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A lush, beautifully illustrated guide with more than 150 recipes inspired by the finest seasonal ingredients for unforgettable entertaining throughout the year. A compendium of the very best recipes from the Williams-Sonoma bestselling Entertaining series, Williams-Sonoma Entertaining with the Seasons provides delicious recipes and stylish ideas for any occasion, from sophisticated dinner parties to laid-back barbecues to fabulous cocktail fetes, any time of the year. Arranged by season so cooks can easily find recipes for the available ingredients, Williams-Sonoma Entertaining with the Seasons offers ideas for everything from Drinks & Starters through Desserts. Springtime produce is showcased with simple dishes like crostini topped with fava bean spread, succulent roast chicken with tender spring vegetables, and a rustic strawberry rhubarb galette. As the weather heats up, cool off with sweet-and-sour margaritas, a colorful caprese salad, and crowd pleasing pan-seared sea bass with herb butter sauce. During the autumn months, bring warmth to the dinner table with clove-spiked apple cider, rich butternut squash soup, and mouth-watering roast turkey with gravy. Wintertime calls for sparkling cocktails and festive foods like cucumber rounds with fresh crab, an impressive standing rib roast, and spicy gingerbread with whipped cream. Packed with tips and sidebars on everything from setting the table to organizing a home bar, Entertaining with the Seasons features 300 stunning photographs and a convenient lay-flat wire-o design that makes this book as functional as it is beautiful, and a sheer pleasure to cook from, whatever the occasion may be.

There is a sweet and irresistible dessert perfectly suited to every taste and occasion. 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.

Any outdoor meal, no matter how casual or spur of the moment, can have a sense of style and fun. All you need are fresh-tasting recipes that are outdoor friendly and creative ideas for decorating, lighting, and serving alfresco. And that's just what you'll find in Williams-Sonoma Outdoor Entertaining. In the following pages are seven complete parties, including a picnic dinner on the beach, a family-reunion backyard barbecue, a poolside cocktail party, an elegant brunch in the garden, and a trio of easy alfresco dinners to enjoy with family and friends. Each includes failproof recipes, practical tips, step-by-step decorating ideas, and a detailed work plan, all richly illustrated with full-color photographs that show you how to create inspired serving presentations with minimal time and effort. You'll discover more than 40 recipes for the kinds of seasonal dishes and drinks that taste best -- and work best -- when served outdoors. From grilled foods to easy made-ahead items, they showcase the contemporary flavors everyone loves to eat today, such as Rosemary Sage Pork Tenderloin with Fried Capers; Curried Chickenand Mango Cocktail Tartlets; and Grilled Corn on the Cob with Chipotle Butter and Lime. An introductory reference section provides helpful strategies for planning, decorating, and organizing an outdoor meal anywhere. And to round out each menu, there are quick, colorful beverage recipes, wine recommendations, and delightful outdoor dessert ideas, like a do-it-yourself Ice Cream Sundae Bar. Whether you re-create an entire party or mix and match recipes, you'll find everything you need to entertain outdoors with confidence and style.

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Hearty bistro fare such as crisp pommes frites paired with a sizzling pepper-coated steak. Rustic country dishes, including coq au vin and fragrant seafood stew. Decadent desserts such as crème brûlée and cherry clafoutis. These are the simple recipes that capture the essence of French cuisine. Williams-Sonoma Collection French offers more than 40 delicious and satisfying recipes, from time-honored classics to inspired new ideas, all designed for the way you cook today. When paired with a glass of wine and a fresh baguette, recipes such as caramelized onion tart or endive salad with beets and goat cheese make the perfect light lunch or casual dinner. For special celebrations, serve roasted asparagus with hazelnut oil vinaigrette alongside filets mignons with Roquefort sauce. Whether you enjoy the well-loved dishes of the French countryside or want to entertain with Parisian panache, here are recipes for every occasion. Beautiful full-color photographs of each dish help you decide which one to prepare, and each recipe contains a photographic side note with additional information on key ingredients and techniques. With an informative chapter that covers the basics of French cuisine, as well as an extensive glossary, this essential volume will help you make simple French cooking part of your everyday culinary repertoire.

Savory crab cakes, panfried to a crisp golden brown. Succulent sea bass roasted on a bed of fennel. Tender lobster meat cloaked in drawn butter. When it comes to fish and shellfish, there is no end to the variety of dishes both flavorful and quick-cooking that can grace your table. In the pages of William-Sonoma Collection Seafood, you'll find more than 40 recipes for innovative appetizers and entrées as well as updated renditions of all the time-honored classics, from aromatic mussels marinière to hearty seafood paella. Whether you want to whip up a simple supper of Cajun-spiced catfish served with greens or present an elegant dish of lobster risotto drizzled with white truffle oil to hungry guests, here are ideas to suit every occasion. The recipes are accompanied with colorful photos and helpful sidebars on ingredients and cooking techniques, making each dish easy to envision and simple to prepare. A glossary and basics section round out everything you need to know to handle seafood with success, from skinning fillets and removing pin bones to testing for doneness. An essential addition to the kitchen bookshelf, Seafood will inspire the busy cook to prepare and enjoy a healthful and delicious fish or shellfish dish on any night of the week.

A slice of rich, moist cake is irresistible. From a tart, sweet lemon sponge or airy angel food cake to a decadent chocolate torte, there is a cake to satisfy every craving. Whether you are searching for a special cake to establish a birthday tradition or are simply looking for a sweet ending to an everyday meal, there are cakes to fit any occasion. Williams-Sonoma Collection Cake offers more than 35 tantalizing recipes, including updated classics as well as fresh new ideas. For elegant entertaining, make an impressive Rolled Chestnut Cream Cake before your guests arrive, then relax and enjoy the party. When time is short, keep it simple with easy Chocolate-Orange Cupcakes or Espresso Pound Cake. The many delicious recipes inside these pages will inspire you to tempt and dazzle friends and family alike. A chapter devoted to deorating ideas will help you transform any cake into a work of art. Full-color photographs of each recipe help you easily decide which cake you want to preapare, and photographic side notes throughout the book highlight key techniques and ingredients. In addition, an informative basics section, with tips for both beginning and experienced bakers, makes this book the ideal source to have on hand for creating the perfect cake.

Thanksgiving Entertaining Thanksgiving is perhaps the most American holiday of all, a celebration of beloved foods, and customs that evoke happy memories of good times shared with family and friends. Williams-Sonoma Thanksgiving Entertaining is a complete guide to creating those favorite traditions in your own home. Equal parts cookbook and how-to manual, it presents five menus for entertaining over the Thanksgiving weekend, including three distinctive ideas for the holiday feast. Fot traditionalists, there is a classic New England Thanksgiving dinner featuring roasted turkey with pan gravy and all the trimmings, including an old-fashioned oyster stuffing, , cranberry relish, and buttery mashed potatoes. A contemporary California-style holiday menu showcases a butterflied turkey and light, seasonal Mediterranean-inspired accompaniments, while an elegant southern buffet offers a glorious glazed ham, spooned bread, and collard greens. Because Thanksgiving entertaining often extends beyond the holiday meal, this book includes menus for a casual Day-After Lunch, with turkey sandwiches and snacks, and a homey weekend breakfast, with French toast, smoothies, and an irresistible Pumpkin Bread. In addition to the nearly fifty recipes, there are step-by-step instructions for decorating your home, setting an attractive table, and making a variety of festive drinks -- all lavishly illustrated with color photographs. Detailed work plans accompany each menu, and helpful reference sections provide guidelines on tableware and glassware, setting up a buffet, pairing food and wine, and more. You'll find everything you need to know to host a memorable Thanksgiving that both you and your guests will enjoy.

Whether it's a classic chocolate chip cookie for an afternoon snack at the kitchen table, a tangy lemon bar as a treat after lunch, or a delicate jam-filled cutout cookie shared at a special gathering of friends, we all have a favorite cookie or two that we just cannot resist. Williams-Sonoma Collection Cookies offers over 40 delicious recipes, including time-honored favorites as well as fresh new ideas. Brighten up a rainy day with chocolate cookie sandwiches, tempt guests with light hazelnut meringues after a dinner party, or celebrate the holidays with sweet and sparkly cutout stars. Here, you will find all the classics as well as cookies for making with and enjoying with kids or for sending to faraway friends. If you are planning a party or searching for a cookie to establish new holiday tradition, you'll find plenty of recipes with style inside these pages. In addition, a chapter devoted entirely to decorating provides you with simple ideas for transforming cookies into little works of art. Full-color photographs of each cookie recipe help make it easy to decide which one to bake, and photographic side notes throughout highlight key techniques or essential ingredients, making this book the ideal source to have on hand for making cookies. An informative basics section and glossary fill in all you need to know to create a wide array of irresistible cookies.

The tantalizing smoky aroma of food cooking on a hot grill can draw a hungry crowd in a matter of minutes. Who can resist chicken or baby back ribs brushed with a sweet and spicy marinade? Whether you have a charcoal or gas grill in your backyard, an array of delicious grilling recipes awaits you in this cookbook. Williams-Sonoma Collection Grilling offers more than 40 recipes, including updated classic fare and exciting new ideas. Tempt guests with an elegant grilled entrée of scallops brushed with spicy wasabi or perhaps savory portobello mushrooms dressed with herb-infused olive oil. If you're craving a juicy steak or seared tuna, a recipe from the meat or seafood chapters is sure to please. A selection of vegetable recipes provides plenty of ideas, both for healthful accompaniments or stand-alone meals. And, for something a little more unusual, try grilling pears for dessert. Full-color photographs make it easy to decide what to grill, and each dish is accompanied by a photographic side note that highlights a key ingredient or technique, making Grilling much more than just a collection of recipes. An informative basics section and glossary fill in all you need to know to make grilling a favorite way of cooking for every occasion. Mastering the art of grilling is one of the most satisfying ways to share a good meal with family and friends. Whether it's a T-bone steak, a salmon fillet, corn on the cob, or even pizza, virtually any food can be adapted to this versatile cooking technique and grilled with success. Williams-Sonoma Collection Grilling offers more than 40 delicious recipes, including both beloved classics and inspiring new ideas. In these pages, you'll find grilling recipes for any occasion -- from a casual backyard barbecue to a more elegant dinner with friends. This vividly photographed, full-color recipe collection will become an essential addition to your kitchen bookshelf.

Entertaining really can be easy. Whether you are hosting a dinner for a few friends or a cocktail party for a crowd, all you need is a good guide that gives you stylish, reliable recipes that don't require hours in the kitchen and simple hosting secrets that save time and eliminate last-minute stress. You'll find all that and more in Williams-Sonoma Easy Entertaining. Ten lavishly illustrated chapters offer complete menus for the most popular kinds of entertaining occasions, from a Casual Breakfast and a Backyard Barbecue to a cozy Midweek Dinner, a Wine & Cheese Party, and a Celebratory Buffet. Each chapter includes recipes, tips, shopping notes, step-by-step style ideas, and a detailed work plan, as well as beautiful photographs illustrating inspired serving presentations. Simply put, you'll find everything you need to know to entertain with confidence and style, and it's all stunningly easy. The more than 45 recipes offer fresh, flavorful dishes and drinks reinvented for the way real people cook today. You'll discover such appealing ideas as Creamed Broccoli Leek Soup, Roasted Halibut with Chive Butter and Caviar, and luscious Chocolate Espresso Crèmes made with just four ingredients. The menus offer tips on shortcuts and take full advantage of today's popular prepared foods, showing you how to add easy touches to make them your own. There are also reference sections packed with helpful guidelines for party planning, shopping, decorating, and organizing your time and home. Williams-Sonoma Easy Entertaining is all about achieving one simple, irresistible goal: take the stress -- and much of the work -- out of entertaining so that you can relax and enjoy the company of your friends and family.

Tender spring asparagus. Luscious summer berries. Spicy autumn greens and bright winter citrus. More than any other dish, salad allows the characteristic flavors of each season to shine. A simple combination of fresh ingredients in a salad from your kitchen can be more impressive than even the most elaborate dish. Williams-Sonoma Collection Salad offers more than 40 wonderful salad recipes, grouped by season to emphasize the importance of using ingredients as they reach their natural peak of ripeness. Whether you have a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes in your backyard or a handful of wine-colored beets from the farmers' market, there's a recipe here that offers a delicious way to prepare them. A chapter of portable salads will tempt you to plan a picnic, while a selection of classic salads -- from Cobb salad to celery rémoulade -- rounds out the collection. Full-color photographs of each dish help make the choice an easy one, and each recipe is accompanied by a photographic sidebar that highlights an essential ingredient or cooking technique, making Salad much more than a great collection of simple recipes. An informative basics section and extensive glossary fill in all you need to know to create the perfect salad. Salads bring out the best in fresh seasonal ingredients, whether they are delicate spring lettuces paired with soft goat cheese or crisp autumn apples tossed with toasted pecans. Williams-Sonoma Collection Salad offers more than 40 easy-to-follow recipes, including both classic favorites and fresh new ideas. In these pages, you'll find inspiring salads designed to suit occasions throughout the year -- from an informal summer picnic to an elegant dinner with friends. This vividly photographed, full-color recipe collection, appealing to both novice and experienced cooks, will become an essential addition to your kitchen bookshelf.

Soup is the original comfort food. After all, what could be more satisfying than a purée of butternut squash topped with a dollop of cream? But soup can be refreshing as well -- think of a medley of spring vegetables simmered with fresh herbs. Williams-Sonoma Collection Soup offers more than 40 easy-to-follow recipes, including both classic favorites and fresh new ideas. In these pages, you'll find inspiring soups designed to fit any occasion at any time of year -- from a quick and simple meal to an enjoyable lunch in the garden. This beautifully photographed, full-color recipe collection will become an essential addition to your kitchen bookshelf. "Just take a look through these pages, and I believe you'll be ready to take out the soup pot!"

From delicate fillets of sole sauced with butter and lemon to flavorful salmon paired with apple and fennel, the variety of fish dishes is nearly endless. And even with so many different ways to prepare it -- sautéed on the stove top, braised in the oven, or grilled over an open fire -- the fresh, clean taste and delicate texture of fish always shine through. Quick and easy to cook, fish is an excellent choice for any occasion. Williams-Sonoma Collection Fish offers more than 40 recipes, including classic fare as well as exciting new ideas. Inside, you'll find simple dishes for quick suppers, intriguing recipes for serving guests, and hearty main courses for satisfying meals. There's even a chapter devoted entirely to other seafood besides fish, including scallops, shrimp, and lobster, rounding out the delicious array of choices. Full-color photographs of each recipe make it easy to decide which to prepare, and each dish is accompanied by a photographic side note that highlights a key ingredient or cooking technique, making Fish much more than just a simple collection of recipes. An informative basics section and extensive glossary fill in everything you need to know to add delicious fish to your cooking repertoire. Lean, healthful, and quick to cook, fish plays an important role in the modern kitchen. Whether you are in the mood for salmon on the grill, traditional trout amandine, or a rustic bouillabaisse, there is always a distinctive and delicious way to prepare any type of fish. Williams-Sonoma Collection Fish offers more than 40 easy-to-follow recipes, including both familiar classics and tempting new ideas. In these pages, you'll find appealing fish dishes for any occasion -- from a casual weeknight supper to a more formal affair. This beautifully photographed, full-color recipe collection will quickly become an essential addition to your kitchen bookshelf.

Cooking today is multidimensional: it's about creating soul-warming comfort food for friends and family; making healthy, flavorful meals in a limited amount of time; inviting the flavors of ethnic cuisines into our kitchens; and preparing tasty, sumptuous meals for holidays and special occasions. The increasing availability of high-quality, local, and exotic ingredients has transformed the way we cook with delicious results. This comprehensive volume, with its tremendous breadth of recipes, reflects this new diverse interest in food. Among its more than 370 recipes are time-tested classics, fresh new favorites gleaned from restaurant menus, popular ethnic dishes customized for the home cook, and dozens of breakfast and dessert choices, from the simple to the spectacular. In short, The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook celebrates the pleasures of cooking in all its forms. Whether you are stir-frying a spicy basil-scented chicken dish for a simple weeknight supper, grilling fish steaks for a summer cookout, preparing a standing rib roast as the centerpiece for a multicourse special-occasion meal, or simply looking for a recipe for classic chocolate chip cookies or the ultimate cheesecake, this book is the perfect resource. The recipes are organized into twelve chapters so you can easily find the right dish for your needs. These include: Appetizers; Soups; Salads; Fish and Shellfish; Poultry; Beef and Veal; Pork and Lamb; Vegetables; Breads; Desserts; and Breakfast and Brunch. Sumptuous photographs for every recipe will show you how the finished dish should look. Dozens of photographed sidebars throughout the book illuminate cooking techniques, explain how to work with unfamiliar ingredients, and suggest flavorful sauces or condiments to accompany the main recipe. Among the recipes are classics that you will come back to again and again, like stuffed mushrooms, Cobb salad, potato gratin, Louisiana-style gumbo, bistro-style roast chicken, eggs Benedict, and devil's food cake. You will also find many dishes inspired by international flavors, such as pot stickers, gazpacho, tabbouleh, carnitas, tandooristyle chicken and tiramisu -- all destined to become new favorites in your home. Look, too, for plenty of kid-friendly recipes such as baked macaroni and cheese, chicken potpie, spaghetti and meatballs, and chocolate brownies, all of which could become some of the most-requested dishes in your cooking repertory. In addition to the recipes, a comprehensive reference section in the back of the cookbook offers dozens of the basic recipes you'll need for stocks and sauces, bread, pasta, and pie doughs, and dessert sauces and frostings. Also included are a full glossary of cooking terms and ingredients as well as cooking charts that will make it easy for you to find ingredient substitutes, doneness temperatures for meat and poultry, measurement equivalents, and more. No matter the occasion, The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook will provide the perfect recipe and plenty of inspiration for many years to come.

With stylish, delicious recipes and charming, imaginative flourishes, Alison & Jamie share their entertaining know-how with a heady enthusiasm and a healthy dose of humor. As experienced personal chefs and two of New York's most sought-after food stylists, Alison Attenborough and Jamie Kimm have spent years planning and cooking menus for dinner parties and cocktail fêtes for a long list of clients. They've sought out the best purveyors at the greenmarket, finessed ingredients, and created unique touches for every dish they serve, and then stamped it all with a signature panache. What they've learned along the way is that simple and seasonal are always best. They also know a thing or two about how to show their own friends a great time and still keep hosting duties light. When these two professionals invite people over, they distill all they've discovered on the job into their own style: smashingly simple yet invariably special. Their parties are festive events imbued with a strong appreciation for well-made food and an infectious dash of gaiety. One way they inspire fun is by presenting a favorite recipe-a shaved salad, a plate of crostini, a granita, a Bellini-in a brand-new guise, dressing it up for the occasion, the season, or both. Alison and Jamie's prescription for a memorable meal is straightforward: fresh ingredients, minimal fuss, and, most important, good friends, good wine, and good conversation. They know how to make their guests feel welcome (a drink anda nibble on arrival), how to feed them well according to the season and the mood, and how to win them over with a delectable dish presented in a singular way, such as summer cherries on ice or yellowtail crudo layered with avocado and basil. In Cooking for Friends, Alison and Jamie share their clever ideas, their love for food, and their indomitable spirit for fun with the rest of us. After flipping through these pages, it's impossible not to start plotting the menu for your next gathering, giddy with anticipation that it may be the best dinner party you'll have ever served.

AMERICAN Filled with simple goodness, classic American food always satisfies. Whether you crave a juicy hamburger with fries, a bowl of spicy chili with cornbread, or the rich, sweet finish of a bourbon pecan pie, here are the dishes that represent the country's finest culinary traditions. William-Sonoma Collection American offers more than 40 easy-to-follow recipes, including both old-fashioned favorites and fresh new ideas. In these pages, you'll find tempting fare perfect for every occasion, from tasty starters and classic main courses to delicious side dishes and decadent desserts. This vividly photographed, full-color recipe collections will become an essential addition to your kitchen bookshelf. "These treasured regional specialties are made for enjoying withh friends and family."

Preparing enticing vegetable dishes is a snap: Simply start with garden-fresh produce, season it with an adventurous palate, and you have a whole new way of thinking about your meals. Classic vegetable recipes inspire the 44 recipes inside this book, but each offers a creative spin, brought to life by in-season vegetables, bold, globally inspired flavorings, and simple, but high-impact cooking methods. Whether it’s a first course, side dish, or vegetarian main course, each recipe explains both how and why the creative ingredient pairings work together to bring delicious new tastes to your dinner table. Dozens of full-color photographs show how each dish should look and portray an array of inspiring ingredients to reinvigorate your cooking. With this book as your guide, you’ll have all you need to breathe new life into everyday vegetable dishes—and with little extra effort.

Inspirational and information-packed, Williams-Sonoma Cheese is an indispensable guide to enjoying this versatile and beloved ingredient, in the kitchen and at the table. This title takes an authoritative and personal look at cheese, acting as both a comprehensive cookbook as well as a helpful primer on the subject. This luscious collection, with more than 100 recipes for every course, presents ways to cook with all types of cheese, from rich and creamy to oozy and pungent to nutty and sharp. All the classics are here, like mac and cheese, fondue, enchiladas, and burgers, but you’ll also discover innovative dishes like fried pecorino with stone-fruit salsa, warm squash salad with Teleme and pepitas, roast chicken stuffed with GruyÈre, oven-roasted endive with Saint-Marcellin, and plum tart with ginger and chÈvre. Descriptions of nearly 150 of the world’s most celebrated varieties, tips on pairing with wine or beer, ideas for putting together the perfect cheese plate, and recipes for sweet and savory accompaniments round out this definitive resource for aficionados seeking new and delicious ways to showcase their favorite food.

A roast goose with chestnut stuffing embodies the winter holidays as much as snow-dusted fir trees and brightly wrapped packages. Whether your tradition includes Yorkshire pudding or potatoe latkes, elegant poached pears or frosted holiday cookies, a festive meal is an essential part of celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, or New Year's Eve with friends and family. Williams-Sonoma Collection Christmas offers an array of more than 40 time-honored favorites and tempting new ideas. An impressive roast beef or savory rack of lamb will satisfy every appetitie, while a colorful wild rice pilaf or crisp salad with persimmons adds freshness and color to any table. Start your holiday morning with panettone French toast, or for an open house, tempt guests with mulled wine and chocolate truffles. No matter what the event, the recipes in these pages will make your holiday menu a success. Full-color photographs of each dish help you decide which one to prepare, and each recipe is accompanied by a photographic side note that highlights an essential ingredient or technique. In addition, a comprehensive basics section offers valuable tips on baking, roasting, and planning ahead, so you can more easily share joyful holiday meals with your loved ones.

Long before anyone on this side of the Atlantic was devoted to eating seasonally and locally, the French were doing precisely that, just as they had been for centuries. Although the high-end haute cuisine of Paris exported itself far and wide many decades ago, the varied regional cooking styles of France continue to reveal themselves to the world and dazzle those fortunate enough to experience them firsthand. Williams-Sonoma's Essentials of French Cooking takes you on a meandering food lover's tour of France, from the windswept coastline of Brittany, where the lamb tastes of the salty fields on which it grazes, southward through Gascony, with its bracing Armagnac and rib-sticking cassoulet, to the delicious fish stews of Marseilles and the Mediterranean, and back up through Burgundy, where the wine flows from some of the world's greatest vineyards and the local Dijon mustard makes a perfect sauce for the local rabbit. In these pages you'll also explore the fascinating intersections of culture and gastronomy in Alsace, where potatoes, cabbage, and beer lend a Germanic heft to the traditional menu; sunny Provence, where dishes made with tomatoes, garlic, olives, and basil link its cooking to that of neighboring Italy; and the Basque country, where Spanish flavors and Moorish spices like saffron and cumin have seeped over the Pyrenees. In addition to presenting a wide range of traditional, regional main dishes to build meals around, this collection of more than 140 carefully selected recipes covers a full range of courses and techniques, from silky baked farm-fresh eggs to brilliantly simple preparations for every season's vegetables through the most luxurious chocolate creams and satisfying rustic fruit tarts. And while terroir plays an undeniable role in this cuisine, true French cooking is comfort food for family and friends, which translates everywhere. A comprehensive glossary and a section on basic stocks and sauces help you fill your pantry with the authentic elements and bring one of the world's most admired cuisines home to your table.

Creating tempting and innovative appetizers is easy: Start with fresh ingredients, season them with an intrepid spirit, and you have a whole new way of thinking about a meal’s first course. Familiar dishes inspire the forty-four recipes inside this book, but each one is elevated by using seasonal fruits and vegetables, bold, globally inspired flavorings, and simple, but high-impact cooking methods. Whether it’s an hors d’oeuvre, salad, soup, or small plate, each recipe explains how and why the creative ingredient pairings work together to bring exciting new tastes to your table. Dozens of full-color photographs depict each finished dish and reveal the amazing array of ingredients available to reinvigorate your favorite appetizers. With this book as your inspiration, you’ll have all you need to breathe new life into everyday meals, simply, and deliciously.

Creating enticing salads is easy: Start with the freshest fruits and vegetables, season them with adventurous dressings, and you have an exciting new way of thinking about first-course, main course, and side-dish salads. Familiar favorites are the foundations for the forty-four recipes in this book, but each one is reinterpreted with seasonal produce; global flavorings; and simple, but high-impact, cooking methods. Whether it's for a leafy-green, grain-based, seafood-topped, or meat or poultry salad, each recipe explains how and why the innovative ingredient pairings work together to bring exciting new tastes to your tables Dozens of full-color photographs depict each finished dish and reveal a bounty of bold-tasting ingredients that will enliven your cooking. With this book in your kitchen, you have all you need to transform everyday salads into exciting and delicious meals.

Creating tempting and innovative appetizers is easy: Start with fresh ingredients, season them with an intrepid spirit, and you have a whole new way of thinking about a meal’s first course. Familiar dishes inspire the forty-four recipes inside this book, but each one is elevated by using seasonal fruits and vegetables, bold, globally inspired flavorings, and simple, but high-impact cooking methods. Whether it’s an hors d’oeuvre, salad, soup, or small plate, each recipe explains how and why the creative ingredient pairings work together to bring exciting new tastes to your table. Dozens of full-color photographs depict each finished dish and reveal the amazing array of ingredients available to reinvigorate your favorite appetizers. With this book as your inspiration, you’ll have all you need to breathe new life into everyday meals, simply, and deliciously.

A dinner party celebrates friends gathering around your table for a meal. And hosting one never needs to be stressful or time-consuming. Williams-Sonoma Dinner Parties is a comprehensive guide to creating stylish and fun dinner parties that fit the way we live, work, and entertain today. It's packed with easy, inventive recipes and simple decorating ideas for everything from sophisticated soirees to casual alfresco dinners. Each of the seven seasonal menus include work plans, serving suggestions, hosting tips, elegant tabletop ideas, and gorgeous photography. This book provides all the inspiration and information you need to become a confident dinner party host.

No other holiday captures the spirit of home cooking the way Thanksgiving does. From the perfect roast turkey with wild rice and chestnut stuffing to a rich, old-fashioned pumpkin pie, good food shared with family and friends is what makes this day so special. Williams-Sonoma Collection Thanksgiving offers easy-to-follow recipes you will want to include in your own holiday menu year after year. In these pages, you'll find inspiring first courses and a tempting variety of side dishes and desserts as well as some new ideas for the main course. This vividly photographed, full-color recipe collection will become an essential addition to your kitchen bookshelf. "Whether it's your first time preparing a Thanksgiving meal or your twentieth, I hope these recipes make your feast enjoyable."

Learn how to easily and elegantly share your home and your table with family and friends, with over 150 kitchen-tested recipes. Each has a full-color photo along with helpful tips on menu planning and serving. Casual Entertaining includes starters, salads & soups, pizza & pastas, main dishes, breakfast & brunch, sides, and beverages. An illustrated glossary describes key ingredients and explains cooking procedures.

Blueberry muffins crowned with a cinnamon and sugar topping, savory cornmeal muffins spiced with jalape ño, tender lemon and poppy seed muffins served with lemon curd -- these are recipes that any home cook would be proud to make and bring fresh from the oven to the table. Williams-Sonoma Collection Muffins includes 40 kitchen-tested recipes for these and other muffins as well as coffee cakes and quick breads. Not only can the recipes be prepared in just an hour or two -- they are also wonderfully versatile. Banana-walnut muffins and slices of pumpkin bread are delightful ways to bake with fresh fruits and vegetables. You can serve muffins flavored with Cheddar cheese or pesto as a savory accompaniment to soups and salads. Coffee cakes enriched with raspberries, apples, or chocolate make elegant centerpieces for breakfast, brunch, or afternoon tea. Each recipe in these pages is shown alongside a beautiful full-color photograph that helps you decide which recipe you want to bake. Additional photographs illustrate side notes with invaluable information about essential ingredients and techniques. You will also find an entire chapter devoted to simple baking basics. This cookbook provides everything you need to create delicious muffins perfect for any meal or occasion.

Nothing evokes the comforts of home better than freshly baked treats straight from the oven. But too many home cooks believe they don't have the time to bake except for the occasional special dessert. If you are one of them, this comprehensive baking collection, with nearly 400 recipes for everything from homespun favorites and bake-shop sweets to popular restaurant-style desserts, is guaranteed to change your mind. In this inspired book, you will find recipes that both fit into your busy schedule and suit nearly every occasion, from quick dessert for weeknight suppers to fancy cakes for holiday tables. Whether you are dreaming of buttery shortbread for an afternoon snack, a luscious berry pie for a midsummer get-together, a buche de Noel for a Christmas Day buffet, or a batch of rolls for Sunday supper, you will discover how to make it in these pages. The recipes are organized into eight comprehensive chapters: Cookies and Bars; Muffins and Quick Breads; Coffee Cakes, Scones, and Biscuits; Cakes and Tortes; Pies and Tarts; Yeasted Breads; Fruit Desserts; and Custards and Egg Dishes. Each chapter provides an array of flavor options to match the seasons and to accommodate a variety of tastes. Every recipe includes a photograph of the finished dish, so you can see how it will look, as well as photographs illustrating key baking task, ingredients, and/or equipment. Classics enjoyed by adults and kids alike are here, such as lemon bars, chocolate-studded cookies, blueberry muffins with brown-sugar topping, buttermilk biscuits, birthday cake with fudge frosting, pumpkin pie, and country-style cinnamon rolls. Detailed directions for baking chocolate cupcakes, bagels, and madeleines make these typical bakery specialties easy to prepare at home. A large selection of recipes for special occasions, such as almond-flecked chocolate cake with caramel sauce, pear torte with fresh ginger, and cherry cheesecake with a biscotti crust, provides plenty of ideas for holiday and dinner-party tables. Rounding out the book are dozens of recipes for savory baked items, from Roquefort-laced popovers and goat cheese muffins to olive bread and mushroom quiche. An extensive reference section at the end of the book includes basic recipes, such as pie and tart doughs, dessert sauces and glazes, and cake frostings and fillings. Also included is a tips-and-techniques primer, with photographed step-by-step instructions on everything from rolling out pie dough, making decorative crusts, and frosting a cake to kneading bread dough in a stand mixer. Cooking and ingredient charts and a comprehensive glossary complete the section. With The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book on your kitchen shelf, you will find yourself baking more often, with results that are always both delicious and rewarding.