Italian Intermezzo : Recipes by Celebrated Italian Chefs, Romantic Italian Music

The best Italian dinners are made at home. This title puts a cookbook with recipes from a variety of chefs together with a music CD of songs that capture the soul of Italy, masterpiece paintings from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, poetry, and colourful food photography.

The author travelled throughout Italy and the United States to visit 21 chefs.

She has formatted 120 of their recipes for the home cook, including dishes for each course of a traditional Italian meal, from antipasti to dolci, including baked ricotta cheese; pappardelle with shrimp, tomatoes, and basil; and espresso gelato.

On the accompanying CD, the Pizzarelli-Peplowski Sextet creates the sound of Italy everyone knows, from Neopolitan songs and opera to pop songs and music from the movies.

Recipes come from 21 restaurants in Italy and North America including: Certosa di Maggiano, Siena; Don Alfonso, Sant' Agata; Hotel Cipriani, Venice; Villa San Michele, Florence; Acqerello, San Francisco; San Domenico, New York; Spiaggia, Chicago; and Valentino, Los Angeles.

The music includes: "Ah! Maria"; "Mattinata"; "Non Dimenticar"; Santa Lucia"; "O Sole Mio"; and "Torna a Surriento".