Cook Like a Rock Star: 125 Recipes, Lessons, and Culinary Secrets

bIf chefs are the new rock stars, Anne wants you to rock in your own kitchen!br / br //bFor Anne Burrell, a classically trained chef and host of Food Network’s iSecrets of a Restaurant Chef/i (where she shares impressive recipes and smart techniques that anyone can master), and iWorst Cooks in America/i (the show that transforms hopeless home cooks), being a rock star in the kitchen means having the confidence and ability to get a great meal on the table without a sweat.  In her debut cookbook, she presents 125 rustic yet elegant recipes, all based on accessible ingredients, along with encouraging notes and handy professional tricks that will help you cook more efficiently at home.br /br /With Anne's guidance, even the novice cook can turn out showstoppers like Whole Roasted Fish or Rack of Lamb Crusted with Black Olives, which are special enough for guests but easy enough for a weekday evening. For Piccolini (Little Nibbles), try making Truffled Deviled Eggs, Sausage and Pancetta Stuffed Mushrooms, or Baked Ricotta with Rosemary and Lemon. Delicious first courses include Pumpkin Soup with Allspice Whipped Cream and Garlic Steamed Mussels with Pimentón Aioli. And if you're craving pasta, Chef Anne's Light-as-a-Cloud Gnocchi, Sweet and Spicy Sausage Ragù, or Killer Mac and Cheese with Bacon will blow you away.br /br /Whether she's telling you how to use garlic most effectively ("perfume the oil, remove the garlic, and ditch it—it's fulfilled its garlic destiny!") or reaffirming the most important part of cooking (it should have the “sparkle factor!”), you will never feel alone at the stove. Anne's effervescent personality and unmatched vitality will be there every step of the way--as teacher, coach, cooking partner, and friend.br /br /Organized from “Piccolini and Firsts” to “Pasta, Seconds, Sides,” and, of course, “Dessert” iCook Like a Rock Star/i is all about empowering you with the confidence to own what you do in your kitchen, to be excited by what you're making, and to experience the same kind of joy that Anne feels everyday when she cooks and eats.br /br /br /iFrom the Hardcover edition./i

span class="h1"strongSample Recipe from emCook Like a Rock Star/em: Peperonata with Goat Cheese/strong/span pimg align="right" border="0" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/books/rando-ems/Peperonata-200.jpg"//p pbServes: 6 to 8 br/ Time: about 30 minutes/b/p pbMise en place:/bbr/ Extra virgin olive oilbr/ 2 onions, cut into 1/2-inch dicebr/ Pinch of crushed red pepperbr/ Kosher saltbr/ 2 cloves garlic, smashedbr/ 1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, pith removed, and cut into 1/2-inch diamondsbr/ 1/4 cup tomato pastebr/ 1/2 teaspoon pimenton (smoked paprika)br/ 2 tablespoons sherry vinegarbr/ 1 8-to 10-ounce log of goat cheese, at room tempbr/ Chopped fresh chives, for garnish (optional)br/ 1 baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices, toasted or grilledbr//p p1. Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil, add the onions and red pepper, season with salt, and bring to medium heat. Cook the onions until soft and aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure they don’t brown./p p2. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes; it should start to smell really good!/p p3. Add the peppers and 1/4 cup water; season with salt. Continue cooking until the peppers have softened and the water has evaporated, another 8 to 10 minutes./p p4. Add the tomato paste, pimenton, and sherry vinegar and stir to combine; taste for salt (it will probably need more). Cook until the mixture comes together and looks tightened up and slightly thickened, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool./p p5. I like to squish the goat cheese into a serving bowl and nestle the peperonata in the center rather than spooning it over an entire log--it’s more rustic-looking this way. Garnish with chives if you like and serve with baguette slices. /p hr noshade="noshade" size="1" class="bucketDivider"/

bIf chefs are the new rock stars, Anne wants you to rock in your own kitchen!br br/bFor Anne Burrell, a classically trained chef and host of Food Network’s iSecrets of a Restaurant Chef/i (where she shares impressive recipes and smart techniques that anyone can master), and iWorst Cooks in America/i (the show that transforms hopeless home cooks), being a rock star in the kitchen means having the confidence and ability to get a great meal on the table without a sweat.  In her debut cookbook, she presents 125 rustic yet elegant recipes, all based on accessible ingredients, along with encouraging notes and handy professional tricks that will help you cook more efficiently at home.brbrWith Anne's guidance, even the novice cook can turn out showstoppers like Whole Roasted Fish or Rack of Lamb Crusted with Black Olives, which are special enough for guests but easy enough for a weekday evening. For Piccolini (Little Nibbles), try making Truffled Deviled Eggs, Sausage and Pancetta Stuffed Mushrooms, or Baked Ricotta with Rosemary and Lemon. Delicious first courses include Pumpkin Soup with Allspice Whipped Cream and Garlic Steamed Mussels with Pimentón Aioli. And if you're craving pasta, Chef Anne's Light-as-a-Cloud Gnocchi, Sweet and Spicy Sausage Ragù, or Killer Mac and Cheese with Bacon will blow you away.brbrWhether she's telling you how to use garlic most effectively ("perfume the oil, remove the garlic, and ditch it—it's fulfilled its garlic destiny!") or reaffirming the most important part of cooking (it should have the “sparkle factor!”), you will never feel alone at the stove. Anne's effervescent personality and unmatched vitality will be there every step of the way--as teacher, coach, cooking partner, and friend.brbrOrganized from “Piccolini and Firsts” to “Pasta, Seconds, Sides,” and, of course, “Dessert” iCook Like a Rock Star/i is all about empowering you with the confidence to own what you do in your kitchen, to be excited by what you're making, and to experience the same kind of joy that Anne feels everyday when she cooks and eats.brbrbriFrom the Hardcover edition./i