New Classic Family Dinners - Hardcover

For more than ten years, acclaimed chef Mark Peel has used Campanile's Monday night dinner menus to present his own special takes on popular comfort food dishes like eggplant parmesan and beef goulash. In New Classic Family Dinners, he shares recipes for more than 200 of his best-ever versions of family favorites such as Macaroni and Cheese with Wild Mushrooms, Steak with Anchovy Butter, and Monkfish Osso Bucco.

Peel's explanations and excellent guidance make it easy to follow the recipes, both for those relatively new in the kitchen as well as for more experienced cooks. Culled from more than ten years of Campanile's Monday night menus, the book features

• Upscale twists on popular, traditional dishes-honed to perfection by one of the nation's best-loved chefs
• More than 200 recipes, with clear instructions and step-by-step photos
• Options for every part of the menu, from starters to entrees and desserts
• Easy-to-make dishes (such as Cornmeal Dusted Pan-fried Trout) and more complicated recipes (such as Lasagna with Bolognese Sauce or Lobster Pie)

Once you discover these extraordinary versions of ordinary dishes and learn how easy it is to adapt them for a table for two or a crowd of ten, you'll be inspired to make every night a special family-and friends-dinner night.

Recipe Excerpts from New Classic Family Dinners

In this luscious, inspiring cookbook, Peel shows you how to re-create the most popular dishes from his weekly specials, with more than 200 recipes that will delight your family on a weeknight and wow the crowd on a special occasion. Every single recipe was tested in Peel's own home kitchen—where he has only one strainer, just like the rest of us, and no kitchen staff to clean up after him. Peel stripped away extraneous steps and flourishes, leaving behind only the techniques and ingredients that guarantee spectacular meals. Step-by-step photographs make his instructions perfectly clear. Homemade ravioli? No problem! What began as restaurant recipes are now accessible to any home cook.

And oh, what recipes. Simple weeknight dishes like Butter Lettuce Salad with Stilton and Walnuts; Spaghetti with Garlic, Olive Oil, and Basil; or Cornmeal-crusted Pan-fried Trout appear alongside more complicated—but worth every second—recipes like Lobster Pot Pie or Lasagne with Bolognese Sauce, Creamed Spinach, and Poached Egg. Desserts are inspired by in-season fruits and Peel's memories of childhood, treats like Peach Melba, Rhubarb and Strawberry Tart, or Devil's Food Layer Cake with White Mountain Frosting. A section at the end shows Peel's Family Dinner Night menus from Campanile, but of course you're free to put meals together any way you like—the possibilities are endless.

Once you discover these extraordinary versions of ordinary dishes and learn how easy it is to adapt them for a table for two or a crowd of ten, you'll be inspired to make every night a special family-and-friends dinner night.