China Moon Cookbook

The "Julia Child of Chinese cooking" (San Francisco Chronicle), Barbara Tropp is the chef/owner of one of San Francisco-s most popular restaurants, author of a ?magicalO (Barbara Kafka) first cookbook, and a gifted teacher. She is also the inventor of ?Chinese bistro,O a marriage of home-style Chinese tastes and techniques with Western ingredients and inspiration, an innovative cuisine that stuffs a wonton with crab and corn and flavors it with green chili sauce, that stir-fries chicken with black beans and basil, that tosses white rice into a salad with ginger-balsamic dressing.

Casual yet impeccable, and as balanced as yin and yang, these 275 recipes burst with unexpected flavors and combinations: Prawn Sandpot Casserole with Red Curry and Baby Corn; Spicy Tangerine Beef with Glass Noodles; Pizzetta with Chinese Eggplant, Wild Mushrooms, and Coriander Pesto; Chili-Orange Cold Noodles; Sweet Carrot Soup with Toasted Almonds; Wok-Seared New Potatoes; Crystallized Lemon Tart; and Fresh Ginger Ice Cream.

It-s East meets West"dazzlingly"in ?A truly original culinary mindO (Kirkus) Winner of a 1992 IACP/Julia Child Cookbook Award. Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club-s HomeStyle Books. 146,000 copies in print.

A stunning marriage of Chinese tastes and techniques with California flair, Barbara Tropp's China Moon cooking is a cuisine like no other. Chinese Bistro is stir-fries, sandpots, and salads of baby greens. It's dim-sum and ice cream. It's noodle pillows, crispy potatoes, and sesame breadtwists, too. And instead of fortune cookies, fabulous cookies of good fortune. Bursting with unexpected flavors-from ginger to Fresno chiles, curry to basil-Chinese bistro is light and fresh, casual yet impeccably flavored, and as balanced as yin and yang.<P> A DAZZLING SAMPLER<P> Chili-Orange Cold Noodles<P> Crispy Ten-Spice Spring Rolls with Crushed Peanuts<P> Stir-fried Hot and Sour Chicken with Black Beans and Basil<P> Eggroll-cartwheel Soup<P> Fresh Ginger Ice Cream with Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce<P> Spicy Tangerine Beef with Glass Noodles<P> Tea and Spice Smoked Duck Breast<P> Clear-Steamed Salmon with Fresh Coriander Pesto<P> Ma-La Cucumber Fans<P> Sandpot Casserole of Spicy Sparerib Nuggets with Garlic

Barbara Tropp is the chef and owner of China Moon Cafe, a small Chinese bistro-style restaurant in San Francisco. Before establishing herself as one of America's foremost chefs and cooking teachers, Barbara studied Chinese language, poetry, and art history at Columbia, Yale, Princeton, and the University of Taiwan. While living in Taiwan, she developed her passion for the simplicity of fresh home cooking, Chinese-style. Barbara is an elected member of Who's Who in Food and Wine in America. She has been profiled in the New York Times Magazine, House Beautiful, Bon Appetit, Metropolitan Home, Self, and the United Airlines in-flight magazine, Vis-a-Vis. She was profiled as well in the PBS series Great Chefs in San Francisco. She continues to teach, most recently at the Great Chefs Cooking School at the Robert Mondavi Winery, Fetzer Winery's Valley Oaks Food and Wine Center, and the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.

FIRST THOUGHTS

THE CHINA MOON PANTRY: The better-than-store-bought basics that make China Moon food distinctive.

NUTS, PICKLES AND PRELIMINARY NIBBLES: Dishes of color and dash that stave off hunger and enliven main courses.

STOCKS AND SOUPS: The secrets behind our sauces, plus bowls of good-and-plenty, to eat with other dishes or as a whole meal.

POULTRY: Baby chickens, big chickens, duck, quail, and rabbit-for baking, smoking, steaming, deep-frying, and casseroling.

FISH AND SHELLFISH: Whole fish, fish nuggets, and shellfish from sea and river. Hot and cold dishes to show off their flavor.

BEEF AND LAMB: Dishes from Mongolia and North China to warm you in winter.

PORK: The classic Chinese red meat, as savory as it is light. Loins, butts, and ribs cooked to perfection.

DIM-SUM AND THEN SOME: Dumplings, buns, and other teahouse fare, along with platters of cold noodles and crispy springrolls.

RICE AND VEGETABLES: Rice, potatoes, vegetables, and salads to anchor and embellish a meal.

DESERTS: Tiny cookies of good fortune, fabulous tarts and tartlets, and inimitable ice creams.

GLOSSARY

INDEX