Our Blog

Field Guide to Herbs & Spices will forever change the way you cook. With this practical guide—including full-color photographs of more than 200 different herbs, spices, and spice mixtures—you’ll never again be intimidated or confused by the vast array of spices available.

Learn to discern the differences between the varieties of basil, the various colors of sesame seeds, the diverse types of sugar and salt, and even how to identify spice pastes like zhoug, harissa, and achiote. Each entry features a basic history of the herb or spice (saffron used to be worth more than gold!), its season (if applicable), selection and preparation tips, a recipe featuring the seasoning, and some suggested flavor pairings. Complete with more than one hundred recipes, Field Guide to Herbs & Spices is a must-have resource for every home cook.

Meals will never be the same again!

At last, a field guide to identifying and interpreting dream symbols, from falling to flying!
 
Dreams can be mysterious, exhilarating, and terrifying—but they don’t have to be confusing. With Field Guide to Dreams, you’ll unravel the hidden meanings behind these mysterious subconscious messages. For example, you may find yourself naked in front of your high school classroom during a time of great change—perhaps you’re feeling insecure about a decision you recently made. Of if you find buried treasure in a dream, you may have hidden talents or knowledge.
 
Organized by dominant symbol (animals, caves, hospitals, teachers, and so on), each full-color image refers to a complete dream description. This book gives you clues to a dream’s meaning and explains the significance of having the same dream time and again. You’ll hear what Freud and Jung might say about a particular vision and discover a dream’s sometimes strange, often illuminating, historical and cultural context. With Field Guide to Dreams at your bedside, you’ll never wonder if that cigar was just a cigar!

What puts the snap in gingersnaps? How do you bake the perfect pinwheel? What’s the secret to foolproof friands? Discover these answers and more with Field Guide to Cookies, a handy pocket reference to more than 100 cookie recipes, complete with helpful baking notes and fascinating historical trivia (the first known brownie recipe was published in the 1897 Sears, Roebuck catalog!).

Field Guide to Cookies includes traditional favorites and exotic treats from all over the world—everything from spritzgebäck to madeleines. Each cookie is photographed in glorious full color, with step-by-step instructions on how to prepare, bake, serve, and store your creations. With Field Guide to Cookies in your pantry, delicious home-baked confections are just minutes away!

ANITA CHU is a graduate of Tante Marie’s Professional Pastry program and a former baker for Bittersweet Chocolate Café. She channels her love of baking, writing, and photography on her award-winning Web site, Dessert First. She lives in San Francisco.

What puts the crunch in buttercrunch toffee? How do you cook the perfect raspberry chocolate truffle? What’s the secret to making lollipops and lemon drops? Discover these answers and more in Field Guide to Candy, a handy pocket reference to more than 100 recipes, complete with serving suggestions and fascinating historical trivia (in the 1940s, gumdrop cakes were among the most popular desserts in America).

Field Guide to Candy includes traditional favorites and exotic treats from all over the world, everything from peanut butter cups and salt-water taffy to Pastelia (Greek honey candy) and Turkish Delight. Each candy is photographed in glorious full color, with step-by-step instructions on how to prepare, make, serve, and store your creations. Yummy homemade confections are just minutes away with Field Guide to Candy in your pantry!

ANITA CHU is a graduate of Tante Marie’s Professional Pastry program and a former baker for Bittersweet Chocolate Café. Her first book, Field Guide to Cookies, received praise from Slate, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food, the San Francisco Chronicle, chef and author Mark Bittman, and Entertainment Weekly. She lives in San Francisco.