Barefoot Contessa Foolproof: Recipes You Can Trust

A master caterer, TV celebrity, and prolific cookbook author, Garten will delight her legion of fans with this appetizing and welcoming cookbook. Garten focuses on foolproof cooking: recipes that work, are satisfying to eat, and can be made ahead of time. For those who struggle with timing the doneness of multiple dishes, she advises creating a very specific game plan that lists every step, and provides 10 tips to aid in reducing stress and ensuring a well-timed, delicious meal. Recipes cover cocktails and starters, lunch and dinner, and vegetables and desserts. Photos are luscious and mouth-watering, and will drive readers into the kitchen. In addition, she shares her expertise on numerous related topics such as menus, shopping, and table settings, an often-overlooked aspect of entertaining. Recipes are fairly simple but pack big flavor, such as mussels with saffron mayo, balsamic roasted beet salad, penne alla vecchia bettola (penne with vodka), and foolproof ribs with barbecue sauce. Combinations are sometimes unusual but still appeal, like roasted sausages and grapes, and salmon and melting cherry tomatoes. Garten doesn’t skimp on desserts, an area where many cookbooks fall down. Her chocolate cassis cake and raspberry crumble bars are drool-inducing. Once again Garten’s culinary wizardry will inspire, delight, and empower readers to entertain in true Barefoot Contessa style. (Oct.)