The Art of Cooking

Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume One

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 bechamel sauce to airy and crispy profiteroles. That the book has remained in print is a testament to its clarity and usefulness.

Martha Stewart Living Annual Recipes 2004

Another sure-fire hit from the culinary diva of all "good things." This third volume offers a complete collection of recipes from an entire year of Martha Stewart Living magazine. Includes 500 recipes with tips, techniques, and shortcuts all triple-indexed in an elegantly illustrated, hardcover collector's edition.

The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook: Secrets from the East Hampton Specialty Food Store for Simple Food and Party Platters You Can Make at Home

Lauren Bacall gets cranky when Barefoot Contessa, an East Hampton specialty food store/institution for more than 20 years, is sold out of Indonesian Ginger Chicken. She can now thank her lucky stars that exuberant owner Ina Garten has written The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook and included this recipe. Ms. Bacall is sure to be pleased to discover how easy it is to achieve such fantastic flavor. Simplicity is something of a bottom line at Barefoot Contessa. "Food is not about impressing people," Ina Garten says. "It's about making them feel comfortable."

The Way to Cook

With The Way to Cook, Julia Child creates a second culinary classic. Her first, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, introduced a generation of those used to preparing simple fare to what was then considered gourmet food, demystified classic techniques, and raised our culinary consciousness.

Culinary Institute of America's Gourmet Meals in Minutes

Having trained thousands of professional chefs, the CIA addresses home cooks here in an effort to "cultivate a passion for cooking" despite today's hectic pace. With an emphasis on a multiplicity of ethnic flavors, the recipes are largely familiar and manageable.

Alfred Portale's Gotham Bar and Grill Cookbook

Cookbooks by chefs tend to be challenging, obscure, even inappropriate for most home cooks. By contrast, Alfred Portale's Gotham Bar and Grill is articulate, revealing, vivid, and inviting. It is "the next best thing to a day in the kitchen" with Portale. This New York City chef is famous for his elaborate presentations and for creating complex dishes.

Hors D'Oeuvres

Has fear of hors d'oeuvres stymied your instinct for entertaining? Then give three cheers for the editors at Britain's DK Publishing, the lush, informative books they produce, and the writers that bring to press the highest level of cooking instruction and encouragement. Please welcome Hors d'Oeuvres by chef and Le Cordon Bleu cooking instructor Eric Treuille and caterer Victoria Blashford-Snell. Together they will put to rest whatever hors d'oeuvres anxieties you might have, and then ignite in you a passion for preparing gorgeous little nibbles.

Finger Food: Bite-Size Food for Cocktail Parties

It can be so difficult to decide what to serve at a party. In Fingerfood, Elsa Petersen-Schepelern devotes and entire book, and over 100 recipes to help you decide and prepare. As the title implies, all the recipes are bite-size, but that doesn't mean they taste small. These quick and easy dishes include, Plunged Shrimp with Chile Mojo, Thai Crabcakes, Samosas, Tandoori Chicken Skewers, and many more.

Private Cuisine: An Executive Chef's Secrets to Gourmet Cooking Made Easy

Private Cuisine will nourish the recipient's soul as well as his or her internal organs...the fact that the book could even turn a Campbell's soup can chef(like myself)into a gourmet chef is reason enough to buy the book,... but as it states on the back cover 100% of the proceeds go to the Make A Wish Foundation.

The Gourmet Prescription for Low-Carb Cooking

In this truly sophisticated lower-carbohydrate cookbook, Deborah Friedson Chud offers 163 enticing, full-flavored recipes geared toward a range of dietary results: lower insulin, increased fat-burning capacity, more energy, and weight loss. In an approach that marries her gourmet palate and extensive medical knowledge, Chud presents savory fare with international flair.