Cooking One on One By John Ash (Clarkson Potter hardcover, $37.50)

No book can literally live up to challenge of being “private lessons in simple, contemporary food from a master teacher.” But John Ash’s new book at least comes close to interactivity: From the opening pages, the author eerily anticipates the questions a cook-in-training might ask a master. And without wholly abandoning the traditional appetizers–then eggs–then vegetables cookbook structure, he opens it up to make each recipe a small incremental step in the training of a chef who doesn’t really need a book at all to create wholesome, tasty meals. A series of fresh salsas kick the book off, matched with undemanding main courses; then vinaigrettes appear in all their variety, then pesto sauces, marinades, savory sauces. . . . By the time Ash introduces basic cooking techniques in part two of his book, the neophyte chef is a neophyte no longer. The seven chapters of part three cover myriad variations on the foods we eat every day and others—mushrooms, beans, and tofu—that we should eat more often, all calling upon the techniques and accompaniments already practiced. It’s a fine book for a thoughtful would-be chef, and a refreshing new way of looking at things for old hands. ROGER DOWNEY