Hey, Good Lookin'! What You Got Cookin?

Giada De Laurentiis

AGE: 33

CREDENTIALS: The granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis is a private chef and caterer in L.A. and shares her family recipes on the Food Network’s Everyday Italian.

Lemon Spaghetti

4 SERVINGS

2/3 cup olive oil

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 3 lemons)

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

1 pound spaghetti

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)

1 In a large bowl, whisk the oil, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper to blend.

2 Set the lemon sauce aside. (The sauce can be made up to 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.)

3 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes.

4 Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

5 Add the spaghetti to the lemon sauce and toss with the basil and lemon zest.

6 Toss the pasta with enough reserved cooking liquid,¼ cup at a time, to moisten.

7 Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer pasta to bowls and serve.

Aaron Sanchez

AGE 28

CREDENTIALS: Chef at Manhattan’s bustling nuevo Latino restaurant Paladar, Sanchez also wrote the 2003 cookbook La Comida del Barrio, about Latin—American food finds in neighborhoods around the country.

Pico de Gallo (Fresh Salsa)

MAKES 2 CUPS

3 ripe medium tomatoes, diced

1 medium white onion, diced

2 scallions, white and green parts, sliced

1 jalapeño, minced

Juice of 2 limes

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

Salt and freshly ground black

pepper to taste

1 Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and gently fold everything together.

2 Cover and let sit for 1 hour to allow flavors to marry.

3 Serve with chips or cut vegetables.

Sandra Lee

AGE: 37

CREDENTIALS: The fashionable host of Semi-Homemade Cooking on the Food Network is known for her 70/30 philosophy—70 percent store-bought products mixed with 30 percent fresh or homemade ingredients.

Sweet Sorbet Spritzer

SERVES 4

1 cup canned mango nectar, chilled

1 pint mango sorbet

1 pint strawberry sorbet

2 cups ginger ale, chilled

1 Divide mango nectar among 4 chilled glasses.

2 Scoop sorbets into glasses.

3 Slowly pour ginger ale over sorbets.

4 Drink immediately.

Govind Armstrong

AGE: 34

CREDENTIALS: Chef at L.A.’s trendy Table 8, he is famed for his innovative California cuisine.

Chilled Summer Tomato Soup with Dungeness Crab and Avocado

SERVES 4

2 pounds ripe summer tomatoes

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 avocado

4 ounces Dungeness crabmeat

1 tablespoon avocado oil

1 Cut the tomatoes in half and squeeze out the seeds. Coarsely chop the flesh, sprinkle with the kosher salt, place in a colander and set aside for half an hour.

2 Using a hand immersion blender, puree the tomatoes until smooth. Pass the tomatoes through a fine mesh strainer, whisk in the olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste.

3 When ready to serve, whisk the soup and pour into chilled soup bowls.

4 Quarter the avocado, peel remove the stone and thinly slice each quarter into a fan.

5 To serve, place a small dollop of crabmeat in the center of the soup, arranging the avocado fan on top. Sprinkle the remaining crabmeat around and drizzle with the avocado oil.

Rachel Ray

AGE: 35

CREDENTIALS: This busy Food Network host find cheap eats on $40 a Day, cooks quick on 30 Minute Meals and is starting Inside Dish, a new show where celebrities share recipes in their homes.

Quick Tiramisu

SERVES 4

1 package ladyfingers sponge cakes

1 cup strong black coffee or espresso

2 ounces (shots) coffee-flavor liqueur

2 cups mascarpone cheese, available in specialty cheese case of supermarket

1 cup powdered confectioners sugar

2 teaspoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 Open the ladyfingers and separate them.

2 Paint the ladyfingers with coffee combined with the coffee liqueur using a pastry brush.

3 Line 4 martini glasses with a single layer of ladyfingers, letting the cakes overlap a bit at the stem. Press the cakes down a bit to fit the lines of the glass.

4 Beat cheese and sugar together 2 or 3 minutes.

5 Spoon sweetened mascarpone into glasses. Top glasses off with a cap of the ladyfingers. Use any remaining mascarpone to dot the ladyfinger tops and sprinkle each glass with cocoa powder combined with a touch of cinnamon.