Breakfast, Lunch, Tea: The Many Little Meals of Rose Bakery

Bolstered with striking images of a day in the life of her namesake Paris bakery, self-made chef Carrarini's fine compilation of rustic French foods skillfully echoes her restaurant's mission, ""to dissolve the distinction between home and restaurant cooking."" Focusing on simple foods and emphasizing fresh, high-quality ingredients, Carranini's classic recipes for pancakes, scones and tarts-""the culmination of years of our taking out what is not necessary""-allow the ingredients to shine through. Favoring baked goods, Carrarini offers a generous selection of cakes, including Lemon Cake, Fruit Cake and Ricotta Cheesecake; cookies, such as Gingerbread, Regelach and Almond Cinnamon Meringue; and bars like Coconut Custard, Date and Oat. Also included are more rarified baked goods such as bread-like Fresh Ginger Cake (""wonderful toasted and eaten warm with butter"") and gluten-free Orange Almond Cakes. Heartier fare, such as Braised Lamb Shanks with Cumin, Aubergines and Chickpeas is also included, but the focus remains on lighter dishes. Fans of the Barefoot Contessa cookbook series will find this a fitting (and perhaps superior) companion to Barefoot in Paris.