Recipe Collections Books

This is the all you could ever want and need bartending book. I use the previous edition at work and like the previous edition this one is just as great. It's the black book of black books and i love having it at home.

I believe the only thing they added to this book was updating some of the intro - "how to keep customers happy" "how to get good tips" "who you should be tipping out" and such things...just basic things you need to know behind the bar. They also added more drink recipes. Which is awesome, people are always comming up with new drinks and now it has everything from the previous edition plus 100's of more drinks.

I use THIS newer edition for at home. It does have every drink you could want to make from a simple martini, to margaritta, to some drink i made once that involved an egg white.

The basic layout of the book is:
Intro and a bit about bartending
Drink recipes in order by name: ABC's people
Information about Wine
Pour Amounts
Bartending Lingo i.e. "Sloshed" "Hammered"
Bartending Terms i.e. "Perfect" "Pint Glass" "Neat" "Jigger"
And my favorite the back! Where you can look up drinks by ingredient: Rum, Flavored Vodka, Liquers, and basically everything else.

It's just an all around great book to have on hand and if you give it a chances you'll find you refer back to it often. At work or at home. I RARELY need to use another book when i'm behind the bar. And it's the only book at home.

I highly suggest getting this book if you're ANYONE. New to bartending, or a bartending pro. Stay at home mom, or a drunken fool. It's easy for anyone to use.

This is a great gift for nearly anyone who's a bartender or who likes to have a good time. I got this for a friend of mine, and I'm sure she will like it.

The book not only has alcoholic recipes, but also frozen, hot drinks, and more. It also has an index in the back that has drinks by ingredients.

Should have gotten this for myself instead!

The best book I've ever seen for the widest variety of drinks. Missing a couple more popular North American drinks such as a vodka 7 or a bottlecap, but still more drink names then you will ever need. Simple and easy to find what you are looking for, the cleverly written book is a staple for any aspiring bartender.

This latest version is very good. There are many different versions of the same drink available. I occasionally find a drink that's not in there, but not too often. I actually bought 2 - one for the bar and one for me! I think it's probably the best thing to have if you don't have an online system.

This book is great for quickly learning the drinks that everyone orders and the drinks almost no one would ever order (anyone for a schoolbus - beer, milk & OJ?) written by an egotistical and excessively chauvinistic fop. Note to S.K.C. - leave out the bragadoccio, rampant (hetero)sexism, demoded chivalry and other such ridiculously trivial commentary and you'll have a great book.

I've had this cookbook for years, and it remains at the very top of all the cookbooks I own for being used again and again. I can't even count all the recipes I make regularly from this book (we're talking weeknight meals!): Mount Rainier Chili, Harvest Bisque, Spinach Salad with Warmed Shallot Vinaigrette, Blue Cheese Potato Salad, (extensive salad section - all amazing), Tortellini Picnic Salad, Pasta with Grilled Chicken and Peanut Sauce, Salmon and Salmon Chowder, Salmon with Cilantro Pesto, Rosemary Walnut Chicken, Apple Blackberry Crisp... I could go on and on, and I just picked a few of the recipes we use all the time. Rarely is there a cookbook where you actually cook most of the recipes in it. The recipes are all sophisticated and unique and so yummy. They are not full of difficult ingredients, just good basic stuff with a better twist. This is pretty much my desert island cookbook - if I could only take one cookbook with me to a desert island, this would be it. The only problem is that around here, almost everyone I know owns and worships this cookbook. I once brought Tortellini Picnic Salad to a potluck lunch, and someone else brought it too!
Bottom line: Amazing, amazing cookbook. You will never regret having it. I predict it will become your favorite!

(By the way, it is much better than Celebrate the Rain, the Seattle JL's next cookbook - which is good, but I don't think anything could live up to Simply Classic.)

I grew up in the Northwest and live in Arizona. I love this cookbook and decided to share it with friends this year so I purchased 3 for gifts. Every recipe I have tried has been a hit with my family and friends. Simply Classic - The perfect title.

If there is a bad recipe in this book, I've yet to find it. You can always count on whatever you make being a hit. I've given this cookbook to several friends. They agree. The recipes are easy to follow with results you can depend on. This book should be a basic in every cook's kitchen. A perfect gift, too.

This is a GREAT cookbook. I have had it for 5+ years, and I still use it all the time. I can vouch for the salads, soups, and entrees especially. I have not made many of the desserts, but I would not hesitate since everything else I have made from the cookbook has been so successful.

I have been the proud owner of the Simply Classic Cookbook for over 10 years. My copy is worn out, splattered and the binding is splitting. I will be purchasing my SECOND personal copy shortly. But aside from that, I've purchased at least 2 dozen copies and presented them as gifts to numerous friends and relatives. To echo other reviewers, this cookbook never fails to deliver. I've made countless recipes out of this book and have never been disappointed. My 16-year-old has grown up on the Northwest Autumn Salad (page 82) and hands down, loves it more than any other. Glazed pecans is a staple of our holiday season (and year round too) and my friends and co-workers would be disappointed if I didn't deliver. If you can only have one cookbook, I'd recommend Simply Classic. Thank goodness it's not out of print!

My purchase of Bay Tables through Amazon was 'painless'! It is very easy to order through Amazon and the ship time is always very quick. I continue to order through Amzon because of the reliability.

If you are from the Mobile, Alabama area you probably have one of these on your kitchen shelf but just incase you are not you need this, your Momma needs it, your grand mama needs it, and most of all your sister-in-law that cant cook needs it!

It has all of the "Old South" recipes in it plus a treasure trove of new and fun recipes. Women in the south take great pride in their cooking and this is a perfect example of a fine cook!

Thank you Junior League ladies for putting out another great book for us to enjoy for generations to come!

This is a very pretty book. I especially like reading the sidebars that tell about local history and food history and the area, and League projects. Many of the recepies are easy to fix for someone that doesn't usually use fancy cookbooks. They seem to have put a lot of effort into making the book a really fun one to just look at and read. I enjoy that.You will enjoy having this book around the house.

Bay Tables showcases some three hundred kitchen tested culinary compositions donated by members of the Junior League of Mobile, Alabama. From Peach Julips; Blue Cheese Souffles; Grilled Corn with Shallot Thyme Butter; Roasted Vegetable Pizza; and Grilled Marinated Portobello Mushrooms and Fresh Vegetables; to Pork Tenderloins with Caramelized Pears and Brandy Cream Sauce; Oysters Johnny Reb; and Lemon Buttermilk Ice Cream, Bay Tables offers a wealth of highly recommended, consistently delicious, appetite satisfying fare that would please even the most discriminating gourmet -- and yet are completely "kitchen cook friendly" to prepare and serve.

I love the cover and beautiful pictures. The recipes are lovely!

Originally published in 1995, this book was updated in 1999. My wife, who is in the Navy, found it in Singapore when her ship visited there. It is a wonderful book with delicious recipes, well explained procedures and clear illustrations, that calls for easily accessible ingredients -- no need to go to the non-existent "Indian foods store" all the other cookbooks send you to. Recipes are detailed and well-explained. I have over fifty books on Indian and South/Southeast Asian cooking in my library (most of them gathering dust), and this is by far the best. I use it every week, and friends and work colleagues demand the recipes. This is a book for the beginner and pro alike. I lived in London for years and had a lot of curry, and the results of these recipes taste authentic and are uniformly delicious. A great book!

I would recommend this book to someone who is not familiar with Indian cooking but enjoys the cuisine. It gives a basic idea of Indian cooking methods and Indian spices....people can play around with it a little to come up with variations on their own. I've cooked almost 50% of the recipes in it and have been satisfied with the result on 75% of them....not a bad record.
In case you're wondering, this review comes from an Indian who bought this book as soon as she got married to obtain a few Indian recipes. But now, I just look at the book to inspire me with new ideas.

Excellent pictures that guide you to delicious Indian Cooking, with useful tips, a great gift for a new bride

I am a native Indian; I LOVE this book. The dishes come out tasting VERY real; like a restaurant or even an Indian 'Dhaba'. I gave my copy to a friend for his wedding and have regretted my decision; I CANT FIND IT. Please help me someone.

I am a Native Indian and immigrated to this country and loved this book and all its illustrations and wish I could find it.

PLEASE HELP. Publisher please reprint.

I absolutely love this book. The recipes are easy to follow and actually taste good...(unlike some other more well known GF cookbooks). I made chocolate chip cookies today and I could not believe how wonderful they tasted...even better than wheat based cookies (seriously). I have also made several of the dinners and my husband who is not GF enjoys them greatly. As with any GF cookbook you will need to stock your pantry with a good variety of GF flours and staple products...but with the growing awareness of celiac disease many mainstream food markets are carrying these special products. This book is a must have. Enjoy.

After my wife was diagnosed with Celiac disease, I did all the requisite research and bought a bunch of the recommended cookbooks, which were all helpful. However, Karen Robertson is the first GF cookbook author I've seen that has put together a well-designed, easy to use cookbook. The recipes and information are all top-notch and the layout of the book is completely functional as any other standard cookbook. I recommend this GF cookbook above all others.

If anyone is looking for a cookbook for avoiding wheat/gluten in their diet, this is definitely one to consider!

This book is a must have for gluten-free diet folks. The baking is outstanding--neither you nor your guests will be able to taste or see a difference in your desserts! The secret seems to be in incorporating the recommended recipe for "Wendy Wark's Gluten-Free Flour Mix" in recipes instead of other flour mixes. I use it in all of my baking now--nothing compares to it! Also, great notes & tips are added throughout the book.

Karen put a lot of effort into this book! We had Thanksgiving at our house and no one noticed that apple pie was GF!!! The green beans with pecan paste is simply fabulous. I was hoping for leftovers of this, but there were none. With this book, we can have pizza night like we used to. Next to try are the cutout cookies. This book has made our lives easier since finding out that both my son and I are Celiacs. My husband prefers the GF brownies-richer and more tasty! Please get this book. To Karen: When are you putting out another cookbook?

A top notch baking book that fuses European pastries with Asian ingredients: Imagine the richness of French desserts mixed with ingredients like green tea and ginger? This is a cookbook like no other.

Young Mo Kim began his adventures in baking when he was 17 years old. His passion brought him to pastry arts school. Before he was 30 years old, he opened his first bakery in Seoul, Korea. Currently, he has four bakeries and one cafe. Not only does he teach baking at culinary schools as well as to home bakers, he is also a celebrity chef on television. He is currently the president of the Korean Bakers Association. This is his third baking book, and the first one in English.

Not only are there fantastic photos of the finished product for each recipe, but also photos of each stage of creation, totally over 1000 photos! I find this extremely helpful when trying a completely new recipe.

Young Mo Kim's experience at teaching home bakers is quite evident. He explains the method to each recipe so well, anyone can try these recipes.

Chapters included in this book are: Simple Delights (cookies, pound cake and more); A World of Bread (croissants, scones, bagels and more); Fantastic Desserts (tarts, souffles and more); Cakes for Special Occasions (genoises, sponges, cheesecakes and more); Valentine's Day (chocolate); Holiday Treats (yule logs, fruit cake and more); ingredients; and equipment.

One of my favorite recipes is: Pumpkin Cake. It is very different from what we usually see. The cake is a layer cake with the cake part made of a pumpkin genoise. Instead of a cream cheese frosting, the cake is filled with a pumpkin mousse. It is topped with chantilly cream. The entire outside of the cake is covered in genoise powder and then utilizing a jack o lantern stencil and cocoa powder, there is a jack o lantern on the top of the cake!

Another tidbit about this book is that there are Dream Character characters that offer tips and ideas throughout the book. It's like getting a tiny bit of anime on each page!

For the home baker that is wanting an easy-to-read book that offers new ideas to baking your repertoire. This is a wonderful book!

UPDATE: Winner of a Gourmand World Cookbook Award for 2006 Best Desserts Book in the World on May 21st, 2006.

A COLLECTION OF FINE BAKING: THE RECIPES OF YOUNG MO KIM has recently been selected as the recipient for the 'Best Desserts Cookbook' category from Gourmand World Cookbook for 2005 - and it's easy to see why. Here are luscious-looking cookies, cakes, pastries and breads which pair beautiful professional color photos with a touch of professional style cooks at home can easily achieve. And herein lies the difference between A COLLECTION OF FINE BAKING and most competitors: most baking books are either geared for home cooks and lack professional finesse, or for pros - and lack accessibility by home cooks. A COLLECTION OF FINE BAKING easily straddles the line between pro and homemaker to provide both audiences with tips on how to produce professional results from a home kitchen. It's a 'keeper'.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch

I've been a very serious home baker for last 7 years and enjoy baking very much. I'm a fan of this author and own all of his books. His first baking book was published in 2002(in Korean only!). Now, `A Collection of Fine Baking', is a brand new book and it is published only in English. I read from the Korean Daily article about this book and it said that it will be published in Korean sometime next year. I've already tried many of the recipes in this book and results are just incredible! Every recipe shows the step-by-step photos and demonstration from beginning to the ending. It was so easy for me to follow. This book explains each recipes in detail. you'll not make any mistakes when you follow these recipes. I just have to say... it is definitely a five star baking book and enjoying them very much.

A friend of mine bought me this book to prove to me that even I can bake! She is an excellent baker & I would never even try because I was always intimidated by her baking skills. Well, it turns out - even I can bake! This book or should I call it a baking road map helped me so much. The format of this book is great - it is inviting and does not scare the heck out of you when you open it up. Usually I say, I can't do this stuff. But this book is easy to read and understand. Each baking instruction has a corresponding picture to illustrate the steps. When I go through the recipes I feel like I have Young Mo Kim in the kitchen with me - teaching me - guiding me - helping me along the way. The characters were also very helpful providing tips & guidance & very funny at times. A cookbook with humor - what a concept!! I recommend this book highly and will probably give this as gift to my baking challenged friends and family.

My girlfriend bought this book for me after I said I wanted to try baking at home, and I was a little intimidated at first because all of the pictures looked so professional. But as soon as I dove in, I found that the recipes were very easy to follow, and my cakes ended up looking (almost) as good! But more importantly, they tasted phenomenal. The ingredients are always very specific, they don't want you to use just any old kind of flour. But I'm sure you could and it would still taste great! Anyway, I've made about a dozen of the recipes so far with very little trouble (any omissions were my own I'm sure)and I can't wait to try some of those delicious looking holiday cakes. If you love baking, do yourself a favor and buy this book. If I can use it, you can too!

I purchased this book and it was a pleasant combination of history and cooking. I also like that the book was reprinted mistakes and all and it includes contextual information from the time and photographs.

Rufus Estes made a great accomplishment yet I first learned about him on Amazon when I purchased this book. This is a great look back into a turn of the century kitchen and the at the food served to a President and rich patrons on the Pullman line. I was married at the Hotel Florence(named in honor of Pullman's favorite daughter) in the Historic Pullman district in Chicago as I was reading this I could actually visualize his food being served there; who knows he may have cooked there.

A friend borrowed my copy and did a dinner from this book for Black History month and it was delicious. Great for history or cooks who like to bring historic recipes to life in the modern kitchen.

We seem to have lost so much original and adventurous cuisine during the past 100 years. The recipes here are fascinating, and every page contains something delicious, something mysterious (Boiled Samp), and something just plain crazy (Peanut Meatose: a combination of peanut butter and tomato juice!) Would make a great gift for a foodie.

Usually, I consider reading a cookbook somewhat like reading the telephone book. But not "Good Things to Eat". "Rufus" conveys his joy of cooking in a natural, matter-of-fact manner, lean of descriptive narration, lending eloquence to the food itself. Many of the dishes in his book seem quite exotic to us now - Salmi of Game, Orange Fool, Snippodoodles, Spawn and Milk, Pineapple Marshmallows ("This is a good confection for Thanksgiving.") - but the way Rufus puts them together makes them seem eminently doable.

D. J. Frienz should be commended for making "Good Things to Eat" more than just a list of recipes by way he has interspersed Rufus's writings with illustrations, placing in context Rufus Estes's service as a star Pullman attendant and chef during the Gilded Age, when dining in a private railroad car was considered the height of luxury. Rufus's was a state-of-the-art American cuisine, good enough for presidents and plutocrats, and to have this formidable gentleman of a bygone era commune with me through a medium we both love - good things to eat - is a special privilege. Hey, I'm getting hungry just writing this!

Usually, I consider reading a cookbook somewhat like reading the telephone book. But not "Good Things to Eat". "Rufus" conveys his joy of cooking in a natural, matter-of-fact manner, lean of descriptive narration, lending eloquence to the food itself. Many of the dishes in his book seem quite exotic to us now - Salmi of Game, Orange Fool, Snippodoodles, Spawn and Milk, Pineapple Marshmallows ("This is a good confection for Thanksgiving.") - but the way Rufus puts them together makes them seem eminently doable.

D. J. Frienz should be commended for making "Good Things to Eat" more than just a list of recipes by way he has interspersed Rufus's writings with illustrations, placing in context Rufus Estes's service as a star Pullman attendant and chef during the Gilded Age, when dining in a private railroad car was considered the height of luxury. Rufus's was a state-of-the-art American cuisine, good enough for presidents and plutocrats, and to have this formidable gentleman of a bygone era commune with me through a medium we both love - good things to eat - is a special privilege. Hey, I'm getting hungry just writing this!

Usually, I consider reading a cookbook somewhat like reading the telephone book. But not "Good Things to Eat". "Rufus" conveys his joy of cooking in a natural, matter-of-fact manner, lean of descriptive narration, lending eloquence to the food itself. Many of the dishes in his book seem quite exotic to us now - Salmi of Game, Orange Fool, Snippodoodles, Spawn and Milk, Pineapple Marshmallows ("This is a good confection for Thanksgiving.") - but the way Rufus puts them together makes them seem eminently doable.

D. J. Frienz should be commended for making "Good Things to Eat" more than just a list of recipes by way he has interspersed Rufus's writings with illustrations, placing in context Rufus Estes's service as a star Pullman attendant and chef during the Gilded Age, when dining in a private railroad car was considered the height of luxury. Rufus's was a state-of-the-art American cuisine, good enough for presidents and plutocrats, and to have this formidable gentleman of a bygone era commune with me through a medium we both love - good things to eat - is a special privilege. Hey, I'm getting hungry just writing this!

This cookbook is one of my favorites. It contains the best recipes from simple family style meals to gourmet style for those special occasions. This is also the perfect gift for anyone...I display it in my kitchen and it adds so much to my already beachy decor.

My friend told me I just had to buy the Coastal Living Cookbook for my husband as she did for hers-We absolutely love it! Although we havent used any of the recipes yet, we are hosting a tiki party soon and we plan on trying many of them-I read this cookbook like a novel-I want to meet all the people in it and become friends of their's! Double thumbs up from the Kelly's!!!!

LOVE THIS BOOK, THE LAYOUT PICTURES BEAUTIFUL AND ENCOURAGES BOTH BEGINNER AND KITCHEN GOURMADS TO TRY THEM ALL. I ESPECIALLY ENJOYED THE SHRIMP AND FISH RECIPES, ALL EASY TO PREPARE. WILL CONTINUE TO PREPARE AS MANY RECIPES AS I CAN.

"The Coastal Living Cookbook. The Ultimate Recipe Collection for People Who Love the Coast" By Coastal Living, Editor. © 2004 Oxmoor House, Inc. Birmingham Alabama.

If you live along the coast, or wish you did, this is the cookbook for you. Beautifully photographed, this cookbook includes full menus, recipes for the grill, for picnics, for leisurely breakfasts and abundant desserts. Directions are easy and there are even tips like how to host a wine tasting.

Breads include corn bread to Italian Bread Salad, breakfast treats feature Easy Berry pancakes, Baked French Toast Casserole and Strawberry Streusel muffins. Desserts ranging from peanut butter and chocolate chunk cookies to frozen Sangria Pops to Baby Pineapples filled with Pineapple Sherbet.

For entrees, you can choose anything from Marinated Pepper Crusted Beef Tenderloin and Jalapeño Cheeseburgers, to Grilled Chicken and Pesto Clubs, or Southwestern Chicken Bundles.
Ah- then there is fish and seafood. There is a great section titled the Seafood Primer - and describes everything, with recommended cooking techniques, from catfish to caviar to wild salmon. Try the Broiled Clams in Herb Butter, Grilled Alaskan Halibut with Avocado Lime Sauce, or Crab Bisque, Crab Cakes or Crab Rolls. As you can imagine, seafood is covered extensively.
So in this book there really is something for everyone.

This is on my `recommended' list for sure!

I have a lot of cooking books and this one is one of the best. The recipes are simple and absolutely delicious. It's a must have in your cookbook collection.
I also bought simple and simply delicious by Sylvie Rocher. Those 2 books are on the top of my favorites

A few additional remarks besides the excellent review by Mr. Marold:
Even if you are not up to cooking these great dishes, this book is one of the most useful books if you plan on going there. Wolfert covers many specific places you may want to visit. She locates some important restaurants and chefs (even in San Francisco). She tells you what to eat in many cities. She tells you about things you may want to bring home, including some of the specialized pots which are very hard to obtain here; one exception is the U.S. maker of the pot on the cover. You can order the "Diable Charentais" by Googling and selecting the translation of the potter's page. Wolfert shows you how much diversity there is within short distances across this region.
For the cook as well as the traveler, no book in English is so perceptive, comprehensive and accurate. With attention, you can reproduce "the truth". She is also helpful to those of us who cannot assemble the authentic equipment and ingredients.
The importance of this new edition is the current information on people and places, and especially on the sources now accessible from home.

After visiting the southwest of France 3 months ago, I fell in love with their rustic cuisine. This book, the recipes & writtings, is just like reliving our fabulous 10 day vacation. This is a true gem, I can't wait to use my first recipe from it!

I would join with the other reviewers here in recognizing this work as a tour de force in the field of authentic, regional French cooking. I have owned the earlier edition for a number of years and have used it to produce successful, one-of-a-kind results. I would also echo the comments of others in warning prospective purchasers not to expect any simple, quick, or uninvolved recipes in this book. Many main courses require several steps of preparation spread over more than one day. It is also true that many of the recipes still call for ingredients that are hardly on the shelves of the average (or even above average) pantry (e.g., ventreche, piment d'Espelette, rendered duck or goose fat, etc.). Having said all that, there are some wonderful recipes here. However, the changes worked into this new edition sometimes leave me baffled. To take one example, both the old and new editions include a recipe for duck "ham," an air-cured preparation that, when it works, produces a prosciutto-like result. The substantive difference between the old and new versions of this recipe call for the cook to "shave off the duck skin [from the duck breast that is used to make the ham] leaving the fat underneath intact." This really calls for an illustration or at least some additional explanation, in my opinion, because the skin and subcutaneous fat on the duck breast I examined after reading this instrucion are, as I expected would be the case, as one. Note that in the earlier version of this recipe, the skin was left intact. I've found a few more such amendments to recipes that didn't seem to make things any clearer (not to mention easier), and while I cannot say that there aren't any recipes that have been improved by revision, they haven't jumped out at me yet. A few of the new recipes look interesting, but they rise to the same level of challenge as all of the other recipes in this collection always have. Still, for those willing to invest a great deal of time and attention in the preparation of authentic Southwestern French cuisine, this is THE text in English.

Since we just returned fro southwest France I wanted to find some receipes to make our favorite foods. The Cooking of Southwest France did just that. Great receipes and simple to make.

A revised edition of the 1983 book, this is a very authentic tome of sw french cuisine. Paula is one of our greatest cookbook authors, and you cannot go wrong with a single one of her books. The only draw back to this book is that not every recipe is 'doable' to the average home cook, as some ingredients (mainly animal fats) are very hard to find.

Everyone's been there. You decide dessert would be a great thing to bring to that special event, office party, etc. and suddenly find yourself scrambling for that 'great' recipe - the dessert that people will rave about and that won't implode before you get it out of your kitchen. Dot Vartan's book has become my "go-to" recipe book for entertaining. There's just something about a fruit dessert that goes over particularly well, and this book has a huge variety of beautifully presented and delicious recipes to choose from. I've loved everything I have made from it. The cranberry sour cream cake, consisting of grand marnier- and sugar-sweetened cranberries crowning a rich pound-cake like springform cake, was a huge hit at a fall office party. For summer, I've made the blueberry cheesecake, which has fresh blueberries mixed into the batter as well as more jam-sweetened blueberries on a bed of whipped cream as a topping. Part of the charm of this book is that it does include those little decorative touches that make these dishes so wonderful for company. I especially like the fact that each chapter begins with a page about the featured fruit that includes information on seasonal availability, choosing the best fruit, and storage tips. The only negative (if there is one) is that the recipes are deceptively straightforward. They aren't difficult to make, but do take a little more time to prepare than you might think. The end result, however, is very very worth it.

This is a wonderful collection of desserts--a nice mix of homey and more trendy recipes. I'm a sucker for the Lemon Poppy Seed Cake! Would make a nice gift book, too.

I made the Apple Streusel Pie recipe for Thanksgiving at a friend's house and everyone raved about it. I love the way the color-coded chapters are organized by fruit and the recipes are easy to follow. Vartan offers good information about each fruit, including peak season and storage tips.

I love fruity desserts, but never really made any because I was afraid they are easy to mess up and will be hard to make. I received this cookbook as gift, so I figured I would give it a whirl. The good news is that the receipes in this book are much easier than I thought they would be, and I was surprised by how many receipes there were for each fruit. Unique, easy-to-follow recipes featuring 12 different fresh fruits, delightful illustrations and useful information on each fruit - what a wonderful cookbook to add to my collection or give as a gift.

Aside from the beautiful illustrations and practical page format, this book has so much more than good recipies. The author shows one when to acquire and take care of the fruit until ready to use it. There are also suggestions for making less than the full recipe. Tonight, for example, I prepared the blueberry and dried apricot crisp (p. 51) and it was over the top. I never thought of blueberries with dried apricots. What a combination. I use all three of her books (Mad About Muffins & Is It Soup Yet)and in my opinion this one is her best thus far. Lois Fischer