Michel Richard's "Happy in the Kitchen" is a cookbook full of traditional recipes reinvented such as Tomato Tartare and Cuttlefish Schnitzel, vegetable dishes such as Potato Risotto, and unique combinations such as Tuna Medallions with Passion Fruit.  In addition, his sweets recipes are enough to make your mouth water, such as Lemon-Lime Madeleine Muffins or Upside-Down Chocolate Orange Sponge Cake.

Then dive into "The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals" by Michael Pollan.  Take a ride up and down the food chain as you find the natural origins of a McDonald's lunch, a meal made from "organic" food from Whole Foods, a cooked meal made from ingredients from a Virginia farm, and a feast from things he has foraged and hunted.  It is a sure eye-opener as you look at the prevalence of corn in so many products, and how the origins all come from some form of species.  A must read!