The food media juggernaut Moulton (executive chef for Gourmet, food editor for Good Morning America, and Food Network host) has designed an all-purpose working cookbook for a wide audience. That means lots of chicken, pork and beef, and not an organ meat in sight. Most recipes are fairly straightforward (spinach salad, chicken tarragon, parsnip puree); a few are elaborate, like the weirdly multicultural Fontina-and-Prosciutto-Stuffed Wonton Ravioli with Porcini Sauce and the Seared Sea Scallops with Celery Root Puree, Parsley Oil, and Lemon-Caper Brown Butter. The book is filled with helpful tips, anecdotes (told in the unflappable, all-American Moulton style) and photographs of Moulton as a young girl, gradually working her way up through restaurant kitchens—hard at work, eyeing the camera with a determined grin. (Homey as these are, it would have been more helpful to have pictures of the food.) The book does lack focus, and there isn't much that differentiates it from other homestyle cookbooks. But Moulton's thousands of fans will certainly flock to it, leaving their Joys and Fannie Farmers on the shelf for a while as they tackle such dishes as Roasted Ratatouille Crepes with Goat Cheese. (Oct.)
