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Canal House Cooking Volume No. 7:
La Dolce Vita

by Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer

Description
Welcome to the savory world of Canal House, the kitchen studio where Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton cook simply and deliciously, lovingly creating and beautifully photographing dishes to share in the Canal House Cooking series of seasonal cookbooks. Readers who loved Volumes 1-6 now will shout "Viva Italia!" with the introduction of Canal House Cooking, Volume No. 7: La Dolce Vita.

Fans know well the story behind Canal House: Christopher and Melissa, former magazine editors, gave up life in New York for a simpler existence, living on opposite sides of the Delaware River and cooking together each weekday in their New Jersey studio. Canal House Cooking became known as home cooking by home cooks for home cooks, with fresh ingredients and recipes all made easy for cooks of every experience level.

A celebration of delicious Italian dishes, some classic, some reinterpreted Canal House style, the book provides recipes for soups, seafood, pasta, meats, vegetables, desserts and more including Braised Rabbit with Capers & Pancetta, Gnocchi Verde, Salt Cod with Tomatoes & Green Olives, Cabbage in Agrodolce, Risotto Bianco, and Chocolate Chestnut Torte. A chapter titled Why Buy It When You Can Make It? is not to be missed, with recipes for essentials from Fresh Whole Milk Ricotta to Simple Tomato Sauce and Balsamella.  Add in glorious photos of food and settings, recipe notes that provide just the right amount of guidance, and fun culinary anecdotes, and you have the best of two worlds: Canal House in Italia.

About the Authors
Christopher Hirsheimer (right) served as food and design editor for Metropolitan Home magazine and was one of the founders of Saveur magazine, where she was executive editor. She is a writer and a photographer.

Melissa Hamilton co-founded the restaurant Hamilton's Grill Room in Lambertville, NJ, where she served as executive chef. She worked at Martha Stewart Living, Cook's Illustrated, and at Saveur as the food editor.

This series is a seasonal collection of Christopher and Melissa's favorite recipes--home cooking by home cooks for home cooks. With a few exceptions, they use ingredients that are readily available and found in most markets in most towns throughout the United States. All the recipes are easy to prepare, all completely doable for the novice and experienced cook alike. These two women believe the everyday practice of simple cooking and the enjoyment of eating are two of the greatest pleasures in life.