'This is a beautiful cookbook, full of joyous, life-enriching recipes. I love it.' Nigel Slater 'Its collection of foolproof, elegant recipes calls to mind Nigella Lawson at her best' Vogue A Table for Friends celebrates the joy of eating with friends and family, with over 100 simple and wonderfully inviting recipes that allow you to relax with your loved ones whilst the cooking takes care of itself. Drawing on years of cooking for more people than it ever seemed possible to squeeze into her kitchen, Sunday Times columnist and cookery author Skye McAlpine shares the secrets to her stylish and relaxed way of hosting, setting you up for success whether you're cooking for two or twenty. A Table for Friends has recipes for every occasion, from last-minute weeknight dinners to large celebratory gatherings. Skye's recipes fall into four chapters, Stars, Sides, Sweets and Extras, which allow you to intuitively plan a simple and impressive menu, and, because juggling oven space is one of the biggest challenges when cooking for a crowd, each chapter is ingeniously organised into Throw Together, On The Hob and In The Oven so your menu works best for your mood, your kitchen and your time. Alongside these beautiful, deliciously do-able recipes comes Skye's practical, fuss-free guidance for hosting a stress-free gathering, from what to cook in advance to how to lay the table beautifully, allowing you to step out of the kitchen and relax with your guests. For a super-easy roast why not try her Honey-roast poussins, Butter-&-sage roast pumpkin, Saffron fennel, A really good chicory salad with creamy mustard dressing and Winter fruit & mascarpone tart? Or for a wonderfully soothing pasta supper, Tagliatelle with gorgonzola, pear & walnut and Chocolate chestnut meringue cake is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. This is a cookbook to cook from: a helpful, approachable, down-to-earth kitchen companion that will give you the confidence to gather friends around your table and the inspiration to do so more often. 'It's a winner – a book I'll turn to again and again, especially when friends come over' Delicious magazine

Learn how to cook traditional Italian dishes as well as reinvented favorites, and bring Venice to life in your kitchen with these 100 Northern Italian recipes. Traveling by gondola, enjoying creamy risi e bisi for lunch, splashing through streets that flood when the tide is high—this is everyday life for Skye McAlpine. She has lived in Venice for most of her life, moving there from London when she was six years old, and she’s learned from years of sharing meals with family and neighbors how to cook the Venetian way. Try your hand at Bigoli with Creamy Walnut Sauce, Scallops on the Shell with Pistachio Gratin, Grilled Radicchio with Pomegranate, and Chocolate and Amaretto Custard.

Transplanted Canadian, New Yorker writer and author of Paris to the Moon, Gopnik is publishing this major new work of narrative non-fiction alongside his 2011 Massey Lecture. An illuminating, beguiling tour of the morals and manners of our present food manias, in search of eating's deeper truths, asking "Where do we go from here?" Never before have so many North Americans cared so much about food. But much of our attention to it tends towards grim calculation (what protein is best? how much?); social preening ("I can always score the last reservation at xxxxx"); or graphic machismo ("watch me eat this now"). Gopnik shows we are not the first food fetishists but we are losing sight of a timeless truth, "the table comes first": what goes on around the table matters as much to life as what we put on the table: families come together (or break apart) over the table, conversations across the simplest or grandest board can change the world, pain and romance unfold around it--all this is more essential to our lives than the provenance of any zucchini or the road it travelled to reach us. Whatever dilemmas we may face as omnivores, how not what we eat ultimately defines our society. Gathering people and places drawn from a quarter century's reporting in North America and France, The Table Comes First marks the beginning a new conversation about the way we eat now.

Friends at the Table shows how to take the elements of supper clubs gone by and re-create them in an evening of fine dining at home, without the expense of a restaurant. Included are ready-made grocery lists and plan ahead tips to ease the stress of entertaining, as well as full menus with a variety of themes to help execute a gorgeous meal, making the experience as enjoyable for the hostess as it is for the guest. The planning has already been done, from shopping lists to easy to follow recipes and from selecting music to creating a beautiful “tablescape,”

Bestselling author and food writer Debra Samuels uses her unique skills and deep love of Japan to make the cuisine of her adopted country attainable in My Japanese Table. Bringing a wealth of experience and a great passion for Japanese cooking to the table, Debra introduces the aesthetics and quality food that are the hallmarks of Japanese cuisine. She learned through her years in Japan that true Japanese homestyle dishes are easy to prepare once you master a few basic techniques. And now that authentic Japanese ingredients are available in most supermarkets, Japanese food has become far more accessible than ever before. The recipes in this Japanese cookbook, the result of decades spent teaching and preparing homestyle Japanese dishes, include familiar favorites like Hand-Rolled Sushi and classic Miso Soup and less familiar but equally welcome dishes such as Lobster Rolls with Wasabi Mayonnaise and Fried Pork Cutlets. There is also a chapter on the increasingly popular bento lunch boxes, along with a wonderful selection of desserts, including the delectable Mochi Dumplings with Strawberries. All of the recipes come with stories and cooking tips to help bring the sights, aromas and tastes of Japan into your kitchen at home. This Japanese cookbook includes chapters on: Basic recipes Sushi Snacks and appetizers Soups and salads Rice and noodles Meat and poultry Fish and seafood Vegetable and tofu dishes Bento Desserts and drinks

Put your kitchen registry items to good use with this happily-ever-after cookbook for two that contains 130 recipes to celebrate a new marriage. Whether it’s experimenting in the kitchen or perfecting the classics, newlyweds can create cherished traditions around the table. Filled with recipes perfect for spending leisurely days cooking with your loved one, entertaining ideas for family and friends, and plenty of options for quick and satisfying weeknight dinners, this book is a sweet and practical resource for modern couples. Author Caroline Chambers shares stories from her first years of marriage and tips on weekly meal planning, pantry staples, and handy kitchen tools, everything needed to build a new kitchen together. This heartfelt collection of recipes and advice fosters everyday romance and inspires traditions, making this a joyfully welcome wedding or engagement present for the happy couple.

This hip, fabric-covered guide includes creative ways to style a table--whether for a sit-down dinner, cocktail party, brunch buffet, picnic in the park, and other fun get-togethers Whether you live in a small apartment or sprawling suburban kitchen, How to Set a Table features stylish, modern ideas for welcoming family and friends in your home. This gift book, wrapped in a pretty, printed fabric, serves as a practical step-by-step guide to entertaining--with extra information on etiquette, place setting basics, centerpieces, mixing and matching, essential glassware, and napkin folds. With unexpected ideas for using all the great tableware you can find at flea markets, chain stores, or around the house, How to Set a Table updates a classic topic for a new generation of hosts.