Wolfgang Puck is a legendary chef. His endlessly imaginative
cuisine delights countless diners at his world-renowned
California restaurants: Spago, Chinois on Main, Postrio,
Eureka, and his latest, Granita. Now, Adventures in
the Kitchen offers over 175 great new recipes that enable
food lovers to recreate Puck's wonderful dishes at home.
Adventures in the Kitchen features inspiring color
photographs of many of the dishes included here and
is illustrated throughout with instructive line drawings.
Caprial's
Desserts
by Caprial Pence, Melissa Carey
Caprial Pence (of Caprial's Bistro in Portland, Oregon)
and her pastry chef, Melissa Carey, go for "flavor and
substance" in Caprial's Desserts, a volume of master
recipes and variations for the desserts that keep her
Bistro customers coming back for more. These are simple
desserts that don't need translation. They are mostly
old-fashioned, the kind you wish your grandmother passed
on to you, such as the rich and moist Chocolate Buttermilk
Cake. And to ice it, her Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
is the recipe you've been looking for. Master recipes
are followed by variations just to get you started.
Caprial encourages us to experiment with whatever we
have on hand. Their recipe for a truly crispy Fruit
Crisp is followed by variations for Oatmeal-Nut Crisp
and for Individual Fruit Crisps. Once we understand
which parts of the recipes are safe to change, the sky's
the limit. Banana Cream Pie, Caramel-Pear Tart with
a Graham Shortbread Crust, Jenny's Great-Grandma's Gingersnaps,
and Peach-Raspberry Scones are comfort food epitomized.
Orange-Caramel Pull-Apart Bread, Chocolate Bread Pudding,
Strawberry-Mascarpone Ice Cream, and Coconut Cream Cake
will impress your friends and thrill your kids. These
recipes are creative enough for anyone to appreciate,
and are so clear, concise (most take up less than a
page), and easy to follow that even pastry novices will
feel comfortable diving in. --Leora Y. Bloom, Amazon.com
Graham Kerr's
Gathering Place Comfort Food
by Graham Kerr
The companion book to PBS's new show, Graham Kerr's
Gathering Place. The Galloping Gourmet has returned
-- now adding to his culinary expertise with food and
health facts and anecdotes from doctors, nutritionists,
dietitians and celebrity chefs. He features comfort
foods-- healthy, nutritious, heart-warming recipes;
comparative nutrition charts for calorie, fat, carbohydrate,
and sodium content; and health advice on managing weight
and preventing illness through good nutrition.
Iron Chef
: The Official Book
by Kaoru Hoketsu (Translator), Fuji Television, Kabushiki
Already a longtime hit in Japan, "Iron Chef" is taking
over America-and this is the first and only official
guide to "the culinary equivalent of the Friday night
fights" (Orange County Register).
Each episode of this "oddly addictive"* show features
a cook-off between one of the valiant Iron Chefs and
a guest chef bold enough to challenge him. With pro-wrestling
style theatrics, bad dubbing, and high-intensity plate-by-plate
commentary, "Iron Chef" has boiled over into a bona
fide phenomenon.
The book-first published in Japan but with added material
for the American audience-features full-color photos,
an episode guide, recipes, interviews with all the Iron
Chefs, and much more. The heat is on...and the fans'
mouths will be watering for this authentic insider's
guide.
Jacques Pepin
Celebrates
by Jacques Pepin (Illustrator), et al
Like Julia Child, Jacques Pépin offers readers delectable
French-based recipes while teaching vital, confidence-building
techniques. Jacques Pépin Celebrates is another winning
signature venture that offers 200 recipes with terrific
color-photo-illustrated techniques. Containing largely
updated recipes from Pépin's out-of-print Art of Cooking,
and the companion to his eponymous public television
series, the book provides formulas for a wide range
of celebratory as well as everyday dining occasions.
-- Arthur Boehm, Amazon.com
Julia and
Jacques Cooking at Home
by Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, David Nussbaum, Christopher
Hirsheimer (Photographer)
Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home is the companion
volume to Julia Child and Jacques Pepin's PBS series
of the same name. The setup works like this: the two
opinionated TV cooks confront different ingredients
on each show, then make their way through to the finished
dishes that make up a meal. The recipes reveal themselves
along the way.
What's most important here--and it shows up in the
cookbook--is that there is no one way to cook. The point
of the book isn't to follow recipes, but to cook from
the suggestions. And Julia and Jacques have many, many
suggestions when it comes to home cooking in the French
style. And many tips, for that matter.
Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen
by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, Christopher Hirsheimer
(Photographer)
Italian-American food--what cuisine is it?" asks Lidia
Matticchio Bastianich in Lidia's Italian-American Cooking,
a cookbook based on her eponymous PBS TV series. The author
of two previous works, La Cucina di Lidia and Lidia's
Italian Table, and co-owner of three acclaimed Manhattan
restaurants, Bastianich is ideally suited to explore all
Italian fare. "Americans fell in love with Italian cooking
first," she says, thus enshrining a cuisine born of immigrant
adaptation. In celebration of that affection, the book
offers over 150 recipes for a wide range of dishes--traditional
favorites like Baked Stuffed Shells and Lobster Fra Diavolo
as well as personal adaptations such as Scampi alla Buonavia
and canneloni made with roasted pork and mortadella. These
easily done dishes benefit from Lidia's subtle polishing;
fans of her foolproof palate and her direct yet relaxed
approach to Italian cooking will welcome the book. --Arthur
Boehm, Amazon.com
Louisiana Real and Rustic
by Emeril Lagasse, Marcelle Bienvenu (Contributor),
Brian Smale (Photographer)
Emeril Lagasse is in love with Louisiana. His first
book, the masterful New New Orleans Cooking, began the
relationship. In Louisiana Real and Rustic, Emeril has
turned it into a full-blown affair. Along with coauthor
Marcelle Bienvenu, Emeril set out across the state in
search of that "culinary state of grace" Lousianans seemed
to be naturally blessed with. The result is 150 recipes
that serve at once as cultural history, geography lesson,
and some mighty fine eating. This is a roots cookbook
through and through, and the first lesson to learn is
that in Louisiana, the roots run deep. Acadian, Creole,
north Louisiana, south Louisiana, Bayou, country, city--each
figures into the mix, and Emeril explores them all. He
shows you gumbos that can be made with a French roux,
African okra, or a filé from the indigenous Indians. There
are famous Meat Pies from Natchitoches, Louisiana; Creole
dishes like Catfish Pecan Meuniere; and classic étouffées,
jambalayas, and fricassees--the one-pot meals that are
the heart of Acadian (a.k.a. Cajun) cooking. The opening
sections on the "Garde Manger" (food safe) and "Sauces"
(try the recipe for homemade Worcestershire sauce) are
indispensable for anybody even remotely interested in
the food of Louisiana. More importantly, Emeril understands
that food is another part of history, the people, and
their culture--and in Louisiana, they eat well. --Mark
O. Howerton, Amazon.com
Mastering the Art of French Cooking,
Volume One
by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, Simone Beck
Julia Child's 1961 Mastering the Art of French Cooking,
followed by her television series The French Chef, brought
continental cuisine to suburban American kitchens, and
home cooking has never been quite the same. (Who hasn't,
at least once, made their chickens dance before roasting
them?) The book, coauthored with French colleagues Simone
Beck and Louisette Bertholle, explains both the whys and
the hows of French cuisine, giving explicit instruction
in everything from the perfect béchamel sauce to airy
and crispy profiteroles. That the book has remained in
print is a testament to its clarity and usefulness. Today's
health-conscious home cooks can simply go a bit easier
on the butter and still benefit from Child's Cordon Bleu
experience. -- Amazon.com
The Naked Chef Takes Off
by Jamie Oliver
Affable Essex boy Jamie Oliver continues the British
culinary invasion with The Naked Chef Takes Off, the smashing
follow-up to his bestselling The Naked Chef. For Oliver,
the young Food Network import, food is all about "passing
the potatoes around the table, ripping up some bread,
licking my fingers, getting tipsy, and enjoying the company
of good friends and family," and cooking up "what real
people at home really want." The thing is, "real people"
picking up cookbooks are often seeking easy-to-follow
recipes. But that's not Oliver's bag. The layout of many
of his recipes may frustrate traditional-cookbook readers--instructions
often appear as one big chunk of conversational text with
nary an ingredient or measurement in clear view--but that's
part of the charm of Oliver's cookbooks. His commentary,
tips, and cooking steps come across in a very approachable,
colloquial style and leave plenty of room for individual
flair or improvisation. Oliver's enthusiasm for cooking
is infectious; the recipes and chapter introductions spill
out like a best mate who just can't stop talking about
food and how much fun--and simple--it can be to whip up
these spectacular dishes. --Brad Thomas Parsons, Amazon.com
