James McNair's New Pizza: Foolproof Techniques and Fabulous Recipes

With a plethora of pizza cookbooks on the market, any new contender has to survive by promising either trade secrets or the trendiest pie permutations. Despite a brief introduction on pizza history, McNair's glossy, full color book goes for the latter, emphasizing creative toppings (for example, Leek, Fig, Pancetta and Fontina Pizza) and variations on pizza (such as Turkish Lamb ""Pizza,"" a kind of pizza gyro). For home cooks eager to throw dough--or even if they are happy buying pre-made dough--this makes an attractive and useful guide to enticing toppings. Arugula and Prosciutto Pizza combines cold and hot with greens over melted mozzarella; Corn Pizza with sun-dried tomatoes and fresh herbs finds a new use for sweet corn; Fire and Smoke Pizza incorporates roasted chipotle chiles, smoked Gouda cheese and cilantro; Pistachio and Parmesan Pizza supplies a pleasantly nutty flavor. McNair's innovations are a good bet for pizza lovers looking for new flavors. Photographs by Joyce Oudkerk Pool. (Sept.)