America's Best Lost Recipes: 121 Heirloom Recipes Too Good to Forget
Cook's Countrymagazine, published by the indefatigable America's Test Kitchen, also home toCook's Illustratedmagazine, culls homey recipes from cooks nationwide.America's Best Lost Recipescontains 120 of these traditional family formulas, judged worthy of modern attention.  These include the likes of Summer Squash Soufflé, Poor Boy Stroganoff, Almond Crescents with Burnt Butter Icing, and Clara's Chocolate Torte.As with other America's Test Kitchen efforts, the goal has been to present "best" versions of favorite dishes. Original recipes have thus been tweaked where necessary (for example, extra yeast has been added to a monkey bread formula to speed its preparation) to ensure convenient, tasty results. Included also are "biographical" notes that place recipes in context, and useful tips that explore the testing process and thus provide technical insights.  Color photos and a spiral-bound book add to the attractiveness of this tempting collection.--Arthur Boehm