BY THE BOOK COOKBOOKS PROVIDE THE RECIPES FOR GIFT-GIVING SUCCESS.

Byline: Natalie Haughton Food Editor

'Tis the season for new cookbooks - the gifts that keep on giving. If you need a last-minute gift for a cook on your list - or want to give yourself a gift - there are plenty of tasty new options to explore. Selections run the gamut - geared to all kinds of cooks and foodies. The season's latest crop comes in all sizes, shapes and colors - and with recipes ranging from simple to complex. Chef and restaurant cookbook releases remain popular and numerous.

This is only a short list designed to appeal to all kinds of cooks. Some fall into the coffee-table category - beautiful to look at and peruse but beyond the realm of daily cooks interested in quick and easy. Others might be categorized as eclectic or esoteric, involving more work and time than a cook may want to commit to. Still others would make good novel-like or bedside reading for those who don't want to lift a spatula. And then there are readily accessible volumes that everyday cooks will find valuable - and which will probably end up splattered with spots of food. Take your pick. There's a wealth of food for thought here - and many will bring pleasure to the recipients.

``ENDANGERED RECIPES: TOO GOOD TO BE FORGOTTEN'' by Lari Robling (Stewart, Tabori & Chang; $30)

Since its arrival, this book has triggered lots of nostalgic taste and sense memories of foods from childhood. Granted, not every recipe in the book will speak to everyone, but many of the 80 recipes may make you think back to your grandmother's or mother's (or even dad's) cherished or signature dishes. This is simply classic, homey comfort food at its best - in dishes like Green Goddess Dressing, Borscht, Sticky Buns, Macaroni and Cheese, Welsh Rarebit, Dutch Pancake and more. With a fun, retro design and homespun color photographs, it's an inviting, charming and accessible volume. Robling is determined not to let some of the classics vanish from our collective food memory. A final chapter in the book, ``Collecting Your Own Family Recipes,'' includes tips and suggestions for recording treasured family recipes. Get started now.

- Natalie Haughton

``COOKING 1-2-3'' by Rozanne Gold (Stewart, Tabori & Chang; $37.50)

It doesn't get much easier than this 334-page volume that offers 500 three-ingredient recipes, many very sophisticated and appealing. Gold, a chef, the queen of simplicity and author of eight cookbooks, has taken the three-ingredient (not counting salt, pepper or water) concept to fascinating, inventive and delicious new heights in the last eight years. Here you'll find 250 new recipes along with the most popular ones from her other ``1-2-3'' books, revised and updated. Although you won't always want to cook with three ingredients, her method has freed home cooks and even professional chefs to keep it simple, she says, and without processed foods. ``Just a few ingredients of uncompromising quality are all you need to create exquisite recipes. ... Less is truly more.'' Salt and Pepper Prime Rib With Horseradish Sauce, Chicken Breasts in Walnut and Pomegranate Sauce, Toasted Almond Bars, and Eggnog and Panettone Bread Pudding are just a few tempting selections.

- N.H.

``THE VINEYARD KITCHEN: MENUS INSPIRED BY THE SEASONS'' by Maria Helm Sinskey (HarperCollins Publishers; $32.50)

Sinskey, the former executive chef of PlumpJack Cafe in San Francisco who now resides in the Napa Valley and provides culinary direction and cooking classes at Robert Sinskey Vineyards, the winery she owns with her husband, presents 40 menus (10 per season) accompanied by wines and more than 180 recipes in her first book. ``Home cooking is a disappearing craft; what was once commonplace has now become a luxury as time becomes more precious in our busy world,'' she writes. ``These seasonal recipes are designed to inspire you to make time in your busy schedule to step back into the kitchen.'' Sinskey urges consumers to become savvy shoppers, buying the freshest, locally grown and organic in-season products available. Recipes, which run the gamut from simple and basic to more complex, have been designed to create pleasure, not torment, she adds. Feel free to use the menus as guidelines, changing dishes and substituting others as desire dictates. Plenty of delicious-sounding creations here.

-N.H.

``ROTISSERIE CHICKENS TO THE RESCUE'' by Carla Fitzgerald Williams (Hyperion; $14.95)

If you're like many a cook, you rely on store-bought cooked whole chickens from time to time. When life gets hectic, they really come in handy. The 125 straightforward recipes in this book show you how to use rotisserie chickens as an ingredient, transforming them into enticing creations like Double Corn and Chicken Chowder, Rotisserie Reuben Sandwich, Stir-Fry Chicken and more. Williams, a Los Angeles resident, also includes tips on cutting up the chicken, stocking the pantry and more. This book should appeal to a wide range of cooks who want to get appetizers, salads, sandwiches or dinner on the table fast.

- N.H.

GLAZED CARROTS WITH GREEN OLIVES

Inspired by a honey recipe in Guy Gedda's wonderful Provencal cookbook, ``La table d'un Provencal,'' I decided to create a slow-cooker version. The vivid taste of the carrots, the aroma of the olives and the pungency of the thyme make this a great accompaniment to the meat or poultry.

1 pound large organic carrots

2 tablespoons butter OR olive oil 

3 ounces picholine olives (about 24)

1 large garlic clove, sliced

1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley

2 sprigs thyme

Salt and freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream 

Peel carrots, cut in half crosswise, quarter thicker ends lengthwise and halve thinner ends. Place in an electric slow-cooker or a heavy skillet wide enough to hold carrots in one layer. Add 1/2 of butter, cover slow- cooker, set heat to high, and cook, stirring once, 2 to 3 hours, or until very tender. If using a skillet on top of stove, set on a heat diffuser over very low heat. Add a few tablespoons water, cover with a round of parchment paper and a tight-fitting lid, and cook until very tender, about 1 hour.

Drain carrots on paper towels and let rest. Meanwhile, pit olives by gently tapping each one with a wooden mallet, halve, remove pit, rinse and drain.

About 10 minutes before serving, melt remaining butter in a medium skillet over moderate heat. Add garlic and parsley and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add carrots, thyme, olives and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until glazed. Pour in cream, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook 5 minutes and serve. Makes 4 servings.

From ``The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen, Recipes for the Passionate Cook,'' by Paula Wolfert.

CINNAMON-SUGAR GLAZED HAM

1 (10-pound) ready-to-cook ham, shank portion

1 cup coarse-grain mustard

1 cup cinnamon-sugar (1 cup granulated sugar mixed with 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon)

Place ham in a shallow roasting pan and add 1/8 inch water to pan. Cover ham with foil. Bake in preheated 325-degree oven 2 hours and 15 minutes. Remove ham from oven and increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Pour most of fat from pan. Using a sharp knife, remove rind from ham, except for area around shank bone, and most of fat. Score remaining fat by cutting diagonal slashes in a diamond pattern. Cover surface thickly with mustard, then heavily coat with cinnamon-sugar, patting down if necessary. Add freshly ground black pepper.

Return ham to oven and bake 25 minutes or until sugar melts and hardens. It will become a bit crackly. Present ham on a large platter. Carve and serve while still hot. Makes 12 servings.

From ``Cooking 1-2-3: 500 Fabulous Three-Ingredient Recipes,'' by Rozanne Gold.

SALT AND HERB-CRUSTED PRIME RIB WITH HORSERADISH CREAM

The Horseradish Cream is very potent. You need to be careful when you are pureeing the fresh horseradish. Do not place your face over the vent or top of the food processor. Gradually add horseradish to creme fraiche until it reaches spiciness desired.

HORSERADISH CREAM:

1/4 pound fresh horseradish root OR 1/4 to 1/2 cup prepared horseradish (if using prepared, delete vinegar in recipe)

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups creme fraiche (store bought OR homemade)

3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

PRIME RIB:

1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary OR 2 tablespoons dried

1/4 cup chopped fresh thyme OR 2 tablespoons dried

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons cracked black pepper

8 garlic cloves

1 (4- to 5-rib) prime rib roast, 8 to 10 pounds

1 cup coarse sea salt

Prepare Horseradish Cream: Peel horseradish root with a vegetable peeler and trim off ends. Grate or chop in a food processor until very fine. Add vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Whisk creme fraiche in a bowl until it thickens slightly. Fold in horseradish and chopped parsley; season with salt and pepper to taste. Prepare 1 day in advance to allow flavors to develop. Store tightly sealed in the refrigerator.

For Prime Rib: In a small bowl, combine herbs, olive oil and cracked pepper. Peel, trim and cut garlic cloves in half. Make a small slit in meat with a small sharp knife. Stick a piece of garlic in the cut before it disappears. Continue to make small slits all over prime rib roast and fill with garlic slices as you go, until all garlic is used. Rub herb mixture all over roast and let it marinate, well-wrapped, in refrigerator, overnight. Remove roast from refrigerator 1 hour before roasting.

Moisten salt with 2 tablespoons cold water and press into fat side and ends of roast. Place roast in a large roasting pan. Roast in preheated 450-degree oven 25 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and roast 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The internal temperature should read 120 degree F for medium/medium-rare when you remove it from oven. The meat will continue to cook as it rests. If you like your rib roast rare, remove it from oven when the thermometer registers 118 degrees F. Let meat rest 20 minutes before slicing. Scrape excess salt off roast. Using bones as a guide, slide your knife down the ribs, keeping blade flat against ribs. When you reach the bottom of the ribs, run your knife under the boneless eye of meat. The cut should be parallel to the cutting board and closely follow the bone. You may have to raise and lower your cut slightly to accommodate ridges in the bone. Place the meat on a cutting board.

Slice the boneless roast into medium-thick slices. Cut bones apart and serve on the side for those who relish chewing on them. Serve with Horseradish Cream. Accompany with mashed or baked potatoes. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

From ``The Vineyard Kitchen, Menus Inspired by the Seasons,'' by Maria Helm Sinskey.

POPOVERS

Popovers are a signature item at Neiman Marcus restaurants. They are best served straight from the oven. These popovers will rise by three or four inches, so make sure your oven racks are spaced appropriately.

3 1/2 cups milk

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

5 large eggs, at room temperature

Place milk in a glass bowl and microwave on high power 2 minutes or until warm to the touch. Sift flour, salt and baking powder together in a large mixing bowl. Crack eggs into the work bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk and beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until foamy and pale in color. Turn mixer to low speed and add warm milk. Gradually add flour mixture and beat on medium speed about 2 minutes. Turn machine off and let batter rest 1 hour at room temperature.

Spray a popover pan generously with nonstick spray. Fill popover cups almost to the top with batter and place popover pan on a baking sheet. Transfer to preheated 450-degree oven and bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake 30 to 35 minutes longer, until popovers are a deep golden brown on outside and airy on inside. Turn out the popovers and serve hot with strawberry butter or other butter, as desired. Makes 1 dozen.

NOTE: To make this recipe, you will need a Teflon-lined popover pan with a 12-cup capacity. These are available at kitchen equipment and specialty stores, and some cooking mail-order catalogs.

From ``Neiman Marcus Cookbook,'' by Kevin Garvin with John Harrisson.

More culinary tomes for your shopping list

Here are some additional titles from this year's crop of cookbooks also worth perusing.

--``Home Baking: The Artful Mix of Flour and Tradition Around the World'' by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid (Artisan; $40).

--``Caprial and John's Kitchen: Recipes for Cooking Together'' by Caprial and John Pence (Ten Speed Press; $35).

--``East of Paris: The New Cuisines of Austria and the Danube'' by David Bouley, Mario Lohninger and Melissa Clark (Ecco; $34.95).

--``Aquavit and the New Scandinavian Cuisine'' by Marcus Samuelsson (Houghton Mifflin; $45).

--``The Balthazar Cookbook'' by Keith McNally, Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson (Clarkson Potter/Publishers; $37.50).

--``Taste Pure and Simple'' by Michel Nischan with Mary Goodbody (Chronicle Books; $35).

--``Cooking by Hand'' by Paul Bertolli (Clarkson Potter/Publishers; $40).

--``From Emeril's Kitchens: Favorite Recipes From Emeril's Restaurants'' by Emeril Lagasse (William Morrow; $27.50)

-- ``Craft of Cooking'' by Tom Colicchio (Clarkson Potter/Publishers; $37.50).

--``From Curries to Kebabs: Recipes From the Indian Spice Trail'' by Madhur Jaffrey (Clarkson Potter Publishers; $35).

--``From My Mexican Kitchen: Techniques and Ingredients'' by Diana Kennedy (Clarkson Potter/Publishers; $40).

--``Restaurant Favorites at Home'' by the Editors of Cook's Illustrated magazine (America's Test Kitchen; $29.95).

--``Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates'' by the Moosewood Collective (Clarkson Potter/Publishers; $25.95).

--``Cesar: Recipes From a Tapas Bar'' by Olivier Said and James Mellgren with Maggie Pond (Ten Speed Press; $29.95).

--``Feast From the Mideast'' by Faye Levy (HarperCollins Publishers; $29.95).

--``The Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Cookbook'' by Dolores and Jack Cakebread (Ten Speed Press; $35).

--``Tom's Big Dinners'' by Tom Douglas (William Morrow; $32.50).

--``The Art of Aureole'' by Charlie Palmer (Ten Speed Press; $50).

--``Canyon Ranch Cooks'' by Barry Correia, Scott Uehlein and the Kitchen Staff of Canyon Ranch (Rodale; $29.95).

--``Winning Styles Cookbook: Recipes From the James Beard Foundation Award-Winning Chefs'' (Feeding Frenzy Inc.; $42).

--``Cooking at Home With The Culinary Institute of America'' (Wiley; $40).

CAPTION(S):

6 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) A Merry Delicious Christmas

Something for everyone in our cookbook roundup

(2 -- color) no caption (books)

(3 -- color) ``ENDANGERED RECIPES: TOO GOOD TO BE FORGOTTEN''

(4 -- color) ``COOKING 1-2-3''

(5 -- color) ``THE VINEYARD KITCHEN: MENUS INSPIRED BY THE SEASONS''

(6 -- color) ``ROTISSERIE CHICKENS TO THE RESCUE''

Box:

More culinary tomes for your shopping list (see text)