Magnier-Moreno, Marianne After studying law and journalism in France, Marianne Magnier-Moreno completed a professional certificate in cookery. She then worked in restaurants in Paris and New York before devoting herself to cookbook writing. Other cookbook titles by Magnier-Moreno include Les Basiques orientaux ; Tajines et couscous ; La Patisserie (winner of prize for Best Dessert Book, Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, 2007) and Eclairs maison . The books have all done well worldwide.

In this landmark volume, Marianne Magnier-Moreno demystifies traditions of cooking classic and much-loved dishes via a combination of recipes and comprehensive advice on techniques.

The Ultimate Cook's Manual gives readers all the technical know-how required to become an expert in the art of cooking. Each of the recipes feature a full-colour cross-section illustration, step-by-step photography and a hero image in order to both inspire the reader and demystify the building blocks of cooking, with reference to French classics. The Ultimate Cook's Manual includes basics (preparing meat; preparing fish; sauces; stocks; emulsions) as well as recipes for fish and seafood (confit salmon; cod in herb crust), meat (roast chicken with herb butter; rabbit with mustard sauce; pot-au-feu), vegetables (potatoes dauphine; glazed brussels sprouts; asparagus in sabayon) and warm and cold entrees (gravlax of salmon; salmon tartare; scallop carpaccio; cheese souffle; ravioli with fois gras; crepes souffle). A comprehensive glossary includes tips for plating, chopping, setting a table and essential utensils. It is beautifully shot and illustrated and is a wonderful companion to the hugely successful title Patisserie , from the same publisher.