Biographical note:

James Briscione is a chef, author, TV personality, and culinary instructor. He started his culinary career working for Frank Stitt in Birmingham, and at age 24 became the Chef de Cuisine at Stitt's flagship restaurant, Highlands Bar and Grill. James moved to New York, where he worked at the renowned Restaurant Daniel and was the winner of the first season of Food Network's Chopped and the Chopped Champions series. He's the co-author of Just Married & Cooking and is the Director of Culinary Development at the Institute for Culinary Education.

Main description:

Learn how to cook more than 100 classic, all-time favorite dishes-and learn how to cook them perfectly. This cooking course in a book will show you how to confidently turn out a pie with a flaky, tender crust, make homemade pasta, and master a wow-the-crowd Coq Au Vin.

Chef and culinary instructor James Briscione guides readers through 36 in-depth, recipe-oriented lessons: Roast chicken. Seafood. Layer Cakes. Each lesson is detailed with instructive photos of every step, and variation recipes will help build on newly acquired skills. Briscione also shares essential tips from professional kitchens that home cooks can use to make each dish even better. It's like getting a private, personal lesson from a culinary expert at home. More than 500 stunning color photographs and 105 essential, easy-to-follow recipes makes this an invaluable kitchen companion for anyone who loves to cook-or wants to learn how.