Ghost Stories : Cookbooks: An inside look at the writers who make chefs look good.

Playwrights write plays. Historians write histories. Novelists write novels. Chefs write cookbooks. With a little help.

Call them collaborators, call them co-writers, call them ghost writers, it’s all the same thing. You won’t see their names up in lights--in fact, you may not see their names at all. But behind many great chefs’ cookbooks, you’ll find writers.

The fact is, there’s much more to writing a cookbook than being a good, or even great, cook. Someone has to organize the book and give it direction. Someone has to observe and describe how the dishes are made. And someone has to translate the recipes into plain, home-cook English.

To put it simply, cooks cook and writers write.

Jan Weimer, a former Bon Appetit magazine editor who co-wrote Citrus chef Michel Richard’s upcoming cookbook, is blunt. “Everybody thinks cooking is easy, and everybody thinks writing recipes is easy,” she says. “But over the years I have seen so many chefs’ recipes that were totally unusable. Nobody gives recipe writing any respect, but I think it is a real skill.

“It’s really two different things. Chefs cook, but they don’t follow recipes. They don’t measure unless they’re baking, so why should anybody expect a chef to write a recipe that’s accurate? That’s a recipe writer’s job.

“So is trying to find a way to explain techniques in a way that is not only clear but also uses the fewest possible words. Chefs don’t even think about that. I’ve worked hard on this for 20 years and the more I do it, the harder I think it is.”

When Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken planned their first cookbook, they thought they’d do it by themselves. They expected they’d use cooks from their restaurant to test the recipes for “City Cuisine.” That didn’t last long.

“About 15 recipes is all,” says Feniger. “It was impossible.” So they called Helene Siegel, a Los Angeles writer who had earlier ghosted “The Ma Cuisine Cooking School Cookbook.”

Siegel came in and spent months in the City kitchen, watching how dishes were put together and taking notes.

“As a writer, Helene was able to make the recipes clear and simple and not complicated. We were able to give cooking tips that a cookbook writer who’s not a chef doesn’t know,” says Feniger.

“I have to say, I made very little contribution to the food in that book,” says Siegel. “They are very, very self-confident. It was a great education for me. Being fed a chef’s food off the spoon, when it’s just the way they want it to taste . . . But after that, writing a cookbook is just grinding work. You have to sit down and do it every day. It’s a lot of detail work.”

That detail work makes the difference between a successful cookbook--one that people actually use--and a run-of-the-mill chef’s book that people buy because they like the restaurant and then leave on the shelf.

“One of the biggest compliments we’ve had is when people say the recipes are really easy and that they really work,” says Feniger. “That’s because Helene wrote the recipes so they were unthreatening.”

John Sedlar, former chef at St. Estephe and current chef at Bikini, had no illusions about his ability to write recipes when he started his book “Modern Southwest Cuisine” several years ago. He hired Norman Kolpas right at the start of the project.

“I met Norman at a party and he said he would help me with anything I needed for my book,” says Sedlar.

The two of them worked well together--and they worked fast. “When (former Simon & Schuster cookbook editor) Carole Lalli and I sat down to plot out the timeline for getting the book done, it looked like it would be two years before it would be published. I told her I was about halfway done with the book--which I wasn’t even close to--and asked her if there was any way we could have it in a year. She said sure, if we could move the timeline up a year.

“Luckily, Norman was between projects, so we signed a contract to provide the manuscript with 150 tested recipes and 50 color photographs in 10 weeks.”

Kolpas, who has written several cookbooks on his own, says there was nothing complicated about meeting such a crunching deadline. “John gave me a chef’s jacket, so I worked on the book while he was working in the restaurant. I stood beside him every day from 3 in the afternoon until the restaurant closed. When he started to add a pinch of something, I would first grab his hand and measure. We timed things and re-timed them. Then I would get up early and type everything into my computer, so when I got back that afternoon, I could hand him 20 to 30 pages of recipes, which he would read that night and give back to me with his notes.”

Kolpas had a different experience when he co-authored Michael McCarty’s “Michael’s Cookbook.” “John is easygoing, but working with Michael is like spending time in the main reactor at Chernobyl,” Kolpas says. “He throws off so much energy and he is such a brainy guy.

“While I spent seven, eight or even 10 hours a day with John, Michael delegates so many things I actually spent as much time with his chefs, Martin Garcia and Dorte Lambert, as I did with him. I would make an appointment for 2 p.m. and then wait through 45 minutes of phone calls to talk to him. But it was worth it, because I consider him a major intelligence in American cooking.”

McCarty’s not the only chef who had a hard time focusing on his cookbook. “After working eight hours in the kitchen,” says Michel Richard, “you sometimes don’t want to spend two or three hours with a writer.” Richard says his ghost, Weimer, was a stern taskmaster. He spent two years trying to finish his cookbook with other authors before Weimer came into the process. He credits her with getting him to finally finish the book simply by taking command.

“I am so busy it’s almost impossible to work with me,” he says. “Jan, she wouldn’t give up. She is very demanding. You feel like you want to spend a half hour with a writer, not more. Jan was very strong about it. A lot of times, we’d end up spending four.”

But each author has his own process. “Most of these kids are like my own children,” says Judy Gethers. She co-wrote Wolfgang Puck’s last book, “Adventures in the Kitchen,” is now working on a book with Campanile’s Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton, and is scheduled to do another with Spago pastry chef Mary Bergin. She has a very gentle way of working.

She begins by watching as the recipes are prepared in the restaurant kitchen. She then takes them home, retests them on standard equipment and comes back with her questions.

Today she is at Campanile, retesting a recipe for risotto cakes. Last night, at home, she had problems with the recipe. While the kitchen goes through its morning routine, Gethers prepares the risotto, calling a chef over from time to time to check the consistency.

“No, it’s not ready yet, it should be softer to the bite,” says the chef.

It cooks a little longer, another consultation is called, and the same advice is given. Finally, the chef is happy with the consistency; when the cake is fried, it holds together. Now, all Gethers has to do is take the recipe back home and try it again.

“Part of my job is to take the recipes and test them at home,” she says. “In a professional kitchen, the flames are much stronger and the ovens are so much stronger than in home kitchens, so that when they say cook something for 20 minutes, it could be an hour for you or me.

“I can’t imagine doing a cookbook without tasting everything myself and making sure the recipes work. Maybe that’s because I don’t need to do this. I love to do it, but my livelihood doesn’t depend on this.”

Weimer also tested all the recipes in Richard’s book--even though her kitchen was being remodeled during part of it. “It’s amazing what you can do with a deep fryer and a camp stove,” she says with a laugh.

Siegel, on the other hand, does not consider recipe testing part of the job. “The people I work with are all professional cooks, so I don’t cook any of the food,” she says, adding, “though I do end up cooking some of it because I like it.” Kolpas says flatly: “I don’t test recipes. The chefs have to make their own arrangements for that.”

A ghost has plenty to do without testing recipes. “Even though I’m a chef and I know a tremendous amount about cooking, I don’t know how to structure a recipe, what you start with, what equipment a home cook has,” says Sedlar. He credits Kolpas with everything from “setting up the structure of the book to the balance of the book, deciding which recipes we used, reeling me in, reminding me what the public would understand . . . It takes someone who’s a writer with an expertise in food.”

For his expertise and knowledge, a ghost writer can expect to make anywhere from 25% to 50% of the chef’s cookbook advance, plus, perhaps, a share of royalties. With cookbook advances for chefs ranging from about $25,000 to $100,000, the writer’s cut can figure to roughly $10,000 and up, though rarely much higher than $25,000.

“And with chefs, in the world they’re coming from, they’re not really used to sharing money,” Siegel says.

There are other rewards, though. “The thing I like about ghosting is that it’s a collaborative effort,” says Siegel. “Doing a cookbook solo is very isolating. It’s also kind of stupid. You prepare food to feed other people, but when you’re working on a cookbook, usually there are no other people around.”

Gethers, who has written three cookbooks of her own, agrees. “I think it’s much more difficult doing your own book. Maybe it’s because this is so much fun, but compared to it, doing your own book is such a solitary thing. I just don’t want to sit at home by myself. . . . One of the best things about doing this is that I’m working with the nicest people. On the last book I worked with Wolf and (former Chinois chef) Kazuto (Matsusaka) and (Postrio chefs) Annie and David Gingrass in San Francisco. To tell you the truth, if it wasn’t with Wolf and these people, I don’t think I’d be doing this.”

While the actual writing of the book might be collaborative, that is rarely reflected in the finished product. How the co-author will be credited is something that is negotiated beforehand.

“Once the book is published, the ghost is invisible and that’s not very satisfying,” says Siegel, who is credited on the cover of “The Ma Cuisine Cookbook,” but only on the title page of “City Cuisine.”

Kolpas got title page credit on both the Sedlar and McCarthy books. Gethers, on the other hand, is acknowledged only in the dedication of Puck’s book--the same arrangement he had with the late Joan Hoien, who co-wrote his first two books. Weimer will get a “with” credit on the cover of the upcoming Richard book, but says “That’s not why I did it, but it is nice to be recognized for my contribution to it. I have a great deal of pride in this book.”

Kolpas feeds his ego with his own books. “For me,” he says, “there is great pleasure in delving really deeply into another person’s creativity, and that’s what I love about doing these books.

“What I try to do is write the book the chef would have written had he had the time and skills and inclination to write a book,” he says. “I hope both John and Michael can look back at the books and say, ‘Norman helped me write that, but it really is my book and it is exactly the way I wanted it to be.’ ”

Norman Kolpas picked this recipe from “Modern Southwest Cuisine” because it combines ingredients both common and exotic in a fanciful form that is typical of John Sedlar’s cooking. And also because he spent the better part of a day rolling up tortillas in preparation for a banquet while he was working on the book.

SANTA FE ROLL WITH AVOCADO VINAIGRETTE

1 cup dried black beans, rinsed

3 quarts water

2 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 ounce salt pork, finely diced

2 teaspoons salt

2 (1/2-pound) bunches spinach, washed and stemmed

2 quarts water

4 (12-inch) flour tortillas

6 ounces smoked sturgeon or other smoked white fish, sliced 1/4-inch thick

2 small sweet red peppers, roasted, peeled and seeded and cut into 1/4-inch thick strips

Avocado Vinaigrette

Place beans in medium saucepan with 1 quart water, garlic, salt pork and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer beans 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until tender. Drain beans and place in food processor. Pulse until beans are coarsely pureed. Set aside.

Bring 2 quarts water to rolling boil with remaining teaspoon salt in large saucepan. Plunge spinach into water, drain immediately and let cool. Squeeze out all excess water from spinach. Puree in food processor, about 1 minute.

Briefly cook first tortilla on medium-hot grill or under broiler, about 10 seconds per side. Place tortilla on work surface and spread row of beans (about 1/2 cup), 1/4-inch-thick and 3-inch-wide horizontally across center, ending about 1 inch from either side of tortilla.

Spread row of spinach puree above beans, 1/8-inch-thick and 1-inch-wide. Top spinach with 1/2-inch-wide row of sturgeon, then top this with another 1-inch-wide row of spinach puree.

Below center row of beans, place another 1/2-inch-wide row of sturgeon, below that, 1-inch-wide row of pepper strips, then final 1-inch-wide row of beans.

With sharp knife, trim off about 1 inch from bottom flap of tortilla. Then, from bottom, roll up tortilla tightly, compacting it and smoothing it with your hands as you roll. Cut off rough ends of roll, about 1 inch from each side. Wiping knife blade after each slice, cut roll into 3/4-inch rounds, about 16.

Repeat process with remaining tortillas. Spoon Avocado Vinaigrette into middle of each chilled serving plate. Place 3 rounds of Santa Fe Roll on top. Makes about 21 appetizer servings.

Each serving contains about:

113 calories; 565 mg sodium; 8 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 0.79 gram fiber.

Avocado Vinaigrette

1/4 cup walnut oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup sour cream

1 ripe avocado, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks

Combine walnut oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in food processor and pulse to blend. Pulse in sour cream, then avocado chunks to make light, creamy puree. Chill. Makes about 2 cups.

Judy Gethers chose this beautiful, eggplant-wrapped meatloaf because it was one of her favorite recipes from “Adventures in the Kitchen.” Our testers actually liked it better without the vegetable puree. Try it yourself and decide.

MEATLOAF ON VEGETABLE PUREE WITH MUSHROOM SAUCE

3/4 pound Japanese eggplants

5 to 6 tablespoons olive oil

2 shallots, minced

1/2 pound mushrooms, minced

Salt

Freshly ground white pepper

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 pounds medium ground lamb, veal, pork or combination

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons ground cumin, or to taste

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, or to taste

Vegetable Puree

Mushroom Sauce

Trim ends and cut thin slice, lengthwise, from both sides of each eggplant. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick lengthwise slices.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly brown eggplant slices on both sides, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons more oil as necessary. Remove slices as browned to baking pan. When all slices have been browned, place in 450-degree oven and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels, cool and season lightly to taste with salt and white pepper. Lower oven temperature to 400 degrees.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in smaller skillet. Saute shallots until pale golden. Add mushrooms, season lightly to taste with salt and pepper and saute over medium-high heat 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in whipping cream and cook until all cream is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Cool.

Reserve best 8 slices of eggplant and chop remaining. In large bowl, combine chopped eggplant and mushrooms with ground meat. Stir in eggs, garlic, cumin to taste, thyme and salt and pepper to taste.

Line bottom and sides of oiled 9x5-inch loaf pan with reserved eggplant slices. Fill with meat mixture, patting down to level. Fold over ends of eggplant as necessary. Place loaf pan in larger baking pan and fill larger pan with boiling water to reach halfway up sides of loaf pan. Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees 1 hour and 10 minutes, removing foil after 35 minutes.

Remove meatloaf from oven and let stand 10 minutes. Carefully pour juices out of pan, then invert onto cutting board. Cut into 8 slices.

Spoon some Vegetable Puree in center of each of 8 heated dinner plates. Arrange 1 slice meatloaf on puree and spoon over some of Mushroom Sauce and mushrooms. Serve immediately, passing remaining sauce in small bowl. Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about:

687 calories; 1,230 mg sodium; 180 mg cholesterol; 56 grams fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 21 grams protein; 1.57 grams fiber.

Vegetable Puree

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 pound onions, cut into chunks

1/2 pound small red potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1/2 pound broccoli florets

About 1 cup chicken stock, heated

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Salt

Freshly ground white pepper

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over high heat. Add onions and saute until transparent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add potatoes, broccoli and chicken stock to cover. Stir in garlic, thyme, salt and white pepper to taste. Cover and cook until tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

Pour in whipping cream and continue to cook uncovered until cream is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Puree through food mill, return to clean saucepan and adjust seasonings to taste. Keep warm. If sauce seems too thick, stir in little broth or whipping cream. Makes about 1/2 quart.

Mushroom Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 pound mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/2 cup Port

1 cup veal stock

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Heat olive oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and saute 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in Port and reduce by 1/2. Add veal stock and reduce until slightly thickened. Whisk in butter and season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

Jan Weimer chose this recipe from Michel Richard’s upcoming cookbook because it embodies many of the things she loves about his cooking. Believe it or not, this is Richard’s spin on an apple tart. He’s replaced the apples with sliced tomatoes, the puff pastry crust with a basil-scented short crust and the pastry cream with tomato-y instant cream of wheat. Other than that, it’s the same.

SUMMER TOMATO TART WITH BASIL CRUST

Basil Crust

Pastry Cream of Wheat

2 large tomatoes, halved and sliced 1/4-inch thick

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Olive oil

2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup fresh minced basil leaves

Fresh basil sprigs

Arrange Basil Crusts on baking sheets so they fit under broiler. Spread half of Pastry Cream of Wheat over each crust. Overlap tomatoes in rows over Pastry Cream of Wheat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Place tarts about 4 inches below broiler and broil until cheese is browned and tarts are heated through, about 5 minutes, watching carefully. (Tarts can be baked in 500-degree oven until rewarmed, about 7 to 10 minutes.)

Sprinkle tarts with minced basil. Slice into 4 to 6 portions using serrated knife. Transfer to serving platter or individual plates. Garnish with basil sprigs. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

493 calories; 734 mg sodium; 88 mg cholesterol; 30 grams fat; 44 grams carbohydrates; 13 grams protein; 0.77 gram fiber.

Basil Crust

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 cup loosely packed basil leaves

1/2 cup unsalted butter, chopped, at room temperature

1 egg

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 cups flour

Place tomato paste, basil, butter, egg, sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper to taste in food processor. Process until smooth, pulsing on/off and stopping to scrape down sides of container. Add 1/3 of flour and process just until dough is incorporated. Add remaining flour and process just until crumbly. Gather dough together with hands, divide in half and shape each half into 3- to 4-inch-wide rectangle. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Can be prepared 1 day ahead.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out each rectangle on lightly floured surface to slightly larger than 13x5 inches. Trim into 12x5-inch rectangle using fluted cutter. Arrange rectangles side by side on baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour before baking.

To bake crust, discard plastic wrapping. Bake at 350 degrees 30 minutes until slightly puffed and browned. (Can be prepared ahead and transferred to rack.)

Note: If pastry is too firm to roll out, let stand briefly at room temperature.

Pastry Cream of Wheat

9 tablespoons Instant Cream of Wheat

2 cups tomato juice

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 stalk celery, finely diced

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Place cream of wheat in bowl. Bring tomato juice to boil and whisk into cream of wheat. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Add olive oil, vinegar, garlic and celery and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 4 to 6 hours ahead, cooled, covered and set aside at room temperature.)

You don’t need to baste this bird, since butter melting beneath the skin keeps it moist. Helene Siegel chose this recipe from “The Ma Cuisine Cooking School Cookbook” because it is an example of the basic techniques she learned while working on the book.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH GARLIC AND FRESH HERBS

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 (3 1/2-pound) whole chicken

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine butter, thyme, rosemary, sage and garlic in small bowl. Mash mixture with fork to form paste.

Remove any excess fat from chicken’s tail and neck cavities. Loosen skin by carefully running fingers between skin and meat along breast, legs and thighs. Divide butter and herb paste into 4 parts. Stuff 1 portion into each leg and breast. Press skin with fingers to distribute paste evenly. Season outside of chicken to taste with salt and pepper.

Place in roasting pan and roast on medium rack of 425-degree oven 20 minutes on each side and 20 minutes breast up, 1 hour. Set aside to cool 15 minutes before slicing. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

592 calories; 440 mg sodium; 198 mg cholesterol; 48 grams fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 39 grams protein; 0.19 gram fiber.