For those who can’t visit the bakery in person, this brings that experience home.

“The Violet Bakery Cookbook,” by Claire Ptak (Ten Speed Press; 272 pages; $29.99).

101 Easy Asian Recipes. It’s almost an oxymoron that something from Lucky Peach would contain the word “easy.” The chef-centric (or at least crazy-ambitious, cook-centric) magazine has become a home for the macho recipes that one expects from the most intense restaurant chefs. But “101 Easy Asian Recipes” from Peter Meehan and the Lucky Peach editors is almost the opposite: an Asian primer that allows home cooks to get dinner on the table. And although it’s still not “easy” per se, it attempts to do what it vows with recipes like rotisserie chicken ramen (photographed, tongue in cheek, inside a rotisserie container), which still takes a couple hours but requires almost no work; or the kimchi pancake, which can start from a base of store-bought fermented cabbage. In the end, it appeals to both Lucky Peach addicts and non.

“101 Easy Asian Recipes,” by Peter Meehan and the editors of Lucky Peach (Clarkson Potter; 272 pages; $35).

Olympia Provisions. Locals might not know much about Olympia Provisions, a restaurant in Portland, Ore., but for fans of good charcuterie, this is worth a read. The companion book narrates the tale of the company’s growth, which includes a few restaurants and a mail-order business. It’s an aspirational book that readers probably won’t tackle in any real way because, well, making nduja, a spredable pork sausage, is sometimes best left to the Calabrians (lest you figure out a way to ferment it below a pH of 4.2. Riiight.). But with a handsome slate-and-white illustrated cover, fun anecdotes and step-by-step photos it looks cool and reads well. Sometimes that’s all you need.

“Olympia Provisions,” by Elias Cairo and Meredith Erickson (Ten Speed Press; 282 pages; $40).

Gjelina. It’s nearly impossible to find a restaurant cookbook that doesn’t fall into the aspirational category. Chef recipes are, by nature, beasts for a home cook. There’s a reason the dishes look so pretty, and it often has something to do with the amount of elements on the plate, many of which are assembled by prep cooks. So it’s refreshing to get our hands on “Gjelina,” which, like the Mediterranean-inspired restaurant in Venice (Los Angeles County) for which it’s named, is both stunning and approachable. Any photo in the book could be framed on the restaurant’s walls and any recipe cooked in a home kitchen. Some of the most ambitious are those we’re most excited to try — the signature braised meatballs and rustic bean stews — though it’s clear that chef Travis Lett knows his way around a simple vegetable, too.

“Gjelina,” by Travis Lett (Chronicle Books; 352 pages; $35).

Genius Recipes. Food52, the popular community-driven recipe site run by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, has published so many cookbooks it’s becoming hard to keep track. But “Genius Recipes” is different, a greatest hits rather than a narrowly focused volume. The book, written by Food52 executive editor Kristen Miglore, stems from her column of the same name, where she’s collected recipes that she believes will make you change how you cook simply because the new way is better, easier or more interesting: Creamy Caesar dressing with no trace of an egg; grilled pizza because the heat is stronger; roasted applesauce that requires no standing over a stove. It’s a book that offers a little something new to be learned with each visit. Pretty genius.

“Genius Recipes,” by Kristen Miglore (Ten Speed Press; 254 pages; $35).

Fire + Ice. If we never made it past the cover of “Fire + Ice,” we’d still kind of love it. The cool, light blue facade feels more like a design book on patterns — something that belongs on a modern coffee table — than a tome for cooks. But the title refers to the tenets of classic Nordic cooking — really, the extremes of the region itself. Inside you’ll find inspired recipes of a lesser-known cuisine that’s only become popular recently because of places like Noma in Copenhagen. Author Darra Goldstein is a professor and editor who has studied Scandinavia and uses her expertise to interpret recipes like fire-glow salmon, fresh rhubarb and cucumber salad, slow-roasted salt beef and whipped berry pudding. Perhaps it’s the contemporary display, but the entire book feels fresh and current and the recipes accessible — an unexpected gem this season.

“Fire + Ice,” by Darra Goldstein (Ten Speed Press; 298 pages; $40).

Simply Nigella: Feel Good Food. Comparisons have been made between Nigella Lawson, London’s “domestic goddess,” and Ina Garten, America’s “barefoot contessa.” Though the physical resemblance isn’t there, the unique approachability certainly is, reinforced in Lawson’s latest book, “Simply Nigella.” It’s one of those books that readers will dog-ear and stain, returning to the recipes that make one wonder why they didn’t think of that — a leek pasta bake with white wine; butternut squash with za’atar and green tahini sauce; salted honey pie. It’s a reflection, Lawson says, of how she’s eating now, so expect to see trends toward good-for-the-body “real” foods, but with an emphasis on strong flavors and unique combinations.

“Simply Nigella,” by Nigella Lawson (Flatiron Books; 402 pages; $35).

Zahav. We got a little giddy when “Zahav” landed on our desks, giving us the opportunity to read about — and see, through bold, bright photos — what has become of one of Philadelphia’s more popular restaurants. Good Israeli food isn’t easy to find in the United States, and on the East Coast, Michael Solomonov does it exceptionally well. The salads, tehinas and traditional dishes — borekas, gravlax, kibbe, even the schmaltz — are featured alongside more modern Mediterranean specialities. The family snapshots remind us that this type of food is about sharing, cooking together and longstanding traditions, and yet Solomonov manages to keep it current and fresh.

“Zahav,” by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 370 page; $35).

Amanda Gold is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: agold@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @AmandaGold