'The Essential New York Times Cookbook: Classic Recipes for a New Century' has newspaper's top recipes

AMANDA HESSER had her doubts.

Six years ago, when the sprightly New York Times food columnist, author and cofounder of food52.com signed on to distill 150 years of Times recipes into one cookbook, she wasn't sure she was up to the task.

The breadth of the project intimidated even this seasoned writer. "I worried about doing a good job," she said. "The time period was so vast. I felt I needed some guidance." Hesser, who was food editor of the Sunday magazine when she left the Times for digital ventures in 2008, put out a call to readers to send her their crumpled, stained, most-loved recipes. The more than 6,000 responses she received clinched the deal, revealing what the Times community was really cooking - from meatloaves and fresh tomato sauce to cheesecakes and desserts made with chocolate, apples, or lemon. "That told me where the genuine points of interest were. With those recipes in hand, I had a guidebook to move forward."

Spend some time with The Essential New York Times Cookbook: Classic Recipes for a New Century (Norton & Co. $40), and it's clear that she needn't have worried. Hesser, in town for a chat at the Free Library tonight, has birthed a cookbook that deserves a place of honor in every kitchen. Working in tandem with her business partner, Merrill Stubbs, Hesser managed to distill the best of the best to more than 1,000 recipes that do much more than just put food on the table. This is a book that not only offers insight into how we eat now, but also explores fascinating mileposts along the way, from Huey Long's favorite gin fizz recipe to a post war Green Goddess Salad to the culinary riffing of notable chefs like Julia Child, Craig Claiborne and Alice Waters.

If you're a person who reads cookbooks for fun, this hefty tome provides plenty of interesting bedtime reading. A chronicler of both the social history of food and notable food trends, Hesser acts as an insightful tour guide, delivering crackling commentary in the 18 chapter introductions and recipe head notes. The avid home cook also will appreciate practical assists like prep timelines, cross-referenced menus and suggested recipe pairings. And so many of the recipes - the cloud-like David Eyre's Pancake, the wonderfully rustic Teddie's Apple Cake, Craig Claiborne's Southern Eggnog - are as familiar as old friends.