More than Paella: Recipes from Spain

PLANE RIDES TO Madrid's Barajas Airport from D.C. top a grand. But foodies eager for a taste of the cuisine of the moment can harvest three new cook books from bold-face names eager to transport diners. We pored through the stack, and now dream only of blood-red Tempranillo, a tumble of Aragon olives and Garrotxa cheese.

JOSE ANDRES
» Book: "Made in Spain: Spanish Dishes for an American Kitchen" by Jose Andres ($35, Clarkson Potter)
» Local Hero:
Co-author Richard Wolffe, Newsweek's White House reporter and a close friend of the chef, keeps this endeavor at home in D.C.
» The Scoop: In a companion to his PBS series, Andres emphasizes regional classics (100 recipes) but OKs New World substitutions. Phew!
» We'll Be Fixing: Olive oil pancakes; beef tenderloin with Picon cheese; cherries cured as olives. Consume it with a shot of sherry.
» Most Daunting Dish: Squid fried with its ink turns calamari the off-putting color of a crow.
» Author Over-share: Andres claims to mix "the best gin and tonics in America."
» Great Gift For: Home cooks dreaming of trading backyard burger spatulas for paella pans or foodies hungry for a taste of new Europe
» Food Porn Rating: R for Reservations. Make one for Cafe Atlantico or the six-seat Minibar for an immediate taste of Andres' vittles. Jaleo, his casual trio of tapas bars, are walk-in only. A few recipes are conceptually challenging (making foams, reviving salt cod), so how-to photos would be great, but that's why he made the TV show.

FERRAN ADRIA
» Book: "A Day at El Bulli" by Ferran Adria ($50, Phaidon)
» Fame Factor: Perhaps the world's most lauded restaurant, El Bulli seats 8,000 guests a year despite
2 million requests for its menuless 30-course meals. The 2 pound tome is the only way to, in a way, score a same-day table.
» The Scoop: This treatise on molecular gastronomy (foams, sous vide) blends art photography, menus, maps and wine lists with riffs on creativity. Yet in its whopping 600 pages, you'll get only 30 (complicated) recipes.
» We'll Be Fixing: Cantaloupe juice with black pepper; walnuts in five-spice confit.
» Most Daunting Dish: Everything else. But the secrets of sous-vide tandoori chicken wings, black olive "Oreo" cookies and chocolate air are fun to read about.
» Author Over-share: He aims to please all five senses, and the "sixth," memory.
» Great Gift For: Chemists, cooks and art lovers. Adria is Escoffier with an iTouch.
» Food Porn rating: X for Xantana, the fermented starch Adria developed to suspend solids in liquids for signature and eye-popping offerings like micro-melon balls rising in ham consumme, suggesting champagne bubbles.

MARIO BATALI
» Book: "Spain: A Culinary Road Trip" ($35, Ecco)
» Celeb Sidekick: Travel companion Gwyneth Paltrow. Still, what self-respecting, pork-mad chef can praise the "faultless palate" of an amiga who won't touch jamon?
» The Scoop: What-I-did-on-my-summer-vacation-with-famous-friends penned by an American mega-chef (384 pages, 70 recipes).
» We'll Be Fixing: Torrijas (French toast soaked in wine), stewed beans and a six-hour roasted chicken that can be prepared in 15 min.
» Most Daunting Dish: Roast suckling pig has four ingredients, but one is "1/4 pound high- quality lard, melted." Far too messy (and too Wilbur-y) to attempt chez nous.
» Author Over-share: Beef jerky is Batali's favorite road food; Gwynny likes PayDay bars.
» Great Gift For: Gwyneth Paltrow. Snips of table conversation are fun only for those who were present. "Remember when you were, like, ..."
» Food Porn Factor: PG for pretty Gwyneth and pretty good. This is a cheery travelogue. The recipes are warmly written and straightforward, but there's not enough there. Sure, Michael Stipe's cameo is fun, but it all comes off as Facebook, the platinum edition.