What is a best American recipe? It's simple but sophisticated. It tastes exceptional. It's one you want to make again and are dying to share with your friends. It introduces a surprisingly easy technique or gives you a new way to use a favorite ingredient. It produces the best possible version of a dish. For this edition, Fran McCullough, one of the nation's most respected cookbook editors, and Molly Stevens, a cookbook author and contributing editor for Fine Cooking, searched through hundreds of sources and then selected the very best -- 150 recipes in all. You'll find recipes from the biggest names in food, such as the celebrity chefs Mario Batali and Bobby Flay; from esteemed cookbook authors, including Marion Cunningham and Deborah Madison; and from renowned food journalists, like Gourmet's Ruth Reichl and the New York Times's Amanda Hesser. You'll also get superlative recipes from home cooks, such as a scene-stealing side dish and an heirloom holiday dessert. The Best American Recipes includes notes on the most popular ingredients, time-saving techniques, and the most useful kitchen tools. With crowd-pleasing recipes like Party Cheese Crackers, such weeknight suppers as Simple Salmon, and special-occasion dishes including Spice-Rubbed Turkey and Chocolate Truffle Cake, The Best American Recipes equips you with everything you need to be the most confident cook on the block. Since 1999, the Best American Recipe series has offered top yearly formulas from books, magazines, the Internet, and even product labels. The Best American Recipes 2002-2003 , edited by series founder Fran McCullough with Molly Stevens, offers 150 doable recipes that range from starters to desserts and drinks. The selection embraces both the dressy and the down-home, ranging from, say, Porcini Mushroom and Red Onion Tart to Shrimp with Garlic and Toasted Bread Crumbs. Dessert stopovers include Butter Toffee Crunch Shortbread and Valentino's not-to-be missed Chocolate Truffle Cake. Are these the year's best recipes? It doesn't really matter, as McCullough has cast her net wide and drawn in a diversely appetizing selection. With a section on the year in food (sage, for example, is dubbed the herb cooks wanted "more than a little of lately"); headnotes that put the recipes in context ("New riffs on guacamole seems to spring up every year," say the authors in respect to Guacamole with Lemon and Roasted Corn); and Cook's Notes that make the recipes even more useful ("you can extend the marinating ... it will only add to the flavor," advise the authors of Pork Stew with Leeks, Orange, and Mint), the book is a something-for-everyone addition to a welcome tradition. Readers will also enjoy the foreword from Kitchen Confidential author Anthony Bourdain, which ends with a characteristic injunction to "cook free or die." --Arthur Boehm Molly Stevens a contributing editor to Fine Cooking, is the author of Williams-Sonoma New England and the coauthor of One Potato, Two Potato. Fran McCullough has been an editor at Harper and Row, Dial Press, and Bantam, where she discovered such major cookbook authors as Deborah Madison, Diana Kennedy, Paula Wolfert, Martha Rose Shulman, and Colman Andrews. She is a coauthor of Great Food Without Fuss, which won a James Beard Award, and the author of the best-selling Low-Carb Cookbook. Party Cheese Crackers Source: Cook & Tell by Karyl Bannister Cook: Karyl Bannister You can't stop eating these crackers, we promise. They're cheesy, buttery, and delicious, with little bits of pistachio making them very pretty as well. Blue cheese and chili powder are used judiciously to elevate the flavors and add depth. They're also a cinch to make, fortunately, since once you make them everyone will be begging you to bring them to the next party. They're icebox crackers, made just like icebox cookies. If there are any leftovers after the party, they go very well with soup or salad. makes 6 1/2 dozen crackers 1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese (about 6 ounces), at room temperature 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (about 2 ounces), at room temperature 1 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 cup chopped salted pistachios 2 cups all-purpose flour In a medium bowl using a wooden spoon, cream the Cheddar, butter, blue cheese, and chili powder. Stir in the pistachios. Sift the flour into the cheese mixture and work it in with the spoon until well blended. Form the dough into three 9- inch-long logs. Wrap the logs in waxed paper or plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours, or until firm. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice the logs into 3/8-inch-thick rounds. Place the rounds 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes, or until barely browned on the edges. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store the crackers in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Cook's Notes * If you can only find shell-on salted pistachios, discard any loose bits of papery skin as you shell the nuts. * Y