Millions of people fantasize about leaving their old lives behind, enrolling in cooking school, and training to become a chef. But for those who make the decision, the difference between the dream and reality can be gigantic—especially at the top cooking school in the country. For the first time in the Culinary Institute of America’s history, a book will give readers the firsthand experience of being a full-time student facing all of the challenges of the legendary course in its entirety. On the eve of his thirty-eighth birthday and after shuffling through a series of unsatisfying jobs, Jonathan Dixon enrolled in the CIA (on a scholarship) to pursue his passion for cooking. In Beaten, Seared, and Sauced he tells hilarious and harrowing stories of life at the CIA as he and his classmates navigate the institution’s many rules and customs under the watchful and critical eyes of their instructors. Each part of the curriculum is covered, from knife skills and stock making to the high-pressure cooking tests and the daunting wine course (the undoing of many a student). Dixon also details his externship in the kitchen of Danny Meyer’s Tabla, giving readers a look into the inner workings of a celebrated New York City restaurant. With the benefit of his age to give perspective to his experience, Dixon delivers a gripping day-to-day chronicle of his transformation from amateur to professional. From the daily tongue-lashings in class to learning the ropes—fast—at a top NYC kitchen, Beaten, Seared, and Sauced is a fascinating and intimate first-person view of one of America’s most famous culinary institutions and one of the world’s most coveted jobs.

“Hot sex, looking good, scoring journalistic triumphs . . . nothing made Alyssa love herself enough until she learned to cook. There's a racy plot and a surprising moral in this intimate and delicious book.” --Gael Greene, creator of Insatiable-Critic.com and author of Insatiable: Tales from a Life of Delicious Excess Apron Anxiety is the hilarious and heartfelt memoir of quintessential city girl Alyssa Shelasky and her crazy, complicated love affair with...the kitchen. Three months into a relationship with her TV-chef crush, celebrity journalist Alyssa Shelasky left her highly social life in New York City to live with him in D.C. But what followed was no fairy tale: Chef hours are tough on a relationship. Surrounded by foodies yet unable to make a cup of tea, she was displaced and discouraged. Motivated at first by self-preservation rather than culinary passion, Shelasky embarked on a journey to master the kitchen, and she created the blog Apron Anxiety (ApronAnxiety.com) to share her stories. This is a memoir (with recipes) about learning to cook, the ups and downs of love, and entering the world of food full throttle. Readers will delight in her infectious voice as she dishes on everything from the sexy chef scene to the unexpected inner calm of tying on an apron.

The classic American treat finally gets its due: foolproof pudding recipes, from irresistible standards to inventive modern twists, by the chef and owner of New York City’s popular pudding destination. Puddin’ shares Clio Goodman’s secrets for re-creating—and improving on—your sweetest childhood memories. From grown-up renditions of snack-time favorites like Butterscotch Pudding (spiked with whiskey) to party-ready showstoppers like Banana Upside-Down Cake with Malted Pudding and summertime crowd-pleasers like Peanut Butter Fudge Pops and Peach Melba Parfaits, Puddin’ serves up luscious and decadent recipes for your every dessert whim. Along the way, Clio offers suggestions for adapting her pudding recipes—all of which are naturally gluten-free—for vegan and low-fat variations. And because creamy pudding just begs for a companion, Puddin’ also includes recipes for homemade toppings, such as Salted Caramel Sauce, Marshmallow Crème, and Brownie Crumbs, that can be mixed and matched with the puddings of your choice or incorporated into one of Clio’s signature parfaits. These surprisingly easy-to-execute pudding creations are destined to become staples of your dessert repertoire. Puddin’ is a celebration of an American classic. Praise for Puddin’ “Remarkably versatile . . . A superb single-subject dessert cookbook.”—Library Journal (starred review) “Unlock the secrets to divine creaminess. . . . This book has revisited and reinvented pudding in just about every imaginable form. Recipes are easy to follow and results could win you some delicious rewards.”—Eat Something Sexy “Clio Goodman has a talent for transforming simple, elemental ingredients into amazing desserts. Puddin’ brings back memories of simpler times, and coming back to pudding is a return to an elemental form of inspiration. These sweet treats are the ultimate in comforting indulgence.”—Ron Ben-Israel, host of Sweet Genius “Clio’s puddings are ethereal and utterly delicious. Her techniques are simple, but the magic is in the way she pairs unique ingredients in one little cup. Her puddings will dazzle any dinner party!”—Pichet Ong, pastry chef, author of The Sweet Spot, and judge of Sugar Dome

What is Jewish cooking in France? In a journey that was a labor of love, Joan Nathan traveled the country to discover the answer and, along the way, unearthed a treasure trove of recipes and the often moving stories behind them. Nathan takes us into kitchens in Paris, Alsace, and the Loire Valley; she visits the bustling Belleville market in Little Tunis in Paris; she breaks bread with Jewish families around the observation of the Sabbath and the celebration of special holidays. All across France, she finds that Jewish cooking is more alive than ever: traditional dishes are honored, yet have acquired a certain French finesse. And completing the circle of influences: following Algerian independence, there has been a huge wave of Jewish immigrants from North Africa, whose stuffed brik and couscous, eggplant dishes and tagines—as well as their hot flavors and Sephardic elegance—have infiltrated contemporary French cooking. All that Joan Nathan has tasted and absorbed is here in this extraordinary book, rich in a history that dates back 2,000 years and alive with the personal stories of Jewish people in France today.

The popular New Yorker writer combines the style of Mary Roach with the on-the-ground food savvy of Anthony Bourdain. Dana Goodyear’s narrative debut is a highly entertaining, revelatory look into the raucous, strange, fascinatingly complex world of contemporary American food culture. At once an uproarious behind-the-scenes adventure and a serious attempt to understand the implications of an emergent new cuisine, it introduces a cast of compelling and unexpected characters—from Los Angeles Times critic Jonathan Gold, to a high-end Las Vegas purveyor of rare and exotic ingredients, to the traffickers and promoters of raw milk and other forbidden products, to the hottest chefs who rely on them—all of whom, along with today’s diners, are changing the face of American eating. Ultimately, Goodyear looks at what we eat, and tells us who we are. As she places all of this within a vivid historical and cultural framework, she shows how these gathering culinary trends may eventually shape the way all Americans dine. What emerges is a picture of America at a moment of transition, designing the future as it reimagines the past.

Written by the experts who train today's leading chefs and sommeliers, this invaluable guide thoroughly demystifies wine, from the basics of wine production to the nuances of wine lists, wine marketing, and wine service. Revised to reflect the many recent changes in the worldwide wine industry, the Second Edition of this critically acclaimed guide features an expanded American wines section, coverage of the latest developments in Italian wine and the new face of German and South American wine trades, and more.

Looking for quick and easy recipes when you’re not supposed to—or don’t want to—leave your house? Enter Nancy Silverton, the James Beard Award–winning chef profiled on Netflix’s Chef’s Table. One of the most revered restaurant chefs in the country, Nancy turns her attention here to quick and easy recipes that home cooks can whip up using on hand or always easy to get pantry ingredients from jars, cans, bags, and boxes. Here are two dozen delicious recipes for egg, pasta, and polenta dishes—think Olive Oil–Fried Eggs on Toast with Fresh Mozzarella and Spicy Harissa Sauce; Penne Arrabbiata with Charred Sweet Tomatoes, and Polenta with Sausage Ragù—plus as a sweet treat, her delicious Dulce de Leche Ice Cream Pie with Hot Fudge Sauce, Cajeta, and Salty Spanish Peanuts. Taken from her beloved classic cookbook, A Twist of the Wrist, these are thirty-minute meals that you’ll want to stay home and cook—whether you’re on lockdown or not!