I have to tell you folks, countless new cookbooks cross my desk, often with very little distinguishing one from another. I've received 3 Tuscan cookbooks in the last three months. While they all have merit, do we really need another Tuscan cookbook? Simple to Spectacular is one of the exceptional ones.

Regular readers already know I am a big fan of Mark Bittman's The Minimalist Cooks at Home.  In this book, Bittman's collaboration with four-star chef Vongerichten takes the principle of a simple foundation recipe that can be expounded upon to new lofty new heights.

Here is a cookbook you can truly grow with. Building upon a simple foundation, the authors show how to add layers onto simple dishes like gazpacho, sticky rice, roast chicken, green salad or sorbet, creating added complexity that transform simple dishes into extraordinary treasures.

For example a Frisee salad with a simple vinaigrette gets added flavor from roquefort cheese and walnuts, which in turn leads to Frisee Lyonnaise style, then Frisee Salad with gizard confit and lentils and finally Frisee Salad with scallops and white truffles and Parmesan.

If you're short on ingredients, time or motivation, you can always prepare the simple versions of the recipes.

The book truly serves cooks at every level of the culinary spectrum, from absolute beginners to sophisticated chefs. Building upon fundamentals of such staples as scrambled eggs, steamed rice or sauteed chicken, readers will gain valuable insight into cooking techniques along the way. Simple To Spectacular removes the intimidation factor for those with little kitchen experience and offers a range of increasingly challenging dishes for those who are ready. Illustrated throughout with gorgeous photography, I simply can't recommend this book highly enough.