Spago's pastry chef to the stars and author of the James BeardAward-winning Secrets of Baking shares the recipes that propelledher to the top of her profession Night after night at Spago inBeverly Hills, Sherry Yard dazzles the powerful, rich, and famouswith incredible desserts. Her marvelous confections have won overpatrons from Madonna to Frank Sinatra. Now the country's premierpastry chef reveals the recipes that have made her a star in herown right and won her two coveted James Beard Awards. Desserts bythe Yard begins with inspirations from Yard's childhood, such as MyFavorite White Birthday Cake with Chocolate and Butter FudgeFrosting, and culminates in the spectacular creations she makesevery year for the Academy Awards. Included here are some of Yard'smost famous recipes: the slinky crcme brulee she perfected when sheworked at New York's Rainbow Room, the coffeecake that made CamptonPlace Hotel San Francisco's most popular breakfast spot, and thesouffleed crcme fraiche pancakes with strawberry sauce s

This isn't a diet book. This is a book about plates. And the twisted conspiracy that ismaking our country fat. FACT :: 95 percent of dieters regain the weight after fiveyears. FACT :: The average American dinner plate has grown from 9 inchesin diameter to 12 inches since 1970. FACT :: As a result, we’re now consuming more than 300 excesscalories per day. FACT :: Our bodies have kept pace growing with our plates. CURE :: A return to 9-inch dinner plates. Behold The 9-Inch "Diet."

This groundbreaking collection encompasses both sweet and savoryfavorites: yeast breads and quick breads, layer cakes and loafcakes, doughnuts and fruit desserts, pies and simple pastries.Taking as his starting point 1796, the year the first Americancookbook was published, Greg Patent, an accomplished baker, hasmined sources from across the country for exemplary baking recipesby and for home cooks. Perusing old cookbooks, journals, andhandwritten diaries from libraries and private archives, he hasskillfully recreated treasured recipes or used them as inspirationfor his own thoroughly up-to-date creations. Included arehistorical finds like the original Parker House Rolls; Lindy'sCheesecake, from the world-famous New York restaurant; and asensationally easy butterscotch cake that won a national bakingcontest in 1954. Here as well are hundreds of contemporarystandouts, such as Malted Milk Chocolate Layer Cake,Blueberry-Lemon Curd Streusel Muffins, Peaches and Cream Cobbler,and Raised Potato Doughnuts.

Salmonella-tainted tomatoes, riots, and skyrocketing pricesare only the latest in a series of food-related crises that haveilluminated the failures of the modern food system. In "The End ofFood, "Paul Roberts investigates this system and presents astartling truth--how we make, market, and transport our food is nolonger compatible with the billions of consumers the system wasbuilt to serve. The emergence of large-scale and efficient foodproduction forever changed our relationship with food andultimately left a vulnerable and paradoxical system in place.High-volume factory systems create new risks for food-borneillness; high-yield crops generate grain, produce, and meat ofdeclining nutritional quality; and while nearly a billion peopleare overweight, roughly as many people are starving. In this vividnarrative, Roberts presents clear, stark visions of the future andhelps us prepare to make the necessary decisions to survive thedemise of food production as we know it.

Everyone loves potatoes. This book transports cooks beyond theusual side dishes and introduces them to the secrets andspecialties of great chefs and cooks the world over. Finamore showshow to prepare spectacularly simple appetizers, including dips,chips, and showstopping cocktail potatoes made from a few ordinaryingredients. He presents dozens of soups and salads, including richSummer Vichyssoise and Herb Garden Potato Salad. There are morethan fifty main-dish possibilities, such as Sunday Lamb with ProperRoast Potatoes and Chicken Stuffed with Potatoes and ShiitakeMushrooms not to mention a sophisticated rendition of Shepherd'sPie. The potato turns up as the hidden ingredient in such breads asPotato Cheddar Bread with Chives and in such desserts as moistFarmhouse Chocolate Cake. Finamore shows how to master crisp steakfries, silky mashes, and sumptuous gratins. A bonus feature of thebook is the sweet potato, in dishes from a delightfully nostalgicBaked Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallow to an urbane Semi

Clotilde Dusoulier is a twenty-seven-year-old Parisian whoadores sharing her love of all things food-related—recipes,inspirations, restaurant experiences, and above all the pleasure ofcooking with the fresh ingredients found in her local Montmartreshops. But her infatuation with food was born not in her mother’sParisian kitchen, but in San Francisco, where she moved aftercollege and discovered a new world of tastes. When she returned toher beloved France, her culinary exploits inspired her popular andcritically acclaimed blog, ChocolateandZucchini.com. In her first book, Dusoulier provides a glimpse into the life ofa young Parisian as she savors all that the city has to offer andshares her cooking philosophy in the form of more than 75 recipesthat call for healthy ingredients (such as zucchini) and moreindulgent tastes (such as chocolate). The Los Angeles Times callsher recipes "simple, charming, and fun." Appetizers such as Cumin Cheese Puffs, sandwiches and tarts likeTomato Tatin, sou

In her New York Times bestseller Everyday Italian, Giada DeLaurentiis introduced us to the simple, fresh flavors of her nativeItalian cuisine. Now, America’s favorite Italian cook is back witha new batch of simple, delicious recipes geared toward familymeals—Italian style. These unpretentious and delicious meals are at the center of someof Giada’s warmest memories of sitting around the table with herfamily, passing bowls of wonderful food, and laughing over oldtimes. Recipes for soups like Escarole and Bean and heartysandwiches such as the classic Italian Muffuletta make casual, easysuppers, while one-pot dinners like Giada’s Chicken Vesuvio andVeal Stew with Cipollini Onions are just as simple but elegantenough for company. You’ll also find recipes for holiday favoritesyou’ll be tempted to make all year round, including Easter Pie,Turkey and Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Pancetta, andPanettone Bread Pudding with Amaretto Sauce. Giada’s Family Dinners celeb

For this collection, unmatched in the field of dessertcookbooks, Richard Sax devoted more than a decade to searching outand perfecting 350 of the world's best and most beloved homedesserts. Everything the cook longs for is here: cobblers andcrisps, cakes and cookies, puddings and souffls, pies and pastries,ice creams and sauces. Extensive sidebars - profiles of cooks,engaging recollections of favorite desserts, quotations fromhundreds of literary works, and excerpts from fascinating oldrecipes - make this an indispensable, lively volume. Winner of aJames Beard Award and a Julia Child Award.

The Surprising Power of Family Meals is the first book to takea complete look at a ritual that was virtually universal ageneration ago but has undergone a striking transformation. Nolonger honored by society as a time of day that must be set aside,some families see family supper as little more than a quaint relic.But others are beginning to recognize it as a lifeline – a way toconnect with their loved ones on a regular basis and to get moreenjoyment out of family life. The Surprising Power of Family Mealspresents stories, studies, and arguments from the fields ofpsychology, education, nutrition, family therapy, anthropology,sociology, linguistics, and religion. It provides examples offamilies and communities around North America responding creativelyto the pressures of a 24/7 world to share strategies for takingwhat is best from our past and transforming it to meet currentneeds.

BBQ-joint owner Lulu Taylor knows pretty much everyone inMemphis who loves ribs. But one person she'd rather not know isTristan Pembroke, a snooty pageant coach with a mean streak. Whenshe finds Tristan's dead body stuffed in a closet at a party, thepolice are suspicious- especially since Lulu's developed a tastefor being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Caught in asituation stickier than molasses, Lulu must clear her name, or riskgetting fried...

From the Restaurant That Frank Sinatra Made Famous Of the thousands of restaurants in New York City, very fewwithstand the tests of time—and only one can lay claim to beingFrank Sinatra’s favorite. And where Frank went, his friendsfollowed—from close pals such as Tony Bennett and fellow RatPackers Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. to the show-biz colleaguesthey brought in. Established nearly sixty years ago, Patsy’s has long been acelebrity favorite and a New York institution. Why? Great food,family friendliness, and a welcoming atmosphere that makes you feellike you’ve come home. And the fare is the classic southern Italiancuisine that’s become America’s comfort food: Mussels Arreganata,Fettuccine Alfredo, Rigatoni Sorrentino, Chicken Parmigiana, VealMarsala, Shrimp Scampi, Tiramisù . . . a greatest hits ofNeapolitan-influenced dishes. And Patsy’s Cookbook provides more than recipes: also in the mixare anecdotes from family and friends, including the occasion whenPablo

As the chef and owner of the acclaimed Blue Ginger restaurantin Wellesley, Massachusetts, and an Emmy award-winning televisionpersonality, Ming Tsai has become the standard-bearer of East-Westcuisine, the innovative blending of Eastern flavors and techniqueswith Western ingredients and presentations. Now, in Simply Ming, he presents a breakthrough technique forbringing East-West flair to everyday cooking, making it possible totransform a handful of fresh ingredients into a delicious meal in amatter of minutes. The genius of Simply Ming is a versatile arrayof master recipes—intensely flavored sauces, pestos, salsas,dressings, rubs, and more that eliminate much of the last-minuteprep work. So sophisticated dishes such as Tea-Rubbed Salmon withSteamed Scallion-Lemon Rice, Grilled Miso-Citrus Scallop Lollipops,and Green Peppercorn Beef Tenderloin with Vinegar-Glazed Leeks canbe on the table in less than 30 minutes. Even casual dishes such as spaghetti, burgers, fried calamari,and chicken wing

Award-winning chef Nancy Silverton has conquered the gourmetworld as the original dessert chef at Spago and founder of thecelebrated La Brea Bakery. Her recipes are legendary, innovative,and delicious. However, in the last few years, there has been agreat shift in cooking toward the Home Meal Replacement (HMR),better known as “takeout.” It’s impossible to spend hours in thekitchen after a hard day’s work, so more people are buying preparedfoods and frozen meals, compromising taste for convenience.Realizing that people’s hectic workdays don’t afford everyone thetime to re-create her epicurean triumphs, Nancy has come up withthe perfect solution

The extremes of American eating--our equal urges to stuff and tostarve ourselves--are easy to blame on the excesses of modernliving. But Frederick Kaufman followed the winding road of theAmerican intestine back to that cold morning when the firstfamished Pilgrim clambered off the Mayflower, and he discovered thealarming truth: We've been this way all along. With outraged witand an incredible range of sources that includes everything fromCotton Mather's diary to interviews with Amish black-marketraw-milk dealers, Kaufman offers a highly selective,take-no-prisoners tour of American history by way of the Americanstomach. Travel with him as he tracks down our earliest foodies;discovers the secret history of Puritan purges; introduces dietgurus of the nineteenth century such as William Alcott, whobelieved that "Nothing ought to be mashed before it is eaten";traces extreme feeders from Paul Bunyan to eating-contest champDale Boone (descended from Daniel, of course); and investigates ourblithe efforts to re-create

Celebrated French chef Pierre Gagnaire offers 175 classicand yet refined recipes for everyday and special occasions, fromlazy brunches to midnight feasts. Revered for pushing theboundaries of taste and texture, Gagnaire transforms old favoriteswith a twist of originality in recipes designed for the casualcook. Four chapters include ideas for mealtimes and entertaining,from French Toast and Lemon-Rhubarb Marmalade to GrilledLine-Caught Bass to Bell Pepper Cocktails or Raspberries withParmesan. The creative recipes of this master chef will expand therepertoire of the home cook—novice or accomplished—and provide afresh, new home-dining experience