Moltissimo Mario

REVIEWS BY SYBILL PRATT

Mario Batali is a one-man culinary conglomerate—celebrity chef, co-owner of five of New York's most popular restaurants, decade-long Food Network phenomenon, producer of three pasta sauces selling nationwide and a cookware line debuting this summer. And, of course, he's a cookbook author extraordinaire. The newest addition to his appetizing ¦uvre is Molto Italiano: Simple Italian Recipes for Cooking at Home, with 327 recipes for his "all time favorites," from the intensely regional cooking of his native Italy to the variations that have evolved here in the Italian-American kitchen. An unabashed reveler in the glories of eating well, Mario bubbles over with enthusiasm at the concept of antipasto, offering up a variety of vegetables—marinated, on bruschetta, stuffed, fried and in frittatas; then on to clams—Oreganato, Casino and Genovese, Prosciutto with Grilled Fig Salad, a polenta-layered Warm Terrine of Sausage, and more. That joyous enthusiasm continues through the soups, risottos, pastas, fish, fowl, meat (you've got to try the Lamb Shanks with Oranges and Olives), vegetables and dolci, each recipe lovingly introduced with his personal, practical take on the dish. Mario is the conductor of this savory symphony à la Italiana, with its never overly sweet finale, and he directs it with his inimitable brio.


Cute cakes

Cupcakes, those little iced darlings, the delight of my childhood and yours, are getting dressed up—filled, frosted, turned upside-down—and even being served at chic events. Anne Byrn, aka The Cake Mix Doctor, has taken them up and cupcake baking will never be the same. Using the same culinary alchemy that transformed ordinary boxed cake mixes into wows and winners in her previous books, the Doctor is now dispensing prescriptions for baked confections guaranteed to make you smile in Cupcakes From the Cake Mix Doctor. She shares 135 recipes, plus her tricks and tips for decorating, baking ahead, storing and planning parties. You'll find cupcakes for all seasons, for children and grownups, for everyday and for special occasions: kid-pleasing Peanut Butter Surprises; spiked, adults-only White Russian Cupcakes; school-lunch-enlivening Easy Granola Muffins; sumptuous wedding cakes, edible flower bouquets and holiday wreaths.

Elinor Klivans' small-format, beautifully illustrated Cupcakes! is another ode to these tiny treats, with 50 recipes from sweetly simple to sit-down dinner elegant. Get both books and get a double hit of happiness.


New star ascending

David Lieberman's new Food Network show just had its first airing last month, but this freshly minted Yale grad is way ahead of the game—he's already written the eponymous cookbook to go with it. Young and Hungry is the hard copy version of his passion for cooking and abiding belief that "good home-cooked food made with a little love is like magic." And his magic translates into truly foolproof recipes made with fresh ingredients that you can pick up in one trip to the supermarket and not "spend a week's paycheck while you're at it." Dave, cool, cute and oh-so-casual (think an Ivy League Jamie Oliver), groups the dishes included around his favorite reasons for getting into the kitchen—the "fun situations" made even more fun by good food. There are romantic dinners for two with impressive but uncomplicated fare, buffets for a crowd with marvelous make-aheads like Roasted Asparagus and Apricot-Glazed Chicken, four foolproof open-faced omelets and some snazzy sides for lazy morning lounging, stress-free happy hour munchies and lots more. Whether you're young, old or somewhere in between, Dave has the good tastes to spur on your good times.


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