The Union Square Café Cookbook

I bought The Union Square Café Cookbook on my first visit to New York in October 1994, and I think, because of that, it has a special significance for me, as New York has now become my favourite city. But the book also has memories of a very special meal that I had at Union Square Café, after which the authors - restaurant owner Danny Meyer and chef Michael Romano - came out to meet us and personally signed our copies.

Over the years the book has been a source of inspiration for me. What is great about it is that it's exciting and comprehensive without being too deep. If I'm looking for that elusive ingredient that I think is missing from a dish, it often jumps out of the bookshelf and helps me out. I've frequently used it as a reference to start me thinking about one-off dishes, for a special, perhaps, when I've got hold of some particularly good veal, or some fantastic tuna, or simply when pumpkins are in season.

I've also taken inspiration from unusual ingredients and matches like American dried cherries with the venison. In fact, we had a phase at Northcote, about five years ago, when we used them an awful lot with both venison and wild duck.

What I found - and still find - so exciting about the book is that Meyer and Romano treat their recipes and produce with extreme care and thoroughness.

Their tomato and roast pepper compote, for instance, is perhaps the best one that I've ever tasted. Their recipes are very detailed - the components are extremely specific - and it's this that holds the secret to why their food works, I think, and makes me certain that if I want to lift one of their recipe elements and graft it on to something that I'm working on, then I can do so with abosolute confidence.

Well-thumbed
The chapter that has probably got the most attention over the years is the one that covers appetisers - the page that carries a recipe for shrimp risotto with cucumber and jalape¤o is particularly well-thumbed. Pasta dishes, crostini and salads feature heavily, too, in this chapter. Often their execution is quite simple, but the key thing is that the dishes work and the flavours are great. Main courses are also strong: seared rib steak with rosemary and arugula. The techniques are simple but still inspire you to do things slightly differently.

Flicking through the book now, it's still as fresh and valid as the day I bought it. I use it only maybe once or twice a year, but I still keep going back for a look. I recommend the book to chefs, but I also find myself telling friends and foodies about it - and everyone has had as much fun delving into it and using it as I have. This is remarkable and means the book has stood the test of time.

Nigel Howarth is chef-proprietor of Northcote Manor, Langho, Lancashire

The Union Square Café Cookbook
Danny Meyer and Michael Romano, £25
ISBN 0-06-017013-1