Cookbook Watch

Patrick Clark probably never got as much attention as he deserved from the dining public. Among his fellow chefs, it was a different story. Clark, who died last year at 42, was a pro’s pro: a great cook but also highly organized, rock-solid and capable of inspiring awe among those who worked with him. He was the kind of guy who could get good food out of the kitchen at Tavern on the Green, which serves half a million meals every year.

While he was in the hospital waiting for the heart transplant that never came, Clark was working on a cookbook of his recipes. He died before he could finish it, but about 50 of his friends have chipped in to supplement the 60-odd recipes he had completed, and now “Cooking With Patrick Clark: A Tribute to the Man and his Cuisine” (Ten Speed Press, $35) is in stores.

The book is divided into his recipes and theirs. His are offset by the recollections of his five children. His friends--a who’s who of top chefs that includes everyone from Alice Waters to Gray Kunz--each contributed a short tribute along with their recipes. All royalties from the sale of the book will go to support the Patrick Clark Family Trust, a nonprofit fund to pay for his kids’ education.