Sarah Leah Chase is a wizard. I have three of her books, and everything I have made from them has become a star. I especially like her , both for the recipes and for the little insights and vignettes that make the book fun to read on a winter afternoon.

The Black Olive and Fig Tapenade from this book was a popular canape at the Old Colony Club Past Presidents Night 2012. My favorite recipe from this book is the beef demi-daube, that everyone I serve it to refers to as the Provencal beef stew. It is fabulous!