In this stunningly rich and wide-ranging book, Barbara Kafka gives the food we love perhaps best in the world a new vitality. She offers:

• icy soups for steamy days (ceviche soup with ginger) and hot soups for cold days (winter duck soup)
• rustic potages (great green soup) and elegant consommes (beef madrilene)
• simple soups to start (Moroccan tomato) and complex soups that make a meal (beef short ribs in a pot)
• fifteen-minute specials (mussel and tomato soup) and those that simmer all day (pot-au-feu)
• a magical garlic broth, among other vegetable broths and bases, gives vegetarians hundreds of recipes to enjoy.

And then there are Barbara's "memory pieces", whose warmth reminds us why Barbara Kafka is a vital part of our cooking experience.