New York is pierogi, pasta fagiole, and chicken soup: Avgolemono, Brazilian Canja, Kreplach, Soo Chow, and Ajiaco. New York is Sylvia's Ribs, plus Edna Lewis's Greens and Mrs. Kornick's Polish Corn Bread. And the New York Cookbook is all of this, and much, much more. Collected from all five boroughs by New York Times food writer Molly O'Neill, here are over 500 recipes--and over 700 photographs--that celebrate one thing: a passion for food and eating. Deborah Markow's Braised Lamb Shanks and Mrs. Urscilla O'Connor's Codfish Puffs. Four-star chef Andre Soltner's Roast Chicken and Vernon Jordan's Jerk Style Jamaican Chicken. Robert Motherwell's Brandade de Morue and the Abyssinian Baptist Church's Long-Cooked Green Beans. Plus Katharine Hepburn's Brownies, Lisa's Mexican Flan, and Sally Darr's Golden Delicious Tart. Includes shopping guides, cooking tips, and walking tours.Winner of a 1992 IACP/Julia Child Cookbook Award. Winner of the 1992 James Beard Food and Beverage Book Award. A percentage of the royalties goes to Citymeals-on-Wheels.

    Written with panache by a self-taught foodie, "The Surreal Gourmet" features 25 delicious recipes - each accompanied by original and surreal artwork - presented in a manner so simple, so straightforward, that anyone who can connect the dots can learn to create fabulous food and enjoy festive dining.

    You can boil them, bake them, fry them, sauté them, grill, braise, roast, and microwave them. Potatoes are irresistible, and Lydie Marshall's recipes for them are sublime. The book is an international compendium of tempting and varied dishes by one of America's most talented cooks.

    But so what? Her food (it's her name on the cover of the cookbook, even though any food coming out of a restaurant as popular and free-spirited as the original Fog City Diner in San Francisco is likely to be something of a group effort--kind of like the Manhattan Project) brightened palates back in 1985 when the diner opened, and it serves adventurous palates just as well today. Remember when attaching "California" to food actually meant a thing or two? Fog City Diner Cookbook is something of a time capsule in that regard. You have seen similar-looking food on menus in your town. But that's now, and this book (and the food before it) came out back when it was news. What's interesting to note, however, is that Pawlcyn bases her dishes on sound culinary principles. She isn't throwing oddball ingredients together to grab attention or to appear to be clever, she's combining flavors and textures and cultural heritage to achieve specific effects, with new and powerful results. In other words, she shows restraint on the one hand, and knows what she's doing on the other. For that first blush of that brash California "thang" with food, don't hesitate to hang your hat inside the Fog City Diner. The cookbook, that is. --Schuyler Ingle

    Perfect for dipping into a steaming cappuccino or as an accompaniment to ice cream or a glass of wine, biscotti are endlessly versatile. They can be covered with chocolate, embellished with spices or nuts or kept in their simple, sophisticated original form. Light and healthy, they adapt easily to both casual and formal occasions. Filled with tips on baking and serving biscotti, as well as with delicious historical anecdotes, this small-format cookbook is the perfect introduction to a classic Italian experience.