Cooks' Book Club of Fourth Street

August 2011 Selection

August 23 - 6:00 PM The Cooks Book Club of Fourth Street presents ROMNEY STEELE author of Plum Gorgeous: Recipes and Memories from the Orchard and RACHEL SAUNDERS author of Blue Chair Jam Cookbook in conversation with SARAH HENRY. 510-250-6055 Location: The Pasta Shop 1786 4th Street Berkeley, California

May 2011 Selection: Cooks’ Book Club of Fourth Street presents Emily Luchetti and her latest book THE FEARLESS BAKER Scrumptious Cakes, Pies, Cobblers, Cookies, and Quick Breads that You Can Make to Impress Your Friends and Yourself Conversation, tasting of Emily's favorite ingredients, and recipes samples Tuesday, May 24 Books Inc. 1760 Fourth Street in Berkeley No Charge except for purchases 6:00 pm - 7:30pm For information call 510.250.6055 Emily Luchetti has developed a nationwide following for her innovative yet approachable dessert creations. Her desserts first enraptured Bay Area diners during her years at Jeremiah Tower's groundbreaking Stars and StarsBake. She is executive pastry chef at Farallon and Waterbar in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has authored five successful cookbooks, and contributed to The New Joy of Cooking and The Farallon Cookbook. She won a 2004 James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef.Cooks’ Book Club of Fourth Street, Berkeley, a collaboration with Books Inc., Café Rouge, and The Pasta Shop meets the fourth Tuesday evening of every month, rotating between the three venues. The evenings are interactive in conversation with the authors, featuring recipes and ingredient samples provided by Café Rouge and The Pasta Shop. Books can be purchased in advance, preferably, at either The Pasta Shop or Books Inc. Attendees are encouraged to bring their questions, comments, and cooking experiences with the book to the meetings. Books and ingredients will be available for purchase that evening.

March 2011 Selection:

7:00 PM at Cafe Rouge

With recipes organized by texture! Flaky, gooey, crunchy, crispy, chewy, chunky, melt-in-your-mouth . . . Cookies are easy, enticing, and fun. Yet as the award-winning baker Alice Medrich notes, too often, home cooks cling to the recipe on the bag of chocolate chips, when so much more is possible. "What if cookies reflected our modern culinary sensibility-our spirit of adventure and passion for flavors and even our dietary concerns?" Medrich writes in her introduction to this landmark cookie cookbook, organized by texture, from crunchy to airy to chunky. An inveterate tester and master manipulator of ingredients, she draws on the world's pantry of ingredients for such delicious riffs on the classics as airy meringues studded with cashews and chocolate chunks, palmiers (elephant's ears) made with cardamom and caramel, and rugelach with halvah. Butter and sugar content is slashed and the flavor turned up on everything from ginger snaps to chocolate clouds. From new spins on classic recipes including chocolate-chip cookies and brownies, to delectable 2-point treats for Weight Watchers, to cookies to make with kids, this master conjurer of sweets will bring bliss to every dessert table.