Do Sourdough: Slow Bread for Busy Lives


Andrew Whitley - 2014
    In Do Sourdough, Andrew Whitley – a baker for over 30 years who has 'changed the way we think about bread' – shares his simple method for making this deliciously nutritious bread at home.Having taught countless bread-making workshops, Andrew knows that we don't all have the time and patience to bake our own. Now, with time-saving tips – such as slotting the vital fermentation stage into periods when we're asleep or at work, this is bread baking for Doers. Find out:• the basic tools and ingredients you'll need • how to make your own sourdough starter• simple method for producing wonderful loaves time and again• ideas and recipe suggestions for fresh and days-old breadThe result isn't just fresh bread made with your own hands, it's the chance to learn new skills, make something to share with family and friends, and change the world – one loaf at a time.

Simple to Spectacular: How to Take One Basic Recipe to Four Levels of Sophistication


Jean-Georges Vongerichten - 2000
    Simple to Spectacular introduces a unique concept developed by one of the world's top chefs, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and Mark Bittman, author of How to Cook Everything and the New York Times's hugely popular column "The Minimalist." Ever since their award-winning collaboration on Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef, the acclaimed duo has been cooking up a repertoire of new dishes that can be prepared in any of five progressively sophisticated ways.Simple to Spectacular features a total of 250 recipes in 50 groups. Each group begins with a simple, elegant recipe--a few ingredients combined for maximum effect--followed by fully detailed, increasingly elaborate variations. For example, a recipe for Grilled Shrimp with Thyme and Lemon leads to Grilled Shrimp and Zucchini on Rosemary Skewers, Grilled Shrimp with Apple Ketchup, Thai-style Grilled Shrimp on Lemongrass Skewers, and Grilled Shrimp Balls with Cucumber and Yogurt.Every aspect of the meal is covered, from superb soups and salads to unforgettable side dishes, entrees, and desserts. In Simple to Spectacular, everything--from the basics to innovations by a four-star chef--is tailored for a quick Tuesday night dinner or an elegant weekend party.  And in the now-classic Vongerichten-Bittman style, all of the recipes can be made in the kitchen of any home cook. With 80 full-color photographs giving a mouthwatering view of the Simple-to-Spectacular transformations, readers and cooks will eagerly explore the possibilities.Jean-Georges Vongerichten (right) won the 1998 James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef and Best New Restaurant. His Manhattan restaurants include Vong, Jo Jo, The Mercer Kitchen, and Jean Georges, which earned a rare four-star rating from the New York Times.  In Simple to Spectacular, two titans of the food world have created a truly groundbreaking cookbook.  Here are 250 superb recipes arranged in a uniquely useful way: a basic recipe and four increasingly sophisticated variations, with each group (there are 50 groups in all) based on a given technique.  This ingenious organization enables cooks of all levels of expertise to understand how a recipe is created and to re-create the brilliantly simple recipes and dazzling variations from one of our best food writers and home cooks teamed with one of America's greatest chefs.

101 Things® to Do with a Slow Cooker


Janet Eyring - 2003
    101" Stephanie Ashcraft has stepped up to the plate (and bowl, and serving tray) with an amazing collection of timesaving recipes.From South of the Border Pot Roast to Hearty Vegetable Soup to Cherries Jubilee, now anyone can make hearty, healthy dishes for the whole family the "throw-n-go" way. Simply throw several ingredients into the slow cooker, get on with life, and come home to a kitchen filled with the aroma of real home cooking. 101 recipes for main courses, side dishes, desserts, and more are included, along with suggestions for how and what to serve with each dish, time-saving meal preparation tips, and easy modifications to fit your families tastes.

Great British Bake Off: Everyday: Over 100 Foolproof Bakes


Linda Collister - 2013
    Using straightforward, easy-to-follow techniques, there are foolproof recipes for cakes, traybakes, bread, biscuits, tarts, pies, puddings and desserts.If you are a confident baker or ready to move onto the next stage, each chapter also showcases the best recipes from the series – Mary and Paul's Signature Bakes, Technical Challenges and Showstoppers, plus the best bakers' recipes from series 4.There are step-by-step photographs to guide you through the more complicated techniques and beautiful photography throughout, making this the perfect gift for all bakers.The finalists' recipes will be available after the final has transmitted in October. For more information go to: www.bakeoffbook.co.uk.

Illustrated Step-by-Step Baking


Caroline Bretherton - 2011
    Classic recipes such as quiche lorraine and New York cheesecake are demystified and presented in a clear and accessible step-by-step format.If you want to produce the perfect tart, bake a cake fit for a king, or serve up a souffle that won't sink, Illustrated Step-by-Step Baking will guide you through every single stage with clear, illustrated, step-by-step instructions that have proved so popular with DK's readers.

Good Eats: The Middle Years


Alton Brown - 2010
    Showcasing everything Alton Brown fans (and they are legion!) have ever wanted to know about his award-winning television show, The Middle Years is chock-full of behind-the-scenes photographs and trivia, science-of-food information, cooking tips, and—of course—recipes.Brown’s particular genius lies in teaching the chemistry of cooking with levity and exuberance. In episodes such as “Fit to Be Tied” (meat roulades), “Crustacean Nation” (crab), and “Ill-Gotten Grains” (wheat products), Brown explains everything from how to make the perfect omelet to how to stuff your own sausages. With hundreds of entertaining photographs, along with Brown’s inimitable line drawings and signature witty writing, this comprehensive companion book conveys the same wildly creative spirit as the show itself.

Rick Stein's Taste of the Sea


Rick Stein - 1995
    In recipes as simple and delicious as Stir-Fried Salt and Pepper Shrimp and Carpetshell Clams with Aioli, he wins over the hurried home cook.

BabyCakes: Vegan, (Mostly) Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York's Most Talked-About Bakery


Erin McKenna - 2009
    Simply, BabyCakes is your key to an enlightened, indulgent, sweets-filled future. This is important news not only for parents whose children have allergies, for vegans, and for others who struggle with food sensitivities, but also for all you sugar-loving traditionalists. The recipes in these pages prove that there is a healthy alternative to recklessly made desserts, one that doesn't sacrifice taste or texture.Having experimented endlessly with alternative, health-conscious sweeteners, flours, and thickeners, Erin McKenna, the proprietress of beloved bakery BabyCakes NYC, developed these recipes–most are gluten-free, all are without refined sugar–in hopes of combating her own wheat, dairy, and sugar sensitivities. In BabyCakes, she shares detailed information about the ingredients she uses (coconut flour, xanthan gum, and agave nectar, for example) and how to substitute them properly for common ones–all the while guiding you safely through techniques she’s spent years perfecting. When BabyCakes NYC opened on Manhattan’s Lower East Side in 2005, it helped propel the gluten-free and vegan baking movement into a new stratosphere. Suddenly there was a destination for those with wheat allergies and other dietary restrictions–and, soon enough, celebrities and dessert lovers of every kind–to indulge freely in delectable muffins and teacakes, brownies and cookies, pies and cobblers.Enclosed within these pages are all the “secrets” you’ll need to bring the greatness of BabyCakes NYC into your own home as well as raves and recommendations from devotees such as Natalie Portman, Jason Schwartzman, Mary-Louise Parker, Zooey Deschanel, and Pamela Anderson.For confectionists of all kinds, delicious alternatives lie within: Red Velvet Cupcakes, Chocolate Shortbread Scones with Caramelized Bananas, Strawberry Shortcake, and BabyCakes NYC’s celebrated frosting (so delicious it has fans tipping back frosting shots!), to name just a few. Finally, Erin’s blissful desserts are yours for the baking!

Williams-Sonoma Soup of the Day: 365 Recipes for Every Day of the Year


Kate McMillan - 2011
    From January to December, you'll find daily inspiration and a seasonal soup that will satisfy any craving or fit any occasion.From refreshing gazpachos in summer to slow-simmered stews in winter, light broths with noodles and greens in spring to warming root vegetable purées come fall, a delicious option awaits. With this book as your guide, find the perfect soup to match each season's ingredients, weather, and sensibility.Endlessly versatile, soup is perfect for any season and every occasion. What better way to capture the essence of spring than by simmering freshly shelled peas and fava beans in a fragrant broth accented by bracing mint and refreshing lemon zest? In summer, a cool gazpacho made by whirling perfectly ripe tomatoes, juicy cucumbers, and vibrant red peppers is fitting for a hot and humid day—no pot necessary! When the air turns brisk, soup nourishes and satisfies like no other dish. In autumn, white beans mingle with sturdy greens in satisfying, peasant-style pots, and starchy squashes and root vegetables blend into silky purées. Winter brings even more soul-warming fare, such as chilis and stews featuring sausages and other hearty meats and thick vegetable soups scented with woodsy herbs.Williams-Sonoma Soup of the Day offers a tantalizing collection of 365 soup recipes: one for each day of the year. Colorful calendars at the beginning of each chapter offer an at-a-glance view of the dishes best suited for the ingredients, occasions, and typical weather of the month. From January to December, you’ll find a seasonal soup that will satisfy any craving, and match any meal ranging from a quick weeknight supper to an elegant dinner party. A handful of the recipes are even appropriate for the holiday table, while others are perfect for using up a leftover roast or chicken. Notes accompanying each recipe offer ideas for ingredient variations, garnishes, and other helpful tips. All of the soups can be dressed up or dressed down; served in rustic earthenware mugs or on heirloom china; garnished with a flourish of fried herbs or dollop of pesto, or stripped down to the bare, tasty essentials—the possibilities are endless, but always delicious.Full-color photographs enhance many of the recipes inside to help guide your cooking. You can start your soup-making journey at any time—just open this book, check the calendar, and you’ll be inspired to create a new soup du jour every day of the year.

Fields of Greens: New Vegetarian Recipes From The Celebrated Greens Restaurant


Anne Somerville - 1993
    In its latest incarnation, the restaurant has evolved toward a lighter, leaner, simpler cuisine, one that keeps all the spirit and refinement of the original menu but depends more on the excitement of sparkling fresh produce and its integral relationship to the dishes it inspires.In close to 300 original recipes, the new Greens style includes exuberant salads, soups, the legendary crusty Greens pizzas, curries and hearty stews, grilled vegetables, and intriguing turnovers made with filo pastry, tortillas, and savory doughs.  And of course there are heavenly breads and the famous desserts, like ginger pound cake with poached apricots and cherries.  This cornucopia of brilliant dishes focuses on tantalizing tastes, with a new simplicity, clarity, and liveliness as its hallmark.Annie Somerville, the executive chef at Greens, goes right to the heart of the matter: extraordinary produce that's bursting with flavor, color, and texture.  Some of her favorites--like crinkly Bloomsdale spinach, candy-striped Chioggia beets, succulent Rosefir potatoes--are highlighted in the text for gardeners and farmers' market aficionados.  But the Greens style is above all accessible; ordinary red beets will be just fine if more exotic varieties are unavailable.  To help with availability, there's information on locating farmers' markets throughout the country as well as sources for plants, seeds, and local resources.Because the garden is at the center of this book, readers are encouraged to try their hand, in tiny backyards and windowsill boxes if necessary.  Invaluable growing tips are offered from Green Gulch Farm, the source of much of the stunning produce served at the restaurant.  Other special features include a section on low-fat cooking and another on pairing wine with vegetarian food.All of the abundance and exuberance that the title Fields of Greens implies is here, for the novice as well as the expert, for simple last-minute meals as well as extravagant occasions.  For truly inspired contemporary vegetarian cooking, Fields of Greens is the essential sourcebook.Annie Somerville trained under Deborah Madison, the founding chef at Greens Restaurant.  Under Somerville's guidance as executive chef, Greens has become a culinary landmark.  Her work has been featured in Gourmet, Food & Wine, Ladies' Home Journal, SF, and California magazine.  She also contributed to The Open Hand Cookbook and Women Chefs cookbook.

Joy of Cooking: Christmas Cookies


Irma S. Rombauer - 1996
    The mere mention of baking cookies conjures up memories not just of tantalizing aromas and great tastes but of warm kitchens and good times with family and friends. "Joy of Cooking Christmas Cookies" brings together in a single volume 75 indispensable cookie recipes and more than 25 recipes for holiday extras. That's more than 100 recipes, half of which are brand new. This book also offers a sneak preview of the revision of "Joy of Cooking", the first in more than two decades. Written with clarity, humor, and a dedication to detail that has always set the "Joy of Cooking" apart from all other cookbooks, this book will teach anyone from the person who has never baked a single cookie to the experienced home baker how to turn out a perfect cookie every time. A treasure trove of information, this book contains basic instructions on measuring ingredients, handling and shaping cookie doughs, and decorating cookies, supported by helpful line drawings every step of the way. Recipes include the full range of cookies from the simplest one-pan bar cookies like Chocolate-Glazed Toffee Bars and Scottish Shortbread to those that are dropped onto a cookie sheet (don't miss the new Monster Cookies) to Christmas production numbers like Spritz that are piped through a press. On the familiar side are recipes for chocolate chip cookies, brownies, and sugar cookies. Brief but precise directions ensure that the brownies will be fudgey and moist, the chocolate chips chewy, and the sugar cookies meltingly tender. On the novel side are such irresistible new entries as Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars, Tuscan Almond Biscotti, and Chocolate Mint Surprises.Among this Book's unique features:A full-color photograph of every cookieBrand-new recipes for reduced-fat cookies that taste wonderfulAn easy-to-make gingerbread houseStorage suggestions that help you plan your baking time when conipany is comingRecipes for eggnog, mulled cider and wine, and three kinds of homemade hot chocolateA section on extras-a California fruitcake for the 90s made with dried fruits and nuts, a plum pudding Charles Dickens would have loved, Stollen, Chocolate Truffles, Bourbon Balls, Candied Popcorn, and more.For sparkling additions to any weekday or for a splendid display of special party presentations, the new "Joy of Cooking Christmas Cookies" is the only cookie book you'll ever need.

The Art & Soul of Baking


Cindy Mushet - 2008
    Beautiful photographs and more than 250 easy-to-follow recipes lead you into a world of alluring aromas and light, flaky pastries. Illustrated asides take you step by step through important techniques, from carmelizing sugar to working with croissant dough. Plus, you'll find invaluable information on over 100 ingredients and 50 baker's tools. A true pleasure for anyone who loves to bake.Each selection of the Gourmet Cookbook Club is handpicked and road-tested by the editors of Gourmet magazine, so readers can cook with confidence, knowing the recipes really do deliver. Online at Gourmet Book Club you can find videos of the authors demonstrating recipes, share your thoughts on the cookbooks in the forums, and learn more about each book's topic.BENEFITS: * The ultimate book for bakers.* Professional tips and tricks are made easy for the home baker.* Step-by-step techniques of baking.* 100 photographs, 250 foolproof recipes and variations, and information on over 100 popular baking ingredients and over 50 pieces of baking equipment.Praise for The Art and Soul of Baking..".when a baking book in which the recipes perform as flawlessly as they do in "The Art and Soul of Baking" comes out, we're particularly impressed." --"Gourmet" magazine, October 2008, Cookbook Club selection"If you buy just one new baking book this season, make it this one. ...covers everything from essential equipment...and pantry staples to chapters on savory breads, quick breads, tarts, pies, cookies and cakes.... The recipes are exceedingly detailed and include do-ahead tips, notes on equipment needed, advice on storing the finished treats and suggestions for variations." --Associated Press, September 2008"Mushet's invaluable lessons in ensuring oven accuracy, incorporating butter into dough for layered pastries...and the causes of falling souffles will get novices up to speed.... Those already comfortable with baking will get the most out of the book's 250 recipes, but there are plenty of dishes well within the reach of those new to creme brulee and lemon bar construction, making this a great volume to learn and grow with." --"Publishers Weekly," August 2008"Many elements combine to make a great cookbook, all of which are in "The Art and Soul of Baking." ...the book possesses the singular quality that lifts a cookbook above the rest, and that is the ability to inspire. "The Art and Soul of Baking" inspires." --inmamaskitchen.com

Cooking For Two: 2010


America's Test Kitchen - 2010
    It can mean adjusting spices in various ways, using different pans and utensils, and utilizing ingredients in smarter, more cost effective ways. In this new and already popular annual, the test cooks at America's Test Kitchen take our best recipes from the year and scale them down for families of two.Newlyweds, empty nesters, single people, and even young parents (who might want to enjoy a sophisticated meal even if their 3 year old is only eating mac and cheese) will relish Cooking for Two.

50 Easy Party Cakes


Debbie Brown - 1999
    Debbie Brown combines her exceptional flair for color and design with her unique fondant modeling skills to simplify her eye-catching cake designs, some of which you may have never dreamed you could achieve.This cake cookbook is filled with cakes which will appeal to children of all ages. Instantly lovable animal cakes include a Friendly Frog, Sporty Spider and Noah's Ark, while the Fairy Toadstool, Dotty Dragon and Alien Spaceship are among a number of fantasy ideas. Sports fans will enjoy the Soccer Player and Formula 1 Car. Keep older children entertained with the Glitter Bag and Make-up, meanwhile younger children will adore the Playful Kitten on a Ball of Wool and the Cute Yellow Chick.Ideal for beginners and experienced cake makers alike, each easy-to-follow cake recipe is clearly illustrated with step-by-step photographs and a full-page color picture to guarantee success every time.Cake recipes include:Formula 1 CarPlayful KittenFarm TractorLittle Bo PeepSkull & CrossbonesDream CastleAlien SpaceshipCute Chick

The Advanced Professional Pastry Chef


Bo Friberg - 2003
    Like its sister volume on the basics (The Professional Pastry Chef: Fundamentals of Baking and Pastry, 2002, 0-471-35925-4), this book, which covers such subjects as modernistic desserts, chocolate work, and sugar and marzipan creations, is designed to meet the needs of today's pastry kitchen. This definitive reference features clear explanations, step-by-step how-to photos, and meticulous recipes - all presented in a lively, reader-friendly style.