Amazon.com
A Greenwich Village landmark, the Magnolia Bakery features homemade desserts that people line up for. Recipes from the famous store were featured in The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook by Magnolia owner, Alyssa Torey. In At Home with Magnolia, she provides 90-plus all-course, all-occasion formulas--classic and original--for dishes like Chicken Kiev; Leek, Corn and Mascarpone Tart; and Gemelli with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Artichokes, Arugula, and Yellow Pepper. This is good, simple-yet-sophisticated food with a definite lightness-of-hand; keyed to seasonal bounty, the recipes--including desserts like Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies with Heath Bars and Pecans, and Pineapple Cheesecake with White Chocolate Sauce and Macadamias--are also easy. With many color photos of the dishes and of the author on her farm (where, presumably, the recipes originated), this is just the sort of collection cooks will find themselves relying on again and again. --Arthur Boehm
Book Description
Allysa Torey’s Magnolia Bakery in New York City is the place to get all-American sweet treats, like their famous pastel frosted cupcakes. But at her country home in upstate New York, Allysa cooks a lot more than desserts. Now, in this full-color cookbook, she shares more than 90 of her favorite recipes for everyday meals—and invites you to experience the delights of country living, Allysa Torey–style.
Customer Reviews:
Good book.......2007-03-16
This is a good book, and I am a reader of cookbooks, marking some pages to try recipes at a later date. A great way to relax after a super fast paced day at the office. But this is a good book, not as many good recipes as the first one, but a good book.
Fantastic!!!.......2007-02-12
I love this cookbook. I made the lemon tarragon chicken tonight - it was absolutely perfect and the green beens!! Wonderful. I have so many "note" stickers in this book - I should have just started at the first recipe and worked my way through instead of wasting a package of "note" stickers. I have all of Magnolia's cookbooks - and you can't go wrong with purchasing them -- they are keepers and this one is particularly great to give as a gift - so many interesting and wonderful recipes and nice stories and pictures.
I think it unfair for someone here to give this book a 2 because they made a mistake and thought it was a cupcake book...don't blame the book for that!
Pretty and practical.......2007-01-20
A lovely, well presented book which also has beautiful, easy to cook recipes in it - I also have the Magnolia Bakery book no. 2 so you could say I'm a fan.
Wasn't what I thought it was..........2007-01-19
In the haste to buy last minute Christmas gifts I should have taken the time to find out this was not a 'how to make cupcakes' book as I understand it has only one cupcake recipe in the whole book. It's more of a meal planning cookbook with a wide variety of recipes. Nicely illustrated too. I guess I assumed it was a cupcake book and was wrong.
Relax at home with family and friends..........2006-11-23
The NYT ran an article in Nov. about how Americans as a culture seem to have forgotten what it means to prepare a meal and enjoy a relaxing dining experience with family and friends. Allysa Torey's new book, At Home with Magnolia, provides a practical and fun answer to this dilemma by featuring classic American "comfort food" recipes along with a few simple yet flavorfully innovative dishes and beautiful photographs. The text is well-organized and easy to follow. It's obvious after testing several of these recipes that they are Allysa's tried and true meals to serve at home -- basic, lovely, and delicious. If you're hoping to host more intimate gatherings at home by incorporating the aromas of fresh and delicious "made from scratch" meals without having to spend hours in the kitchen, this book is a perfect place to start.
Book Description
A reprint of the 1953 red plaid cookbook featuring more than 1,000 recipes for appetizers, candy, canning, jiffy cooking, pies, vegetables, and more.
Original, vintage illustrations, more than 50 color photos of finished foods, more than 250 black-and-white how-to and food identification photos, all reprinted with a gently aged, nostalgic patina.
19 chapters filled with hearty, beloved `50s favorite recipes such as mouthwatering Buttermilk Biscuits, Raised Doughnuts, and Feather Sponge Cake.
Entertaining advice for buffets and holidays, plus a table setting and etiquette guide.
Hundreds of time-tested hints and tips ensure standout results.
Customer Reviews:
Best CookBook ever printed.......2007-05-07
I got married in 1956 and this cookbook was a wedding gift. I still have the original, but I bought the new reprint not only for myself but for others. I learned to make bread with this cookbook and the pie crust recipe is as near fool proof as you can get. I still use this cookbook after all these years. It is my favorite.
Blast from the past.......2007-03-08
I bought this book for my mother as a replacement for her well-worn copy and she absolutely loved it!! It is exactly the same as the copy she received in her high school home-ec class except that the pages are not falling out and/or torn. This has been the default cookbook in my mother's kitchen for many years. The recipies are clear and concise with easy to follow directions. The pictures and pages are aged for that nostalgic effect but that doesn't diminish the quality of the contents.
Broken.......2007-01-25
I gave this cookbook 2 stars because although it was exactly what I was looking for, it came in an unacceptable condition. My mother had the original book for as long as I can remember and it had become well worn. Pages were falling out of it. This book was for all intesive purposes the same. When I gave it to my mom for Christmas she was so excited. Unfortunately, the three ring binder on it was broken. This is very bad considering that you need them to turn the pages. I would say that considering it was brand new, this was unacceptable
This was a hit as a gift!.......2007-01-11
I have a friend who's very much into the retro look in everkything, and she was thrilled with this book. All the old-timey pictures and recipes have kept her smiling for some time now. She keeps the cookbook open on her kitchen counter, and changes it to a different picture regularly. There is something very comforting about seeing something like this that reminds us of our mothers.
Thanks Mom!.......2006-03-21
This is a wonderful recipe book. It's so authentic I feel like a kid again with my Mom in the kitchen. She always used this book for different recipes to try as well as good old traditional bisquits and cookies. Thanks for keeping it going!
Karen Perry
Virginia Beach
Amazon.com
Payard Pâtisserie and Bistro has won the devotion of Manhattan's pickiest sweet tooths, who hardly know which of its treats to devour first: the extra-tart Lemon Tart, the Chocolate Mikado Cake, or the Frozen Coconut Soufflé, among other delights.
Besieged with requests for the recipes, the store's award-winning owner and pastry chef, Françoise Payard, has responded wisely with a book geared to the home baker. Simply Sensational Desserts presents over 140 Payard classics transformed (where necessary) to make their preparation absolutely accessible. Everyday and advanced bakers alike will delight in Payard's easy yet uncompromised formulas, not to mention the results they yield.
Beginning with chapters devoted to ingredients, fundamental techniques, and pastry basics like sweet tart dough and genoise--the building blocks of Payard's repertoire and never more simply conceived--the book also presents dessert soups, cookies and petits fours, chocolate cakes (don't miss the Chocolate Pudding Cake), tarts, soufflés, candies, ice creams, and granités. Special chapters devoted to weekend cakes like pain d'epices--portable treats designed for casual munching--and holiday cakes, cookies, and bites conclude the feast. And a feast it is: besides recipes for the four-star goodies mentioned above, Payard includes Rhubarb Lemongrass Soup, Pistachio-Almond Biscotti, Pecan Reine de Saba, Rustic Peach Tart, Chestnut Yule Log, and Soft Chocolate Caramels. Payard also offers his special take on Belgian waffles, tuiles (his pistachio-almond version is stellar), macaroons, pound and fruit cakes, charlottes, and that most perfect dessert (and dessert accompaniment), vanilla ice cream, among others. Color photos profile Payard's homey yet sophisticated desserts--all designed, as Payard tellingly notes, to be made. --Arthur Boehm
Book Description
He was named Pastry Chef of the Year by both the James Beard Foundation and Bon Appétit. Payard Pâtisserie and Bistro in New York has been hailed as a "culinary Shangri-la" by New York magazine. His dazzling cookies, cakes, and tarts, with their intricate detail and explosion of flavor, are coveted coast-to-coast. And now, François Payard shares his breathtaking desserts with home cooks.
Yes, his innovative recipes are remarkably simple. Here's what America's leading chefs are saying about François Payard and this stunning collection of spectacular desserts:
"François Payard is the best pastry chef that France ever exported to tantalize the American palate. From the useful chapters on technique, equipment, and basics, down to the many innovative and contemporary creations with clearly written recipes, this book is a must for the passionate baker.
Simply Sensational Desserts will make François's mouth-watering desserts the hit of your next dinner party."
--Daniel Boulud, chef/owner of Daniel and Café Boulud
"It was a great day for New York when François Payard brought his whisks and wizardry to town. Now, all of America can rejoice in his creations. With this wide-ranging collection, François shares his extraordinary talent and surprises us with his knack for simplifying even the most sophisticated sweets. There isn't a single recipe for one of his astonishing desserts that can't be made--perfectly--by anyone with an oven, a mixer, and a sweet tooth.
Simply Sensational Desserts is simply swell.
--Dorie Greenspan, author of
Baking with Julia and
Desserts by Pierre Hermé
"I have always been inspired by the brilliance and passion of François Payard. His depth of knowledge is what we all aspire to. Through his accessible and easy-to-use
Simply Sensational Desserts, François can now inspire everyone--pastry chefs and home cooks alike. What a treat!"
--Claudia Fleming, pastry chef, Gramercy Tavern
With fifty full-color photographs and 140 simple, spectacular recipes, information on ingredients and equipment, innovative techniques and decorating ideas, and an entire chapter on basic pastry recipes, this long-awaited collection guarantees simply sensational desserts every time.
Customer Reviews:
the best ..........2007-06-04
this book is for everybody who love good dessert, simple, easy and result are absolutely fantastic, even my sons (13 years old) use it
Practical, not over-charging resources, spectacular. .......2006-05-21
I am highly impressed with this book. There are too many cookbooks on the market written by chefs that advertise their own restaurants, or require highly expensive and inaccessible ingredients, or with recipes that require a whole weekend to construct just for visual effects, or all of the above. Francois Payard truly understands the needs and resources of a home cook.
So far, I have tried 5 dessert soups (mango soup with gingered raspberries is my favorite, and it caused a standing ovation from my family and guests), a few cookies (coconut tuiles are sooo simple and sooo delicious), 4 cakes ( the Chocolate Pudding Cake is the simplest cake in its category across several cookbooks, and fantastic in terms of flavor and impressive in terms of presentation; Gateau Alexandra caused deep envy of my husband's male friends :)), and 4 tarts, all of which turned out delicious and quite original. I appreciate that the author gives one recipe for tart dough which works for several of the sweet tarts (there are variations for some other tarts). I already had 6 lemon tarts/pies/cakes in my cooking repertoire, but Payard's lemon tart is just unbelievably flavorful, tasty, beautiful, and so simple! Mediterranean Swiss Chard tart is very original, takes little time to make (you can make several batches of tart dough once and use a prepared in advance batch), and is versatile - try it with other nuts, or golden raisins, or soak raisins in Amaretto instead of rum, or use dried cherries instead of raisins and soak them in Kirsch instead of rum. Hazelnut Tart with Chocolate Chantilly Cream also gives an ubelievable return on investment: it tastes great and looks very sophisticated for the actual time required to make it. It is somewhat rich, so I had to preceed it with a lighter entree when serving it as a dinner dessert course. There are recipes for warm souffles and for frozen souffles, which gives a good representation for one book. The photographs are beautiful. Not only is this book very practical, but it will also make a great gift.
I believe that this book is worth every penny and I recommend it very highly. Bravo, Francois Payard!
Fantastic book - wish I'd bought it earlier.......2005-09-15
I've been purchasing books from Amazon for ages. I love cookbooks - but especially books on baking. I've had my eye on this book for a while but I wish I'd bought it earlier. I've used several recipes from the book and they all turn out fantastic -some require a bit of effort - but you will be well rewarded. I made the bunny cake for my son's 3 year old birthday and every single person who tasted the cake raved and raved. Delicious recipes and great instructions. Thank you Mr Payard.
Disappointing, overall.......2005-08-10
Although there are a few good recipes, I found this cookbook to be disappointing overall. I'll start off with the good: The lemon tart recipe is not only delicious, but a breeze to make and worth the price of the book. The chocolate sorbet is also delicious. The quality of the paper and photographs are excellent, with many beautiful color photographs illustrating the finished product. Now the bad: There is at least one glaring typographical error in this book. The recipe for Linzer Cookies calls for over 2 sticks of butter, 1 cup of hazelnut flour and 1/3 cup of flour. These proportions simply do not work. I had to add at least 1 1/2 cups of flour to prevent the cookies from melting into puddles of butter in the oven. Given that the cover price is $35.00 and the author is a prominent N.Y.C. pastry chef, this alone justifies the two star rating. There simply should not be any recipes whose failure is not attributable to any individual person's taste preferences but to incorrect ingredient proportions. In addition, for what it's worth, three other recipes that I tried (Apricot Tea Cakes, Pineapple Tea Cakes, Golden Banana Cake) tasted very bad in my opinion.
For a good cookbook containing French-style pastries, try "Paris Sweets," by Dorie Greenspan instead.
Big Hoopla, Mediocre Recipes.......2004-09-18
This cook book starts out with many promises and a big name attached to a famous patisserie. There are some good points; in the end, however, it turns out to be a decent, if undistinguished, dessert book. This book is especially valuable for those who are fans of the author's eateries.
All of the popular, wonderful items at Payard's patisserie on the East Coast have been adapted for the home kitchen. Gone are the multiple component creations that take several days to execute at home, as are the sophisticated decorative touches that take talent and look like Picasso or Dali on a bad day. There are few components to do (e.g. only one pie crust recipe, rather than the dozen or so you will find in competing books), and all that is left is the wonderful taste. This, at any rate, is the stated intention of the author. Problem is, the recipes themselves are things you can find in almost any all purpose cook book, and there is little reason to pick this one over a cook book you might already have on your bookshelf. It is true, however, that all of the finicky bits are missing and procedures for the most part are not that difficult to do, and do not require any special skills.
The first part is a good step. It lists delineates tools, techniques, and basic recipes (genoise, simple syrup, buttercream, apricot glaze, etc.) that are crucial, but are often relegated as boring stuff tossed in at the end of many cook books. This book, happily, lists weights as well as volume measures for both liquid and dry ingredients, the mark of a good cook book author (thank you, chef). However, it has several lapses. It does not describe the proper procedure to beat egg whites, fold batter, or tell you what a batter that "ribbons" means. For ingredients: he specifies grade AA large, but does not indicate that the size ("large") and not the grade is important (AAA, AA, A, and even B will work as long as the egg size is correct); Armagnac is specified, but substitutes for those who cannot get or afford it are not specified (in fact, any decent quality brandy will do; I use California ones and usually get better flavors than with Armagnac), and a similar remark applies to his choice of chocolate (whenever a cookbook specifies Callebaut, I substitute Hershey's Special Dark, and always get identical results).
The Fruit Soup chapter is like Mexican agua fresca with Asian flavors (lemongrass, ginger, and five spice powder). Note that the Cookie chapter is about classic French cookies (tuiles, sables, macaroons, etc.), and not American ones. The Cake chapters were uninteresting, but the tarts were pretty good (especially the Lemon, and also the individual Tartes Tatin). In the Souffle chapter, half of them were frozen souffles (really just frozen mousse). I cannot tell you about the ice cream chapter, since I do not have an ice cream machine or a freezer cold enough to make granite. The last two chapters on Holiday stuff and Candy have some decent recipes. A listing of all recipes in the table of contents or chapter heads would be an improvement.
Book Description
Hearkening back to the days before “low-fat” and “low-carb” took the fun out of food, The Good Home Cookbook features more than 1,000 recipes from the days when comfort food wasn’t the latest trend, but a way of life. From a massive collection of vintage cookbooks, including heirloom family recipe books, Richard J. Perry selected dishes that represent the true staples of American cuisine. Then, to see how the recipes changed over the years, they were cross-referenced with later cookbooks. Ingredients and techniques were “averaged” across regions and decades and finally, in a unique public testing program, sent to hundreds of home cooks in all 50 states. The recipes were tested, retested — without fancy stoves or exotic equipment — and meticulously evaluated until each was perfect: a wholesome, delicious American classic in keeping with today’s tastes, but never straying from its honest, blue-plate beginnings.
Customer Reviews:
AMAZING.......2007-10-08
This book is GREAT!!! It has a ton to mouth-watering recepies and is really worth the money.
Belongs On Every Cook's Bookshelf.......2007-09-21
The Good Home Cookbook is a new classic. A must have for cooks of every level, it would make a perfect wedding gift for newlyweds, kids going off to college, couples moving into their first house, etc. This is one of those books you'll always turn to first because you know it'll have a recipe for whatever you're looking for. The best part about it, though? The interesting facts and mini history lessons at the beginning of the recipes. More than once I've gone to look something up and found myself still reading (and starving!) 20 minutes later.
Great chapter on cocktails.......2007-08-15
I thought the book was too retro--that is until I found the chapter on cocktails! I was transported to the living room and backyards of my youth with adults in dresses and slacks drinking fun and funny creations. Now I can recreate those same drinks for my friends. Pretty much any classic american recipe I can imagine is in this book--I personally prefer cookbooks with photos because I am a food photographer, but this book is one that I reach for over and over again because of its high nostalgia value, which, is one of the greatest emotional triggers that food provokes in me.
A Treasure.......2007-07-31
This book is a treasure. It is filled with well constructed recipes for all of my family's favorites. I made the Strawberry Shortcake the other day and it tasted just like my grandmother's did. The Tomato Soup is luscious. The Crispy Clam Puffs are delicious. I am so glad to have this collection.
New Go-To Cookbook.......2007-06-05
I really love this book, and did the moment I saw it. It's very good-looking, a little retro but not "cleverly" so. The recipes are super-clearly laid out, and, thus far, they all work. The author's conversational tone is just right, informative, friendly. I find myself reaching for it whenever I have an ingredient I know I should know inside-out, and often do, but think, maybe I can find a way to make it a little better. Great book.
Book Description
Bread lovers and baking enthusiasts who covet the mouthwatering aroma and tantalizing taste of the most esteemed of breads, sourdough, will delight in CLASSIC SOURDOUGHS, an updated version of our essential baker's companion, World Sourdoughs from Antiquity. Author and sourdough aficionado Ed Wood describes the basics of preparing a sourdough culture, and then moves on to building, shaping, and baking these storied loaves from the ground up. En route, Wood mixes hard science with a profound respect for baking traditions, emphasizing the importance of ingredient selection and paying homage to the baking techniques practiced by the ancient Egyptians. Baking, history, chemistry, cultural anthropology—this is truly a sourdough magnum opus, an engaging, authoritative volume that, most importantly, will show you how to prepare these scrumptious breads in your own kitchen.
Customer Reviews:
The Only Sourdough Yeast that is Original........2007-07-04
I have both of Wood's books and give them five stars, I have bout allot of woods Yeasts and had no trouble with the Cultures, Wood gives you all the knowledge that he can give someone with a small Incubator, I have talked with his Wife on the Phone and they always were respectful and Polite well mannered It has been a Pleasure to read his Books and if he did another book I would Purchase it, This book takes You out of the narrow minded thinking of todays Commercial Yeasts and takes You into the Real World of What makes Cultures and the difference a Culture makes in the hole Bread World wide, You cannot artificially create as good of a Bread. The rest is up to You !
Not good enough.......2007-03-30
It is a book with good recipes and very good discussion about sourdough starters but my expectancy was to have more about how to have the starter from scratch and solve problems in beginning the starter.
Not too bad.......2007-02-18
...but, does not contain enough information. Following Ed's recipes to the letter- including proofing temps- does not make sour bread, too faint a taste for my liking. And this is using his SF starter...the taste is 'correct' but the intensity isn't there.
An explanation of how to twiddle this is in order.
Excellent reference/ primer.......2006-08-31
I own all of Dr. Wood's books. In my opinion this is the best reference, while World Sourdoughs from Antiquity provides interesting historical information on sourdough baking.
I find the recipes quite adequate if one is familiar with making bread at home. If one is new to bread making then I strongly suggest The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book and a loaf for learning contained therein first. Get familiar with baking a yeasted bread before moving to sourdough.
Regardless, since one person's cup of flour weighs 4 ounces and another's 5 ounces I personally prefer recipes by weight. Thus, the volume measurement in Dr. Wood's book versus weight is less desirable for me personally.
I have two cultures from Sourdoughs International -- the original San Francisco and the Russian. I recently activated the Russian as well as a control of flour and water. Both the Russian and the control activated within 24 hours and both had the aroma of a restaurant dumpster in the hot, summer sun.
Following Dr. Wood's directions in this book I washed both the Russian culture and the control. The Russian revived nicely and over the course several successive washings developed into a fragrant, active starter. However, the control did not.
Good Book but be careful if you get any starters.......2005-10-10
I have used the recipes in this book and they work pretty well with the Sourdough starter from King Arthur Flour - I then purchased some starters from Ed Wood and followed the instructions in the book. When they did not revive (they came dried) his basic reply was "tough" even though they claim you will get a refund. Since the book is an infomercial for his starters I would think they would be a little more friendly!!
Book Description
Unlike other basic reading group guides, "Recipe for a Book Club" combines good eating with good reading for the millions of Americans who participate in book clubs. Written by two sisters who formed their own monthly reading and lunch groups that continue to meet,"Recipe for a Book Club" starts in January and ends in December, with a reading theme for each month and a menu and recipes to go with it, a featured favorite book and author, suggested reading list, and interesting questions to ponder and discuss. From January’s theme of New Authors to December’s theme of Inspiration for the new year, this attractively illustrated guide is ideal for all reading groups, whether brand-new or long-established.
Customer Reviews:
GREAT for newly formed book clubs!.......2004-11-06
What a wonderful idea! Now you can gather a few friends together, sip a glass of wine, munch on fine food that matches your monthly theme and sit back to talk about your book selection. Mary and Rose even give you examples of the questions that could be asked and discussed. Everything you need to get yourself started for years of literary bliss, good companionship and great eating. These two sisters will get you started, and you can, with their help, sit back and do the rest with ease.
Their book is filled with quotations, yummy recipes,literary references and ideas. Novice book clubs can just follow Mary and Rose for a successful first year, and seasoned book clubs can pick and choose from these excellent suggestions.
Joyce from Maine
great for book clubs or just book fans!.......2004-10-26
I belong to several book groups and have purchased a copy of this book for each of them! It is fun, interesting, easy to read and the recipes are a fun addition. Loved the suggested readings, the question lists for books, and the colorful book quotes that are scattered throughout the recipes and text. Plus the nice use of color and little icons keeps the readers attention.
Customer Reviews:
Helping the Home Chef Take It to the Next Level.......2007-08-31
This book fills an important niche. My rating is predicated on understanding just what that niche is. If you don't understand the niche, then you may not like the book.
There is a genre of "gourmet cookbooks" by the likes of Charlie Trotter, Craig von Foerester, Thomas Keller, etc. that discuss how to make the food that is actually served in their world-class restaurants, using the finest ingredients and having a fully-equipped restaurant kitchen at one's disposal. These books appeal to what I would call "chef hobbyists" -- people with an extraordinary interest in cooking, and have the equipment and access to ingredients that this kind of cooking requires.
Then there is the niche filled by the Cooks Illustrated series of cookbooks, focusing on more-or-less everyday meals, but analyzing all the ingredients and techniques in depth, and explaining to the reader what works, what does not, and why.
This book fits squarely in the middle of these two genres - the book gives clear explanations of ingredients and techniques, and discusses how the recipe differs from the original restaurant recipe and why, but the focus is clearly on the fine dining experience rather than everyday dinner preparation. It is essentially a bridge between ordinary food preparation, and the vastly more ambitious preparations of the celeberty chefs.
The clear explanations enable the aspiring chef to move the recipes back in the restaurant direction when availability of ingredients so inspires. This book might recommend substituting canned diced tomatoes for the original tomato concasse, and this substitution is certainly reasonable if all you have is off-season supermarket tomatoes, but if you have fresh tomatoes in your garden, hey, start choppin'. If you understand why the substitutions were made you can also understand when to substitute the other way.
All the recipes are thoroughly researched and edited, and there are few if any mistakes. Therefore, you don't need a huge experience base to spot things that just won't work, like sometimes happens with the celeberty chef gourmet books. If you just follow the recipe, you'll get good results, and because things are very well explained, you'll start building up that experience base.
Most of the celeberty gourmet cookbooks have extensive high-quality professional photography to help you get the presentation ideas right. This book does not have very much in that area, and leaves you more to your own devices. This is probably OK, since I think most chef hobbyists get interested in fancy presentation when they reach more advanced levels.
Just as you would expect from Cooks Illustrated, there are frequent sidebars discussing things like "what's the best brand of truffle oil" or tests of different mandolines.
Like all the Cook's Illustrated books, this book offers the opportunity for a great learning experience. If you want to start moving up from just making dinner to impressing your friends and family with a fine dining experience, this book is definitely the reference that you're looking for.
Almost perfect.......2007-08-25
I waited a long time for this book. I toyed with the thought that I'd never want to make restaurant dishes because they were too complicated. I read some of the reviews and figured I didn't need the book. In the end, I'm glad I own it.
This book does a great job of adapting a wide range of upscale (I live in Chicago and I'm praying a media rep will take me to Tru so I won't have to pay for it) recipes for home use. This book gives you less of the classic Cooks Illustrated methodology. However, the pre-recipe info is dedicated to how great the original recipe is and how the new recipe was adapted from the original.
Devotees of CI are used to in-depth explanations of the problems with a particular dish, why those problems occur and the food science of a perfect solution. I think the former is a valid approach for a restaurant book. I guess the thought is that if you're tackling this book, you're more than a novice cook and have an understanding of the food science basics.
The range of recipes in this book is fantastic! Kudos to the team for the effort. There are 150 recipes divided among:
-appetizers, soups & salads
-main courses (my complaint here is that the poultry section is very light -- only four recipes. However there is a decent number of vegetarian, fish and seafood recipes.)
-side dishes (divided into stand-alone sides and those that accompany the main courses)
-desserts
My second complaint, and truly why I'm giving this four instead of five stars, is the small number of photos. To be fair, this is characteristic of Cooks Illustrated. With presentation being integral to a good restaurant experience, I expected more color photos of the finished dishes. Including the cover, there are 17 color photos. To be honest, I wanted a photo of every dish.
Great for upscale recipes.......2007-02-06
I was really hoping this book would have recipes that would be restaurant classics that I enjoy. I was hoping for how to make a fabulous French Dip, how to make baked potatoes incased in salt. This book contains recipes from high end restaurants that I do not typically visit on a daily basis.
While high end restaurant recipes is not all bad, it really doesn't cover the dining that we typically do everyday. Now, with that being said, the recipes that are in the book are good, and very original. These aren't the type of recipes that you are going to cook when you are coming home from work, but these are the recipes that you want to spend time with on the weekend and serve with a bottle of wine.
Some additional benefits of this book is that is shows you how to make perfect pan-seared tuna steaks. Cook's Illustrated also spends time talking about ingredients, and helps you make better choices. I do appreciate these tips, because if I am purchasing higher end ingredients, I want my results to turn out well. Overall I found this book to be a bit disappointing in the direction that was chosen, I was hoping for a book that had more accessible and familiar recipes.
Bring out your inner chef.......2006-11-12
Somehow, I feel this book has not received its due credit or attention. As someone who is very familiar with Cook's Illustrated, I am very surprised that this book did not become one of their top sellers. Perhaps because it is somewhat of a departure from what Cook's Illustrated normally does that people have not been able to truly embrace its concept? I must say that even I was surprised that they set out on such an undertaking with this book, especially since their founder, Christopher Kimball, is a self-proclaimed loather of all foods fancy. But after the tremendous success I have had with the amazing recipes from this book, I am so thankful they ventured into restaurant quality territory.
Before I go on, let me first say that this is probably not a book for the uninitiated. If you are a beginner cook, I strongly urge you to start out with Cook's Illustrated "The New Best Recipe" cookbook. There is a wealth of information and techniques to be learned from this all-encompassing cookbook (the "Bible" to us Cook's Illustrated fans) and you will be better served to learn the fundamentals of cooking and baking before you try most of the recipes from "Restaurant Favorites". However, if you are a seasoned cook looking for delicious, foolproof recipes with the wow factor of a four star restaurant, then you have hit the jackpot with this book!
How CI approached this venture is they contacted scores of food editors from all over the country and asked them what dishes from their favorite restaurants they would most like to recreate at home. They then asked the chefs of those restaurants to share their recipes. In typical CI fashion, they took those recipes into the test kitchen and exhaustively tested them until they came up with a version that would translate into the home kitchen. Most high end restaurants use hard to obtain ingredients, difficult techniques, and have expensive equipment not normally found in home kitchens. They also have sous chefs on hand to help with lengthy preparation and dishwashers to clean their mountains of dishes. We home cooks are not afforded these luxuries. With this in mind, CI set out to transform these recipes into something the home cook could feasibly do at home, while still maintaining the integrity of the original dishes. They substituted expensive, hard to find ingredients with ones available to most home cooks, they simplified techniques, and they streamlined recipes to shorten preparation and cooking times. But all the while, they maintained the genius and drama of four star restaurant cooking. For those of us looking for ways to add new flavors and flair to our dishes without having to take expensive cooking classes, this book is like a gift from heaven!
There is a diverse array of recipes contained within, from the striking beauty and flavor of their "Crab Towers with Avocado and Gazpacho Salsas" to the homey flavors of their "Braised Short Ribs with Creamy Polenta". You will most likely find something to prepare for whichever occasion you choose. The recipes included run the gamut from first courses (appetizers, soups and salads), main courses (vegetarian, poultry, meat and seafood), side dishes and desserts. While this book may be a departure from what Cook's Illustrated normally does, you can still find elements that you have come to expect from them. Like product and equipment ratings, illustrations of techniques, and helpful tidbits that are scattered throughout the book. And like all other CI cookbooks, every recipe comes with a detailed write-up of their experiences in the test kitchen...how they arrived at the final version of the recipes, what lessons were learned in their undertaking, etc. As always, the good people at CI are not only recipe writers, but educators as well.
I cannot recommend this book enough to people who are looking for new and exciting recipes to wow their family and friends. You will be surprised at how doable all these recipes are, and you will be taking your cooking and entertaining to a whole new level. I do admit that I tend to use this cookbook more for entertaining than I do for every day cooking. While there are certainly recipes that you can make for weeknight meals (Tortilla Soup, Greek Salad, Jambalaya, German Pot Roast), more of them have that restaurant flair that seems more appropriate for dinner parties, holidays and special occasions than a Tuesday night in front of the television. But one thing's for certain, every recipe that I tried not only looked beautiful but tasted as good as or better than anything I've ever had in a high end restaurant. I can't thank Cook's Illustrated enough for this book. I've never thought I would be able to cook like this with such minimal effort!
If you are looking to elevate your cooking to an all new high, then you will definitely want this book on your shelf. You owe it to your inner chef to give it a try. :-)
Is Charles Holcomb actually Douglas Hensley (and Pattie Hensley's husband)?.......2006-01-07
A reviewer, "Charles Holcomb", has reviewed all the books written by Douglas Hensley and Pattie Hensley. He has also reviewed several competing books -- such as this one -- and used those reviews as an opportunity to mention the "superior quality" of the book written by Douglas Hensley or Pattie Hensley. The Hensley titles are as follows:
- "Lost Stories From Hell" by Douglas Hensley
- "Magic Voodoo Spells" by Douglas Hensley
- "Hell's Gate: Terror at Bobby Mackey's Music World" by Douglas Hensley
- "Automobile Sales Training and Tips From The Pros" by Douglas Hensley
- "Book of Dreams & Dream Interpretations" by Douglas Hensley
- "Bloody Bones" by Douglas Hensley
- "Grandma's Cook Book and Recipes" by Pattie Hensley
- "Grandma's Country Recipes" by Pattie Hensley
- "Copycat Restaurant and Bakery Recipes" by Pattie Hensley
Book Description
Including updated versions of everyone's all-time favorite dishes, as well as exciting new selections from around the world, Classic Home Cooking is an indispensable reference. Featuring more than 1,000 recipes using fresh, natural ingredients that can be made with minimum time and fuss, the authors follow modern guidelines for using less saturated fat, sugar, and salt without sacrificing taste. Every selection includes a full-color photograph and walks you through the cooking process, from start to finish, including shortcuts and preparation techniques.
Customer Reviews:
This is a terrific book........2007-08-20
This is a terrific book and if you are someone starting out learning how to do home cooking, this might be the only book you ever need. I have had Joy of Cooking for a number of years and always thought it an excellent book, but really this is just as good PLUS every dish is illustrated.
The recipes are clear and depend for the most part on ingredients that you can easily buy in the supermarket. All my favorite dishes that I make regularly are there--meat loaf, chicken pot pie, apple pie, Greek salad, hot and sour soup, Thai red curry, so this book really hits the spot and has inspired me to jazz up some of my recipes and to try some new dishes.
I recently made the sourdough loaf, and although I have been making bread for years, I loved the result and will make it regularly, though not in quite the same way as suggested by the recipe.
I have not really checked or proofread many of the recipes in detail for errors, but I did notice on the sourdough recipe that it said "12 cups white bread" when it should surely have read "12 cups white bread flour." This recipe made a two vast loaves, and one has to wonder if there were other errors in the recipe, because I had to use about 8 cups of water to mix the dough to the right consistency, rather than the 1 cup given in the recipe, and it seems to me that one would do better to cut the ingredients in half and make two decent size loaves. As the recipe stands, it is easier to mix in a paint bucket using a power drill and a mortar mixing blade than by using conventional means, rye bread dough being notoriously stiff.
The book is brilliantly organized with picture indexes at the start of each chapter, and all in all I cannot speak well enough of it. The food you cook may not look quite as good, as the photos are all of food beautfully garnished and served up on plates with color schemes that match the food, but, hey, you need something to get you motivated.
In the state where I live there are many restaurants that advertise themselves as having "good home cooking", but what they actually serve up is just cafeteria food. Now with this book as your guide, you can make your basic dishes like meatloaf and potatoes as real home cooking, but make them really tasty and delicious, which is how food ought to be. There are also enough recipes in every category to find new ideas when you have mastered the basics.
As well as recipes there are excellent discussions of what equipment you need, various cooking techniques (like how to bone a whole chicken), all beautifully illustrated.
I would say this is the best all around cook book I have seen.
I should perhaps add that I am a middle aged man who lives alone and prefers to cook his own food. I make my own bread, ginger beer, ice cream, a few pies, and generally subsist on curries, stews, tacos, roasts etc.
Here are the chapters.................2006-02-22
- Hot & Chilled Soups
- First Courses
- Eggs & Cheese
- Fish & Shellfish
- Poultry & Game
- Meat Dishes
- Vegetarian Dishes
- Pasta & Rice
- Vegetables & Salads
- Yeast Baking
- Pies, Tarts & Hot Deserts
- Chilled Desserts
- Cakes & Quick Breads
* This is an excellent book. Don't pass it up. It's FULL of color photos and almost every page has a minimum of two photos. It's well worth every cent you pay for it.
A wonderful cookbook.......2004-09-13
This is a great cookbook with a lot of nice photos. I purchased this cookbook but had to return it due to the small font sizes used in the latest edition. I had difficulty reading the ingredients when standing and the book is placed on the kitchen table. I purchased the older edition instead. It has a larger font and the price was much cheaper. I compared 4 recipes from the 2 editions and noticed all the ingredients were the same.
Excellent Gift for NewlyWeds.......2003-04-09
I received this as a gift from a friend, and it is an excellent source for cooking. If you want to give a couple a great gift--this is one that qualifies. I cooked out of this book for awhile. Best features of this book are the photos and clear format on white background. A MUST HAVE for every kitchen!
I love this book!!.......2002-09-06
I might as well throw out the rest of my cookbooks, because this is the one I use 99.99% of the time. The directions are explained very clearly and the book contains a wealth of recipes. It also doesn't require you to have a lot of fancy kitchen gadgets or exotic ingredients.
Book Description
A new classic on adapting authentic Indian seasonings and techniques to today’s American kitchen
Indian cuisine has finally come into its own in the United States, as evidenced by the opening of numerous stylish, upscale Indian restaurants. The "dance of spices" refers to the complex, subtle layering of flavors that is at the base of all Indian cooking. This definitive cookbook showcases the wonderful diversity of new Indian cuisine with 238 recipes: fragrant basmatis and rice pilafs; rich, soothing dishes like Chicken Korma; exotic dishes like Fennel-Scented Kashmir Lamb; tongue-teasing chutneys and relishes; side dishes like Velvety Mango Paneer; and sweet confections, all of which can be made with ease at home. Special chapters are devoted to subjects not fully explored in other books, such as tandoor barbecue, chaats–the savory street snacks of India–and popular flatbreads.
Laxmi Hiremath (San Ramon, CA), born in the South of India, has taught Indian cooking in the United States for more than a decade and is one of the San Francisco Chronicle’s most popular food writers. Her articles and recipes have appeared in such publications as Gourmet, Bon Appétit, and Fine Cooking.
Customer Reviews:
A staple for food lovers!.......2005-12-02
I was always on the look-out for recipes that covered Indian cooking methods from the basic foundation of making your own spices to elegant pairings of traditional Indian and Western ingredients. When my husband came home with 'The Dance of Spices', given to him as a gift at a seminar, I was surprised by the level of detail, care, and passion. Things that my mother cannot explain to me because of the miles between us, Laxmi has done comprehensively in her new cookbook. I have learned simple techniques like how to make my own ghee at home, understand the marriage of spices, and most importantly, how to make finger-licking Indian food in a San Francisco home. I hope you all enjoy this book as much as I have.
a must have .......2005-12-01
All the recipes that I have tried from this book have turned out to be excellent. The book is very fun to read, with some interesting childhood stories from the author. The dishes are very easy to make and all of them are extremely delicious. This book is meant for anyone who enjoys cooking a wonderful meal for their family.
very helpful for Indian cooking.......2005-09-21
I am relatively new to Indian cooking but this book provided easy-to-make recipes that were quite appetizing; each recipe has the author's own personal story, making it an interesting read as well.
great book.......2005-09-21
This is an excellent cook book and a must-have for every kitchen; each dish is very tasty and delicious.
Excellent.......2005-03-05
I have made several dishes and they have turned out very well. The books is fun to read since it talks about techniques and ingredients. This is a very comprehensive recipe book covering most all of India. If you need an easy to follow book that has a bit of nouveau along with the traditional Indian food, then this is a great book to buy.
Books:
- Bartender's Black Book, 7th Edition: 2,700 New and Classic Recipes
- Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes
- Breakfasts & Brunches (Culinary Institute of America)
- Chez Jacques: Traditions and Rituals of a Cook
- Cook Right 4 Your Type: The Practical Kitchen Companion to Eat Right 4 Your Type
- Crisis Preparedness Handbook: A Complete Guide to Home Storage and Physical Survival
- Cucina Simpatica: Robust Trattoria Cooking From Al Forno
- DAISY COOKS!: LATIN FLAVORS THAT WILL ROCK YOUR WORLD
- Delilah's Everyday Soul: Southern Cooking With Style
- Disney's Little Einsteins: Butterfly Suits (Disney's Little Einsteins)
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General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
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