Now he"s really gone and done it! Charlie Trotter, chef and owner of one of America"s finest restaurants (of the same name), has already enriched our lives and decorated our coffee tables with volumes of recipes from his famed establishment. Here, in Charlie Trotter Cooks at Home, his signature style shines bright, but in recipes we won"t be afraid to try. The ingredients Trotter calls for are readily available, the techniques he describes are manageable, and the titles of the dishes describe what you"ll be eating so well that there aren"t any photographs at all. Who needs them to describe Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Asparagus and Roasted Red Onion Vinaigrette, Orange-Blossom Honey-Glazed Chicken with Roasted Sweet Potato Purée, or Cilantro-Crusted Tuna Loin with Bok Choy and Lemon-Sesame Vinaigrette? As you flip the pages, your mouth will water as though there were photos throughout. "The Basics" chapter starts us off with recipes for stocks and suggestions on how to make and store them so that they are always on hand. The table of contents is really an index, organized by course rather than alphabet, with every single recipe listed. Then there are appetizers like Smoked Salmon Tartare with Horseradish Cream, soups like Sweet Corn and Shrimp Chowder, and salads like Chilled Orzo, Asparagus, Chicken, and Goat Cheese. The entrees are divided into seafood, poultry, meat, and vegetables, and the more than 25 desserts include treats like Molasses Spice Cake with Caramelized Apples, Jasmine Rice Pudding with Lemon-Caramel Sauce, and Warm Bing Cherries with White Chocolate-Bing Cherry Sorbet. Of the over 125 recipes, only a handful are more than a page long. But every single one of them packs a Trotter punch. They"re inventive, fresh, and absolutely beautiful. In his introduction, Trotter acknowledges the home cook"s time constraints and limited access to gourmet ingredients, and promises that "with a few basic foodstuffs and a touch of bravado, home cooks can create flavorful dishes that will impress even the most ardent gourmet." He delivers. --Leora Y. Bloom