Can a cookbook have terroir? I’ve never eaten at David Kinch’s new Manresa, but after spending a couple of long evenings with this exceptionally complex and textured cookbook, I feel as though I know it inside and out. Manresa (Ten Speed, $50) is beautifully photographed and the text is enhanced by evocative woodcut prints by artist Tom Killion, but what really separates it from other cookbooks is the quality of its writing. More than in any other cookbook I’ve ever read, here Kinch and his co-author Christine Muhlke examine the philosophy of the cookbook and of the genesis of a recipe itself. While you might not necessarily be able to re-create Kinch’s specific and complex recipes like “A Winter Tidal Pool” (which includes pickled kelp, abalone, mushroom gel, and oyster gel) in your home kitchen, his ruminative approach to food ensures that you will think about the elements of cooking, and the creation and balance of your own recipes, in a whole new way.