Beautiful photographs, well laid out lists of ingredients, not a book for someone just starting out as cooking instructions are pretty terse.

"Good taste is one of those elusive qualities that most people find hard to define, even though they know it when they see it. In general, however, it denotes quality, simplicity, and ease. When applied to food, taste is also present when good ingredients are cooked in an honest way that highlights the essence of their taste, texture, and appearance." -Chuck Williams

Chuck Williams' philosophy is to celebrate the pleasure of cooking. He opened his first store in Sonoma, CA in 1956 and now more than 200 stores have opened in the United States. He has literally helped to revolutionize cooking in America.

My first introduction to a Williams-Sonoma store was when some friends bought me the cutest Les Garcons Dinnerware as a wedding present. French artist Guy Buffet is renowned for his whimsical impressionistic style and creates the porcelain plates, each with a different waiter. They are made exclusively for Williams-Sonoma and are a favorite collectible.

Later, while walking through Bellevue Square in Bellevue, WA I saw the plates there and then fell in love with cooking stores.

The Best of Taste is a 320 page compilation of the favorite recipes from the first year of Williams-Sonoma TASTE Magazine. Many of the world's greatest chefs have made a contribution to this cookbook. Marimar Torres, Joyce Goldstein, Nancy Silverton, Patricia Wells, Deborah Madison, Jean Georges Vongerichten to name a few.

Throughout this cookbook, you will find 250 beautiful, larger-than-life photographs. Fascinating pictures of a bakery in Paris or a honey farm in Manhattan. There are also photographs of the techniques in the recipes to illustrate the food preparation steps.

Each recipe has the most gorgeous picture and a full page with an easy to read ingredient list and numbered instructions.

The contents include (with recipe selections):

Introduction
Drinks - Guava Colada to Tropical Delights

Starters - Spicy Crab Cakes, Endive with Crab, Bacon wrapped dates, Balkan Meat-Stuffed Potato Pastries, the cutest Caviar Purses, Sizzling Shrimp with Garlic.

Soups & Stews - Gorgeous Avocado-Cucumber Soup, Spanish Garlic Soup, Beef and Onion Stew.

Salads - Marinated Zucchini and Goat's Cheese Salad, Apple, Celeriac and Chestnut Salad, Kidney Bean and Chicken Salad.

Entrees - Matambre, Stuffed Lamb with Eggplant and Feta, Veal Involtini with Grilled Anaheim Chiles, Fish Baked in Salt, braised Short Ribs with Bok Choy.

Sides - Green Garlic and Spinach Soufflé, Butternut Squash with Dates and Pistachios, Hot and Spicy Roasted Pears (from the cover), Stir-Fried Eggplant.

Desserts - Buzzy Bees (cookies), Chocolate Chunk Cherry Biscotti (talk about heavenly), Chocolate Rum Truffles, Nun's Breasts with Pumpkin Cream (a pillow of pumpkin pastry cream atop a crunchy cornmeal oatmeal cookie, showered with powdered sugar), Plum and Grape Cobbler, Cherry -Almond Cake, Orange Custard, Pomegranate Sorbet and a divine Chocolate Soufflé.

I feel a little heady just typing all those delicious dessert names.

A definite collectable you will actually want to cook from! Also perfect for coffee table reflection. Just as fun to read as to cook from. Your heart will beat a little faster while you read (or one could say: "devour with your eyes") this cookbook.

Truly an Exciting Cookbook filled with delicious recipes! If this book doesn't get you into the kitchen, nothing will!

easy-to-do menus, I've made about 40% of the menus in the book ... non-complicated and creative recipes, delightful!