Cookbooks popular gifts for home chefs

If past years are any indication, Santa will deliver a lot of books by Las Vegas resident Todd Wilbur 10 days from now.

Despite its name, Wilbur's newest book, "Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3," actually is his 10th volume of cloned recipes of restaurant favorites. The first, "Top Secret Recipes," has sold about 1.8 million copies since Oprah Winfrey featured it -- and him -- on her show in 1997.

"You go on 'Oprah' and boom," Wilbur said by phone from Milwaukee, where he was in the final stages of a 12-city book tour. "That one's still selling well. It's almost like a classic cookbook."

Some of Wilbur's books have presented replica recipes for things such as snack cakes, candy bars and fast food, and those are popular with kids, he said.

"The restaurant books that I write seem to do the best, because the food is more practical stuff that you can make daily for your meals," he said. "I think people use the restaurant books more, and you're saving money" -- generally as much as half, compared to ordering the dish in a restaurant.

Each book contains a separate collection of recipes, and Wilbur said people often will scan the tables of contents on his website, www.TopSecretRecipes.com, to find a favorite.

His biggest success story?

"One of the most popular recipes on the Internet for years and years -- right when the Internet became popular -- was the Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits," he said.

But he still has secrets to reveal. When the first book came out, he said he had "tons of requests" for the recipe for Pizza Hut Pan Pizza.

"That was the hardest one to figure out, for sure," he said. He has been working on it for 10 years, but through a process that involved a bit of sleuthing and a lot of trial and error, finally arrived at a satisfactory recipe, which appears in his newest book (and below).

"I talked to people who work at Pizza Hut and got information about what they use and how long they let the dough sit," he said. "I wouldn't know this information unless I interviewed employees. I'll make several visits to these restaurants and then ask questions. A couple questions is about all they can put up with. I keep repeating that until I get all the information I need." His book, which sells for $16, is available on his website, in bookstores and at www.Amazon.com.

Megan Romano, executive pastry chef at Aureole at Mandalay Bay, had a somewhat more modest sales goal in sight when she launched her cookbook earlier this year, but said the first printing of about 2,500 is almost sold out and another printing is planned. The book, "It's a Sweet Life," is $40 and is available at Aureole and other Charlie Palmer restaurants, at Barnes & Noble and at www.Amazon.com.

"It felt good," she said of watching sales figures mount. "Now I'm just looking at half a wall of cases of books, rather than six pallets."

Romano said she thinks the book's appeal has much to do with the fact that the recipes can be executed by most home cooks. A section in the front provides tips and information, and recipes such as those for cookies are fairly simple, she said.

"People seem like they want to tackle those first -- something nice and easy," Romano said.

Easy, but not too easy; that seems to be the draw for books being purchased by Las Vegans this Christmas season.

"Right now, Ina Garten's 'How Easy Is That?' ($35) is the one that is flying off our shelves most," said Chandra Hasselbalch, store manager at Sur La Table at the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood. "She's got a great presentation, but it's still kind of simple. Her stuff is like a great happy medium, where it looks gorgeous -- she's a caterer, so it's meant for entertaining -- and it's not that difficult to make."

At opposite ends of the easiness spectrum are the cookbooks that are most popular this season at Barnes & Noble at 8915 W. Charleston Blvd., said Beth Hysom, a manager. "Rachael Ray's Look + Cook" ($24.99) and Dorie Greenspan's "Around My French Table" ($40) are big sellers there, she said.

"And of course America's Test Kitchen has a bunch of books out this holiday season, and those are always in the top tier," she said.

Hysom said that usually, when somebody is looking for a specific cookbook as a gift, it is a request by the recipient.

But if you're looking for a cookbook for the cook who has everything, you might consider a stop at Bauman Rare Books at The Shoppes at Palazzo. Laura Minor, one of the managers, said possibilities include "Les Diners des Gala," a 1973 book Salvador Dali wrote in honor of his wife, a first edition that's priced at $700 (and has a companion piece, a first edition of Dali's 1977 "Les Vins des Gala," at $800). Or there's Historicus' 1892 "Cocoa: All About It," a first edition priced at $300, or John Farley's "The London Art of Cookery," an 1807 first edition priced at $950.

Just don't forget to include page protectors.

PIZZA HUT PAN PIZZA

Dough:

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1½ teaspoons active dry yeast

1 1/3 cups warm water (105 to 155 degrees)

3 cups bread flour

1¼ teaspoons salt

Sauce:

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

1 1/3 cups water

½ teaspoon dried crushed rosemary

½ teaspoon dried minced onion

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon dried basil

1/8 teaspoon citric acid (see note)

For assembly:

1 to 2 tablespoons soybean or safflower oil

3½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Pam or Crisco butter-flavored nonstick spray

Your choice of toppings: pepperoni, ham, crumbled Italian sausage, bacon pieces, diced cooked chicken, mushrooms, green peppers, sliced onion, black olives, diced tomatoes, jalapenos, pineapple or roasted red peppers

Make the dough by dissolving the sugar and yeast in the warm water. Allow the solution to sit for about 5 minutes, or until it gets foamy on top.

Combine the flour with the salt in a large bowl. It's best to use a stand mixer with a paddle for this, then switch out the paddle for a dough hook.

Pour the foamy yeast solution into the flour and combine on low speed until a dough is formed. Turn up the speed a little and knead the dough for 10 minutes. If you don't have a stand mixer, knead by hand for 10 minutes, or until the dough is very smooth and elastic. Cover the dough in the mixing bowl and let the dough rest for two hours.

Roll out the proper portion of dough to fit the deep-dish or cake pan you are using: If you are making a 9-inch pizza (small), divide the dough into three equal portions; for a 12-inch pizza (medium), divide the dough in half; and for a 15-inch pizza (large), use all the dough. Roll out the portion of dough so it is slightly bigger than the pan you are using. Rub oil around the bottom of the pan: Use 1 tablespoon oil in a 9-inch pan, 1½ tablespoons in a 12-inch pan and 2 tablespoons in a 15-inch pan. Drop the dough into the bottom of the pan and spread it smooth to the edge of the pan, and then use your fingers to form a raised lip around the edge. Cover the pan with foil and place in a warm spot for one hour. If you have two ovens, place the covered dough in one of the ovens with a pan of boiling water, then close the door. If you have only one oven, you can set the pan near that oven, since you will now preheat the oven and it will give off some heat. Place a pizza stone in the oven and set it to 500 degrees.

Make the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small saucepan and placing it over medium heat. When the mixture begins to boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Cover the sauce and let it cool while the dough rises.

When the dough has doubled in size, spoon approximately ¼ cup of the sauce on a 9-inch pizza, 1/3 cup sauce on a 12-inch pizza or ½ cup sauce on a 15-inch pizza. Spray the edges of the crust with butter-flavored nonstick spray, then top the pizza with enough shredded mozzarella cheese to cover the sauce. Add your choice of toppings and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the crust and the cheese begin to brown. Remove the pizza from the oven, allow it to cool for a few minutes, then slide it out of the pan, slice and serve.

Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients if you made the small or medium-size pizzas.

Makes three small, two medium or one large pizza.

Note: Citric acid can be found in most supermarkets; in kosher sections, it's known as sour salt. If you can't find it, just omit.

-- Recipe from "Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3" by Todd Wilbur

LEMON CHICKEN BREAST

¼ cup good olive oil

3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)

1/3 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1½ teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on (6 to 8 ounces each)

1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic and cook for just 1 minute, but don't allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme and 1 teaspoon salt and pour into a 9-by-12-inch baking dish.

Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn't browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.

Serves 4.

-- Recipe from "How Easy is That?" by Ina Garten

ESPRESSO SHORTBREAD COOKIE

For caramel espresso beans:

3 tablespoons water

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup espresso beans

For shortbread dough:

1 pound butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoons salt (fleur de sel)

To make caramel espresso beans, place water in a small, very clean saucepan and add sugar. Mix with your hands until it's the consistency of wet sand. Heat on high, carefully rinsing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush, until amber-colored. Stir in espresso beans, then pour onto a sheet tray lined with a nonstick baking mat (such as Silpat). Cool completely. Grind to a fine powder in a food processor.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a mixer using a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Sift sugar and gradually add to butter.

Sift together remaining dry ingredients, including ground caramel espresso beans. Add by thirds until incorporated.

Roll between two sheets of parchment paper until thin. Cover with plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes.

Cut into desired shapes. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

-- Recipe from "It's a Sweet Life" by Megan Romano

Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0474.