Cooking today is multidimensional: it's about creating soul-warming comfort food for friends and family; making healthy, flavorful meals in a limited amount of time; inviting the flavors of ethnic cuisines into our kitchens; and preparing tasty, sumptuous meals for holidays and special occasions. The increasing availability of high-quality, local, and exotic ingredients has transformed the way we cook with delicious results. This comprehensive volume, with its tremendous breadth of recipes, reflects this new diverse interest in food. Among its more than 370 recipes are time-tested classics, fresh new favorites gleaned from restaurant menus, popular ethnic dishes customized for the home cook, and dozens of breakfast and dessert choices, from the simple to the spectacular. In short, The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook celebrates the pleasures of cooking in all its forms. Whether you are stir-frying a spicy basil-scented chicken dish for a simple weeknight supper, grilling fish steaks for a summer cookout, preparing a standing rib roast as the centerpiece for a multicourse special-occasion meal, or simply looking for a recipe for classic chocolate chip cookies or the ultimate cheesecake, this book is the perfect resource. The recipes are organized into twelve chapters so you can easily find the right dish for your needs. These include: Appetizers; Soups; Salads; Fish and Shellfish; Poultry; Beef and Veal; Pork and Lamb; Vegetables; Breads; Desserts; and Breakfast and Brunch. Sumptuous photographs for every recipe will show you how the finished dish should look. Dozens of photographed sidebars throughout the book illuminate cooking techniques, explain how to work with unfamiliar ingredients, and suggest flavorful sauces or condiments to accompany the main recipe. Among the recipes are classics that you will come back to again and again, like stuffed mushrooms, Cobb salad, potato gratin, Louisiana-style gumbo, bistro-style roast chicken, eggs Benedict, and devil's food cake. You will also find many dishes inspired by international flavors, such as pot stickers, gazpacho, tabbouleh, carnitas, tandooristyle chicken and tiramisu -- all destined to become new favorites in your home. Look, too, for plenty of kid-friendly recipes such as baked macaroni and cheese, chicken potpie, spaghetti and meatballs, and chocolate brownies, all of which could become some of the most-requested dishes in your cooking repertory. In addition to the recipes, a comprehensive reference section in the back of the cookbook offers dozens of the basic recipes you'll need for stocks and sauces, bread, pasta, and pie doughs, and dessert sauces and frostings. Also included are a full glossary of cooking terms and ingredients as well as cooking charts that will make it easy for you to find ingredient substitutes, doneness temperatures for meat and poultry, measurement equivalents, and more. No matter the occasion, The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook will provide the perfect recipe and plenty of inspiration for many years to come.