Two famous chefs, from Down Under and the Bayou, share their best recipes to make at home.

Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone
Curtis's laid-back Australian attitude belies his serious commitment to cooking fresh, healthful, totally original meals—be it jump-starter breakfasts, leisurely weekend brunches, or daily dinners. His philosophy to cooking is that a good meal doesn’t have to leave your kitchen a wreck or your nerves frayed—and he’s guided many a stressed-out (and swooning) wife or mother on his hit TLC show, Take Home Chef. Now, he guides you to re-create them in your own home—sharing recipes like a Smoked Trout Melt with Cucumber on Pumpernickel (a twist on the classic grilled cheese), Hotcakes with Blueberry Compote, Brazilian-Style Chicken with Okra, Espresso Creme Brûlée, and even a Lychee-Lovers’ Bellini. You’re going to love all of it – but most important, you’re going to relish cooking it in Stone’s relaxed, easy-does-it style.

Real Cajun
Fish fries, etouffées, simmering pots of Granny’s seafood gumbo—you know where we’re headed: Louisiana! Taking you to the heart of the Acadiana region is Donald Link, chef/owner of acclaimed Herbsaint and Cochon restaurants in New Orleans, where he’s gained a reputation for modern twists on Bayou classics. Baked Oysters with Herbsaint Hollandaise, Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits with Fig-Ginger Preserves, Boudin-Stuffed Turkey Breast; they’re all packed with Cajun-country goodness and then some. Along with the lip-smacking recipes, Link also shares his own rough-and-tumble stories of living and cooking in Louisiana – taking you on a rollicking expedition to the swamps and smokehouses, the music festivals, the funerals and holiday gatherings that celebrate this incredible, rustic, soulful food.

Rachael Ray's
365: No Repeats

about the book

Even your favorite dinner can lose its appeal when it’s in constant rotation, so mix it up! Food Network’s indefatigable cook Rachael Ray guarantees you’ll be able to put something fresh and exciting on your dinner table every night for a full year... without a single repeat! Based on the original 30-Minute Meal cooking classes that started it all, these recipes prove that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every night. Rachael offers dozens of recipes that, once mastered, can become entirely new dishes with just a few ingredient swaps. Learn how to make a Southwestern Pasta Bake and you’ll be able to make a Smoky Chipotle Chili Con Queso Mac the next time. Try your hand at Spring Chicken with Leeks and Peas and you’re all set to turn out a rib-sticking Rice and Chicken Stoup that looks and tastes like an entirely different dish. As a bestselling cookbook author and host of three top-rated Food Network shows, Rachael Ray believes that both cooking and eating should be fun. Drawing from her own favorite dishes as well as those of her family and friends, she covers the flavor spectrum from Asian to Italian and dozens of delicious stops in between. Best of all, these flavor-packed dishes will satisfy your every craving and renew your taste for cooking. With so many delicious entrées to choose from, you’ll never have an excuse for being in a cooking rut again....

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Spicy Sausage Breakfast Burritos
From Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone

Makes 4

When I first went surfing in Malibu, I saw all the surfers lined up to get their breakfast burritos after a morning on the waves. Those burritos were so delicious that I worked out how to make them for myself. If you’ve had a strenuous start to the day, this is the perfect protein payback.

• 2 spicy (Italian- or Spanish-style) sausages
• 6 large eggs
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 2 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 red jalapeño, finely chopped
• Four 10-inch flour tortillas
• Hot sauce (such as Cholula)

Preheat the broiler. Place the sausages on a heavy, rimmed baking sheet and broil for 3 minutes on each side, or until they are cooked through and golden brown. Set the sausages aside until they are cool enough to handle; then cut them diagonally into thin slices.

Using a fork, mix the eggs, cream, salt, and pepper in a large bowl to blend. Melt the butter in a large heavy nonstick sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the egg mixture. Once the eggs are just set on the bottom of the pan, add the sausages, scallions, cilantro, and jalapeño. Stir the egg mixture very slowly with a silicone spatula, scraping from the bottom of the pan, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the eggs are no longer runny.

Meanwhile, heat a griddle pan over medium-high heat. Cook each tortilla on the griddle for 1 minute on each side, or until warmed and softened.
Divide the egg mixture among the hot tortillas, and wrap the tortillas around the egg mixture to enclose it completely and form a burrito. Serve with your favorite hot sauce.

Lake Charles Dirty Rice
From Real Cajun

Serves 6 to 8

This recipe appears at just about every occasion in Cajun Country. Whether it’s a holiday, funeral, family reunion, or potluck dinner, you can bet there will be at least one form of dirty rice or rice dressing. At the Link family reunion in Robert’s Cove, I counted six versions, all different. The essential ingredients are few, but flavor and texture vary greatly.

The main difference between dirty rice and rice dressing is that rice dressing is generally made with ground beef or pork, whereas dirty rice is made with pork and chicken livers. Many people think they don’t like liver, but when it’s balanced with other flavors, the liver taste is not overpowering. I’ve served this deeply flavored rice to many people who claim they hate liver, only to have them love it.

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 4 ounces ground pork
• ½ cup chicken livers (about 4 ounces), pureed
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• 1 ½ cups chicken broth
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 3 cups cooked rice
• ½ bunch scallions (white and green parts), chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the pork and chicken livers and cook, stirring, until browned. Add the salt, black pepper, and chili powder and stir often, but resist the impulse to stir constantly: You want the meat to stick to the pan and get crusty. Add ¼ cup of the chicken broth and cook until it has evaporated, allowing the meat mixture to get browned and crusty and stick to the pan once again. Add the onion, celery, garlic, jalapeño, and oregano and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are nicely browned and crusty and beginning to stick to the pan. Add the rice, the remaining 1 ¼ cups broth, the scallions, and parsley. Stir until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is heated through.

NOTE: When making dishes that involve rice, remember that your flavor base will seem overly seasoned until the rice absorbs the flavors. In Cajun cooking, salt is the most crucial ingredient to get right, so you’ll want to taste the dish after the rice cooks and adjust accordingly.