As his millions of fans know from watching him on Food Network, Tyler likes to rock the kitchen with big, bold flavors and sophisticated yet accessible fare. Whether you re dishing up a family favorite like spaghetti and meatballs or pulling out all the stops with a succulent tenderloin steak topped with spicy crab salad, Tyler Florence believes every meal can -- and should -- be the ultimate dining experience. At last, in Tyler s Ultimate, he shows us how to get these spectacular results in much less time.

Tyler believes the ultimate meal brings together good food, good friends, and good times -- with Tyler s Ultimate as your guide you can elevate any gathering to a cause for celebration and every family meal to an occasion worth savoring. In his travels around the world for his Food Network show, he s sampled countless versions of classic dishes, taking an ideal technique from one, a perfect ingredient from another. Here he gives you the best of the best.

Make no mistake: Tyler s approach here may be simplified and the ingredients list streamlined, but your palate will never feel compromised. These recipes are packed with zesty flavors, yet easy to pull together and always straightforward enough for even novice cooks. Because Tyler believes that the little details separate a good meal from a "wow!" experience, his recipes feature bright, exciting flavors that sing on the tongue yet don t require fancy equipment or exotic ingredients. Tyler has collected all his most trusted and best-loved recipes for the ultimate collection of go-to meals, including can t-miss versions of the dishes we all crave most: the ultimate burger, French onion soup, beef stew, macaroni and cheese, and chocolate mousse, plus exciting new discoveries that will find a permanent home in your cooking repertoire.

Filled with recipes for sensational, all-American food, Tyler s Ultimate is the all-around, everyday great cookbook his fans have been waiting for.

Were this book not to share a name with Florence's Food Network show, its existence would be a puzzle. As it is, it's hard to make heads or tails of this jumble of decent but not spectacular recipes that share only one thing in common: a forced "guy talk" manner. Chapters are arranged by type of dish, with titles like "Surf" for fish, and each opens with a throw-away introduction of a couple of paragraphs: "noodles are a great way to put a smile on somebody's face." Recipes are equally casual: once you've started the sauce for Coconut Shrimp with Basmati Rice and Apricots, you're told to "jump to the rice," and in the headnote to Angry Lobster with Tomato-Chile Butter and Arugula, Florence reminisces about working "at a mafia joint in Tribeca" patronized by men "from Jersey with pinky rings... and girls decked out in big hair and gold." Despite this sometimes off-key tone, instructions are clear, and each recipe helpfully comes with an estimated cooking time, most of them quick. Still, one can't help wishing that despite offering truly helpful advice (such as the tip not to shake the pan when making Oven Fries for crispier results), Florence would, in his own parlance, tune down the 'tude, dude. (Nov.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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• Cookbooks, Food & Wine
  • U.S. Cooking