How about a cookbook under the tree?

Do you have someone on your Christmas gift list who loves to cook? If so, you might want to consider one of these two cookbooks.

If the lucky recipient likes a bit of a challenge, or if their tastes are a bit more gourmet, "Vanilla Table" by Natasha MacAller is sure to put a smile on their face.

Think "vanilla" is plain and boring? Think again.

From Salt & Pepper Vanilla Kettle Corn to Island Crabcakes with Vanilla-Grapefruit Rémoulade, this beautifully photographed cookbook is a sweet and savory compilation of deliciousness.

MacAller began her working life as a ballerina, and danced professionally well into her 30s. Her credits include the Joffrey Ballet and the "Phantom of the Opera" on Broadway and with the touring company.

When she finally hung up her pointe shoes, she went back to school to become a chef, graduating first in her class. Over the years, she's worked with many notable, world-famous chefs, some of whom have contributed recipes for "Vanilla Table."

Throughout the book, MacAller includes hints and tips pertaining to vanilla and its uses, as well as personal stories, such as when she was a 17-year-old dancer in New York City and renting a room in a Soho loft, her landlord "volunteered" her to make tempura for the famous scarf designer, Vera Neumann and her guests at a fundraiser he was hosting. That refined, and much more sophisticated recipe is included in this impressive, new cookbook.

"Vanilla Table: The essence of exquisite cooking from the world's best chefs," is published by Jacqui Small LLP. It sells for $40.

Roasted Stone Fruit with Vanilla, Cinnamon & Red Wine

Recipe from Gale Gand as printed in the "Vanilla Table" cookbook.

Serves 4-6

2 medium plums, ripe but firm

2 medium peaches, ripe but firm

2 medium pears, ripe but firm

1 vanilla pod, split

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 tablespoons light-bodied red wine (Beaujolais would be perfect)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup white sugar

1 large egg white

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Quarter the fruit and remove all seeds and pits. Do not peel. Combine the vanilla pod, honey, sugar, wine and cinnamon in a 9-inch baking dish. Add the fruit and toss to coat.

Bake until tender, 20-30 minutes. When the fruit is done, remove it and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, toss the almonds and sugar together, then add the egg white and mix well to coat. Lightly grease a baking sheet and spread the almond mixture on it.

Bake the almonds, turning them with a spatula every 5 minutes, until golden brown and caramelized, about 10-12 minutes.

Serve the fruit warm or at room temperature, with the almonds sprinkled on top.

Comfort food at its best

If you're a regular viewer of CBS's "Blue Bloods," then you know that each episode features the Reagan family gathered around the dinner table.

So it should be no surprise to learn that there is now a cookbook that celebrates those special family dinners, and includes recipes inspired by the show and its characters.

"The Blue Bloods Cookbook," by Bridget Moynahan (who plays New York Assistant District Attorney Erin Reagan Boyle on the hit TV show) and Wendy Howard Goldberg (wife of executive producer Leonard Goldberg), includes personal recipes from Moynahan and Goldberg, as well as cast members, including Donnie Wahlberg and Tom Selleck.

Most of the recipes are simple and easy to follow. The book even includes a section on the basics, such as a lemon vinaigrette or chicken cutlets, and a "Blue Bloods" list of family dinner menu options to help you pull together a St. Paddy's Day bash to a birthday celebration.

Warning: Don't leaf through this book when you're hungry, because you'll be starving by the time you reach the desserts. The photos that accompany the recipes are drool-inducing.

"The Blue Bloods Cookbook" is published by St. Martin's Press. It sells for $29.99.

Glazed Ham

From the "Blue Bloods Cookbook"

Serves 6 to 8

1 9- to 12-pound spiral-cut, bone-in ham

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons bourbon

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon ground mustard

Finely grated zest of 1 orange

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

Preheat the over to 275 F. Place the ham in a roasting pan, flat-side down. Tent the ham with aluminum foil. Bake for 12 minutes per pound. Remove the ham and increase the oven temperature to 425 F.

While the ham is cooking, combine the brown sugar, bourbon, vinegar, mustard, orange zest and orange juice in a small pot over medium-low heat. Cook, whisking, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Remove the ham from the oven and brush the glaze evenly all over the surface of the ham. Return it to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until the glaze is shiny and set.

Let ham rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Bonus sandwich option:

2 teaspoons real mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon

1/2 teaspoon chopped cornichons

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

2 slices thickly cut French bread

Sliced ham

Sliced Gruyère cheese

Frisée

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, pepper, tarragon and cornichons.

Butter one side of each slice of bread. On the unbuttered side of one slice, layer the ham, Gruyere and frisée. Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.

Toast the sandwich on each side until the surface of the bread is golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 2 minutes per side.

Slice and serve hot.