In this companion volume to the PBS series "Cooking with Master Chefs," Julia Child introduces sixteen of America's talented chefs from different parts of the country and interprets their recipes for the home cook. With the help of more than eighty color photographs we see the chefs at work in home kitchens and we learn the individual techniques that make their signature dishes so delicious -- and so workable. For example: -- from Charles Palmer (Aureole, New York), how to sear peppery venison steaks -- from Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger (Border Grill, Santa Monica), how to make a spicy vegetarian feast -- from Emeril Lagasse (Emeril's, New Orleans), how to produce an authentic crab boil and a shrimp etoufee -- from Andre Soltner (Lutece, New York), how to cook traditional family dishes from Alsace -- from Jeremiah Tower (Stars, San Francisco), three innovative ways with chicken -- from Lidia Bastianich (Felidia, New York), the secrets of pasta and risotto -- from Patrick Clark (Hay-Adams Hotel, Washington, D.C.), new ways with fish -- fresh salmon as a roulade, grouper crusty with horseradish -- from Michel Richard (Citrus, Los Angeles), how to work with chocolate -- a mousse-filled dome, deep-fried chocolate truffles -- from Amy Ferguson-Ota (The Ritz-Carlton, Hawaii), the special flavors of island produce -- breadfruit, ti leaves, green papayas, wok-seared ono -- from Robert Del Grande (Cafe Annie, Houston), how to cook with chiles -- from Nancy Silverton (Campanile, Los Angeles), the trick of a grape starter that works magic on her crusty loaves -- from Jan Birnbaum (Campton Place, San Francisco), how to home-smoke salmon and roast sassafras-encrusted lamb -- from Jean-Louis Palladin (Jean-Louis at The Watergate, Washington, D.C.), the technique of roasting duck breasts in a fireplace -- from Alice Waters (Chez Panisse, Berkeley), celebrating the winter harvest in vegetable dishes and salads -- from Jacques Pepin (chef-at-large), making puff pastry and a freestanding souffle Julia Child writes in her Introduction that she's never known a serious cook or chef who didn't say: "Every day I learn something new!" "That point of view," she says, "turns home cooking and the pleasures of the table into a wonderful adventure.' So, appetit, and enjoy the adventures that this wonderful book provides. A companion to the PBS series of the same name, Julia Child's classic Cooking with Master Chefs introduces readers to sixteen of America's top chefs, then presents their signature dishes to make at home. With the relaxed precision cooks expect of Child's recipes, and aided by more than 80 color photos, the dishes are as accessible as they are delicious. Child's fans, as well as those of chefs including Emeril Lagasse (Emeril's, New Orleans), André Soltner (formerly of Lutèce, New York), Alice Waters (Chez Panisse, Berkeley) and Michel Richard (Citrus, Los Angeles), among others, will be delighted. The recipes, arranged in mini-menus of three to five dishes each, run the gamut of (mostly) American-inspired specialties. The aforementioned Lagasse provides an authentic Louisiana Crab Broil and savory Shrimp Étoufée; Mary Sue Milligan and Susan Feninger (Border Grill, Santa Monica), present a spicy vegetarian feast; and Charles Palmer (Auriole, New York), reveals his methods for making perfectly seared Venison and Tender Butternut Squash Timbales. The Italian table is represented by Lidia Bastianich (Felidia, New York), who shares her Pasta Ears with Brocolli di Rape and Sausages. And for dessert, chef Richard produces an extraordinary Chocolate Dome and pulse-quickening Hot Chocolate Truffles. Other chefs provide equally mouth-watering dishes. Useful notes on techniques and ingredients are given throughout and in an appendix. As lively as it is instructive, Cooking with Master Chefs should provide a gratifying encounter with a remarkable culinary crew, conducted by an esteemed interpreter of the world's table. --Arthur Boehm In this companion volume to the PBS series "Cooking with Master Chefs," Julia Child introduces sixteen of America's talented chefs from different parts of the country and interprets their recipes for the home cook. With the help of more than eighty color photographs we see the chefs at work in home kitchens and we learn the individual techniques that make their signature dishes so delicious -- and so workable. For example: -- from Charles Palmer (Aureole, New York), how to sear peppery venison steaks -- from Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger (Border Grill, Santa Monica), how to make a spicy vegetarian feast -- from Emeril Lagasse (Emeril's, New Orleans), how to produce an authentic crab boil and a shrimp etoufee -- from Andre Soltner (Lutece, New York), how to cook traditional family dishes from Alsace -- from Jeremiah Tower (Stars, San Francisco), three innovative ways with chicken -- from Lidia Bastianich (Felidia, New York), the secrets of pasta and risotto -- from Patrick C