This is not really a cookbook. I don't think it's even a book that will teach you to cook with whatever you have in your kitchen, because let's be honest, a lot of people won't have roast duck leftovers and Gorgonzola in their fridge, or a garden where they can go pick some lettuce. That said, it's really just what it says it is -- it's a diary of cooking. It's really quite lovely, written in a somewhat James Beard-esque manner, with love of food and cooking evident in every paragraph.