**In this collection of essays and recipes, Alice Waters showcases
the simple building-block ingredients she uses to create gratifying,
impromptu meals all year long.
**
In her most intimate and compelling cookbook yet, Alice invites readers
to step not into the kitchen at Chez Panisse, but into her own, sharing
how she shops, stores, and prepares the pantry staples and preserves
that form the core of her daily meals. Ranging from essentials like
homemade chicken stock, red wine vinegar, and tomato sauce to the unique
artisanal provisions that embody Alice's unadorned yet delightful
cooking style, she shows how she injects even simple meals with nuanced
flavor and seasonal touches year-round. From fresh cheeses to quick
pickles to sweets and spirits, these often-used ingredients are, as she
explains, the key to kitchen spontaneity when combined with simple
grains, vegetables, and other staple items. With charming pen-and-ink
illustrations by her daughter, Fanny and Alice's warm, inviting tone,
the latest book from our most influential proponent of simple, organic
cooking ensures a gracious, healthy meal is always within reach.