Photo: Amazon.com.

'Cooking With Pumpkins and Squash'
By Brian Glover
Photography by Peter Cassidy
Ryland Peteres & Small -- 2008
Buy it on Amazon

Despite early fall's T-shirt weather and last-summer's-hurrah barbecues, Brian Glover's "Cooking With Pumpkins and Squash" beckoned. Although it largely consists of hot autumn colors and warming recipes, this exquisite cold-weather cookbook could not sit one week in the kitchen before we cracked.

We blame Glover's seductive prose: "Some flavors stand out as having a real affinity with squashes and pumpkins of all shapes and sizes; their nutty sweetness works well with salty tastes such as goat cheese, feta and olives..." His understanding of squash's potential as an adaptable base -- to be spiked with other bold ingredients and not merely to be devoured on its own -- intrigued us.

Though many niche cookbooks devoted to a particular ingredient can be characterized as too centric toward their subject, "Cooking With Pumpkins and Squash" reveals refreshingly complex recipes with unexpected flavors. "Light bites" recipes like Grilled Zucchini, Halloumi and Fava Beans with Tomato and Mint Dressing expertly showcase and complement the light, springy flavor of summer squash, while heartier entrées like the Pumpkin Risotto with Pancetta and Sage suit the rich, silky texture of pumpkin and butternut squash.

See what we tested and find out whether the book's worth buying after the jump.

Takeaway tips: Though squash is most often associated with winter weather, this cookbook features squash recipes suited for every season and occasion. From a delicate Tuna Carpaccio with Zucchini Ribbons starter, to the Beef Stew with Squash, Corn and Chile, this cookbook is appealing from start to finish -- and for the finish, we suggest the Zucchini, Lemon and Poppyseed Cake with Lemon Butter Frosting.

Quality of pictures: This book is as close to "ambrosial" as visuals can get. Unlike most cooking tomes, every recipe is accompanied by a full-page photo, with incredible attention to styling -- one photo delicately sandwiches a soup with a sheet of baked pita on top and an identically colored place mat beneath; another places a sprig of thyme atop a gratin perfectly parallel to its accompanying spoon.

We tested: Zucchini, Cheese and Herb Muffins and Roasted Squash-and-Tomato Soup with Cumin and Rosemary

With a curiously long list of 18 ingredients, the zucchini muffins promised to be either powerfully savory or a piquant flop. Combining zesty scallions, red chiles and feta with subtle-sweet paprika, thyme and sugar, the muffin is herbaceous and moist, hearty but miraculously fluffy. It crumbled pleasantly straight out of the oven, and held the crunch of its Parmesan topping for a few days.

The Roasted Squash and Tomato Soup With Cumin and Rosemary was also equally appealing for its unique pairing of cumin and rosemary. Although the soup at its core simply consisted of vegetables cooked in broth then flavored with a herb (rosemary) and spice (cumin), roasting the butternut squash with cumin-topped onion, garlic, bell pepper and tomato increased its nutty flavor. After blending the soup together, the flavors became deliciously indiscernible, a hearty vegetable soup with subtle savory notes.

Worth the investment: This is an impeccably conceived cookbook for every season, with a good range of springy to wintery vegetable dishes and a novel use of herbs and spices.