Uta Hagen's love for cooking is an irrepressible as Julia Child's although her cookbook is chattier and less concerned with mastering procedures. She makes her own pasta (often with company watching) but is not averse to short cuts such as prepared pie crusts, condensed broth, or frozen creamed spinach. Her recipes, which come from a host of friends and her own experimentation, include fluffy orange pancakes, braised duckling in red cabbage, dill bread, and a good section on finely seasoned vegetables.