This is a practical family cookbook, written with imagination by a well-known, classically trained chef and her teenage daughter, an instinctual cook. The ingredients and flavor-profiles are contemporary, ranging from simple comfort foods to the occasional ambitious flourish.

Alex Guarnaschelli, the chef of NYC’s and a popular Food Network host, is herself the daughter of two intrepid cooks, both Italian-American; her mother Maria edited a host of significant cookbooks, from to to . When it comes to recipe clarity, it’s easy to detect careful attention to detail here.

Among the many appealing recipes are:

• Cheddar biscuits with chili-crunch butter
• Smoked salmon tartine with scallion cream cheese
• Mustardy chicken thighs
• Braised Savoy cabbage with tomato and spices
• Strawberry skillet crisp

Accessible for young cooks. Useful and imaginative for weeknight meals.

Hardcover. Color photographs throughout.