Savory Spaghetti Carbonara tossed with bits of pancetta, Spinach Lasagna layered with a long-simmered ragu, Gnocchi Gratin crowned with cheese and bread crumbs, sweet-and-spicy Thai noodles -- these are among the classic pasta, noodle, and dumpling recipes you will soon master with this book.<P>Williams-Sonoma "Mastering Pasta, Noodles & Dumplings" is a complete cooking course in a single volume. The opening describes the different types of fresh and dried pastas, dumplings, and Asian noodles available and the ingredients used to make them. You will also learn how to cook, season, and serve pasta, from reading your "mise en place" to adding restaurant-style finishing touches.<P>Basic recipes and key techniques then illustrate dozens indispensable culinary building blocks, such as how to judge when a pasta dough is mixed just right or how to dice an onion with ease. Troubleshooting tips show you what can go wrong and how to fix it without having to start all over again. Next the master recipes lead you step-by-step, with friendly text and instructive photographs, through every stage of preparation. These recipes include helpful advice other cookbooks assume you already know, and explain how to taste and season a dish as you go -- one of the most valuable kitchen secrets you can learn. The shorter recipes and variations in each chapter encourage you to continue practicing your newfound skills, building your repertory and your confidence at the same time. Finally, a guide to equipment and a glossary of ingredients round out your comprehensive pasta-making course.<P>In these pages, you will discover more than fifty classic recipes that tell you, in both pictures and words, how every dishyou make should look and taste from beginning to end. Whether you are an aspiring novice or an accomplished home cook, "Mastering Pasta, Noodles, and Dumplings" is an invaluable source for the tricks, tips, and insider knowledge that, until now, you could learn only in cookin