Risotto

A compendium of every imaginable variation of a northern Italian staple, this volume, part of Williams-Sonoma's user-friendly cookbook series, is divided into six sections dedicated to different interpretations of risotto. The classics section delivers a Risotto with Mushrooms, heavy on the wild mushrooms and garlic, while the vegetable section offers a deep crimson-purple Risotto with Beets. The recipes, each accompanied by a close-up of a creamy-looking bowlful of rice, also include a luscious Risotto with Pesto and Shrimp and a rich wintertime Risotto with Lamb, Rosemary, and Olives. Dessert risottos such as Ricotta-Rice Tart and Chocolate Risotto are like rice pudding gone to heaven. Simple to follow and thoroughly idiot-proof, the cookbook even provides a few pages at the end marked""Risotto Basics,"" which lay out the rules of choosing the right pan, rice and stock. This section also includes recipes for various meat and seafood stocks, rightly noting that your dish""will disappoint you if your stock is not first-rate."" The magic of risotto, after all, is that with a few good ingredients, a bit of patience and a lot of stirring, Arborio rice can be transformed into something enchanting.