With 12 pages of color photographs

One of the most respected chefs in the country, Paul Bertolliearns glowing praise for the food at California’s renowned Olivetorestaurant. Now he shares his most personal thoughts about cookingin his long-awaited book, Cooking by Hand. In this groundbreakingcollection of essays and recipes, Bertolli evocatively explores thephilosophy behind the food that Molly O’Neill of the New York Timesdescribed as “deceptively simple, [with] favors clean, deep, andlayered more profusely than a mille-feuille.” From “Twelve Ways of Looking at Tomatoes” to Italian salumi in “TheWhole Hog,” Bertolli explores his favorite foods with the vividnessof a natural writer and the instincts of a superlative chef.Scattered throughout are more than 140 recipes remarkable for theirclarity, simplicity, and seductive appeal, from Salad of BitterGreens, Walnuts, Tesa, and Parmigiano and Chilled Shellfish withSalsa Verde to Short Ribs Agrodolce and Tagliolini Pasta with Crab.Unforgettable desserts, such as Semifreddo of Peac

America's favorite baker, Nancy Baggett, has been on a roadtrip around the country. Now she's back, with something for everydessert lover: the best pies, cakes, puddings, crisps, cookies, icecreams, and candies in the land. Many of her discoveries werelocally famous family secretsuntil now. They include a memorablysimple blueberry buckle from a Vermont bed-and-breakfast; a coconutchiffon cake from an island off the coast of Virginia that hasbecome a "destination dessert"; a never-before-revealed recipe forchocolate-dipped caramel candies, the fund-raising specialty of thewomen of an Episcopal church in New Mexico; and a sublime peachcobbler from a cook in the Ozarks. Baggett has tested and retestedevery recipe in her home kitchen to ensure that all cooks get thesame results. She has even included a chapter on easy gifts to makewith children, from "bars in a jar" (a homemade brownie mix) tofancifully decorated graham-cracker holiday cottages. Every recipein this lavishly photographed book comes with an

What's the secret to making foolproof friands? How do you bakethe perfect piped cookie dough pinwheel? And what puts the snap inthe very best ginger snaps? Find out in "Field Guide to Cookies", ahandy pocket reference to more than 100 cookie recipes, completewith the fascinating historical background (the first known recipefor brownies was published in the 1897 Sears, Roebuck Catalogue),season (April 9 is Chinese Almond Cookie Day), and helpful bakingnotes for each delicious variety, from traditional favourites tomore exotic concoctions from all over the world. Including drop,bar, piped, rolled, puffed, sandwich, savoury, and mouldedvarieties, every cookie is illustrated in glorious full colour,with step-by-step instructions on how to prepare, bake, serve, andstore your creations. Gooey, delicious, home-baked confections arejust minutes away with "Field Guide to Cookies" in your pantry!

To read this book is not just to learn the proper preparationfor lasagna and risotto, but also to encounter the Medicis, towitness an opulent banquet for two, and to learn the fablessurrounding the origin of tortellini.

Lidia Bastianich, loved by millions of Americans for her goodItalian cooking, gives us her most instructive and personalcookbook yet. Focusing on the Italian-American kitchen—the cooking sheencountered when she first came to America as a youngadolescent—she pays homage to this “cuisine of adaptation born ofnecessity.” But she transforms it subtly with her light,discriminating touch, using the authentic ingredients, notaccessible to the early immigrants, which are all so readilyavailable today. The aromatic flavors of fine Italian olive oil,imported Parmigiano-Reggiano and Gorgonzola dolce latte, freshbasil, oregano, and rosemary, sun-sweetened San Marzano tomatoes,prosciutto, and pancetta permeate the dishes she makes in herItalian-American kitchen today. And they will transform for youthis time-honored cuisine, as you cook with Lidia, learning fromher the many secret, sensuous touches that make her foodsuperlative. You’ll find recipes for Scampi alla Buonavia (the garlicky shrimp