Selling the Sizzle: The Alinea Cookbook

Carly Simon once sang "anticipation ... is keeping me waiting." Keep those lyrics in line now that pre-orders are being taken for the long-awaited Alinea cookbook, due from Ten Speed Press in autumn 2008.

Ordering the 100-recipe book, currently listed at a downright-cheap-for-Alinea fifty dollars, also affords buyers some added perks. Buyers will receive a limited-edition copy of the book signed by chef Grant Achatz and members of the Alinea creative team. All pre-sale customers will also gain early access to the Alinea Mosaic — a fully interactive website detailing exclusive behind-the scenes videos, including cooking demonstrations, images, recipes not found in the book, and behind-the-scenes accounts from the creative team — set to launch in May.

We're all over this pre-sale. We figure the money we save on the book can go toward purchasing some of Alinea's famed service ware. Maybe we can set aside $100 a month for the next year toward the purchase of an anti-griddle or a sous vide bath. Joking aside, we're damn excited about this.

"Course 19" ("Hot potato, cold potato, black truffle, butter) courtesy of Matthew Hine via flickr.