Chef on a Shoestring

Cooking great meals doesn't require spending a fortune on ingredients. Each week on the CBS Saturday Early Show, a prominent chef is given twenty dollars to create a three-course meal for four. Chef on a Shoestring collects the best of those culinary delights to benefit Share Our Strength, one of the nation's leading anti-hunger, anti-poverty organizations. These recipes, created by some of the most celebrated chefs in the country, may have been produced on a budget but are rich in every other way.

The recipes are organized into convenient categories, such as Finger Foods and Small Plates, Salads, Pasta and Risotto, Poultry, Meats, and Desserts, to allow you to mix and match various courses from different chefs. You can begin a meal with Salmon Corn Cakes from Walter Staib of Philadelphia's historic City Tavern, serve Seared Chicken Breast with Red Onion Vinaigrette from Charlie Palmer of Aureole on New York as your main course, and finish with Beacon restaurant's Waldy Malouf's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies. Or try the Asparagus and Bean Sprout Salad with Dill Pesto from Aquavit's Marcus Samuelsson, Tom Douglas' Crispy Fried Snapper with Chili Ponzu, and Coconut Rice Pudding with Fresh Mango from John Villa. Spice up your favorite burger or grilled chicken with Barbecued Onions from John Schenk of Clementine, and from '21' try Erik Blauberg's Baby Arugula Greens with Watermelon "croutons" and Caesar Dressing, to jump-start a weeknight dinner.

With advice on stocking your pantry, buying in season, shopping on a budget, and avoiding the temptation to be too frugal, Chef on A Shoestring is a unique culinary adventure for taste-conscious, budget-conscious home cooks.