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Pass the Polenta by Teresa Lust has some great essays, especially the one on how to grade a wine. Love most of the books mentioned. Reichl's humor and food description is very witty, earthy, and sensual. I adore Steingarten's humor. A Devil in the Kitchen by Marco Pierre White showed the extent to which serious cooking and cooking knowledge put a chef over the top. Although that can go a bit too far as seen in The Perfectionist by Chelminski, about Bernard Loiseau, the 3-star Michelin chef when he took his life for fear of losing a star. I use both Heat and Kitchen Confidential in order to teach narrative and description in my beginning writing class. Even Bourdain's Les Halles is a fun read. Elizabeth David also writes sensually, poetically, and aptly about food and is one of my favorites to return to again and again. Marlena di Blasi's sensual food descriptions are definitely worth reading in bed. And for a real killer that has almost endless literary and cooking references to food, read Reckless Appetites: A Culinary Romance by Jacqueline Deval. Peter Mayle, yes, especially the essay on eating at the French truck stop, which also appeared in Gourmet Magazine. I adore Ruhlman, found amusement in Julie and Julia, felt like moving to Paris after reading My Life in France, and appreciated the history and passions of Judith Jones in The Tenth Muse. I also liked Alice Waters and Chez Panisse. Flinn's The Sharper the Knife the Less You Cry kept me interested for several days. And finally, anything by Angelo Pellegrini is always a pleasure to read.

Great ideas in here, my reading list just got much longer! I'd just like to second "Language of Baklava" -- I read it ages ago but I remember loving it! Also I'd like to add John Edge's "Apple Pie" in the non-fiction category -- I got it as a gift and was pleasantly surprised by Edge's ability to turn a history of apple pie-cum-casual anthropological study into a page turner. (It's also conveniently compact for subway riders.)

Oh and I can't post this without fourth-ing or fifth-ing the MFK Fisher and Ruth Reichel recommendations. Although now that I've gone there, I also have to mention "The Tenth Muse," a memoir by Judith Jones, the editor who "discovered" Julia Child and influenced/was influenced by lots of other important chefs/foodies (don't worry, it has appetizing recipes too!).

And if you haven't read the Omnivore's Dilemma yet, do.

Also good, super quick: "Stuffed" by Patricia Volk. I'll stop now.

How to Cook A Wolf by MFK Fisher is a classic and lots of fun -- light, not exactly a memoir but chatty.
I second (or third or nth) the recommendations for anything by Steingarten. Also, while not specifically food-centric, Peter Mayle writes a lot about food and restaurants and especially food festivals in a fantastically funny and approachable way (try French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork and Corkscrew).
The Scavenger's Guide to Haute Cuisine has been out quite a while now too but in some ways seems to me to have anticipated the growing interest in sourcing your own food -- but in a much less intense and apocalyptic-sounding way.

Anything by MFK Fisher.

C. Trillin and J. Steingarten are my two fav food writers, though there are many books listed here that I also love. There are also many I haven't read, and I'm excited to have so many great suggestions.

I don't know if he only has one book, but the Alan Richman book that I have is called Fork It Over. I liked it alot.

Michael Pollan's writing literally changed my life. The Omnivore's Dilemna convinced me that it was time to start buying as much organic food as possible, even if it costs more. I'm the self proclaimed Cheapest Woman on Earth, so this was huge! Plus I think he's a great writer.

A Homemade Life builds on Molly Wizenberg's blog essays, Orangette, but I do enjoy her spare but engaging writing style. Occasionally the essay takes the long way round to a recipe (recipes being the reason I ordered the book in the first place), but the detours are never unpleasant. Afraid I've not read the other book mentioned at the NPR link. Also, I love, love, love Nigel Slater's "Toast: The Story of a Boy's Hunger." This is truly a memoir, and purely, unadulteratedly British, but I'm a bit of an Anglophile, so I enjoy the unfamiliar foods, techniques and traditions.

can no one give me any hints on how to improve my dismal outing with this dish? THANKS!

apple crisp. peach cobbler. berry buckle several of my favoriters I love to cook and bake but more inportant I love to eat

I had already commented and was reading some of the others when I remembered another favorite of mine. I don't know if any of you will have tried it, but I love "Wojapi". It's a traditional Sioux kind-of a fruit pudding. In the old days they used to use dried berries, especially chokecherries, but now we make it with fresh or frozen berries, any kind. I love to make it and everyone loves to eat it!

I just love a cobbler! It would be hard to pick a favorite, though it would probably be a struggle between Blackberry and Peach! i've never had it before, but Strawberry Cobbler would be to die for!

Anything having to do with cherries is good. Let's go with Black Forest Cake! Chocolate and cherries. Oh, yeah!

Lemon Meringue Pie is my favorite. garrettsambo@aol.com