Book Description

Off-Premise Catering Management, Second Edition is the updated edition of the NACE-recommended guide to planning, executing, and managing an off-premise catering management business. The book presents profiles of off-premise catering companies and sole proprietors from both large and small operations. It includes many useful forms and checklists throughout the planning and execution stages of the event and offers extended coverage of marketing off-premise catering businesses. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Perfection
There is nothing this book has left out.I had gotton so many books before this one but this one literally answered all the questions i needed answered. I use it as a point of refernce daily.
It is clear Mr. Hansen is an expert amoung experts in his field.He speaks to you like you were in a room. Explains thoughrally.Leaves no stone unturned. If you are like me and starting your own business or want to be in the industry, this is surely the book.
Sometime I read it just for my reading pleasure. That is how much I love it. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Whether your summer house is a beachside bungalow, a lakeside cottage, or a year-round retreat, cooking for family and friends while on vacation can be a delight—if you know how to keep it simple. The Summer House Cookbook has all of the tips, tricks, and recipes guaranteed to make summertime cooking a breeze.

Rather than stocking a vacation home with a full array of spices, whip up a couple “make-to-take” infused oils, marinades, and spice blends to bring along—they’ll give instant, effortless flavor to meats and fish. Save time in the kitchen by cleverly dressing up leftovers—turn extra roast chicken into Tarragon Tree Chicken Salad, and grilled flank steak into a great sandwich with some Balsamic-Marinated Red Onions. From crowd-pleasing recipes such as Picnic Basket Fried Chicken, Memorial Day Coleslaw, and Bar Harbor Lobster Cakes to sophisticated offerings like Charred Pesto Shrimp and Grilled Lamb Chops with Olive Butter, these dishes require nothing more than the basic equipment available in even a bare-bones kitchen.

The Summer House Cookbook is filled with great ways to enjoy the pleasures of the season. Share a big pitcher of margaritas and a bowl of Best-Ever Guacamole with friends, or celebrate summer produce with Fourth of July Strawberry Shortcakes and Perfect Peach Pie.

Filled with evocative photographs and the stove-side advice of two friends who love to cook together, The Summer House Cookbook is all you need to create delicious food in any kitchen. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

The fabulous summer house cookbook
I have always struggled with what recipes to take for our summer vacations. Now I have one book that I can pack. It suggests the basic purchases that you'll want to make for your pantry and offers flexible ways to use what type of appliances that you have at your summer getaway. I'm always wanting a fun and easy cocktail and appetizer to offer to my guests and of course a delicious dessert. I just served the Peppered Salmon with Pineapple Compote last night. It was terrific. Whether you are a vegetarian or a meat and fish lover, you'll be using this cookbook even after the summer is over.

The Summer House Cookbook
My wife and I enjoy cooking while on vacation, as well as in our backyard during the summer months. We have often felt that without all the cooking tools we have at home, our success while on vacation would be hampered. The authors took special care to ensure that every recipe can be made using only the most basic utensils. The focus on keeping it simple is consistently adhered to--as the book says, as much as we enjoy great food we have better things to do on vacation than lots of preparation. We really appreciate the pantry list--which makes organizing for our summer house adventure effortless. Try the grill-roasted oysters and the heirloom tomato salad. The Aux Delices Orzo Salad is great!! Having sampled author Ponzek's fine food at Aux Delices in Greenwich, Conn. I can tell you we are thrilled to have the insight of a four-star chef translated into simple meals that we can enjoy with minimal fuss. Love it!

Just not for me
I have to tell you for the average midwest simple minded cook, this is not the book for me. I was pretty disappointed when I received the book as a gift. The recipes seem to be to involved and high maintence ingredience. I think this book is more for the expreinced gourmet cook than us simple minded ones.

Lightening Up Summer Cuisine
This is an approach that one would think other cookbooks deliver also, that of a summer style menu which eases up on the tedious prep work and makes placing enticing food before family and friends easy and yet delectable.

They do, but here is a specialty cookbook which centers only on this aspect: light summer cusine.

These two experienced chefs achieve their stated purpose by providing lots of recipes both of the standard recipe fare and some unique ones as well. They begin with a superb section on "Getting Ready to Go" which provides hints that truly prepare one to get all the gear and chef tools and ingredients ready to take or find and purchase whether to stock the summer abode or take to a rental or one's own backyard cooking. There is also a "Make Ahead" section with oils and marinades, etc. which is truly a neat idea to achieve the desired: "summer state of mind."

The recipe groupings are around meals, i.e. breakfast, picnics, dinners, parties, rainy days and then around source: farm stand, dock, grill, and desserts.

My two favorites thus far are "From the Dock" and "Rainy Day Dinners." Feast your eyes and appetites on such as: Sea Bright Striped Bass" with peach, nectarine, and plum balsamic vinegar sauce; Malibu Soft-Shell Crab Salad with watermelon, fennel, arugala and orange salad; Sweet Corn Pudding; Lobster, Mushroom and Sweet Pea Risotto; Chilled White Peach Soup with Red Wine Ice; Fig and Raspbery Fool.

Well done with delightful text bolstered with superb color photos. Also, not thick, heavy book it packs and travels well.

The ultimate cookbook!!
It's now Autumn, but this book will be used year round in our kitchen. I used the "Only Pie Crust Recipe You'll Ever Need" in this book. It was right! The results were a light, flaky crust. I used it for an apple pie. All I heard from the kitchen table were moans and groans. What a reward that was!
I highly recommend this book for the crust and all other recipes! "MMMMMMM!" ... Read more

Amazon.com

Does The Silver Palate Cookbook ring a bell? Or The New Basics Cookbook? That's Sheila Lukins, with partner Julee Rosso, back in the days of making a major splash in the food world. What had been an upscale take-out shop became a brand, a series of books, and a line of specialty foods. Lukins went on to become food editor of Parade magazine. And she never slowed down on the cookbooks, producing on her own All Around the World Cookbook and USA Cookbook. Now her legion of fans can welcome Celebrate! Like all the others, it's a big book: 350 recipes, 200 color photographs, 480 pages.

"I'm in the mood to celebrate," Lukins crows. "It's the kind of joyous mood that makes me happy to call friends and family and invite them over for good food, good conversation, and good cheer! It's the kind of mood that makes needing a reason to celebrate...." Should you find yourself banging around for a reason to celebrate, relax: Lukins provides 43 of them. She hits all the major holidays--Christmas, Mother's Day, Passover, Superbowl. And then she witches up come celebrations you probably wouldn't think up on your own--Celebrate India, for example, or Celebrate Fresh Blueberry Breakfast. This is a book of menus and clustered recipes, which is handy if you don't want to think through an entire meal. Nothing's too demanding, flavor remains the bellwhether, ingredients will be in easy reach. Piece of cake. Piece of Devil's Food Cake, for that matter. You'll find that along with Deviled Chicken Wings, Red Hot Short Ribs of Beef, Jicama Slaw, and Tangerine Sorbet when it comes time to Celebrate an Old-Fashioned Halloween.

Sheila Lukins has always been one to point the way. Sure, celebrating with food and family and friends is obvious. But Lukins moves it all up to the next level, with bold splashes of color. If you make celebration a part of your everyday life, she's saying, you'll surround yourself with everything in life that's worth celebrating. Good food is certainly part of that living equation. --Schuyler Ingle ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Reason to Throw a Party
This is simply creative, well done and inspirational. From the unique concept to the exciting layout to the fab recipes, this is one to have and use and celebrate and enjoy.

The author is a cookbook all-star, having done The Silver Palate series and New Basics and several of her own. She branches out now with this one which provides a whole thematic culinary event including recipes, music, wine suggestions, serving and decorating ideas. All centered around great food.

There are 43 themed events with 350 recipes all showing color photos organized into two main sections: A Year of Celebrations, with a dozen of the more classic events e.g. New Year, Seder, Mother's Day, etc., and the second: Celebrating Our Lives, bridal shower, graduation, cuisine & culture outings, e.g. India, morocco; and ingredient feasts such as a blueberry breakfast. There are also adequate sources, bibliography, conversion tables and a nice index. The servings are hefty, sometimes for 24, 8, 2, 16. Buffets, pool party, sit down dining room, beach, etc. venues well covered as well.

While so many could be singled out to inspire you to add this to your collection, let me tempt you with two samplings: A Toast To New Year for 8, with a Celebration Coktail ( Grand Marniew and champagne and more), Sparkling Crab Salad, Frisee Folie with Tangerine Vinaigrette, Mahogany Squabs, Fancy New Year's Pilaf, Carrot-Ginger Whip, Beet and Apple Whip, Frozen Lime Souffle, Chocolate Truffles. All of this decked out in an ambience of Old Painted Hookahs holding apricot-hued roses, with votive candles amid floating white orchids, set upon table of paisly fabriic, with pink linen napkins set off with gold wire-ribbon ties. Suggested music: Rimsky--Korsakov's Scheherazade or John Coltrane's My Favorite Things.

Anytime Sunday Brunch for 8 with Leek Frittata, Roasted Tomatoes and Onions, Rustic Chicken Salad, Tomatoes a la Tapenade, Blackberry Sorbet, and Rich Pecan Squares.

As she suggests, one doesn't have to do all the recipes, and mix and matching of them is allowable and encouraged. She has a good idea too, that of trying a more difficult recipe ahead of time as a dish to gain confidence before preparing as part of a bigger spread.

This is lush, well thought out and executed and a marvelous resource for entertaining, whether one follows it to a tee, some of it, and use for inspiration to dream up your own. This is wo well done and has something everyone can find exactly what you're into. Explore, dine and wine, bon appetit.

Seriously Fun Book for Cooking Up Entertaining Menus
This book by veteran cookbook author Sheila Lukins is an excellent cookbook for the home cook who likes to cook and to entertain, but who is not a foodie who does not want to spend a lot of time pulling recipes from books by celebrity authors or the 'Joy of Cooking'. The book is also superior to other recent books written to the same theme such as 'Around the Table' by Ellen Wright.

There is a great divide between books written for foodies and culinary professionals and books written for everyone else who needs to prepare food and simply needs some straightforward guidance in how to go about the work in the kitchen. The latter type of book generally specializes in cooking fast, cooking thin, or cooking to other special purpose. Lukins' book covers entertaining menus and recipes in an exceptionally thorough treatment of 43 different events. To my lights, she has done a superb job of selecting recipes, which are appropriate to the occasion. I may miss the special paska bread at the Easter menus, especially since there are two different Easter menus, but I respect Lukins' decision as the book contains no recipes for bread, and the menus contain nothing, which is not made in the home.

While this book is not a foodie book, it succeeds far better than many other general audience cookbooks in selecting recipes, which are genuinely interesting to gourmets. The Salad Nicoise, for example uses freshly sautéed tuna rather than the traditional canned tuna. The chile recipe uses diced beef like most 'competition grade recipes', not ground beef. The recipes for stock are reputable. Expert sources like Cooks Illustrated or Jeremiah Tower may prefer fewer vegetable ingredients or more chicken bones, but Lukins' recipes will give flavorful results without an excessive amount of trouble. The recipe for a standard pastry dough leaves out a few of the finer tips found in books dedicated to pastry, but here too, the recipe supplied will work. I do suspect one may be well served by going to a specialist for baking.

I tried my best to find a menu where an ingredient was clearly used out of season and I could not. Fresh corn was used in recipes slated for summer events, while frozen corn was used in recipes requiring fresh corn at Thanksgiving. Unlike foodie oriented authors, Sheila does not preach to us about using local, seasonal foods, but she is practicing that doctrine gently, without burdening us with the gospel according to Alice Waters. Lukins does, however, tip the hat to intellectual honesty by citing her expert sources. She has a Moroccan menu and, sure enough, she credits Paula Wolfert's authoritative book on Moroccan cuisine as a source.

Lukin's book is primarily about providing worthy recipes to people who want to have fun. Each menu includes an alcoholic beverage recommendation. I am no expert on this, but it makes perfect sense to me to include these recommendations in a book of entertaining menus. Leaving it out would have been a deficiency in the book. The book also includes recommendations for music appropriate to each occasion. While I pretend to know much more about music than I do about wine, I will not object to any of the recommendations except perhaps to the omission of Moussorsky's 'Night on Bald Mountain' from the Halloween lineup. Anyone who recommends Duane Eddy as a listening option certainly has their heart in the right place.

The selection of recipes in each menu are appropriate and the recipes are serious. There are no second rate pot luck event recipes here from the back of Hamberger Helper boxes. I recommend this book over any other of books on the same subject. The paperback price for a book of this size and quality is doubly attractive. ... Read more

Book Description

Jack Bishop's commitment to simplicity and his talent for fine-tuning recipes so they work perfectly in real time make his books favorites among vegetarians and occasional vegetarians alike. As a busy husband, father of two young children, cookbook author, magazine and book editor, and head cook for his family, Bishop demands a lot from the meals that make it into his repertoire. They must be convenient dishes that he can prepare at the end of a day in an hour or less with readily available ingredients. They must satisfy his and his wife's discriminating palates. And last, but emphatically not least, they have to pass muster with his five- and nine-year-old daughters.
In A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen, Bishop guides you through the seasons with 248 of his favorite everyday recipes, which deliciously embody his philosophy of "shop locally, cook globally, and keep things easy." Cooking with seasonal produce, he says, is the best way to bring a welcome variety to the table. In spring, dinner might be Soft Tacos with Garlicky Greens or Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Asparagus and Eggs, perhaps with a side of Sugar-Snap Peas with Fried Ginger. Summer brings Savory Corn Griddle Cakes or Fresh Tomato Pizza with Avocado. For fall, Root Vegetable Tarts with Rosemary or Orecchiette with Spicy Broccoli is on the menu. And in winter, when farmers' markets are a distant memory in most parts of the country, there are dozens of flavorful choices, including Pan-Glazed Tofu with Thai Red Curry Sauce, Caribbean Black Beans with Sautéed Plantains, and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Mushrooms.
In concise sidebars that accompany each recipe, Bishop shares tips gleaned from his ten years' experience at Cook's Illustrated, covering everything from choosing a good vegetable broth to picking the best potatoes for mashing to mastering the secrets of successful stir-frying. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The best vegetarian book
This is the best vegetarian cookbook I have bought. The recipes are all based on what vegetables are in season and the recipes are really tasty. The recipes are easy to prepare and appeal even to picky eaters like myself. You need this cookbook!

Practical, Smart, Seasonal Vegetarian Dishes
On several counts, this is a better than average vegetarian cookbook by veteran author and Cooks Illustrated executive editor, Jack Bishop. The most outstanding virtue of the book is that, true to the title, the recipes are organized by season. This is a popular notion these days and several books have done it already, but it is doubly appropriate to a vegetarian cookbook. Mr. Bishop decides to divide things into the four seasons rather than splitting things up more finely as others such as Albert Portale have done in one of his books.

The second virtue of the book may actually be a requirement for a seasonally organized book. This is an additional table of contents organized by type of dish. The categories so organized are Soups and Stews; Lighter Salads; Main-Course Salads; Sandwiches and Tortilla Dishes; Pasta and Noodles; Rice, Grains, and Couscous; Beans and Lentils; Eggs; Tofu and Tempeh; Pizzas and Tarts; Vegetable Main Courses; Side Dishes; and Accompaniments. I am not up on all the finer distinctions in the vegetarian / vegan world, but the presence of distinctly eggy dishes such as omelets, frittatas, and souffles tells me that Mr. Bishop is on the liberal end of the vegetarian spectrum.

The third virtue of the book is the great variety in foods used in the dishes and in the great variety of ethnic influences. Italian pastas, frittatas, beans, and veggie dishes are cheek and jowl with lots of Middle Eastern, South Asian, Southeast Asian, Chinese, Japanese, and Latin dishes. Tofu, miso, grains, and couscous are given prominent roles in ethnic dishes. I have seen some vegetarian cookbooks that claimed to declaim classic dishes with virtually no rice dishes represented. True to his 'best recipe' background from 'Cooks Illustrated', Mr. Bishop's techniques are dead on in every case I checked. His rice technique is especially keen on the finer points of difference between cooking simple long grain rice and rice for 'sticky rice'.

The fourth virtue of the book is set of sidebars on ingredients and techniques. In one, for example, he echoes a finding in 'Cooks Illustrated' that points out that American imitations of Indian Basmati rice simply don't cut it. The sidebars plus headnotes leave no mistaken impressions that this is fast or simple cooking. One's first experience in preparing a dish from fresh artichokes or fava beans will demonstrate that some veggie delicacies can be very finicky and time consuming to prepare.

The fifth virtue of the book is in the pantry recipes or, more accurately 'Everyday Basics' with recipes for stocks, doughs, basic rice preparations, basic potato preparations, and basic corn meal preparations. These are all 'seasonless' recipes, as good rice, potatoes, and corn meal are available the year around. The best finds in this chapter are the three different vegetable stocks, one traditional, one Mediterranean with basil and potato, and one Asian with dried shiitake and ginger. Bishop demonstrates great respect to his veggie ingredients by simmering for no more than an hour.

The last virtue I consider valuable for you, dear reader, to know is the fact that Bishop is neither preachy nor rigid about his vegetarianism or seasonality. He freely confesses to using imported materials out of local season and makes recommendations for supermarket replacements for stocks and such (look for stocks in cardboard aseptic containers). This liberality extends to the fact that several recipes are not strictly from their seasonal chapter. I am especially happy that Mr. Bishop did not bring along the 'Cooks Illustrated' dialectic of examining lots of unsuccessful methods, which cooks have known to be bad ideas for centuries.

I do believe there are some recipes that are less than stellar. There are times when 'simple' leaves you with the feeling that something is missing, but then, maybe this just means you palate needs some education. Overall, I found lots of sound ideas, albeit few with which I was unfamiliar. Sometimes, I think certain culinary ideas, even ideas which may be centuries old, suddenly acquires a currency among culinary writers. All of a sudden, everyone is talking about adding Parmesan rinds to soups and broths. Mr. Bishop uses this very simple idea in the most novel manner by adding it to the broth to be added to risotto in place of the conventional chicken stock. Thank you, Jack.

Highly recommended for the vegetarian and all others searching for reliable seasonal recipes and nutritious dishes. Intermediate skills required. Few expensive or truly hard to get ingredients. ... Read more

Book Description

Gin and Tonic anyone?

Remember the days of sipping Cape Codders in Cape Cod? Bloody Marys over brunch in SoHo? And Old Fashioneds at the Harvard Club?

No?

Doesn't matter. The 80s may be over, but the preppy attitude that pervaded the era lives on in classic drinks with a kick. Tipsy in Madras will help readers "prep" their bar, discern the brands to have on hand, mix their drinks, and delve into the timeless lifestyle. Wanna-bes and prepster hold-outs will get insight into preppy drinking fashion, customs, literature, and more-and answers to such essential preppy questions as:

Do Brahmins drink beer?

To monogram or not to monogram?

Where does one find authentic prep school mugs?

What are the best preppy movies to drink by? ... Read more

Reviews (1)

had fun getting tipsy !!!
I really enjoyed this book, written with a sense of humor and alot of info, it brought back some great memories..I also enjoyed making a few of the drinks,,love those bloodies!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The mysteries of cream of tartar revealed! How to make maximum use of blackening bananas! The hidden meaning of folding in dry ingredients until just blended! Perfect pie crusts for perfect fools! It's all here in Baking Illustrated, from banana bread to pecan bars, and everything imaginable in between--500-plus pages of densely packed, illustration rich, photo finished information all devoted to baking. Tools, techniques, ingredients, tips, and perfect, tested recipes.

There's cooking and there's baking, and the two should never be confused. Good cooks are ever commendable. Good bakers, on the other hand, have something about them bigger than skill or imagination, something that reaches back to the beginning of agriculture and the first inklings of civilization. Good bakers are their own mystic society. So hats off to Cook's Illustrated for throwing open the doors and sharing the mysteries with the rest of us. Baking Illustrated absolutely has it all. You'll find chapters devoted to "Quick Breads, Muffins, Biscuits, and Scones"; "Yeast Breads and Rolls"; "Pizza, Focaccia, and Flatbread"; "Pies and Tarts"; "Pastry"; "Crisps, Cobblers, and Other Fruit Desserts"; "Cakes"; and "Cookies, Brownies, and Bar Cookies". No mean undertaking, all that. Tools are tested and names are named. Techniques are stripped back then rebuilt. Cook's Illustrated carries all this off with a style and relish for inquiry and detail that sets a standard. Nothing is taken for granted because there's no fudge room with baking. It works or it doesn't. So trust is a big issue. And the end result of all the mighty labors of the Cook’s Illustrated staff is text you can trust. This is a baking book that works.

And those blackening bananas? Simply keep adding them to a Ziplock bag you store in the freezer, then use them when you wish and as you like. --Schuyler Ingle ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A Must Have Cookbook!
This book is great! I have made about 8 of the recipes and each and everyone of them has turned out amazing!! The recipes are really quite great! I plan on giving this book to friends as gifts, it is that good. I trust that every recipe will be a success!

Excellent Resource for Baking Enthusiast
This volume, 'Baking Illustrated' is a compilation of articles and recipes from 'Cook's Illustrated' magazine. This is the same source as many other volumes presuming to provide the 'best' recipe for various dishes. Overall, I find the recipes in this book very good, but with several reservations.

I am really happy to see the 'America's Test Kitchen' crew turn their attention to baking. Unlike savory cooking, baking is highly dependent on accurate measurements of weight, volume, and temperature. Therefore, it is an area where a scientific approach of varying various quantities will have a more beneficial result than in the savory world.

This book is subtitled 'The Practical Kitchen Companion for the Home Baker'. This means the book is directed at the amateur home baker. This facet does not really distinguish the book that much from dozens of other baking books I have reviewed. In fact, I would warn occasional bakers who simply want recipes that this book might just be a bit too wordy for you. You may be much better served by a general baking book by Maida Heatter, Nick Malgieri, or even Martha Stewart. On the other hand, if you love 'Cooks Illustrated' or simply reading about cooking and baking technique, then this is a book for you!

My biggest reservation with the whole 'best recipe' approach by 'Cooks Illustrated' is that a recipe is best only by a certain set of criteria. What may be the best FAST recipe may fall flat on its face for ENTERTAINING or for MOST HEALTHY. The 'Cooks Illustrated' team generally goes for a good compromise between fast and tasty. A corollary to this reservation is the presumption that the 'Cooks Illustrated' approach has a unique insight into baking truth. This is simply not true. I just finished reviewing professional baker Sherry Yard's new book 'The Secrets of Baking' an I believe it is unequivocally the best book you can get for understanding baking technique. She spends no time on discussing failed approaches. Everything in the book is right to the point. With only slightly less enthusiasm I would recommend the 'Bible' series of baking books by Rose Levy Beranbaum.

One clue to my preference for Yard and Beranbaum is the way they treat brioche and challah. Both deal with these two recipes as two variations on a common 'master' recipe. Thus, when you understand how to make one, it is clear that you are very close to knowing how to do the other. This 'Baking Illustrated' volume gives the two recipes side by side, but gives little other clue that the recipes are related.

Another symptom of where the 'Cooks Illustrated' method may be less than satisfactory is in their carrot cake recipe. Carrot cake is a really interesting product, made even more interesting to me by Sherry Yard's explanation of why it is so good and so versatile. I have been making a three layer carrot cake for birthdays from a Nick Malgieri recipe for over a year now, and I am very happy with the results. 'Baking Illustrated' gives a passle of advice on what works and what doesn't work and ends with a recipe for a single layer sheet cake. This simply does not have enough WOW quotient for an important birthday.

Yet another weakness in the 'Cooks Ilustrated' method is illustrated by a recent Jim Villas book which has over a hundred recipes for biscuits, with over twenty for simple, unflavored biscuits. Each of these twenty recipes has their own charms. The current volume has only one 'best recipe'.

After all these reservations, I must still say that for the person who treats baking as a hobby, this book is a rich resource for all sorts of recipes. Some few baking books such as those by Yard and Beranbaum do a lot of explaining and offering alternatives, but most books do not. If you really want the straight scoop on what is the best ingredient to use, this is your book. It is also a rare source of excellent pictorials on technique based on line drawings that focus on the important aspects of a technique and do not distract as many photographs may do. The explanation of differences in types and results with butter you may not find anywhere else. The discussion of variations in flour is good, almost as good as the one you will find in Beranbaum's books.

I give the book five stars but there may be many potential buyers who may not want the extensive why and what ifs and just want the recipes. For those people, I suggest Nick Malgieri's 'How to Bake'.

An absolute must have for any baking enthusiast!
I've been a subscriber to "Cooks Illustrated" for a few years now and love it for all of it's great recipes and tips. I received this book as a gift and since I am a baking maniac I was thrilled to have received such a tremendous resource. Within the first week I went absolutely nuts and baked about 5 things from it, each recipe I tried was outstanding and won HUGE raves from all who tasted! I really do encourage any of you who have a passion for baking/desserts to pick it up. It is also a must have for those of you who are aspiring bakers. You can't beat the tips and detailed information, valuable things when you are just starting out... I truely believe that this cookbook is truely the only baking book you will ever use again!

Excellent Book, But there's an error
I like the way Cook's presents recipes. They tell you how they experiment which give you, the home baker, the skills to experiment on your own! This is great.

There are a lot of recipes here and they are all well-written. Please note, there is an error in their Basic Pie Crust recipe. It should be 1/2 cup of shortening rather than one cup. This was sent to me in an email from the America's Test Kitchen website.

The pefect tone for aspiring bakers
For somebody who already spends a lot of time in the kitchen, this book is a revelation. I own several good baking titles, but Baking Illustrated just runs circles around them. The book is literally packed with tips and information. Even the areas I thought I knew something about were covered in such exquisite detail and straightforward instruction that I have all but stopped making the usual dumb mistakes which torpedoed my many attempts at pies, tarts, cakes, brownies, etc. And as always, the folks at Cook's Illustrated have filled the book with clear, simple illustrations that show exactly how to do it--a difference between this and other titles that makes ALL the difference.

Baking Illustrated is a gem; it will find a prime spot on my bookshelf. ... Read more

Book Description

Is the butter plate on the right or the left? How should you introduce someone whose name you can't remember? What is the polite way to handle a guest who arrives early? Emily Post's Entertaining provides answers to these and many other questions that vex today's hosts and guests.

Emily Post's Entertaining is a practical guide to hosting with elegance and ease. Its goal is to give everyone the confidence to handle any get-together, from casual and cozy to formal and fancy. Among the wide range of events and entertaining quandaries Peggy Post addresses are: getting together for everything from a Super Bowl party to dinner with the boss; throwing children's birthday parties; giving a casual dinner with takeout food; making appropriate introductions; jump-start dinner conversation; choosing the right wine; and much more. Entertaining covers the basics of hosting, but most importantly, it reminds you that successful entertaining springs not from the good china and an elaborate table setting, but from the people you are with and the memorable time you spend together.

"The best hosts spin magic out of thin air, creating the kind of special occasion guests can't stop talking about."

From simple dinners and casual parties to formal business functions and catered events, Emily Post's Entertaining shows you how to be the perfect host. With Peggy Post's guidance, you can breeze through toasting your guest of honor and unflinchingly manage sticky social situations such as unanswered invitations and surprise guests. Emily Post's Entertaining helps you to entertain with elegance and ease, making every get-together a memorable event. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An Informative, Non-Stuffy Etiquette Resource
I purchased this to serve as a guide for my first-ever party in my new-ish apartment. What a great resource!

Peggy Post's _Entertaining_ covered a lot of ground -- from serving a formal sit-down dinner in one's home to gracefully declining an invitation to a friend's barbeque. I especially enjoyed the incredibly helpful section on house guests. It discussed both how to properly *host* a house guest and how to *be* a sought-after house guest. (My mother was right. You should never to a host's house empty handed.)

Each tip or explanation is written in a clear, congenial way. Not once did I feel that Ms. Post was "talking down" to the reader. Rather, her tone was similar to that of a friend giving another friend sage advice.

Additionally, I liked how the book was organized, as it broke entertaining into a number of easy-to-follow categories including formal parties, casual cocktails, or impromptu get togethers. Therefore, I could easily pick and choose what I needed to read and save the other material for a later date.

I might suggest giving this book as a housewarming gift to a new home owner or as a wedding gift (attached to s place setting) for social newlyweds. They will surely appreciate the advice of this expert!

It's obvious that Peggy Post inherited many of her skills and zestiness from the famed Emily Post, etiquette guru. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (6)

This book saved my life!
After struggling and wracking my brain for WEEKS about how to entertain my whole department at work without breaking the bank, along comes this great book.No more problems!Denise and her crack team (including co-author Cindie Flannigan) have created the ultimate How-To guide!Many of the dishes provoked arguments, and in one case a fist fight, over who got the last piece.Everybody went home full and happy - even the guy with the broken tooth!This book probably saved my life; definitely my job - I have that in writing.And I even learned about wine.

sophisticated but easy
This is my new favorite book because the flavors are sophisticated but the recipes are easy!Interesting recipes in quantities for 12, 25, 50, and 75 are hard to find. I will probably use this book more for filling my freezer with family dinners and for brown bag lunches in single serving containers.The advice is practical. Plus there is tons of fun extra information, substitutions and saving time or money. Even decorations and invitation ideas are provided if you want to knock yourself out.

So far I have cooked the Arabian Nights menu with Marrakech Chicken and Lamb Tangine. Both were well received at a luncheon meeting for volunteers and by my husband. With Tabouuleh Salad, Minted Yogurt Sauce and Pita for side dishes, I didn't bother trying the Chocolate Baklava, but will do so another time.The recipes seem to be well-tested and accurate in portion sizes. Both the chicken and the lamb were rich and complex without using chiles.

So much great info.
This book is full of so much great information. I have quite a few entertaining books (EXPENSIVE entertaining books) but none of them packs half as much information in between their pages as this one.I bought this one because I have Ms Vivaldo's other book "How to Start a Home Basd Catering Business" and I really liked that one. This is a great companion book. Every page is filled with fabulous and fun ideas. So much fuel for my imagination! I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to throw a party.

Parties Made Simple
Here's the answer to a hostess's prayers. Whether you are serving 12 or 75, Vivaldo and company make it seem like a snap. I bought the book because I faced a daunting party for 50, read it through, kept it at my elbow during pre-party prep and on the big day enjoyed myself as much as my guests did, without stress, exhaustion, frustration or, most important, breaking the bank.
Even if you don't give many parties, tips about saving time and money are invaluable for everyday cooking.
This one is a WINNER>
Kit Snedaker
formerly food/travel editor of the late lamented Los Angeles Herald Examiner.

A FABULOUS AND INFORMATIVE PARTY PLANNING BOOK
DO IT FOR LESS PARTIES by Denise Vivaldo is a must-have book for anyone planning a party. Denise and her team offer valuable diagrams and charts on everything from how to set the table to how to choose the appropriate wine glass. They provide a detailed map of how to develop and maintain the perfect buffet.They take the headache out of preparation by offering sample shopping lists and planning strategies. One great chapter is "57 Morsels of Kitchen Wisdom," which provides informative tips and tricks that most cook and party planning books ignore.The suggested theme parties are a unique departure from the same old same old.DO IT FOR LESS is an essential addition to any library. ... Read more

Book Description

More than 400 recipes, forty-eight menus, entertaining tips, table decorations, and sumptuous photographs make this the most engaging and ambitiousJunior League collection to date.

At home for members of the Junior League can mean anything from a Mother's Day brunch or an elegant dinner for six to a Labor Day backyard barbecue or a Pumpkin-fest celebration. The menus and recipes in this all-new collection reveal the diversity of the members of the Junior League and their close connection to ethnic, regional, and family foodways handed down and refined from one generation to the next.

From appetizers to desserts-and all the courses in between-The Junior League at Home features favorite home-tested recipes drawn from League cookbooks and members. Each of the twelve chapters offers a selection of seasonal menus with advice for planning and food preparation. The book also highlights ideas for stress-free entertaining, as well as innovative tablescape and decorating suggestions-including a fully illustrated section on the lost art of napkin folding. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A very good source for family meals and entertaining at home
This 'Junior League' cookbook is almost exactly what you would expect from such an organization, where all recipes appear to come from home cooks. I give this book four stars (with a caveat) instead of three because it surpasses expectations in at least two ways. First, it provides four complete entertaining and family menus per month, with instructions on day before and other advance preparations to prepare for the meal. Second, the range of dishes is very international. I was surprised to find a good recipe for Filipino spring rolls. This is not exactly Iowa church supper fare.

My biggest caveats about this book follow.

First, while the recipes are arranged by month, I believe no thought was given to whether or not fresh ingredients were appropriate for that month. The first menu is serving artichokes in January. I know the recipe calls for canned artichokes, but the sense of oddness persists. The presence of green beans and green grapes on the same menu is a testament to the incredible food distribution network which can bring California and South American produce to a Pennsylvania produce market in virtually any month of the year. But this market still does not have artichokes in January.

Second, the recipes are from many different sources, and these sources are neither professional chefs nor professional food writers. This means the quality of the recipes will be very uneven. One cannot depend on the fact that all recipes will have a uniform reliability as you would if the book in your hand was from Ina Garten or Sheila Lukins or Rachael Ray. This is important if your objective is to improve your cooking skills. As an amateur who wishes to learn new techniques from most dishes I make, I would sooner go to a book by Mario Batali or Jaques Pepin.

Third, there are a lot of prepared food ingredients in the recipes. If, like me, you are adverse to ingredients which come from the Merck Index rather than the farmer's market, I would just as soon stay away from such recipes.

Lastly, the organization of recipes is a little odd in that types of dishes are overlaid onto the monthly chapters. This would have been much better done by having 24 chapters rather than 12 which address two different purposes.

I must say this book is printed and bound so that it is very easy to use in the kitchen, as long as you have plenty of room for it's 8 ½ by 11 spiral bound format in your kitchen. This format lies flat and is very easy to photocopy pages. It also has a good index, which you may not find in most volunteer / fund raiser books of this type.

Recommended for home cooks who are not 'foodies' intent on learning cooking techniques or food lore.

Junior League cookbook not "junior" on taste!
This cookbook is charming to read, gives great ideas of meals to serve, and includes many delicious recipes. The blueberry muffins are fabulous!

Thrilled to have another JL cookbook!
I was so excited to see that the Junior League has come out with another "best of" cookbook! And just in time for the holidays. I have the previous two books, the Junior League Celebration Cookbook and the Junior League Centennial Cookbook, and I have loved giving them to family and friends as gifts. Now, here's another.

It's beautiful, and I can't wait to try out some of the recipes. The other two have not disappointed, and I don't expect this one to either! ... Read more

Book Description

Presentation is everything--and now, creating a beautiful table has never been easier. This visually luscious book is packed with deceptively simple ideas for creating witty and unusual table settings. Arranged thematically, TABLETOPS features imaginative styling tips, ideas for quick fixes, and beautifully illustrated step-by-step projects, including everything from appliquÈd tablecloths to painted glasses, stamped bowls, punched tin lanterns, and gorgeous floral centerpieces. With 20 table designs and more than 30 projects in all, this is a wealth of inspiration for every event. Whether planning a fun-filled beach picnic, a romantic anniversary, a cozy tea, or a sophisticated holiday dinner, now it's simple to pull together all the right elements to create the perfect atmosphere and make any occasion memorable. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

good ideas
This book has some great ideas that are fun and easy enough to try the next time I entertain. I especially liked the chopstick placemats. Plus it is much simpler to have one book to rely on than dragging out a binder of magazine clippings every time I'm looking for inspiration. ... Read more

Book Description

EDITORIAL REVIEWS BOOKLIST Many oenophiles find themselves stumped when it comes to proper pronunciation of names of even familiar wines. How to Pronounce French, German, and Italian Wine Names offers a simple approach to this problem. Bellucci's carefully crafted pronunciations are easy to follow, and only the strictest linguists will quibble with her results. Her phonetic approaches to French's accents and uniquely pronounced consonants give good approximations of the originals, and she has helpful suggestions for dealing with German's umlauts. Although not noted in the book's title, there are tables of Spanish and Portuguese wine words as well. The comprehensive lists of chateaus, personal names, and grape varieties make this a very helpful addition to any reference collection of books on wine. Mark Knoblauch Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

PUBLIHSERS WEEKLY "You need this book because: Ordering wine should be as easy as drinking it, not an intimidating experience."

WINE SPECTATOR.COM"A new book may help...Its goal is not to teach you the languages comprehensively, but simply to make you more confident the next time you order wine at a restaurant or ask a retailer for a certain bottle." -Dana Nigro

AMERICAN REFERENCE BOOKS ANNUAL"Perfect for a waiter or sommelier needing a refresher course on pronunciations of wines, for an executive throwing a dinner party, or for those interested in knowing everything there is to know about wine...This book will be ideal in the libraries of the wine connoisseur, restaurateur, or world traveler."-Shannon Hysell

DRINKS, THE MAGAZINE OF FINE WINE, SPIRITS, AND LIVING "You say Abruzzo, she says [ah-b(l)roots-so]. Anyone who’s ever struggled with foreign wine names should find welcome relief in Diana Bellucci’s helpful new guide How To Pronounce French, German, and Italian Wine Names. Bellucci uses her own system of phonetics to demonstrate proper pronunciations of wine types and producers in not only the languages mentioned in the title, but also in Spanish, and Portuguese."

ORANGE COUNTY HOME MAGAZINE "It’s impossible to be a true wine connoisseur without the ability to pronounce international wine names correctly. With Diana Bellucci’s How To Pronounce French, German, and Italian Wine Names, even the most linguistically challenged person will be able to sound like a world traveler."

ARIZONA FOOD & LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE "Here’s a book for the well spoken wine enthusiast (and those who wish they were). …purchase How To Pronounce French, German, and Italian Wine Names by Diana Bellucci….an incredible compendium of wine titles that helps anyone pronounce even the most complicated vintage…The gift of enunciation is a most unique and delightful gift. Bravo!" -Candy Lesher

KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS"Feeling incorrect? This book tells how to pronounce more than 15,000 wine names Spatlese [shpayt-lay-za], a style of riesling." -Fred Tasker

STAR-LEDGER "At last! A wine book that anyone who ever has occasion to talk about wine can immediately put to good use. …people concerned about the correct pronunciation of foreign wine terms will find this an indispensable guide. Just about every wine book that comes out these days promises a fresh approach to the subject, but most are monotonously alike… Every once in a while, I come across a wine book that has something new to say, or at least a new way of saying it." -T.J. Foderaro

HOUSTON CHRONICLE "Even if you know wine, do these names flow as effortlessly off your tongue as a vintage port into a decanter? Ycoden-Daute-Isora, Sforzato, Auxerrois and (gulp) Königsschaffhauser Steingrüble? Finally, a guide for the linguistically challenged (which includes me)." -Michael Lonsford

MINNEAPOLIS STAR-TRIBUNE "If imported wines leave you tongue-tied, then you'll look forward to Diana Bellucci’s book How To Pronounce French, German and Italian Wine Names. Before long, you’ll be saying Chianti and Château d'Auguilhe with the best of them." -Nicole Hvidsten

AKRON BEACON JOURNAL "For the restaurant weary: How to Pronounce French, German and Italian Wine Names by Diana Bellucci will put anyone who dreads ordering a glass of wine on the road to confidence. This book is a veritable Hooked on Phonics for wine." -Tricia Colianne

SWIRL WINE NEWS "Your last high school French class was just a few (ahem) years ago; you never even took Italian or German. And yet, you wish to impeccably pronounce a wine’s name (like Trockenbeerenauslese, perhaps) when you’re ordering a bottle for your Valentine’s dinner. What to do? Get yourself a copy of Diana Bellucci’s How To Pronounce French, German, and Italian Wine Names." -Arlene Wszalek

COLORADO WINE NEWS "This book is a lifesaver. Its simple pronunciation rules and multitude of examples mean you can say wine names with confidence even if you don’t speak French, German, Italian, Spanish or Portuguese. Now you need not fear ordering or discussing any wine your heart or palate fancies." -Harold J. Baer, Jr.

ITALIAN WINE MERCHANTS NEWSLETTER "It’s fairly easy to stumble on the names of Italian wines and regions, especially after a few glasses. Here’s a guide that will help you untie your tongue as you explore the world of wines. You won’t learn the language, but you will be able to ask for the wine by name." ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Comprehensive Wine Guide
Whether you are a waiter or someone who is ordering wine, this book will give you information on how to pronounce French, German, and Italian Wine Names. By using the proven Bellucci Method with Quietics, readers can learn the proper phonetic pronunciation of over 15,000 wine names, regions, grape varieties and terms.

The only drawback I found is that you do need to know where the wine was produced. If you hear of a wine and try to look it up in this book, it might take several tries to locate the wine. There are 19 different chapters and there are also pronunciations for Portuguese wines.

This book seems to be for the serious wine connoisseur or sommelier. You almost have to know a lot about wine or have an intense desire to get the pronunciation for your favorite wines correct. In that case, this book can be used by anyone. It is much more helpful if you have a bottle of wine in front of you and you are learning the wine names. If you have tried a wine at a winery, then you will have the name and the location and can
order the wine much more easily.

Since I mostly use wine for cooking, I'm not the best person to review this book. With that said, I did learn a bit about French pronunciation.

~The Rebecca Review

Also look for: How To Pronounce French Rose Names

Presents a complete method of learning pronunciation
Diana Belucci's newest reference title isn't just a another dictionary of pronunciation as might be anticipated: rather, How To Pronounce French, German And Italian Wine Names creates and presents a complete method of learning pronunciation to provide keys to the phonetic pronunciation of over 15,000 wine terms, regions, and grape varieties in five different languages. How To Pronounce French, German And Italian Wine Names could've appeared in our 'Literary' or 'Languages' section but deserves mention here for its in-depth interest to wine buffs. ... Read more

Amazon.com

First published in 1954, The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook is one of America's great works of recollection, culinary and otherwise. Toklas lived, cooked, and kept house in Paris and rural France with her companion, Gertrude Stein, from 1908 until Stein's death in 1947. During that time she cooked for and shared food with friends, including Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and Thornton Wilder, accumulating recipes for the simple and haute bourgeois dishes compiled in the book. She also saw and remembered all, from life in the high bohemian circle she and Stein occupied; to France during two world wars; to the United States, visited in the '30s; to summers passed in a paradisiacal country retreat at Biligin in France. These and more Toklas depicts vividly and acerbically, all viewed through the prism of food and good eating.

Woven within chapters such as "Dishes for Artists," "Food in French Homes," and "The Vegetable Gardens at Biligin," the 300 recipes run the gamut from hors d'oeuvres and salads to breads, entrées, drinks, and sweets. Original (and sometimes whimsical) dishes like Stuffed Artichokes Stravinsky, Gigot de la Clinque, and Bavarian Cream Perfect Love appear among more traditional offerings, such as Boeuf Bourguignon, Chicken à l'Estargon, and Green Peas à la Goodwife. Many of the recipes (which are written in abbreviated-narrative style) will be attempted only by adventurous cooks with time (and, in some cases, money) to spare. The rest of us will enjoy reading the recipes, the droll reminiscences, and the fantasizing about a time when the dishes' creation could be relatively commonplace. The tour of this era and its food, by one of literature's great cook-writers, is obligatory reading. --Arthur Boehm ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Good recipes
I particularly recommend the Egg Nog of the Commonwealth Club of Richmond, VA. My husband made this for a party at a friend's house, and everybody loved it! This is the best egg nog I ever tasted, and I have tasted a few.

Highly recommended
I believe that this is one of the best French cookbooks of all time. Very old, traditional recipes explained in a way that makes even the more advanced ones seem doable. She also includes recipes from her youth in America and tells how she came across the recipe for Haschich Fudge. The stories interwoven are captivating, especially about the society she and Gertrude Stein kept, and their efforts during WWI as volunteers. In this respect it is a fascinating historical document. It is written as if she is speaking to you, and her speech is very blunt, to the point and quietly humorous. Very enjoyable to read.

Exquisite Recipes and Fun to read, too!
Ive been cooking with _Joy of Cooking_ for a long time now. _Joy_ makes reference to a chapter in this book, "Murder in the Kitchen," as a sort of primer on how to 'murder' a carp in the kitchen before cooking. I decided, on a whim, to buy the book.

I had no idea that having this new cookbook would be so rewarding!

Alice Toklas has some INCREDIBLE recipes in here (Scheherezade Melon being a favorite!), all of which should be tried and enjoyed.

Furthermore, this book contains recipes you simply wont find in other, newer, cookbooks. My girlfriend really summed this book up by suggesting that the recipes in this book are the recipes you know exist -- but are being passed from grandmother to granddaughter; you simply dont get these unless youre in that circle of people.

This cookbook is your way in to exquisite dishes that were prepared for the likes of Gertrude Stein, Hemmingway, Picasso, and Matisse.

That, and where else are you going to find a recipe for Hashish Fudge?

This book has my whole-hearted, overwhelming approval.

A cook is a cook is a cook!
2002 is Alice's 125th birthday, so why not get her most famous book and cook up a birthday dinner?!
This classic of 20th century food lit appears every few years and rightfully so. First published in 1954 by Alice B. Toklas, the life partner of Gertrude Stein, established Alice as a writer in her own right and made her world-famous(once again) with her "Haschich Fudge" aka Alice B. Toklas brownies! This recipe, which was not included in the first American edition, but was included in the British edition, does appear in this book. It's more than a cookbook, it's an affectionate remembrance by someone who knew and was known by some of the artistic giants of the 20th century.

Alice's autobiography as a cookbook
This is Alice's _real_ autobiography. The sketches of the 'lost generation' and of life in defeated France are wonderful (try combining this with "A Movable Feast" and "Tropic of Cancer"). Many of the recipes are practical, if rather advanced. The section on gazpacho is a special favorite of mine, and easier to try than most. Don't bother looking for a hash brownies recipe ... Read more

Book Description

An introduction to the world of edible insects, complete with recipes and color photographs. * Includes an historical look at the use of edible insects in * indigenous cultures. * Provides information on where to obtain insects and how to store and * prepare them.Includes over 60 gourmet recipes, complete with * stunning color photographs.

The most wholesome source of protein on earth cannot be found in any supermarket in the United States, but it can be found right in your backyard! Insects have been a staple of almost every indigenous culture, not only because of their delicious flavor but also because they provide a more complete protein than soy, meat, or fish, and are concentrated sources of calcium, niacin, magnesium, potassium, the B-vitamins, and

many other nutrients. As the world heads for food shortages in the next century insects can help meet humanity's growing nutritional needs.

Creepy Crawly Cuisine tells you everything you need to know to make insects a part of your diet. It includes an overview of the use of edible insects by indigenous cultures, information on where to obtain insects and how to store and prepare them, and over 60 gourmet recipes, complete with stunning color photographs, that let you take the cooking of insects to dazzling culinary heights. As practical as it is unique, Creepy Crawly Cuisine is the ideal gift for followers of the Diet for a Small Planet, adventurous epicures, and cooks who think they have seen it all. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

entomophagy ROCKS!
okay so i've never eaten a bug- but i love reading about the subject! My best friend gave me this book for my sucky birthday! lol- and it totally rocks...

Julieta gives great nutritional advice on different bugs and descries each bugs particular flavor in reference to things common that we know of.... it is well written and very informative from calories to essential amino acids to proteins and vitamins... the book covers different countries in it's concise and informative beginning. I also liked the fact that the author gives you the actual family and genus name of the species.

the photos however are why i gave the book 4 stars.... most of the photos i feel as if i had already seen in "man eating bugs" because the same photographer helped publish both books... i never really tried the recipes of course.. but julieta does give helpful resources and advice on breeding your own bugs for food!

Loved it read it several times.... get it for your collection!

It transform's you in to a bug eater! for life.
This is the best book i have read about edible insects, i find it rare but exciting, after you read this book you will go to your garden and gather some insects.

Great Recipes, But Kind of Improbable
This book contains some great recipes with a south-of-theborder-flavour, but all the same, you may find some of these bugs a tad bit exotic . . . where in the world can you get a half-pound of tree-hoppers anyway? So this might be a bit much for the novice without special resources, but on the whole is well worth the money.

Excellent entomophagy reference and cookbook
The author of this book is probably the world's foremost authority on entomophagy. I consider this book the best entomophagy book in print. The book is thorough in its coverage of the value of insects as human food. The author is a superb cook and the recipes are delicious and very artfully prepared and photographed.

Great book with great recipes!
One of the most enjoyable additions to our culinary bookshelf! This book is filled with great pictures and even better recipes. Even though we haven't been able to try them all, we've loved the ones we've tried. Do yourself a favor and try this one out! ... Read more

Book Description

Arranged by season, this cookbook highlights the abundance of fresh foods cultivated in Northern California.In addition to our members' favorite recipes, which have been triple-tested in our own kitchens, California Fresh Harvest provides fascinating food lore, inspirational menus, wine pairings, cooking tips, and information on local events and special destinations. In the tradition of the treasured, original California Fresh cookbook, again the Junior League of Oakland-East Bay has created a classic for Northern California residents and visitors alike. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

California Fresh Harvest
I received this book as a gift. What a treasure it has become - great recipes for all seasons, an excellent layout, beautiful illustrations, and simple instructions. It is now the first cookbook I go to!

Great Recipes and Easy to Follow
This is only the second recipe book I have bought, and I have found it to be excellent. I am not a very experienced cook, but California Fresh Harvest has recipes that even I can turn into pretty impressive dishes. I have cooked for two dinner parties out of this book, both of which were great successes. I highly recommend this book to both experienced and beginning cooks.

California Fresh Harvest
Absolutely a phenomenonal cookbook! Just purchased on vacation in Cape May, New Jersey at Love the Cook. Gorgeous pictures, wonderful recipes......California at it's best! A real winner...a real find.

A Junior League Classic!
I originally received this cookbook as a gift. I was so delighted with it, I subsequently ordered four additional copies to give as gifts. The recipients are still thanking me! First, the recipes are creative and delicious -- fully enhancing the flavors of bountiful, diverse, fresh ingredients found in the San Francisco Bay Area and Wine Country. (It's hard NOT to eat well in this region!) Second, the cookbook itself is uncommonly successful in evoking this spectacular setting with gorgeous photos, sidebars of interesting sidetrips, local restaurants and wineries, and mind-boggling facts regarding the abundance of local agriculture. Food preparation tips, background information on local food and wine festivals/events, and delicacies such as Meyer Lemons are also highlighted. While it's fun to simply browse through this beautiful cookbook, it's even better to sample the Junior League's trade-mark "home cooking with flair." Full menus are offered here. My personal favorites are the Baja Guacamole, Savory Polenta w/Asiago Cheese, Garlic-Roasted Chicken, Pork Tenderloin w/Apricot Ginger Sauce, and Cherries & Berries Compote w/Crispy Puffed Pancake. The Chocolate Caramel Shortbread Bars are worth the price of admission all by themselves! I'm not surprised this cookbook is winning national rave reviews and awards. They are very well deserved! It is so beautifully rendered, it puts most commercially-produced cookbooks to shame.

Impress Guests with Simplicity and Elegance
I received this cookbook as a gift. I must admit, at first I found it so nice to look at that it sat on my coffee table on display. Recently, however, I hosted a baby shower and prepared several dishes which were simple yet elegant. Everyone was so impressed--I felt like Martha Stewart without any of the hassle. Another nice feature of this cookbook is that it recommends menus, which is great, b/c I never know what to serve together. This is one of my favorite cookbooks now! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Very helpful when it comes to organizing!
This book offered many tips on many different themes in parties. Although, it seems that Diane is more oriented with weddings, she tends to have quite a few chapters on weddings in this book. She does, however, have good ideas for barbeques, post-prom parties and random special events.

I've had a few parties this past year, and I've used her organizers (checklists, etc.). I found them quite helpful. They were very simple. They helped me have everything right in front of me while working on other aspects of the party.

Certainly one of the better party books!
As a features writer for a local paper, I've seen lots of different party planning books. Warner's is certainly among the best, with a layout that makes info easy to find and lots of more creative ideas.

A MUST-HAVE book for anyone who entertains!
This is by far the best party book ever! I can't believe how many great ideas Diane has! I had a small part in the research done by Diane for this book, and I know she put many hard and long hours and days into finding the most detailed information possible about every kind of party you could think of. I know I will use this book over and over again! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

More of what CI should be doing
As I look over the last few issues of CI it's hard to get excited about yet another roast chicken or brownie recipe. Now that they've tackled just about every 'classic' recipe, they seem to be stuck in something of a rut. But having a look through the Restaurant Favorites' book, there's all sorts of amazing looking dishes to get excited about trying. As usual, CI applies their rigorous testing and streamlining to provide a detailed and reliable recipe. Here's hoping the magazine decides to swing towards more exciting food like this.

This is my favorite Best Recipe book!
I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book so much. I was anticipating recipes from the kinds of restaurants I eat out in frequently, which are in my price range, and still prepare foods I don't often do at home. But the restaurants represented in THIS book are the extremely pricey, cutting-edge, wait-for-days-for-reservations places that I rarely can afford. These restaurants have incredible food. So I haven't even been able to taste a wide range of dishes in this unique category, let alone prepare them at home. A diverse group of people in the high-end food industry were polled to find the recipes that people ordered again and again. The editors pared 750 suggestions down to 150, with the chefs generously contributing their recipes for inclusion.

These are indeed things you could not cook at home. In this volume it takes more than the average amount of Cook's Illustrated tweaking to make the recipes accessible to the home cook. (Christopher Kimball noted in his preface that this project was more work than he had expected, and it's easy to see why.) But they don't stop until every problem is solved.

And the food!! I have made several of these recipes, and they are sublime. I have dog-eared dozens more pages with additional dishes I want to try. Each dish represents the particular vision of the chef who created it. Sometimes we think food like this it too weired for the average person to enjoy, but this is not the case. Everyone who tried my dishes to loved them, including children.

From anyone else this would be a 5-star book, but...
It really hurts giving a weak rating to a Cooks Illustrated book. The America's Test Kitchen crew is one of the most overachieving organizations in the culinary world, turning out magazine, cookbooks, and a TV show at a furious pace, and all the while serving as the oracle of record for all things culinary. By itself, this is an excellent book, with excellent interpretations of normally-inaccessible restaurant dishes for the home cook. But it seems to lie outside what Cooks Illustrated does best; their usual methodical approach is muted here, though not nonexistent.

The selection of recipes is a good one -- lots of New American, kicked-up ethnic (including Anthony Bourdain's Cassoulet from Les Halles), innovative twists like "Green Eggs and Ham" (Seuss-inspired -- eggs in an herb sauce), and some flat-out four-star stuff that nobody would ever think to do in a home kitchen. The usual sidebars with product reviews and food tastings are there, as well (though seemingly in smaller-than-usual quantity), and there's even a short section on restaurant presentation. But... there's something missing.

On the one hand, the ATK crew could have gone even deeper, exploring the basics of restaurant cuisine and how to adapt its techniques to the home kitchen. Complex, yes, but a lot of fun. On the other hand, they could have pulled out a straight Todd Wilbur impression, then going one better and talking with the chefs about the origins of the dishes and the restaurants they come from. But Cooks Illustrated sent this one straight down the middle, creating something that doesn't quite fit either genre of cookbook. It doesn't, after all, feel like a Cooks Illustrated book with its interlocking technical commentary, nor does it satisfy as French Laundry-style food porn.

This doesn't mean I don't recommend it -- if you're bored with the usual, this book still does a good job despite its shortcomings, and the recipes sound truly delicious. But it's a diversion from the usual, and an awkwardly handled one at that. Know what you're getting into beforehand and you won't be disappointed.

why i prefer the best recipe collection
because i am sure the investigation was true, and i like so much the previous pages for each theme, always i usually with my students cooking classes. it was the bible. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (4)

This book sucks!!!!!
I was really excited to try bette's book because I have heard so many fantastic things about it. But.......when i tried the recipes, I was so disappointed. I was an extremely accomplished baker before I was diagnosed with gluten ataxia, and bette's recipes are definitely no substitution for the deligious goodies I used to love. The recipes do NOT work, and if they don't crumble into a million pieces, they taste terrible! Don't wait your time making any of her recipes. You'll be very disappointed

Yummy treats are ours again!
After recently discovering I am allergic to wheat/gluten I have been trying the alternatives pre-made at Whole Foods, my local Health food store. That adds up. I have always enjoyed baking and missed that as well. Bette's books satisfy me in both areas. I can now bake again for myself and after the initial investment of the flours, turn out treats for much less than the pre-made items. Waffles, bread, cookies..yum! I have successfully substituted soy milk for any dairy in her recipes since that is an allergy too. If you are gluten free and debating the purchase of this book - I say go for it!

For all gluten-free cooks -- especially kids!
Those of us following a gluten-free diet often feel something akin to claustrophobia when it comes to food. Every day we're faced with so many goodies that we can't have. It's a great comfort to have a resource like this one at home when you walk past the bakery section of your local grocery store. Just knowing you *can* go home and bake something sweet and tasty
opens up your world a little.

And these recipes do work; some are complex, many are very simple, which means the book answers a range of cook's skills.

While it is true that the recipes are based on mixes made from a wide range of sometimes exotic flours -- usually available through an American health food store -- it's not fair to condemn any of Bette's books for this. You're just not likely to find most gluten-free flours for cheap in your grocery store, at least not this early in the millennium.

My 11-year-old daughter has adopted this book as her kitchen companion. She turned out a wonderful cake on her first try. For those of you with children stuck with a gluten-free diet for life, there is no more essential skill to pass on to them than cooking -- and no better passion than a love of cooking -- that will support them through a lifetime on a specialized diet. This book makes a great starting place for cooking with kids, as well as being a suitable cookbook for adults of all skill levels.

Many and varied sweet treats
Those of us following a gluten-free diet often feel something akin to claustrophobia when it comes to food. Every day we're faced with so many goodies that we can't have. It's a great comfort to have a resource like this one at home when you walk past the bakery section of your local grocery store. Just knowing you *can* go home and bake something sweet and tasty opens up your world a little.

And these recipes do work; some are complex, many are very simple, which means the book answers a range of cook's skills.

While it is true that the recipes are based on mixes made from a wide range of sometimes exotic flours -- usually available through an American health food store -- it's not fair to condemn any of Bette's books for this. You're just not likely to find most gluten-free flours for cheap in your grocery store, at least not this early in the millennium.

My 11-year-old daughter has adopted this book as her kitchen companion. She turned out a wonderful cake on her first try. For those of you with children stuck with a gluten-free diet for life, there is no more essential skill to pass on to them than cooking -- and no better passion than a love of cooking -- that will support them through a lifetime on a specialized diet. This book makes a great starting place for cooking with kids, as well as being a suitable cookbook for adults of all skill levels. ... Read more