Rao's Cookbook: Over 100 Years of Italian Home Cooking


Frank Pellegrino - 1998
    Its tables are booked months in advance by regulars who go to enjoy what The New York Times calls its "exquisitely simple Italian cooking" from traditional recipes, many as old as Rao's itself. You may not get a table at Rao's, but now with this book you can prepare the best Italian home-style food in the world in your own kitchen. Here for the first time are recipes for all of Rao's fabulous classics--its famous marinara sauce, seafood salad, roasted peppers with pine nuts and raisins, baked clams, lemon chicken, chicken scarpariello, and on and on.The recipes are accompanied by photographs that re-create Rao's magic and testimonials from loyal Rao's fans--from Woody Allen to Beverly Sills. Here too is a brief history of the restaurant by Nicholas Pileggi and a Preface by Dick Schaap. Both will convince you that what you have in your hands is a national treasure, a piece of history, and a collection of the best Italian American recipes you will ever find.

Williams-Sonoma Collection: Dessert


Abigail Johnson Dodge - 2002
    No chocolate lover can refuse a slice of rich chocolate torte, and a mound of homey blackberry cobbler captures the mood of summer. And what better way to end an elegant dinner party than with a scoop of refreshing mango sorbet or a serving of poached pears drizzled with raspberry sauce?Williams-Sonoma Collection Dessert offers more than 40 recipes, including favorite classics and fresh new ideas. Inside, you'll find simple desserts perfect for a quick afternoon snack as well as seasonal recipes designed for events throughout the year—from the ideal ending to a July picnic to the last course of a hearty autumn meal. For an impressive presentation, offer your guests a selection of elegant desserts on special occasions. And finally, a chapter devoted entirely to chocolate gives you good reason to indulge in everybody's favorite temptation.Full-color photographs of each dessert help make it easy to decide which to prepare, and each recipe is accompanied by a photographic side note that highlights a baking technique or key ingredient, making Dessert much more than just a fine collection of recipes. An informative basics section and extensive glossary fill in all you need to know to create an unforgettable dessert that everyone will enjoy.Whether it's a plate of warm double chocolate chip cookies, a chilled dish of richly caramelized crème brûlée, or a thick wedge of old-fashioned apple pie, no one can resist the sweet allure of a homemade dessert.Williams-Sonoma Collection Dessert offers more than 40 easy-to-follow recipes, including both time-honored classics and irresistible new ideas. In these pages, you'll find delicious desserts, both simple and extraordinary, designed to fit any occasion at any time of year, from an elegant holiday celebration to a quick mid-afternoon treat. This beautifully photographed, full-color recipe collection is certain to become an essential addition to your kitchen bookshelf.

Baking With Kids: Cupcakes, Cookies, and Just Plain Fun for Kids


Dennis Weaver - 2014
    It includes tips and tricks for how to involve them in the baking and cleaning process and recipes that they will enjoy baking and will love eating!

Rick Stein's Seafood


Rick Stein - 2001
    Rick Stein's Seafood brings together his knowledge and expertise, and includes 200 of his tried-and-tested recipes.The book is divided into three separate sections: Techniques; Recipes and, finally, an A to Z of Fish. The techniques section covers all the main preparation methods – including how to fillet, scale and gut fish – as well as the cooking methods for each type of fish (round, flat, shellfish etc), while the A-Z of fish is a comprehensive encyclopedia of fish and seafood including US, Australian and European fish. The recipe section includes all the essential basic recipes, such as stocks, sauces, batters etc. Useful cross references link all sections.Rick Stein's Seafood has been an international bestseller and was awarded the highly coveted James Beard Foundation Cookbook of the Year Award in 2005.

Back to the Table: The Reunion of Food and Family


Art Smith - 2001
    Throughout history, humans have sat down together at the table to break bread. The simple ritual of the shared meal reunites us with our families and brings balance to our lives. There are many types of families--in using the word family, Art means to include anyone whom we have sought or chosen to be an important part of our lives. Unfortunately, in today's fast-paced world, the symbolic role of the table has been threatened. In many households, family members all eat separately, according to their own schedules, on the run, or in front of the TV. With this important cookbook, Art Smith wants to bring us back to the table--and back to each other. Art provides readers with mouth-watering recipes that represent the very best of home cooking, including Roasted Tomato and Cheddar Cornbread, to-die-for Sweet Potato-Pecan Waffles, hearty Seafood Gumbo, Grilled Shrimp on Arugula with Lemon Vinaigrette, and Spiced Pork Loin with Vidalia Onion Sauce, to name just a few. There is also a rich assortment of vegetable main courses--like Art's fabulous Italian Vegetable Casserole. Traditional dishes include the best-ever Buttermilk Fried Chicken and a Roast Turkey with Pan Gravy that's not just for Thanksgiving! And then there are the celebration cakes, perfect pies, and little sweets. From French Chocolate Almond Pie to Pear and Cranberry Cobbler, from Coconut Cake with Fluffy Icing to Triple-Layer German Chocolate Cake, from Pecan Divinity to Gumdrop Cookies, Back to the Table is filled with delicious treats for any occasion. Art's life's work has involved cooking for families all over the world. These experiences have taught him that families are essentially the same, regardless of international boundaries or cultural differences. We all want the best for each other and want to take care of the ones we love. And what better way is there to care for our loved ones than at the table? Illustrated throughout with stunning photographs of food and of people sharing their tables and their lives, Back to the Table is a book to use daily and to treasure for a lifetime.

Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking


Marcella Hazan - 1992
    Designed as a basic manual for cooks of all levels of expertise—from beginners to accomplished professionals—it offers both an accessible and comprehensive guide to techniques and ingredients and a collection of the most delicious recipes from the Italian repertoire. As home cooks who have used Marcella’s classic books for years (and whose copies are now splattered and worn) know, there is no one more gifted at teaching us just what we need to know about the taste and texture of a dish and how to achieve it, and there is no one more passionate and inspiring about authentic Italian food.

Desserts by Pierre Hermé


Pierre Hermé - 1998
    Pierre Herme is acknowledged to be the greatest pastry chef in France & at long last he divulges his recipes for more than one hundred divinely delicious & stunning desserts, many surprisingly easy to prepare.

Simply Salads: More than 100 Delicious Creative Recipes Made from Prepackaged Greens and a Few Easy-to-Find Ingredients


Jennifer Chandler - 2007
    With the abundance of supermarket selections of prepackaged greens, you can create a restaurant-style salad―along with a fabulous dressing―in your own kitchen.Before bagged blends, a salad with four different types of lettuces was unheard of. Now there are more than fifty different combinations of lettuces, packaged in just the right size, from which to choose. Think beyond iceberg and romaine. The more than one hundred salads and dressings in Simply Salads are colorful, gourmet, and surprisingly simple to prepare. Whether you're looking for the perfect complement to a main dish or you want a salad that can stand as an entrée, you'll find the perfect salad, including such winners as: Asian Salad with Ginger Dressing and Wasabi Peas (page 4) Jalapeño Chicken Salad with Avocado Dressing (page 40) Crawfish Salad with Spicy Cajun Remoulade (page 106) Cheese Tortellini Salad with Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette (page 172) Memphis Mustard Cole Slaw (page 223)

The Curry Guy


Dan Toombs - 2017
    In other words, Dan makes homemade curries that taste just like a takeaway from your favourite local but in less time and for less money. Dan has learnt through the comments left on his blog and social media feeds that people are terribly let down when they make a chicken korma or a prawn bhuna from other cookbooks and it taste nothing like the dish they experience when they visit a curry house…but they thank him for getting it right.

Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes


Giada De Laurentiis - 2005
    And here, in her long-awaited first book, she does the same—helps you put a fabulous dinner on the table tonight, for friends or just for the kids, with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of flavor. She makes it all look easy, because it is. Everyday Italian is true to its title: the fresh, simple recipes are incredibly quick and accessible, and also utterly mouth-watering—perfect for everyday cooking. And the book is focused on the real-life considerations of what you actually have in your refrigerator and pantry (no mail-order ingredients here) and what you’re in the mood for—whether a simply sauced pasta or a hearty family-friendly roast, these great recipes cover every contingency. So, for example, you’ll find dishes that you can make solely from pantry ingredients, or those that transform lowly leftovers into exquisite entrées (including brilliant ideas for leftover pasta), and those that satisfy your yearning to have something sweet baking in the oven. There are 7 ways to make red sauce more interesting, 6 different preparations of the classic cutlet, 5 perfect pestos, 4 creative uses for prosciutto, 3 variations on basic polenta, 2 great steaks, and 1 sublime chocolate tiramisù—plus 100 other recipes that turn everyday ingredients into speedy but special dinners.What’s more, Everyday Italian is organized according to what type of food you want tonight—whether a soul-warming stew for Sunday supper, a quick sauté for a weeknight, or a baked pasta for potluck. These categories will help you figure out what to cook in an instant, with such choices as fresh-from-the-pantry appetizers, sauceless pastas, everyday roasts, and stuffed vegetables—whatever you’re in the mood for, you’ll be able to find a simple, delicious recipe for it here. That’s the beauty of Italian home cooking, and that’s what Giada De Laurentiis offers here—the essential recipes to make a great Italian dinner. Tonight.

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking


Samin Nosrat - 2017
    Chef and writer Samin Nosrat has taught everyone from professional chefs to middle school kids to author Michael Pollan to cook using her revolutionary, yet simple, philosophy. Master the use of just four elements—Salt, which enhances flavor; Fat, which delivers flavor and generates texture; Acid, which balances flavor; and Heat, which ultimately determines the texture of food—and anything you cook will be delicious. By explaining the hows and whys of good cooking, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat will teach and inspire a new generation of cooks how to confidently make better decisions in the kitchen and cook delicious meals with any ingredients, anywhere, at any time. Echoing Samin’s own journey from culinary novice to award-winning chef, Salt, Fat Acid, Heat immediately bridges the gap between home and professional kitchens. With charming narrative, illustrated walkthroughs, and a lighthearted approach to kitchen science, Samin demystifies the four elements of good cooking for everyone. Refer to the canon of 100 essential recipes—and dozens of variations—to put the lessons into practice and make bright, balanced vinaigrettes, perfectly caramelized roast vegetables, tender braised meats, and light, flaky pastry doughs. Featuring 150 illustrations and infographics that reveal an atlas to the world of flavor by renowned illustrator Wendy MacNaughton, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat will be your compass in the kitchen. Destined to be a classic, it just might be the last cookbook you’ll ever need. With a foreword by Michael Pollan.

Daisy Cooks!: Latin Flavors That Will Rock Your World


Daisy Martinez - 2005
    Here, at last, is her first cookbook, with all the recipes from her acclaimed show--and most can be made in under thirty minutes! In Daisy Martinez's kitchen, salsa music is always playing. Laughter fills the air, along with delicious aromas of the amazing meal to come. Friends, neighbors, and family members are ever-present, sneaking tastes from every pot. And in the center of it all, Daisy is laughing, singing, tasting, and appreciating everything that her kitchen--and life!--has to offer. Does this sound like your kitchen? If not, don't despair. In this book and on her acclaimed national public television series, Daisy Cooks!, Daisy teaches you how to bring excitement back to the table with Latin-inspired food that your friends and family will love! Some of these recipes will remind you of meals you've enjoyed in restaurants. Some are great variations on dishes you already cook. Some are totally new. All of them will rock your world. Daisy's flavorful, satisfying interpretation of the best dishes from Puerto Rico, Mexico, Spain, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Central and South America all taste like the results of a day in the kitchen--but in reality, most take only thirty minutes to prepare. Here, you'll find the techniques that Daisy learned at the French Culinary Institute, along with her mother's and grandmother's time-tested tricks! This winning combination results in dishes that range from elegant Chicken Braised with Figs to soul-satisfying Cuban Black Bean Soup to to-die-for homemade Dulce de Leche. And then, of course, there are Daisy's "Top Ten Hits"--the recipes that, once you try them, are guaranteed to change the way you cook forever. In this first chapter, Daisy shows how simple flavor boosters, in addition to a few easy techniques, can make every meal mouthwateringly special. In Daisy's words, "If you can season, cook, and dress pork chops and serve them alongside fragrant yellow rice in less than thirty minutes, I can't imagine why you'd eat anything from a cardboard carton!" With ingredients that are found in almost every supermarket, equipment that every kitchen contains, and a little bit of adventurousness on your part, the recipes in this book will transform your mealtimes for good. So jump right in--it's time to get Daisy-fied!

Great American Burger Book: How to Make Authentic Regional Hamburgers at Home


George Motz - 2016
    Author and burger expert George Motz covers traditional grilling techniques as well as how to smoke, steam, poach, and deep-fry burgers based on signature recipes from around the country. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific regional burger, from the tortilla burger of New Mexico to the classic New York–style pub burger, and from the fried onion burger of Oklahoma to Hawaii’s Loco Moco. Motz provides expert instruction, tantalizing recipes, and vibrant color photography to help you create unique variations on America’s favorite dish in your own home. Recipes feature regional burgers from: California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin.

Modern Hospitality: Simple Recipes with Southern Charm: A Cookbook


Whitney Miller - 2011
    Now Whitney's long-awaited dream of writing her first cookbook has come true as she shares her favorite recipes and entertaining secrets in Modern Hospitality.As a little girl in small-town Mississippi, Whitney grew up cooking at the elbows of true masters of Southern cuisine: her mother, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers. From the secret to making perfect, flaky biscuits to the art of whipping up Sunday supper for a crowd, Whitney not only learned how to create much-loved dishes for friends and family but also discovered the most essential ingredient for any meal: hospitality.In Modern Hospitality, Whitney offers a fresh take on classic dishes passed down throughout generations of Southern women. In addition to providing more than 75 original recipes that showcase regional ingredients and authentic flavors, Whitney also shares her stories of family, tradition, and suggestions for effortless entertaining. Bring a taste of the South into your home with dishes like Oven-Fried Catfish, Shrimp and Sausage with Grits Soufflé, Mississippi Cheesesteak, and Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Blondies. With recipes this simple, elegant, and delicious, it's easy to turn any occasion into something special.

The Moosewood Restaurant Table: 250 Brand-New Recipes from the Natural Foods Restaurant That Revolutionized Eating in America


The Moosewood Collective - 2017
    We're just eating in it." —Christine Muhlke, The New York TimesThe creators of America’s beloved natural foods restaurant, Moosewood, are back with The Moosewood Restaurant Table, a cookbook featuring more than 250 never-before-published recipes that's a perfect gift for foodies and gourmets who want to enjoy delicious and healthy meals. With the restaurant now in its fifth decade, the Moosewood chefs continue to remain faithful to the farm-to-table philosophy that has governed the restaurant since its founding, while also keeping an eye on today's gastro-trends. As they say “We’ve gotten to know our customers and readers pretty well… their curiosity and culinary IQ have grown exponentially...We’ve been on some adventures developing this book…” Indeed, they have, working with some less common fruits and vegetables that you might find in your CSA, like Romanesco broccoli and watermelon radishes. They’ve begun cooking with a wider variety of grains like freekeh and millet. All this experimentation has led them to some great new recipes:Two Potato Tomato CurryCashew-Crusted Chickpea BurgersCuban Picadillo with TofuPot Pies for AutumnWinter and SpringButternut LatkesJamaican Jerk Tempeh Pattiesand plenty more.Of course, a Moosewood cookbook wouldn’t be complete without desserts like Turkish Coffee Brownies, Orange Pistachio Cornmeal Cake or Cherry Tomato Upside Down Cake to mention just a few. Including a healthy number of both vegan and gluten-free recipes, The Moosewood Restaurant Table is the next classic from the restaurant that revolutionized natural eating in the US.