Five of my all-time favorite cookbook authors published brand-new cookbooks this year. As soon as I saw their names, I had to get their books, because I know their recipes are consistently delicious. This list is also printed in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

1. “Classic Stars Desserts,” by Emily Luchetti (Chronicle, $29.95). Luchetti is the best pastry chef in America and this compilation has her all-time favorites, including the best Key Lime Pie I’ve ever tasted. Yes, her obsession with buttery desserts equals mine.

2. “Vegetable Harvest,” by Patricia Wells (Morrow, $34.95). Wells has a passion for French food and the ability to write clear recipes that are easy to reproduce, such as the Celery Root-Crab Salad. Patricia Wells owns Julia Child’s stove, which she said is like having Freud’s couch — oh, the tales of glorious meals it knows!

3. “Cooking,” by James Peterson (Ten Speed, $40) This marvelous cookbook author has another winner, plus every recipe includes step-by-step photographs. At 534 pages, this cookbook answers every kitchen question. If the size of this cookbook is too overwhelming, he also wrote books on “Sauces” and “Soups.”

4. “Adventures of an Italian Food Lover,” by Faith Willinger (Potter, $32.50). Faith’s live-long romance with Italian food comes through her recipes, such as Ricotta Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce. I still salivate over her wonderful pureed leek-lemon sauce for pasta.

5. “The Vegetable Dishes I Can’t Live Without,” by Mollie Katzen (Hyperion, $22.95) The title says it all. Katzen literally wrote the book on eating vegetables with her “Moosewood” cookbooks. I like Roasted Asparagus with Pomegranate-Lime Glaze. This book is just as cute as her others. Do you remember making the enchanted broccoli forest? I do.

6. “Crescent City Cooking,” by Susan Spicer (Knopf, $35) I’ve admired Susan Spicer’s restaurants for years and this cookbook is her first. Now I finally know the secret to her Oyster Gumbo. She has a remarkable ability to make simple foods utterly memorable; I can still taste the delicious black-eyed peas and collard greens I ate at her restaurant on New Year’s Day in 1989.

7. “A Great American Cook” by Jonathan Waxman (Houghton Miifflin, $35) You gotta love a chef who starts his cookbook on the importance of bacon and butter. Time to bring back Lobster Thermidor!

8. “New England Soup Factory Cookbook,” by Marjorie Druker and Clara Silverstein (Thomas Nelson, $24.99) This little gem is chock full of chowders and bisques, plus Asparagus-Fennel-Herb Soup.

9. “Sweety Pies,” by Patty Pinner (Taunton, $23) This chatty cookbook will bring a smile to your face as you enjoy a whole chapter just on cream pies, like Sweet Potato-Coconut Custard Pie.

10. “The Glory of Southern Cooking,” by James Villas (Wiley, $34.95). Irresistably delicious fried chicken and Carolina pulled pork, need I say more?

All of the cookbooks are available at Kitchen Conservatory.