"Nothing beats the sweet aroma of freshty baked bread at thecrack of dawn, and oneof my indutgent pteasures is sitting downwitha coffee and biting into a sweet, crisp pastry straight out of theoven.

Starred Review. Turning the offices of National Public Radio into a sugar-dusted gastrolab, NPR producer Gray (of the news program All Things Considered) spent a year testing cake recipes on coworkers to find the most satisfying among them. The result is this eclectic but cohesive cookbook, with a gentle learning curve especially useful for novices. An untrained pastry chef herself, Gray begins with a basic, lemon-glazed sour cream pound cake (which she calls the "Man Catcher") that introduces several key baking techniques: creaming the butter and sugar, incorporating eggs, beating batter, and lining the pan. She increases the skill level gradually as she goes, moving on to bundt, layer, and fruit cakes, followed by trickier temptations like angel food cake and the spicy, molasses-rich Appalachian Stack Cake. Each recipe comes with the story of its origin, reception, and variants. Readers will spot many bold-faced culinary names like Paula Deen and Ina Garten, but also obscure sources like out-of-print cookbo

Chosen as one of the New York Times’s ten best books in the yearof its original publication, this collection immediately won acherished place among lovers of the tale and vaulted Calvino intothe ranks of the great folklorists. Introduction by the Author;illustrations. Translated by George Martin. A Helen and Kurt WolffBook

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

In her hit Food Network show Everyday Italian , Giada DeLaurentiis shows you how to cook delicious, beautiful food in aflash. And here, in her long-awaited first book, she does thesame—helps you put a fabulous dinner on the table tonight, forfriends or just for the kids, with a minimum of fuss and a maximumof flavor. She makes it all look easy, because it is. Everyday Italian is true to its title: the fresh, simplerecipes are incredibly quick and accessible, and also utterlymouth-watering—perfect for everyday cooking. And the book isfocused on the real-life considerations of what you actually havein your refrigerator and pantry (no mail-order ingredients here)and what you’re in the mood for—whether a simply sauced pasta or ahearty family-friendly roast, these great recipes cover everycontingency. So, for example, you’ll find dishes that you can makesolely from pantry ingredients, or those that transform lowlyleftovers into exquisite entrées (including brilliant ideas forleftover pasta), and th

The rich culinary tradition of China is largely inspired by acalendar year filled with joyous occasions for eating, drinking andmaking merry. Food, fittingly enough, plays a leading role ineverything from festivals to reunions and weddings toanniversaries. The combination of flavors and symbols, such aswealth, happiness, luck, and prosperity, involved in many of thesedishes are a spiritual celebration and an earthly pleasure. In Chinese Feasts Festivals, author S.C. Moey assemblesfacts and fancies along with a collection of festival specialtiesthat every Chinese food lover will read and enjoy. Full ofdelicate, subtly-rendered illustrations, this exquisite and yetfunctional cookbook will inspire you to cook up a feast no matterwhat the occasion.

Today, Chef Eric Ripert carries on that tradition with dishessuch as Poached Halibut on Marinated Vegetables, Pan-RoastedGrouper with Wild Mushrooms and Artichokes, and Grilled Salmon withMushroom Vinaigrette. And, of course, there are the desserts forwhich Le Bernardin is also so well known--from ChocolateMillefeuille to Honeyed Pear and Almond Cream Tarts.

Here is the first book all the great sauces of practical,workable system. Raymond Sokolov, the widely admired former FoodEditor of The first to point out that the hitherto mysterioussaucier's art, as practiced by the best restaurant chefs, is basedon what amounts to an elegant "fast food" technique. And this iswhat he demonstrates in his unique, useful, and witty book: -- How to prepare, at your leisure, the three fundamental classicsauces (the "mother" sauces from which all others evolve: Brown,White, and Fish Veloute)... -- How to freeze them in one-meal-size containers, ready for useat a moment's notice... -- How to transform any of these basic put-away sauces, quicklyand easily, into the exact ones that French chefs are famous forand serve in the finest restaurants... -- How to prepare the classic dish for which each sauce istraditionally used, with suggestions for enhancing simpler fare(the recipes run the gamut from Duckling a la Bigarade to PoachedEggs Petit-Duc -- that i

In this completely updated and expanded edition of herinternational bestseller, Jancis Robinson, one of the world's mostrespected wine authorities, offers an engaging introduction to theenjoyment of wine.

Perfectly pristine ingredients, combined sensibly and cookedproperly, are the unmistakable hallmarks of the best Italian food.Chef Mario Batali, known to fans far and wide as "Molto Mario" fromhis appearances on television's Food Network and as chef of NewYork's much-loved Pó restaurant, has elevated these simpleprinciples to fine art, creating innovative new fare that paystribute to traditional Italian home cooking in a distinctly modernway. Now, for the first time, more than 200 of his irresistiblerecipes for fresh pastas, sprightly salads, grilled dishes, savoryragus, and many others are gathered in Simple Italian Food, acelebration of the flavors and spirit ofItaly. Mario draws inspiration for his distinctive dishes from the two"villages" that have left their stamps on his cuisine: BorgoCapanne, the tiny hillside village in Northern Italy where he livedand cooked for several years, and New York's Greenwich Village,where he has ready access to bountiful produce and outstandingartisan-made

When restaurateur Keith McNally and co-chefs Riad Nasr and LeeHanson opened Balthazar in 1997, it immediately became one of thehottest restaurants in the country. Famous for its star-studdedclientele, a beautiful room in the chic SoHo neighborhood, andsuperbly executed food, Balthazar has been embraced by New Yorkersand visitors alike for its perfect evocation of a Frenchbrasserie. The Balthazar Cookbook captures that energy, that style, and thatcuisine, with recipes for the most-loved and most-accessible Frenchdishes: seafood ranging from the ultra-simple Moules à la Marinièreto more ambitious Bouillabaisse; chicken and game favorites thatinclude Coq au Vin and Cassoulet; red-meat classics such as BraisedShort Ribs and Blanquette de Veau; sides like the perfect FrenchFries or sublime Macaroni Gratin; and finales that include CrèmeBr?lée and Chocolate Pot de Crème. This is the best of Frenchcooking, from one of the best-loved French restaurants in thecountry.

Yin-Fei Lo's latest cookbook is visually stunning—with brush calligraphy, decorative borders, and full-page color photographs—as well as a comprehensive and educational guide that fulfills the promise of how to master Chinese cooking. The Chinese-born author includes 150 classic recipes as well as essays exploring regional and cultural traditions and Chinese history. The Chinese pantry section is a must-read guide to ingredients, while illustrated techniques demystify processes including stuffing bean curd cakes and forming dumplings. Recipe notes lend expert advice for freezing, preparation, and serving. Divided into three parts that can be slightly confusing (The Market as Classroom; The Market Becomes Regional; The Market Particular), the book offers recipes including popular dishes such as pot stickers, spring rolls, and General Tso's chicken, in addition to more adventurous selections including sea cucumbers braised with steamed black mushrooms. This is a gorgeous holiday gift. (Jan.) Copyrigh

In Cantonese, “dim sum” means “touch the heart,” and EllenBlonder’s charming celebration of China’s famed tea lunch does justthat. More than sixty carefully crafted, authentic recipes, eachillustrated with Ellen’s exquisite watercolor paintings, put thekey to re-creating these delectable morsels in every cook’shand. Anyone who has enjoyed the pleasures of a dim sum meal hasinevitably wondered what it would be like to create these treats athome. The answer, surprisingly, is that most are quite simple tomake. From dumplings to pastries, Dim Sum is filled with simple,foolproof recipes, complete with clear step-by-step illustrationsto explain the art of forming, filling, and folding dumplingwrappers and more. Ellen Blonder offers her favorite versions oftraditional Pork and Shrimp Siu Mai, Turnip Cake, and Shrimp HaGow, each bite vibrantly flavored, plus recipes for hearty stickyrice dishes, refreshing sautéed greens, tender baked or steamedbuns, and a variety of pastries and dessert

Revised edition of the classic cookbook, originally publishedin 1961. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition ofthis title.

With 12 pages of color photographs

America’s love of wine has spurred a collecting andentertaining phenomenon. Some of America’s most passionate oenophiles have re-invented thewine cellar as an inviting and beautiful part of the home. True collectors love to share their passion, and this book offersa tour of their distinctive cellars. Created with the help of someof the best designers in the field, these rooms blend luxuriousdesign aesthetics with ingenious storage solutions. The thirtystunning spaces featured include a traditional wood cellar finishedwith rich paneling and ornate lighting; a cathedral-like space thatshowcases ironwork inspired by the French Quarter of New Orleans(and has a secret entry from a library inside the house); aninviting living room lined with temperature-controlled wood alcovesbehind insulated glass; and an Old World terra-cotta cellar–withina sprawling entertainment center that includes a wet bar, abilliards table, and a tasting room. Living with Wine reveals the details that make the