Steak. Burgers. Chocolate. Pasta. Ice cream. Shrimp. The first asparagus of spring, corn and tomatoes from the height of summer. These are the foods people love-passionately, unconditionally. Sheila Lukins identifies 32 of them, from prime rib and other Important Roasts to perfect Hors d'oeuvres. Then she obsessively offers the ten very best recipes for each, and voila: Ten, the dazzling be-all and end-all cookbook from one of America's most beloved food writers, coauthor of "The Silver Palate Cookbook" and "The New Basics Cookbook" and author, most recently, of "Celebrate ,"
"Ten "is perfection, the peak, a repertoire of pure crave. "Ten" is the ten best roast chicken recipes, including Asian-Scented orange Chicken and Pot-Roasted Chicken Santiago. The ten best burgers, with a classic Bacon Swiss Burger with Tomato and Avocado and Jeremiah Tower's extravagant Black Truffled Burger. Ten best mashed potatoes-you haven't lived until you try Sheila's silky, sexy Lobster Mashed Potatoes. The ten best Sunday dinners, ten best seafood salads, ten best cakes. With over 300 recipes, including dishes from top chefs, such as Tom Colicchio's Roasted Rack of Pork, Judy Rodgers's Zuni Cafe Roast Chicken with Bread Salad, Anthony Bourdain's Choucroute Garni, Tom Valenti's Red wine and Tomato Braised Duck, and others.