The San Francisco Chronicle Cookbook Volume II

Amazon.com Review:
Even hard-core New York foodies know that San Francisco is the epicenter of food trends. New York may grow trends, but they are born in the City by the Bay. In San Francisco, food is more than just fuel, it's a lifestyle. With the top wines in the nation produced less than an hour away, the country's best produce grown at its doorstep, the myriad cultural influences from around the globe, and the abundance of artisan producers of bread, cheese, and other culinary delights, it's no wonder that Bay Area diners and home cooks are so food savvy. Their home is truly a culinary mecca. This passion for good food means that readers of the city's preeminent daily newspaper, The San Francisco Chronicle, are destined to demand an equally savvy and intriguing food section that celebrates the abundance and diversity of its home town. Sure enough, the Chronicle food section is known for its fresh, inventive recipes. The San Francisco Chronicle Cookbook, Vol. 2, edited by Chronicle food section editors Michael Bauer and Fran Irwin, collects 375 of the best recipes from world-renowned chefs and food writers including Paul Bertolli, Marion Cunningham, Mark Franz, Marlena Spieler, Flo Baker, and many others. Just a quick glance through this fat volume--the much-awaited sequel to the popular volume one--gives readers a sense of the sheer diversity of the recipes included. Appetizers range from a traditional French Provencal appetizer of Creamy Brandade of Salt Cod and Potatoes with Garlic Croutons to Shrimp Crostini with Thai Basil and Kaffir Lime Leaf to Libyan Spicy Pumpkin Dip; entrees from the meatless Malaysian Curry of Autumn Vegetables to Pan-Grilled Steaks with Toasted Walnuts and Roquefort-Shallot Butter to Grilled Tequila Chipotle Shrimp. Dessert offerings are equally enticing: creamy, sweet Butterscotch Pot de Crème, Mary Risley's Fresh Fig and Plum Tart, and a tender, moist and nutty Oatmeal Cake with Walnut Topping, to name just a few. With chapters devoted to soups, salads, morning repasts, and relishes, sauces and chutneys, along with all the standard chapters you'd expect, this book covers the entire range of home cooking--from quick weeknight meals to lavish party spreads. It will surely prove to be a boon to busy cooks, as well as those who are ready to challenge themselves with new techniques and explore the diverse range of ingredients available today. --Robin Donovan

capturing the many flavors of the city:
San Francisco has a very unique food and restaurant landscape with more ethinc cuisines on offer than in any other city in the US. This is reflected very well in this outstanding volume that brings together another great selection of eclectic dishes from local restaurants and coinisseurs. This is quite a big book and it is bursting with good stuff. It is also what I call a "no fluff" cookbook that really only has recipe after recipe, with no glossy pictures and other decor. The recipes are well-written, easy to follow and also organized extremely well. This is a detail that I look for a lot, since you want to be able to pull a cookbook out and get right to the section of dishes that might interest you for a particular type of menu. Many of the more glamorous cookbooks are meant for browsing rather than serious searching, this is not. If you are a beginner cook who needs visuals with every meal, this book is not for you. Basic cooking skills and a basic recipe skills are a must.

Using Fresh Ingredients:
This book gives simple but good recipes for using the local vegetables and fruits that are available at the local farmer's market. I have clipped many of the recipes from past FOOD sections of the newspaper and now I have them all in one easy to find place. I like to cook new recipes and enjoy ones with lots of flavor and I find that in this book.

Long timer loves it -:
I've lived in SF since 1970 and I love these cookbooks - I rarely read the paper on Wednesday, but I know the recipes are great, and these books are the best way to collect the best of the best from the local paper!