Twenty Dinners

Schori, a photographer, videographer, and former chef, and Taylor, a musician and member of the indie rock band Grizzly Bear, team up for this appetizing collection of 20 meals, five for each season, designed to be cooked for and with friends and family. While the authors provide a variety of seasonal dinner menus, dishes can be mixed and matched to create a menu suited to specific tastes. A sample fall menu includes a superb array of components including pan-roasted duck breast, cauliflower puree, braised Cipollini onions, shaved Brussels sprouts, and pears poached in red wine. Winter recipe highlights include the clever Caesar salad with egg in a frame, roasted lamb shoulder, and pork chops with charred applesauce. Spring offerings include cod poached in lavender-infused olive oil, crispy soft-shell crabs with fried capers and parsley vinaigrette, and peach porch punch. Fire-roasted trout with grilled figs, quinoa salad with grapes and hazelnuts, and whole spit-roasted pig with mustard greens are prime examples of summer's bounty. In addition to menus, the authors provide useful sidebars on "mastering" wine, pickling, ramps, and more. Adventurous and seductive, the recipes showcased here are sure to inspire, whether one is entertaining crowds or simply putting a weekday dinner on the table. (Apr.)