The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook: Recipes and Wisdom from an Obsessive Home Cook

The eagerly anticipated cookbook from renowned food blogger, photographer, and home chef Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen.

Deb Perelman is an avid chef. That is all there is to it. She has never even been a waitress; she is neither a chef nor a restaurant owner. At first, cooking in her little Manhattan kitchen was reserved for rare occasions and was, far too often, an excessively intimidating endeavour. Deb was astonished by the sheer quantity of recipes at her disposal. Have you ever used Google to find the ideal birthday cake? More than three million results will appear for you. How are choices made? How would you begin? What happens if you choose a dish that is utterly awful?

Deb started her award-winning blog, smittenkitchen.com, with the idea that cooking should be enjoyable and that the food you produce should always be good. Deb is certain that there are terrible recipes, not bad chefs. Finding the finest of the best and tailoring them for the average cook—those with little resources, little time to spend on difficult-to-pronounce goods, and minimal assistance in the kitchen—has become her passion. With the same warmth, honesty, and positive attitude that have made her blog famous, Deb now offers her first cookbook, which includes over 100 brand-new recipes together with a selection of her site's best sellers. Each dish is exquisitely illustrated with hundreds of Deb's stunning colour photos.

The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook is all about accessible, uncomplicated home cooking. It has stews for blustery winter afternoons, elevated comfort meals, and an apple cake that will satisfy any query about what to do for dessert. “What is always welcome at a potluck?” "What did Deb eat nearly all by herself in the week following her baby's birth?" These are recipes you save to your bookmarks and use so often that they wind up becoming your own; they're recipes you pass along to a friend hoping to impress her new in-laws; they're recipes made with basic ingredients that produce fantastic results in the shortest amount of time. Deb explains what to serve for brunch, how to throw one and still sleep in, and what necessities you should have in your own kitchen. From salads and slaws that make perfect side dishes (or a full meal) to savory tarts and pizzas; from Mushroom Bourguignon to Pancetta, White Bean and Swiss Chard Pot Pies; from Buttered Popcorn Cookies to Chocolate Hazelnut Layer Cake, Deb knows just the thing for a Tuesday night, or your most special occasion.