Summary

The American city is thriving. In urban neighborhoods across the country you can find intriguing restaurants, gourmet and ethnic markets, farmers' markets, and artisanal breads and cheeses. In her new book, Weir Cooking in the City, chef and tea

Author Biography

Joanne Weir is an award-winning author, cooking teacher, and chef. She is the host of the popular public television series Weir Cooking in the Wine Country. Weir was awarded the first International Association of Culinary Professionals' Cooking Teacher of the Year Award of Excellence in 1996

Preface: City!	p. 15
The Essential City Pantry	p. 19
Entertaining in the City	p. 23
The Right Wine	p. 35
Firsts
Rice Paper Shrimp Rolls	p. 45
Potato Rosemary Flatbread	p. 48
Phyllo Pizza with Feta and Tomatoes	p. 50
Croutons with Tapenade, Orange, and Fennel	p. 53
Crostini with Dried Plum Paste and Goat Cheese	p. 54
Smoked Eggplant with Pita Chips	p. 55
Pita Chips with Cucumbers, Feta, Dill, and Mint	p. 57
Bagna Cauda, a Warm Italian Bath	p. 58
Prosciutto, Parmigiano, and Pepper Breadsticks	p. 60
Fiery Peppered Feta with Pita	p. 62
Falafel with Tahini and Herb Salad	p. 64
Tahini	p. 65
Chicken Lettuce Wraps	p. 66
Dried Plums Stuffed with Gorgonzola and Walnuts	p. 68
Parmesan Flan	p. 69
Fettuccine with Wild Mushrooms	p. 71
Fresh Fettuccine	p. 72
Baked Eggs with Summer Vegetables	p. 74
Jalapeno-Jack Scones with Chive Butter	p. 77
Five-Onion Pizza	p. 79
Favorite Pizza Dough	p. 80
Moroccan Shellfish Cigars	p. 81
Straw Potato Cakes with Smoked Salmon and Caviar	p. 84
Scallop Seviche with Tomatoes, Hot Peppers, and Cilantro	p. 87
Oysters with Champagne Mignonette	p. 90
Yakitori with Red and Green Peppers	p. 92
Salads
Garden Greens with Tomatoes, Lime, Olives, and Cilantro	p. 97
Cherry Tomato Salad with Herbed Feta	p. 98
Roasted Pepper Salad with Eggplant Croutons	p. 101
Autumn Cheddar, Apple, and Walnut Salad	p. 103
Roasted Beet, Avocado, and Watercress Salad	p. 105
Orzo Salad with Capers, Corn, Red Onion, and Peppers	p. 107
Artichoke, Endive, and Arugula Salad	p. 109
Warm Grilled Fennel Salad	p. 111
Escarole Salad with Anchovy Vinaigrette and Garlic Croutons	p. 113
Spicy Bulgur and Lentil Salad	p. 114
Dried Plum, Fennel, and Manchego Salad with Prosciutto	p. 116
Fennel Oil	p. 117
Celebration Salad of Endive, Creme Fraiche, and Caviar	p. 118
Radicchio, Arugula, Golden Raisin, and Pine Nut Salad	p. 121
Asparagus Salad with Brown Butter and Meyer Lemons	p. 123
Farro, Pesto, and Tomato Salad	p. 124
Farro Salad with Prosciutto and Grapefruit	p. 125
Thai Beef Salad with Mint and Cilantro	p. 128
Shrimp, Papaya, and Avocado Salad	p. 130
Shrimp Salad with White Beans, Mint Oil, and Watercress	p. 132
Japanese Pickled Vegetable Salad	p. 133
Gravlax with Spring Salad	p. 134
Grilled Squid Salad with Winter Citrus	p. 136
Duck Salad with Pecans and Kumquats	p. 138
Soups
Yellow Tomato Gazpacho	p. 143
Champagne Oyster Soup with Celery and Fennel	p. 147
Miso Soup with Edamame	p. 148
Dashi	p. 149
Gratin of Tomato and Eggplant Soup	p. 150
Hot and Sour Soup	p. 154
Lobster, Roasted Pepper, Tomato, and Corn Chowder	p. 156
Yellow Split Pea and Carrot Soup with Cilantro Yogurt	p. 158
Kale Soup with Pancetta and White Beans	p. 161
Summer Tomato Soup with Basil Cream	p. 163
Tortilla and Tomato Soup	p. 165
Tomato Rice Soup with Tiny Meatballs	p. 168
Mains and a Few Sides
Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts with Mustard, Rosemary, and Capers	p. 173
Spice-Crusted Chicken Breasts with Cucumber Lemon Raita	p. 175
Braised Chicken with Green Garlic	p. 177
Oven-Fried Potato Chips with Marjoram Salt	p. 178
Truffle-Scented Roasted Cornish Hens with Prosciutto and Wild Mushrooms	p. 180
Roasted Cornish Hens with Toasted Bread Crumb Salsa	p. 182
Fontina, Capocollo, and Roasted Pepper Panini	p. 185
Panini with Meatballs and Tomato Sauce	p. 187
Panini Caprese	p. 188
Risotto with Gorgonzola	p. 190
Spaghetti and Meatballs, the Ultimate Comfort Food	p. 192
Orecchiette with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon	p. 194
Oven-Baked Penne with Wild Mushrooms and Fontina	p. 197
Green Lasagna with Artichokes and Leeks	p. 200
Shanghai Noodles with Chicken, Cashews, Cilantro, and Mint	p. 202
Herb-Crusted Tuna Skewers with Tomato Aioli	p. 205
Halibut Parcels with Capers and Lemon Thyme	p. 207
Olive Oil-Poached Salmon with Asparagus and Sugar Snap Peas	p. 210
Silver-Roasted Salmon with Sweet-Hot Relish	p. 212
Cedar-Planked Lemon Salmon with Dill	p. 214
Salmon with Lemon-Shallot Relish and Crispy Prosciutto	p. 216
Salmon Burgers with Mustard Mayonnaise	p. 218
Pepper-Salt Crabs	p. 219
Clam and Mussel Boil with Corn and Red Potatoes	p. 222
Cioppino with Crab, Clams, and Shrimp	p. 224
Pork and Tomatillo Burritos	p. 227
Fiery Green Salsa	p. 228
Pan-Seared Pork Medallions with Riesling and Apples	p. 229
Lamb Tagine with Artichokes, Preserved Lemons, and Olives	p. 230
Preserved Lemons	p. 232
Grilled Lamb Chops with Green and Black Olive Salsa	p. 234
Roulade of Herbed Lamb with Stewed Garlic	p. 235
Olive Oil-Mashed Potatoes	p. 238
Minted Sugar Snap Peas	p. 238
Spiced Lamb Sausage with French Lentils	p. 240
Golden-Sauteed Veal with Arugula and Tomato Salad	p. 242
Braised Veal Shanks with Olives and Lemon	p. 244
Orzo	p. 247
Napolitan Braised Beef Ragu in Two Courses	p. 248
Soy-Marinated Flank Steak with Asian Pesto	p. 250
Wasabi-Mashed Potatoes	p. 251
Desserts
Individual Warm Raspberry Souffles	p. 255
Panna Cotta with Raspberries	p. 256
Warm Polenta Custards with Grappa-Soaked Golden Raisins	p. 259
Caramel Pot de Creme	p. 261
Caramelized Orange and Rice Custard	p. 263
Caramelized Chocolate Almond Budino	p. 266
Summer Fruits in Sweet Spiced Wine	p. 268
Watermelon, Mango, Blueberries, and Lime "Salad"	p. 270
Little Almond and Plum Galettes	p. 271
Dried Plum and Walnut Caramel Tart	p. 274
Prebaked Short Crust Tart Shell	p. 275
Warm Chocolate, Cinnamon, and Coffee Tart	p. 276
Flakiest Apricot and Raspberry Tart	p. 279
Plum Cake	p. 281
Cranberry Upside-Down Cake	p. 283
Triple Ginger Pineapple Cake	p. 286
Walnut Torte with Maple Cream	p. 288
Maple Leaf Cookies	p. 290
Ginger Crisps	p. 291
Italian Lemon "Milkshake"	p. 293
Miss Judy's Sienese Almond Cookies	p. 294
Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti	p. 295
Apricot, Meyer Lemon, and Cardamom Triangles	p. 297
Crispy Moroccan Phyllo with Orange Custard and Almonds	p. 299
Nectarine Sorbet with Blueberry Compote	p. 301
Rose Petal Sorbet	p. 305
Pear Granita	p. 307
Double Chocolate Ice Cream with Dried Cherries	p. 308
Butter Pecan Ice Cream	p. 311
Chestnut Honey Ice Cream with Riesling Poached Fruit	p. 313
Bellinis	p. 315
Conversion Charts	p. 316
Acknowledgments	p. 317
Index	p. 322
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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Excerpts

Preface: City! I don't think there's ever been a better time to live in a city. In just about every neighborhood, you can find dozens of interesting restaurants, gourmet food markets, farmers' markets and outdoor stalls selling seasonal produce, artisanal bakeries and cheese makers, and little shops stocked with shelves of amazing ethnic food specialties.Don't think I have anything against small towns. I grew up in one and my mother would kill me if I said anything bad about our life there. In my books Weir Cooking, Recipes from the Wine Country, and Joanne Weir's More Cooking in the Wine Country, I write reverently about life in a pastoral California valley (where they just happen to make some of the best wines in the world, but still...).Cities are where most of us live and something amazing is happening in them. New restaurants and markets are stocked with ingredients from all over the world; grocery shelves strain under the weight of specialty oils and vinegars; bins overflow with exotic grains and spices and dizzying arrays of fresh produce, breads, and meats.Not surprisingly, our level of sophistication about ingredients, food, and wine is at an astonishing level. Our friends, our kids, for heaven's sake, know so much now about food. (I was in a supermarket delicatessen recently and watched a preschool-aged girl point at the dolmas and sushi with as much familiarity as I might have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich a generation ago.)In the small New England town where I grew up, our choice of ethnic food was Chinese or pizza (and it wasn't very good at that), and the most unusual ingredient you could get at the market was, say, pickled herring. Nobody under the age of thirty will even believe that you couldn't buy coffee beans at the market then!But all this sophistication comes at a price, and I think most of us would like things to be simpler, slower, easier. Wouldn't you like to be able to make food with a lot of style but without so much effort; to have friends over for dinner without having to plan it too many days in advance; to be able to entertain spontaneously for once; to be able to spend a whole day making something special and then leisurely enjoy it with people you care about?I can help. You don't need more stuff to do. I can show you where to go and what to do to make fresh, delicious meals for every season and occasion. I'll give you ideas about how to talk to the fishmonger or butcher to get the best cut of meat or the freshest seafood. I'll show you how to pick the best wine for a dish or how to make the dish fit a favorite wine; how to incorporate specialty foods and how to put your own twist on ethnic recipes; how to entertain with greater ease and pleasure.It all starts with learning to use the amazing cities we live in to their fullest. As I've traveled and cooked my way through many of the world's greatest cities, from Boston to Seattle to the cities along the Mediterranean and through Italy and France, I've learned to see the resources of the city much as a forager might, full of small treasures that are almost as much pleasure to seek as to find.In San Francisco, where I live, I found one of the finest bakeries in the city just a few blocks from my house, and not much farther, a small, family-owned shop where I can buy the highest-quality meats and fish. Downtown, there is the new, permanent farmers' market where I can buy the very best produce from local organic farmers.I can wander into Chinatown to my favorite place for Shanghai noodles and then into one of the tiny, crowded markets around the corner to buy all the ingredients to make my own at home. In the Italian neighborhood of North Beach, I found a bakery that sells fresh focaccia so now I can make my own panini. And in the Mission, I came across a produce stand selling the most beautiful Mexican limes and bouquets of cilantro for a dollar, and fresh plantains an