Cooking Books

Both of my parents came from Calabria. I was surprised and delighted to find so many recipes that my parents made. This cookbook is a treasure to me.

I really like this cookbook because my ancestors are from Calabria and it outlines many of my family's favoriate Italian recipes.

This is the 4th time I've bought this book Loved it & makes a great gift. Not only good recipes but interesting facts re: Calabria

This cookbook helps me to reconnect with my father who passed away in 1984, he was from Calabria Italy. He loved every ingredient in this book. I was amazed to see zucchini flowers breaded and fried. My mother and father used to make them and every kid in the neighborhood loved them, I thought my father was crazy to cook those flowers, but now that I saw them in this cookbook it makes me realize how much of his heritage was in them. This cookbook is for anyone who wants a truly authentic cookbook!

I enjoyed a number of the recipes, and for the most part they keep in the spirit of cucina povera, but I was looking for Calabrian dishes that are strictly from Calabria. For example, parmesan and Parma ham are both Northern creations and a description stating that the latter is a Southern creation seems ill-informed.
Overall I feel a bit guilty having to give this three stars but I felt a bit misled by the other reviews. By all means buy this book for good, authentic modern Italian, but for distinctly Calabrian recipes, I would look elsewhere.

I feel like a better pastry chef by reading Ronald Mesnier's books. He emphasizes the quality of ingredients when it counts the most but mentions when it is o.k. to use frozen or preprepared items in a dish. He prepares dishes in slightly unconventional ways that happen to often be healthier than traditional preparations.

He LOVES his fruit, and you just might get tired of reading all of the fruit themed desert recipes and however imporant his information is, it can seem annoying if you have read his other pastry book, which is also full of fruit. I would have liked to hear him talk more on the subject of other things, but everything did get adequate enough time spent that I do not feel like it was a waste of time getting this book. I would recommend it.

This is simply the best book on baking I have ever used! I bake a lot. At least one thing every day and I have never owned a book where every recipe I have tried has turned out beautifully until now. If your someone who likes to bake out of a box this book is not for you, but if you've wanted to try something different from your everday items this book is wonderful. Mesnier breaks everything down and teaches you the simplest way to do everything. If there's an easier way to do something, he's found it. It's not like other dessert books, where you've never even heard of half of the ingredients, or they're all super expensive items with long drawn out instructions. I'm now making things that I never in a million years thought I would be able to make. This is the book I turn to for any technique. In fact, I've taken ideas from other books and then put them together using the techniques in this book. Quite simply this is the best book ever!!!! I love it and I recommend it to everyone.

I like the book. The best part is that Chef Mesnier has a brief introduction to each recipe. He gives instructions or advise which I found most helpful.
I have thousands, yes thousands, of recipes but few come with thoughtful comments about them. Chef Mesnier makes even difficult techniques seem possible for the average person.
In short, if you like to learn about making deserts get the book. If you are a professional chef who knows everything about cooking, this book is probably not for you.

In Dessert University, Roland Mesnier, the White House Pastry Chef from the Carter Administration to the current Bush Administration, skillfully merges renowned expertise with effective teaching. Like the venerable, tenured professor of an esteemed academy of higher learning, Chef Mesnier has spent many years in many kitchens developing his extensive knowledge and creative interpretation of patisserie. His career parallels the evolution of a scholastic researcher continually refining his understanding while seeking new realms of discovery.

Chef Mesnier's personal love of learning is conveyed to others in his first opus. Dessert University is a varied collection of clear and reliable recipes. Most often they are prefaced by lively and personal commentary. By so doing, the reader senses the presence of the engaging teacher and master chef, ever ready to support and to nudge forward to new culinary challenges. Some recipes are accompanied by helpful sketches or stunning color photographs.

A quick glimpse into Chef Mesnier's classroom reveals a range of tantalizing options. There are basic dessert recipes for novice pastry students, such as Oatmeal Cookies or All-American Apple Pie. Chef Mesnier simultaneously offers multiple recipes for those students inclined to enlarge their pastry repertoire. A few, tempting samples are: gossamer Apple Butter Crepes with Marsala-Laced Vanilla Sauce, an ethereal Warm Strawberry soufflé, a delicate Quick Chocolate Mousse with Ginger, or a chapter on the intricacies of pulled and blown sugar artwork.

If research, complemented by a passion for teaching, epitomizes the highest values of scholarship, Dessert University has achieved the gold standard of excellence. Chef Mesnier does this without any Ivory Tower overtones that detract from his dual passions of learning and teaching. He warmly shares his pastry expertise within a clear and devoted mentorship style. Dessert University is certain to become a classic reference for any student of patisserie.

Pastries & dessert making isn't my greatest skill. So I bought this book hoping to find at least a handful of easy to make desserts. I was surprised to find most recipes quite easy to follow. I still have a long way to go making them look good, but at least my pastries taste good for a change.

With kids toys being so much about brands and high tech capability - this whimsical and imaginative book is such a delight. I can't wait for my son to see it on Christmas day. Adults I have shown it to have enjoyed it too.

This book is wonderful! I bought several copies for my dog-loving friends because the price was very reasonable- they all thought it was delightful. The illustrations are fantastic, and the broccoli/cauliflower poodles are especially cute!

I cataloged this donated book into the academic library's collection where I work. I selected it from the books that had been donated for our annual book sale because I knew parents with little children would enjoy having something to occupy the attention of their kids while they were studying/researching. What a remarkable imagination this book testifies to! I photocopied the "Working like a Dog" page to testify to my meager efforts, it adorns my cubical. Everyone with children will want a copy of this book.

My daughter, age 20 months, just loves this cute little book. She asks to read it again and again.

Like other books by this author the pictures are imaginative and interesting. This is a great gift for any age, so long as the giftee has a sense of humor.

Anything you could possibly want to know about fish, how to buy them, when to buy them, where to buy them, and the best possible way to cook them is ALL in this book. The recipes are all fairly simple - any home cook with a moderate amount of experience should be able to execute them easily. There are also a number of helpful resources like sauces, how to filet (and when not to), and different cooking techniques to achieve different flavors and results.

If you're serious about eating more fish or getting more adventurous with the way you cook it - this is a must have.

If you have ever had a question about any type of sauce this is the book to own! The basic for every sauce begins with good stock and that is not overlooked in this book!! It is a must have!!

I got this for a gift for a friend from NJ. He was always complaining about there never being recipes for obtuse fish, shellfish and bi-valves. When he opened this book, he didn't put it down for 2 days. He is STILL raving about it! Kudos!

No more searching through a string of specialty cookbooks for that fresh idea for tonight's dinner. Look no farther.

Again, Mr. Peterson sets the standards. This is not just a cookbook. It's an appliance in the kitchen as essential as the refrigerator and the electric or gas stove. Never ruin fish again under this authority's watch.

Marvellous, healthy recipes from the Southern tradition? Impossible? Not at all. Great soups and salads, wonderful biscuits - of course - and magnificent pancakes - but the turkey sausage is best of all. I ate here with great joy in Atlanta, served by its lovely staff, and I have only one quibble wiht the book, writing as an Englishwoman; scones are not sweeter than biscuits! You can make savoury scones, even cheese scones (flavoured wiht sage, or dead plain ones with no sugar (which are actuzally the norm.) But none of this matters. Buy this book and celebrate life.

I am a cookbook junkie and I have tons of cookbooks. This one is the best one I own. Every single recipe comes out delicious. The recipes are mostly "comfort food with a twist" and they are excellent. The cookbook is quirky and full of personality and so are the recipes... I haven't made a single one from this book yet that hasn't been just outstanding. [something I don't think I can say about any other cookbook I own....]

Whether you go to the Flying Biscuit Cafe regularly or whether you've never been, you will LOVE these recipes! There isn't a loser in the bunch and they are all mouth watering and interesting.

Fabulous book, fabulous cafe, fabulous food! Since leaving Decatur in 1999 I haven't had to miss all my favorites - I just make them at home. Oh, the Exceptional Eggs, they are to die for. My kids gobble up the Turkey meatloaf. And, now that I'm in VA, I use my locally grown apples every fall to make a gigantic batch of the Cranberry Apple Butter to give as holiday presents each year - to rave reviews. You'll have to tweak the recipe to yeild much more, but it's very much worth the effort.

To those of you from Atlanta who have visited the Flying Biscuit Cafe, you will know how fantastic the food is - it's warm, satisfying, and hearty- without being heavy or fatty. The cook book is simply an extention of the cafe - the recipies are easy to follow, discriptive, and taste just like the restaurant. They include all the signature recipies: flying biscuits and roasted potatoes with moon dust as well as ones I've never tried. I would recomend this book to anyone who enjoys cooking warm, satisfying food.

April Moon's cookbook captures the essence of what it means to be nourished by the Flying Biscuit Cafe, an anchor in its neighborhood and the primary reason Atlanta's suburbanites "outside the perimeter" even know where Lake Claire/Candler Park is located.
The recipes for simple, nutritious comfort food all have a delicious twist. Moon even knows what ingredients to combine with collard greens so that my husband, who doesn't otherwise stomach collard greends, relishes each bite.
That she shares her recipes -- yes, even for her famous biscuits, albeit with hesitation -- is a gift to all who no longer live close enough to enjoy the meals AT the cafe, but will for years savor the chance to bring the scents and flavors alive in our own kitchens.

This is great. Shows cheeses at different ages which is one of the most interesting points and makes this very unique as a reference book. If your in the business its a must have.

When I was a child and the milk soured, my ever-frugal mother would set it aside in a bowl and allow it to continue it's transformation into something wild and strange. When the curds and the whey separated, she would pour the contents into a cheese cloth stretched across a strainer and then gather and lift the cloth and squeeze the exess fluid from the curds. We ate the cheese as is...a form of "cottage" cheese I suppose. I was reminded of this when I read FRENCH CHEESES from Eyewitness Handbooks which contains a short history of cheese-making in the front section of the book.

I like this book, and since I am not a cheese expert, I cannot say whether it will make one an expert or not, but it has enlightened me a bit as I continue to experiment with the various kinds of cheeses available in the gourmet section of the grocery stores and the delicatesson in our neighborhood.

I have eaten various cheeses in Paris and other parts of Europe, and thought them better than anything I can buy in the States though I have eaten "fancy" cheeses in some upscale restaurants. I realize the French and others use unpasturized or raw milk in many of their cheeses and the U.S. frowns on the use of untreated milk so perhaps this is a factor. CHEESES identifies cooked versus raw versions.

However, many of the cheeses in this book are not found in U.S. stores because a limited supply exists and/or the product is consumed or sold locally. Generally these are artisanal cheeses (made by hand). CHEESES includes a map showing the farm areas of France and each cheese entry pinpoints the geographic location of the product. You can match the map with the cheese of interest to you and perhaps search for it on your next excursion to the French countryside. In the meantime, the list of producers in the appendix may prove helpful.

I collect field guides and what attracts me to some is the clever layout and design. This volume is in a class by itself and unlike some guides, the text was so informative that i could not put it dowm.
Should receive 6 stars out of 5.

As mentioned in previous reviews, this book does a great job of referencing hundreds of cheeses from France, providing photographs, descriptions, and wine recommendations. In these areas, it does a fantastic job. I've learned a lot reading it and I can't wait to take it with me on my next trip to France.

I wish the book gave more guidance on the tastes of the different cheeses and how you might select them. For example, if I like Brie and wanted to try a different nice mellow soft cheese, what might be recommended? This book isn't organized to help answer questions like that.

Overall, an important book for anybody serious about cheese.

Living in France, I am always making the acquaintance of cheeses I had never before known existed. I always scurry to find this book, and look up the tasty morcel I've just consumed. It's great for learning the basics about various cheeses -- and, as noted by other reviewers -- the photos are divine, but it's not the sort of book one takes into the bath to pore over for hours at a time. Put it on your shelf next to your dictionary and thesaurus; it's that useful!

Okay, so I'm probably not your kind of cook. I'm the geeky sort of guy who thinks Julia Child is a reasonable substitute for divinity, who worships the ground Chris Kimball walks on in a "Brocktoon" sort of way, who considers superstars like you and Emeril the people the Food Network employs to keep the lights on for Alton Brown. But you know, even if I'm not exactly a fan, that doesn't mean I don't respect what you do. So I have to say right now, if you've never heard of this minute masterpiece from 1930, read it, reread it, incorporate some of his stuff into your own recipes, and then lay a wreath on Pomiane's grave next time you and John are in France to shoot an episode of Tasty Travels, because this guy is your granddaddy just as much as the nice Sicilian fellow you're always talking about on the show.

I mean, look at this guy. He hits practically every French classic that can be done in ten minutes and he's got you beat on organizational technique (first thing you do when you get in the door and want to cook Pomiane-style: boil a pot of water. Doesn't matter why, you'll find a use for it.). The recipes are simple and tasty, and would do Julia, Simca and Louisette quite proud. He even provides menus to plan from, because life is more than meat and two veg. He hits a few of the classic sauces (though his "white sauce" recipe is written as a joke), features a good-sized section on vegetables, and provides a surprisingly diverse selection of meat dishes ranging from a simple steak to some surprisingly complex veal and pork dishes.

There is a sizeable and varied selection of soups (none of those annoying "stoups", fer chrissake) and some remarkably fast desserts, including a chestnut puree that the author was very proud of. A decent but concise section covers cooking techniques suitable for quick cooking, and the whole thing is topped off by a nicely informative preface by the translators describing how to handle Pomiane's recipes in a kitchen three-quarters of a century in his future. And did I mention this guy had a hell of a sense of humor, even in translation? Seriously, take a hint. Not one catch phrase anywhere, and he's still a hoot to read.

Rach, here's the deal. You're the reigning queen of convenience cooking and a kitchen superstar. Controversial, yes, but few have the luxury of near-universal love like Julia, and at the very least you've got it all over that bimbo Sandra. But you gotta give this guy props -- after all, like I said, he's your granddaddy.

Signed,
Brian from the Cape

This book should be a staple in every discerning cooks kitchen. Ten minutes or not, in the era of Rachel Ray (and I think she is lovely by the way) its nice to have a little class and soul in a "quick fix" cookbook.
Dr. de Pomiane is funny, insightful, and guiding. He not only gives you wonderful recipes to work with, he takes you by the hand and tells you just how to achieve the perfection you deserve and still have time to dwaddle over your coffee.

Extremely useful as well. I read it cover to cover the day it arrived (just last week) -- and I can't say that about ANY other cookbook! It is written (and translated) in a graceful and witty style, and is as enjoyable for the historical and cultural perspective it offers as it is for its culinary instruction and gastronomic joie de vivre. I have prepared two of Docteur de Pomiane's suggested menus and have greatly enjoyed both of them. I can see that with a bit of practice, I will indeed be able to turn out a 5-course lunch for two in about 15 minutes (not counting the time it takes to boil the water, of course).

With this book and a little (fun) practice, you can impress your friends, astound your dates, and enhance your own quality of life. So what are you waiting for?

This is one of my favorites among the cookbooks I own. I love to cook, although I hate recipes. Edourad de Pomiane's approach is perfect. His writing is funny and encouraging, and he teaches you to cook rather than simply giving instructions to copy a specific recipe. His recipes are exquisitely simple yet profoundly delicious. This one book changed the way I cooked steak, gave me confidence to try sauces for the first time, and taught me the key to making perfect omelets. Buy it. You won't regret it!

This is the perfect book for a beginner! It teaches you very basic techniques on cooking that everyone should know, such as how to make a sauce from burnt on meat juices. Its recipes also build on previous ones which makes memorization easier. What I loved most were the lessons on organization that will enable you to cook more efficiently.

In all, this is a great book to start anyone off as a cook. I made a sauce the other day by following the book's guidelines, rather than following a strict recipe and it turned out pretty good. The advice is great in that it gives you room to experiment without destroying your meal. In all, this is a great book to start anyone off as a cook. It's excellent!

I have truly enjoyed this cookbook! Since my husband decided to go vegan I was at a loss at to what to make for dinner every night; I mean, you can only eat so much pasta before you start packing on the pounds. The objective was to get healthy, not add more weight. So I went in search of a cookbook that could help me with protein supplements, variety, and more veggies. I made the best purchase in this cookbook.
Yes, many of the products used in the recipes are not things you find in all grocery stores but with access to a health food store you will be okay. And the dishes will be worth the extra trip.
I love the menu style in which this cookbook is written. Everything is laid out for you; it could not be easier. I find the recipe I want to make, photocopy the page and take it to the grocery store with me.
The book is also divided into the four seasons; spring, summer, fall and winter. This way you are more apt to find the fruits and veggie within the recipe most plentiful and at their peck of flavor.
Make the purchase, you won't regret it. Excellent photos as well!

The recipes my wife and I have made have been great. I like the organization by season. The "meal plans" are often too much for just the two of us. We usually just cook the entree. I'm also happy that these vegetarian meals don't rely too heavily on dairy products.

The only reason this book doesn't get 5 stars is because there isn't a photo for every dish. The photos in the book, however, are nice.

I love this cookbook!!!! The recipes are healthy, fast and always delicious. I have finally started going through the cookbook and making every dish because even when something sounds iffy,its great. I mean steamed cheese stuffed romaine leaves over a kidney bean tomato sauce...I don't know...but delicous and a crowd pleaser. I use the book often for entertaining and sometimes feel like I'm serving take out because the recipes take so little time, but taste and look like I spent hours slaving away.

This book has changed my life- seriously! My kids and husband are now convinced that I am a good cook, and we can all sit down to a delicious vegetarian dinner every night of the week! The recipes are easy to prepare, and once you start using them, you will have most of what you need on hand to create almost anything in the book for that season! Its really terrific; I can't recommend it highly enough!!

This is an amazing cookbook. Filled with delicious, fool-proof recipes and wholesome ingredients, "Fresh Food Fast" has become a regular part of our work-week routine. Though we try to do most of our cooking over the weekend (reheating meals during the week), there are invariably nights when we prefer to cook something fresh after a long day at work. This book gives us a wide array of options arranged by season, from black bean & zucchini quesadillas to bruschetta with goat cheese, olive, tomatoes and thyme. This past Friday we made Berley's 'Thai-Style Tofu & Vegetables in Spicy Coconut Broth with Jasmine Rice' - it was divine. We felt like we'd been transported to a gourmet, five star Thai restaurant, only we had the pleasure of enjoying such a satisfying meal in our comfy clothes. :) The only downside to this book is that most dishes require a hefty amount of produce, which, admittedly, can get expensive. Nevertheless dishes in this book are so delicious that careful planning can work around this, using leftover produce in other meals and reheating uneaten portions later in the week. Overall I love this book - how could I not appreciate the feat of satisfying, perfectly flavored meals that can be made in under an hour? (And yes, they really can be finished in under 1 hour, many in under 40 minutes.)

A great book!
The vegetarianism essay alone is worth the purchase price, but other parts of the book are just as engaging.

I've never met the author, but after reading this book I feel like she is an old friend.

Clever use of the 13 full moons in a year with interesting side notes from cultures all over the world. This book will help guide anyone trying to make healthy food choices, but the author also provides an explanation as to why these choices make sense nutritionally and several recipes at the end of each chapter. A must read for anyone interested in improving diet and overall health.

This book is written with heart, soul and spirit. A book to use and refer to as well as delight you along the way.

Jessica Prentice does a beautiful job with both her writing in each chapter and her recipes. I love learning about various cultures, the thirteen moons and the environment. Her recipes are also delicious and a real help to someone who's trying to eat based on the seasons and local produce. I first checked this book out from the local library but had to have it for the recipes. Definitely a good book!

This book is a personal re-examination of food--what we eat, and why we eat it. In this book, Prentice examines food customs and traditions, searching for their physiological and environmental rationale. Her primary observation about food traditions is that they are strictly tied to the seasons, and thus the continual year-round availability of our foodstuffs has resulted in loss of much traditional knowledge about what is good for us and what isn't. In recognition of the essential seasonality of foods, Prentice organizes this book into the thirteen moons that make up the year, from the famine moon, to the sap moon, from the egg moon to the corn moon, from the blood moon to the wolf moon.

Each chapter describes the ecology that led to the association between a particular food item and a specific time of the year. In the chapters, Prentice discusses the nutritional contributions of the featured food items, and how her relationship with that food has changed over the years. For example, she explains how she used to avoid milk and other dairy products, but now relishes them as a gift of love from Mother Earth. Each chapter also includes recipes of the season, ranging from exotic dishes of non-Western food cultures, like Cardamom and Jaggery pudding, to simple directions for lost arts, such as rendering pork, or making homemade yogurt and sauerkraut.

Prentice was once a strict vegan, who for health reasons, eventually found herself drawn to a diet which includes animal products, but not the products of industrial agriculture. There is much that vegetarians and vegans would not like in Prentice's essays, since she explains how her 10 years of vegetarianism were not healthy for her. Having had the same experience myself after being a vegetarian for 20 years, I can appreciate the wisdom in what she writes. While vegetarian diets work well for some, they are not appropriate for everybody. But at the same time, diets that include the consumption of industrially produced and processed animal products do nobody any good. We need to be willing to recognize our relation and responsibilities to the animals that we consume.

I first heard of this book when I attended a Vermont Localvore potluck at which Prentice was the invited guest chef. I was deeply offended then at her attitude, when she announced she was going to make a salad using a recipe from her book, but lamented the lack of local artichokes or olive oil. `How could such a person be associated with local cooking,' I wondered, `if she doesn't even have the sense to find out what the best local ingredients are and celebrate them, instead of parading the products of another region in front of us?' I figured that a seasonal local cookbook written by a national author would be a worthless concept. Fortunately, that's not what this book attempts--instead the book is much more about rediscovering our connection to food than about specific local recipes.

Although she has become famous for leading the concept of eating foods only from one's local region, what she urges here is really an appreciation for the products of small farms. Thus, instead of simply cheering on local food, Prentice argues in this book that our industrial agriculture system has torn us away from one of the most essential of human traits, our relationship to the food that nourishes us. Instead of following diets of avoidance, Prentice advocates recognizing the meaning that each item of food brings to our lives, and using food to re-establish our connection to the land. Indeed, the only foods that Prentice avoids are those heavily processed products of industrial agriculture: refined sugar, white flour, and pre-packaged extruded junk. Although the book contains a few recipes, it is not a cookbook, but rather a wake-up call: "Our poor diet is at least partly a physical manifestation of a spiritual decay," together with some suggestions of how we can begin the journey back to healthy eating.

Para esta NAVIDAD este libro te enseña a preparar maravillosos platillos para festajar la NAVIDAD. Aún estas recetas se puedan preparar para cualquier epoca del año disfrutalas.

QUE VIENE...
Y haremos una cena tan IMPECABLE COMO LA DEL AÑO PASADO CON ESTAS RECETAS... !
ESTE RECETARIO ES UN TESORO DE FAMILIA !!!
Y TODA UNA TRADICION

con los ojos cerrados y poner el dedo en el papel ... CUALQUIER RECETA QUE HAYA SALIDO, te va a hacer agua la boca !

de Acapulco...y estas recetas, junto con las lo mejor de la cocina francesa, son las que nos han hecho famosos...

familia practicar la COCINA COMO UN ARTE, UN ARTE SIN TIEMPO NI TEMPORADA...Y eso son estas recetas