When Cal Peternell, chef at the legendary Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., sent his eldest son to college, he realized that the at-home cooking lessons he'd given (better known as family dinners) may not have covered the skills his son would need to feed himself well when away from home. The solution was clear: emergency cooking tutorials.
Peternell gave his son a dozen recipes, which came to serve as the foundation for Twelve Recipes. He expands on each building block to make several other dishes; for instance, he explains why even a simple slice of toast can be a platform upon which one might build memorable meals. Peternell delivers his practical advice with dad-style humor and puns (at one point he notes that the American Egg Board may have been "easily beaten"). Twelve Recipes is a cookbook, a love letter to family and a reminder of how important it is to gather people together to share nourishment. --Justus Joseph, bookseller, Elliott Bay Book Company