Amish Celebrations: Four Stories

This heavenly book is a cornucopia of exciting and adventuresome foods. It includes a wide variety of cooked and uncooked low-fat recipes with an international flavor, tempting bits of food for thought, and even a how-to section on kitchen gardening. Recipes are complemented with illustrations of angels.

Fran Gage calls sugar, almonds, eggs, and butter “the DNA of desserts.” Simple as they seem, they make possible a profusion of pastries and other sweets, from the elemental lollipop to the ethereal realms where marzipan, meringue, and puff pastry hold sway.

No one appreciates this fabulous foursome better than Fran Gage, who relied on them for her daily output during the ten years she owned and ran her acclaimed San Francisco bakery, Patisserie Francaise. Nor could anyone do a better job of ferreting out how each found its way into the kitchen and yielded up its alchemy, influenced by technological innovation, genetic manipulation, and government intervention–not to mention human error and, of course, the weather. In A Sweet Quartet, she tells the story of each ingredient, from its origins to its transformation into culinary gold, drawing upon her travels, tastings, experiments, and remembrances. Each section ends on a sweet note, with a baker’s half-dozen of recipes that show off the multiple talents of the ingredient. The book concludes with a look at the meaning of desserts, from ancient times to the present day, and–the piece de resistance–ide

Advance Praise for Trattoria Cooking “Who wouldn’t love doing Biba’s research, tracking down the simple, down-to-earth, tasty food that makes Italy such an irresistible destination? For everyone who wishes to know how it is done (and where to go in Italy to find it), she’s written a cookbook full of delicious-sounding recipes from the trattorias where real regional cooking goes on. Her recipes are straightforward and easy to follow, and I particularly like all the good tips she gives, like little asides to good friends in the kitchen.” –Carol Field, author of The Italian Baker “My friend Biba has done it again with her new book in which she brings the trattoria scene to vivid life.” –Giuliano Bugialli “If you are an insatiable cookbook collector, as I have been for the past thirty-odd years, you may feel that the last word has been written about all categories of food. I felt that way until I browsed through Biba Caggiano’s Trattoria Cooking and was positively impressed that she does have a great deal of admirable things to add to the subject of Italian cookery. Her book is marvelously inspired and original and it would be an asset to anyone’s library.” –Craig Claiborne “Biba Caggiano’s Trattoria Cooking brings out the Italian in all of us. Her simplicity of method and use of fresh wholesome ingredients make every recipe exciting. Trattoria Cooking has Old World quality and authenticity, making every dish a winner.” –Bradley M. Ogden

The acclaimed book that demystified Japanese cuisine for home cooks returns with a newly designed cover as lovely as the photo presentations within. Over 90 exquisite recipes cover every aspect of modern Japanese meals from elaborate kaiseki dinners–to simply prepared noodle bowls for a casual family supper. The dozens of step-by-step technique illustrations make preparing even the most complicated dishes as easy as ichi, ni, san. Vibrant color photographs take fans of Japanese cookery on a culinary tour of the country , exploring the feasts and festivals, restaurants, sushi bars, street stalls, and even the temples for a taste of this intriguing land. Along the way discover why, as a result of their diet, the Japanese live longer than anyone else in the world. Itadaki masu! Enjoy.

Over 200 recipes for backyard picnics and barbecues, from meats to side dishes to cocktails to desserts, that are all low in carbohydrates. This book features all-new recipes for condiments, sauces, and marinades that can replace the sugar-laden, store-bought varieties and allow the low-carber to enjoy previously forbidden foods like Honey-Glazed Babyback Ribs and pina coladas.