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
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.
