A Day at elBulli


Ferran Adrià - 2007
    Now, for the first time, A Day at elBulli opens the doors to everyone and reveals the inner workings of the kitchen and the gastronomic innovations that have helped create the spectacular food. Illustrated with over 1,000 colour photographs, the book includes recipes and inserted sections explaining the creative methods and food philosophy, the history of elBulli and the life of Ferran Adrià.

The Dude Diet: Clean(ish) Food for People Who Like to Eat Dirty


Serena Wolf - 2016
    So well intentioned when it comes to healthy eating, even as they fail epically in execution—inhaling a "salad" topped with fried chicken fingers or ordering their Italian hero on a whole wheat wrap (that makes it healthy, right?).There are several issues with men going on diets. First, they seem to be misinformed about basic nutrition. They are also, generally, not excited about eating "health food." You can lead a dude to the salad bar, but you can’t make him choose lettuce.Enter Serena Wolf—chef, food blogger, and caretaker of a dude with some less than ideal eating habits. As a labor of love, Serena began creating healthier versions of her boyfriend’s favorite foods and posting them on her blog, where she received an overwhelming response from men and women alike. Now, in The Dude Diet, Serena shares more than 125 droolworthy recipes that prove that meals made with nutrient-dense whole foods can elicit the same excitement and satisfaction associated with pizza or Chinese take-out.The Dude Diet also demystifies the basics of nutrition, empowering men to make better decisions whether they’re eating out or cooking at home. Better still, each recipe is 100% idiot-proof and requires only easily accessible ingredients and tools. With categories like Game Day Eats, On the Grill, Serious Salads, and Take Out Favorites, The Dude Diet will arm dudes and those who love them with the knowledge they need to lead healthier, happier lives—with flattened beer bellies and fewer meat sweats.The Dude Diet includes 102 full-color photographs.

Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts


Alice Medrich - 2012
    In Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts, you'll find the quickest lemon tart, a lattice-free linzer (mixed entirely in the food processor), one-bowl French chocolate torte (yes, the real thing, but easier to make), imaginative ways with ice cream, chic puddings and mousses to swoon over, and gooey pies with no-fault press-in crusts. Even soufflés for beginners. And you won't need a rolling pin, a pastry brush, or the skills of a professional baker.   As always, Alice's recipes are foolproof and well tested, and her tips for success will make all cooks—even those nervous about baking—confident in the kitchen.       Plus there are more than 100 ideas for spur-of-the-moment desserts that don't even involve baking, including fantastic ideas for ways to dress up a bar of chocolate, a pint of strawberries, a handful of dried fruit, fresh cheese, gingerbread, amaretti, and more.      And of course all those spot-on combinations for which Alice Medrich is so well known, such as Grilled Pineapple with Coffee Ice Cream, Lemon-Scented Peach Crisp, Salted-Caramel Banana Bread Pudding, and Coconut Pecan Torte.

Reflections of a Wine Merchant


Neal I. Rosenthal - 2008
    Rosenthal set out to learn everything he could about wine. Today, he is one of the most successful importers of traditionally made wines produced by small family-owned estates in France and Italy. Rosenthal has immersed himself in the culture of Old World wine production, working closely with his growers for two and sometimes three generations. He is one of the leading exponents of the concept of “terroir”—the notion that a particular vineyard site imparts distinct qualities of bouquet, flavor, and color to a wine. In Reflections of a Wine Merchant, Rosenthal brings us into the cellars, vineyards, and homes of these vignerons, and his delightful stories about his encounters, relationships, and explorations—and what he has learned along the way—give us an unequaled perspective on winemaking tradition and what threatens it today. Rosenthal was featured in the documentary film Mondovino and is one of the more outspoken figures against globalization, homogenization, and the “critic-ization” of the wine business. He was also a major subject in Lawrence Osborne’s The Accidental Connoisseur. His is an important voice in defense of the individual and the artisanal, and their contribution to our quality of life.

The Vegan Stoner Cookbook: 100 Easy Vegan Recipes to Munch


Sarah Conrique - 2013
    Now they invite home cooks into this universe of indie veganism, presenting foolproof recipes that will be a hit with every slacker, penny-pincher, and hipster on the block. With easy recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and munchies, this is a gateway cookbook for anyone who wants to eat fewer animal products and more veggies.

Red, White, and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass


Natalie MacLean - 2006
    She visits the labyrinthine cellars of Champagne to examine the myths and the mystique of luxury bubbly and the grandes dames who made it the drink of celebration the world over. She pulls on sturdy boots to help with the harvest at the vineyards of iconoclastic Californian winemaker Randall Grahm and goes undercover as sommelier for a night in a five-star restaurant with a wine list the thickness of a phone book. She looks at the influence of powerful critics, notably Robert Parker and Jancis Robinson, invites readers into her dining room for an informal wine tasting, and compares collecting notes at a bacchanalian dinner with novelist Jay McInerney.As funny and engaging as she is knowledgeable, Natalie has an unconventional wit, curiosity, and obsession with all things related to wine that make for a tour both amusing and informative, from grape to bottle to glass.

Giada's Family Dinners


Giada De Laurentiis - 2006
    Now, America’s favorite Italian cook is back with a new batch of simple, delicious recipes geared toward family meals—Italian style. These unpretentious and delicious meals are at the center of some of Giada’s warmest memories of sitting around the table with her family, passing bowls of wonderful food, and laughing over old times. Recipes for soups like Escarole and Bean and hearty sandwiches such as the classic Italian Muffuletta make casual, easy suppers, while one-pot dinners like Giada’s Chicken Vesuvio and Veal Stew with Cipollini Onions are just as simple but elegant enough for company. You’ll also find recipes for holiday favorites you’ll be tempted to make all year round, including Easter Pie, Turkey and Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Pancetta, and Panettone Bread Pudding with Amaretto Sauce.Giada’s Family Dinners celebrates the fun of family meals with photographs of Giada’s real-life family and friends as well as the wonderful dishes she shares with them in her kitchen. Suggested menus help you put together a family-style meal for any occasion, from informal to festive. The heart of Italian cooking is the home, and Giada’s Family Dinners—full of fantastic recipes that require a minimum of fuss to prepare—invites you to treat everyone like a member of the family.Nothing is more important than family. Bring yours to the table with Giada’s unpretentious, authentic, down-home Italian cooking!• SOUPS AND SANDWICHES• ITALIAN SALADS AND SIDES• EVERYDAY FAMILY ENTREES• THE ITALIAN GRILL• FAMILY-STYLE PASTA• FAMILY-STYLE GET-TOGETHERS• ITALIAN FAMILY FEASTS• FAMILY-STYLE DESSERTS

The Illustrated A Brief History of Time/The Universe in a Nutshell


Stephen Hawking - 1988
    In this new book Hawking takes us to the cutting edge of theoretical physics, where truth is often stranger than fiction, to explain in laymen's terms the principles that control our universe. Like many in the community of theoretical physicists, Professor Hawking is seeking to uncover the grail of science - the elusive Theory of Everything that lies at the heart of the cosmos. In his accessible and often playful style, he guides us on his search to uncover the secrets of the universe - from supergravity to supersymmetry, from quantum theory to M-theory, from holography to duality. He takes us to the wild frontiers of science, where superstring theory and p-branes may hold the final clue to the puzzle. And he lets us behind the scenes of one of his most exciting intellectual adventures as he seeks "to combine Einstein's General Theory of Relativity and Richard Feynman's idea of multiple histories into one complete unified theory that will describe everything that happens in the universe." With characteristic exuberance, Professor Hawking invites us to be fellow travelers on this extraordinary voyage through space-time. Copious four-color illustrations help clarify this journey into a surreal wonderland where particles, sheets, and strings move in eleven dimensions; where black holes evaporate and disappear, taking their secret with them; and where the original cosmic seed from which our own universe sprang was a tiny nut. The Universe in a Nutshell is essential reading for all of us who want to understand the universe in which we live. Like its companion volume, A Brief History of Time, it conveys the excitement felt within the scientific community as the secrets of the cosmos reveal themselves.

DIY Cocktails: A simple guide to creating your own signature drinks


Marcia Simmons - 2011
    All you need is a good thirst, an active imagination--and this guide!