Blue Ginger (Hardcover: 288 pages)

Not since Martin Yan captivated TV audiences with his flashing cleaver has an Asian chef made such a splash in the food world; now seen twice daily on Food Network during the coveted 7-to-11 pm prime time slot, "East Meets West" has introduced a new generation to the savory delights of pan-Asian cooking at its most cutting edge.

Ming Tsai learned the rudiments of Chinese cooking in his family's Dayton, Ohio, restaurant, later refining his skills at the Cordon Bleu in France and with a sushi master in Osaka. After well-received stints in restaurants in San Francisco and Santa Fe, NM, he opened his own restaurant in Wellesley, earning Esquire's coveted Chef-of-the-Year honors for 1998. There he showcases the same sophisticated, cross-cultural flavors he shares with his TV viewers and now with readers in his first-ever cookbook.

More than 150 recipes showcase the range of this exceptional chef: sea bass served with a sweet-and-sour soy syrup, dim sum stuffed with foie gras and served in a carmelized onion broth, and tuna carpaccio with crispy rice cakes typify his knack for melding the best of East and West. Yet preparations remain simple and unintimidating, and exciting without becoming faddish, making this a book that will inspire even the most traditional cooks to infuse their fare with a hint of the East.