Get a real kitchen education in books of James Peterson

Cookbooks have helped many folks, myself included, learn to cook. Whether you're a seasoned pro or kitchen novice you'll want a copy of James Peterson's "Cooking: 600 Recipes, 1500 Photographs, One Kitchen Education" in your collection.

Written by Peterson, a cooking instructor, one-time chef and restaurant owner, photographer and author of 13 books, this latest release (2007 Ten Speed Press, $40) weighs in at almost 6 pounds but do not be intimidated.

I own and rely on three Peterson cookbooks: "Splendid Soups," "Sauces," and "Essentials of Cooking." If you own one of those or his "Fish and Shellfish: The Definitive Cook's Companion," you're familiar with Peterson's impressive depth of knowledge and ability to create high-quality, well-balanced recipes.

For me, a top-notch cookbook, especially one that goes beyond basic recipes, should have as many color pictures as possible, and Peterson's tome is a perfect example.

He uses photographs to not only show us some of the finished dishes, but also to guide us through techniques such as carving a rib roast and skinning fish fillets with step-by-step pictures.

There's even a photo series showing a steak's degrees of doneness from blue (90 degrees) to medium-well (145 degrees) and another depicting the range of lamb, pork and beef meat cuts.

The book opens with 10 basic cooking methods: roasting, braising, poaching, sautéing, steaming, frying, grilling, smoking, barbecuing and boiling. He clearly defines each and explains how and why each technique works best for specific foods.

Next comes recipes utilizing those methods broken up by categories including appetizers, broths and soups, cheese, pork, duck and small birds, sauces, salsas, and chutney, couscous, and polenta, quick breads and flat cakes, custards, soufflés and mousses.

You'll love Peterson's interpretations of classic recipes like salad Nicoise, scrambled eggs, linguine with tomato sauce, pizza margherita, apple pie and chocolate butter cookies.

Peterson's cookbook is more than a how-to guide, challenging readers who already love cooking to ramp-up their game. From time-to-time, he uses a few non-supermarket ingredients, like bonito flakes (flakes of dried, smoked bonito fish, a type of tuna), sherry vinegar, and meat glaze (you can make it yourself, but it's easier and better to buy it). And, this isn't a "lean" cookbook; there's frequent use of oil, butter, bacon and even heavy cream.

You'll find using Peterson's book comparable to taking a master class with a teacher who loves food and cooking and knows -- really knows -- his way around both an artichoke and the kitchen.

For a taste of Peterson's new book, try this "comfort food" recipe. Make it with the optional ¼ cup heavy cream and the calories from fat per serving still come in under 30 percent.

Irish Beef Stew

4 pounds boneless beef chuck, or other stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 onions, minced

3 cups beef broth, chicken broth or water or more as needed

Bouquet garni (see note)

1 large Yukon Gold potato, peeled and thinly sliced

3 large white or red waxy potatoes

1 pint pearl onions or walnut-sized boiling onions, peeled, optional

¼-1 cup heavy cream (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste.

Select a tall, narrow pot. Put the beef, minced onions, and enough broth to cover in the pot, and then nestle the bouquet garni in the center. Bring to a simmer and skim off any froth. Add the sliced potato and return to a gentle simmer -- you want a bubble or two to break the surface about every second -- cover, and cook on the stovetop or in a 325-degree oven. Check every 10 minutes or so and adjust the burner heat or oven temperature as needed to maintain the gentle simmer.

After the stew simmers for 1 hour, stir it with a wooden spoon to dissolve the sliced potato and continue to simmer 1 more hour. Just before the stew has finished simmering for its second hour, peel the waxy potatoes, and cut into ¼-inch-thick rounds, yielding 4 or 8 ovals from each potato. Add the potatoes and pearl onions to the stew and continue to simmer gently for about 25 minutes, or until the meat and potatoes are easily penetrated with a skewer.

Stir in the cream, if using, bring back to a simmer, and season with salt and pepper. Serve in warmed soup bowls.

Serves six.

Cook's note: Bouquet garni is ideally made by tying up sprigs of fresh thyme with parsley stems or whole parsley (stems with leaves), bay leaves, and the greens from leeks.

Nutrition values per serving (without cream or added salt): 545 calories (17.7 percent from fat), 11 g fat (4 g saturated), 41.6 g carbohydrate, 4.7 g fiber, 61.5 g protein, 108 mg cholesterol, 544 mg sodium.

Nutrition note: Adding 1 cup cream adds 139 calories, 14.7 g fat (9.1 g saturated) and 54 mg cholesterol per serving and raises the percent of calories from fat to 33.8.

"Cooking: 600 Recipes, 1500 Photographs, One Kitchen Education" by James Peterson (2007 Ten Speed Press, $40)