Food Books

I loved this book! Perfect summer read. Plan to cook a lot after reading! The recipes are easy, but amazing. Will not disappoint! Ten years ago my husband and I sailed the west coast of Corsica. This was such a nice reminder of the trip of a lifetime. We did all our own cooking on that trip, but it was nice to see exactly what was going on on all those huge yachts that passed us by!

I have been to most of the places David mentions in the book. Last year in Portofino I watched a yacht like the Serenity dock and noticed the activity that took place in order for the owners and guests to come ashore for their lunch. They were seated next to me at the restaurant and, eavesdropping, I wondered what life on that yacht would be like.

I ran across this book on another Amazon book search and it looked so interesting that I bought it without knowing anything about the author. David brings the international food scene and the yachting scene to life in a down to earth and warm way. I traveled in my mind right along with him.

It is one of those books that I read slowly towards the end in order to savor the last pages before I finish reading. I highly recommond this book.

I felt like I was right there on the yacht, in the Med and tasting all of the wonderful meals. Once I picked up the book, I couldn't put it down. I have made a couple of the recipes in the back of the book and they were wonderful. A must read, especially if you like traveling, the beach, boating and cooking. Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful. I just can't say it enough.

Excellently written. There's the excitement of how David finds his provisions in each port. There's also the fear of whether of not a particular meal will "work" with the extremely demanding owners of the yacht. And the suspense of how a meal will be prepared (for sometimes over 100 guests!) within the confines of a yacht's galley. Then there's the thrill of some moments of real sailing ! All this along with the purely human adventure in following David's search for mastering his profession.

I particularly enjoyed the map of the journey included on the inside cover, along with the detailed maps preceding each chapter. This added the additional benefit of the adventure being a descriptive travel guide as well ! And top this all off with the included bonus 50 pages of recipes at the end. (And each of these recipes include very specific & detailed instructions for preparation.) Bravo. Bravissimo Davide.

Here are the totally engrossing true adventures of a young American who is engaged by a very wealthy Italian couple, to be the chef on their newly refitted luxury sailing yacht, 'Serenity'. The sounds, sights, delectable aromas and glamour of this Mediterranean summer leaps from each page. We experience with chef David,(or Daveed as la Signora the mistress of the yacht calls him when angry), the high and low moments of his very demanding job. There are laughs aplenty in this new book and plenty of material for daydreaming after the last page has been read.

excelent recipies, some that i never saw anywhere else. i also love all the stories. i only wish there were a few photos, but even so, this book is much, much better than any other book on jewish cooking i have ever come across.

I purchased this cookbook a few weeks ago and have made 3 dishes so far. The Egyptian Potato Soup was delicious - nice and creamy without any dairy. It had a beautiful vibrant color with a wonderful potato/lemony taste. I also tried the Romanian Potato and Vegetable Patties. They were pretty good; not my favorite veggie patty but not bad at all. Lastly, I made the Ashenazi barley with mushrooms which was very yummy. I plan to try many more recipes as they all look really delicious. I enjoy reading the small blurb about each recipe. All in all, a wondeful Jewish Vegetarian Cookbook that I highly recommend.

This is essentially an international cookbook focusing on cuisines of places which have historically had significant Jewish populations (although not much on Ashkenazi cuisine). Much of the cookbook is divided by vegetable. For many recipes, variations are presented, some of which transfer the recipe from one cuisine to another. The food is delicious and this is one of the only mainstream cookbooks with Ethiopian recipes. Highly recommended. My only warning is that Marks expects you will be feeding a large group, so singles beware... my huge batch of lovely Persian rice just didn't get finished.

I love this book. The recipes are so good, and are quite unique and easy to make. Instructions are well explained, and some are simply amazing.

My friends recommended the book and it is great (Written by Brett's wife!).

"A land of wheat and barley, of grape vines and fig trees and pomegranates; a land of olive trees and honey . . . you shall eat and be satisfied." Deut. 8:8-10

Tracing vegetarian Jewish Diaspora recipes is no easy task: Rabbi and chef Gil Marks has created a painstakingly researched cookbook that at times reads more like a history book. With recipes from Azerbaijan to Yemen, Olive Trees and Honey is a catalogue of the vast variety of Jewish vegetarian cuisines, including chapters on cheese and dairy spreads, pickles and relishes, soups, salads, savory pastries, cooked vegetable dishes, vegetable stews, beans and legumes, grains, dumplings and pasta, eggs, and sauces and seasonings.

Each section features fascinating information about the origins and spread of each type of cuisine, often with illustrative maps. Some examples include a map of which type of cheeses are popular in which Diaspora community, or the spread of stuffed cabbage from Persia. Each recipe contains a myriad of further variations to try. Every recipe is labeled Dairy or Pareve for those keeping kosher, and many recipes offer Pareve alternatives (which generally are vegan).

Some of the more interesting recipes that caught my eye were Moroccan Pumpkin Soup, Hungarian Wine Soup, a sangria-like cold soup (red wine and fresh/frozen fruit mixed with orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves), Middle Eastern Bulgur-Stuffed Cabbage, Sephardic Cauliflower Patties (perfect for Passover if made with matza meal), Indian Coconut Rice, Middle Eastern Wheat Berry Stew, and the classic Ashkenazic Sweet Noodle Pudding (Kugel).

Also included are suggested vegetarian menus for special occasions and holidays. This is a monumental work and one of the most beautiful vegetarian cookbooks out there, refreshing for the soul as well as body. I only have two small complaints: Rabbi Gil Marks wrote the excellent (and out-of-print) World of Jewish Desserts, with over 400 Diaspora recipes. I would have liked to see the incorporation of more of his well-researched desserts as a final sweet note (there are recipes for several pastry-based desserts included). Also, the large number of variations in addition to the core recipes (example: ten recipes for red lentil soup, many of which are minor variations of the basic Sephardic Red Lentil Soup) made this a bit overwhelming; although I enjoyed browsing through the 300+ recipes, I honestly don't see myself ever making more than a handful on a regular basis.

Here's what I love about Dino Sarna's Alternative Vegan - everything. Seriously, Dino's voice comes through in the most unostentatious and entertaining way as he coaches me to make changes, take risks, use what I have, not trip to the grocery for some obscure ingredient. Got this but not that? Use what you have. Can't afford top of the line cookware? Join the club and get yourself some used stuff at a thrift store. Good food will result all the same.

Taking the theory Sarna provides and running with it has filled my home with spicy aromas, healthy meals, and a great deal of satisfaction. It's almost like Dino Sarna is standing behind me as I cook, shaking his head in approval, providing a guiding hand when needed.

This is way more than a collection of recipes. This is a collection of wisdom about the chemistry of food passed down from generations of Sarna's family. It's worth the price and then some. Get your copy. You will not regret it.

I would suggest that anyone on a vegan diet or just wishing to explore exotic cooking get this cookbook. This book focuses on vegan eating without all the soy-based prepacked "fake foods". Dino's writing is entertaining and will help relax you and make cooking a pleasure. All the recipes I have tried have been delicious.

If you've been frustrated by trying to find ingredients for vegan cooking at your local store, this can help. And so far, the recipes are good. I especially liked the black olive hummus with truffle oil. The banana bread wasn't quite as successful, but my bananas weren't ripe enough so that may have been part of the problem.

Simple and tasty recipes. I am in love. This book has become my go-to book when I'm wondering what to make for dinner.

My omnivorous husband professes to hate garbanzo beans. Over the weekend I made the dry cooked garbanzos (p.64). Yesterday I was rummaging through the fridge looking for the leftovers. He asked what I was looking for, I told him, and he said "Oh...yeah...I took that to work with me for lunch. It was really good."

Victory!

This book not only has a GREAT variety of vegan recipes, it also has great cooking tips on pot/pan selection, etc. AND, it don't tell you that you have to buy a $2,000 set of pans. It tells you how to do it inexpensively! AND, the author has a great sense of humor! Read it from Page ONE!!! If you are gluten intolerant, there are many recipes in here for you.

This was my kids favorite bed time story for a long time. And I must admit one of my favorites too. Although watch out for the whisper/shout page at the end of the book, it is very easy to get the kids all riled up just before bed time. Great book, we often give it as a gift.

I got this book for my nephew's birthday (he was turning 3) and he really loved it. It's really something fun and different for kids and all the parents were even entertained by it! I have had a hard time finding these books in bookstores, so I'm glad I've been able to purchase them on Amazon. I would definitely recommend this book for the little ones.

I had a couple of the Saxton Freymann books hanging around the house from my teaching days (Dog Food and How Are You Peeling). My 4 year old twins found them one day and loved them. I ordered them Food for Thought for Christmas last year and it is still a highly requested bedtime book. I love looking at the pictures as much as they do! It is amazing how they accomplish this using only food items.

Another picture book from the creative minds of Elffers and Freymann. This one illustrates concepts (shapes and colors, numbers and letters, opposites) with big, bold, and colorful photos of fruits and vegetables carved and combined into expressive faces and adorable animals and scenes. Each page is a new puzzle: H for Hair is easily identified as a leek (you might have to explain 'leek' to a child), root end up, but what are the 'insects'? (blueberries with onionskin wings). The humor may occasionally go over a child's head (look at X for X-ray) but that doesn't matter, he will still love identifying the fruits and vegetables the characters are made of. This is a wonderful book for group reading, children are captivated by the colors and illustrations and the large format makes it easy to see even for the children toward the back of the group. If you've liked others in this series you won't want to miss this one.

It's got a little bit of everything--fruits & vegetables, colors, shapes, letters, animals, opposites. Even adults will say "how imaginative!"

This is an ok effort by Ms. Goldstein but unfortunately the recipes don't quite result in the amazing flavors that Georgian cuisine is known for. Perhaps it is Ms. Goldstein's substitutions of less authentic ingredients as some ingredients in the "real" dish are hard to find. Perhaps it is something else. (Her "adjika" is REALLY bad/wrong for instance....)

OK book if you want an idea of what Georgian cuisine is like. Not good if you REALLY want the real thing...

This is a marvelous, utterly authentic encyclopedia of Georgian cooking. I tried some of the recipes before leaving for Georgia in summer 2006, and they were great, and gave me a good idea of what to expect. Once in Georgia, the book was an invaluable reference that I constantly turned to whenever I tried something new. Just about *everything* I had is in here, along with many things I didn't get around to sampling.

This book also helped me learn the correct Georgian names for the dishes and many of the ingredients. A significant portion of the book is devoted to providing cultural background on Georgia and Georgian food, such the elaborate rules for a _tamada_, or Georgian toastmaster. With its charming photos of representative paintings scattered generously throughout its pages, it also made me a Pirosmani fan, and better able to appreciate the originals when I saw them for myself.

Most importantly, as the other reviewers say, the recipes *work*. We just made the potato salad with walnut paste (p. 172), and it was delectable. Other dishes we have tried and like include tomato soup with walnuts and vermicelli (p. 73) and green beans with egg (p. 130). Pkhali was one of my favorite dishes in Georgia, and I'm glad to have the recipe for when I get around to making it myself. There is a recipe for beets with cherry sauce, a dish a travel companion had tried but that even some of our Georgian hosts weren't familiar with. For the few recipes that seem to be missing from this book, like eggplant with walnut paste, try Please to the Table: The Russian Cookbook, another excellent collection of delicious recipes from all the former Soviet republics.

_The Georgian Feast_ is well worth having even if you don't eat meat - many of the recipes are completely vegetarian. This book is a real treasure.

I've already written a review of this great book. I have only one suggestion: the basic khmeli suneli recipe can be augmented further to reach the authentic smell and taste. The wikipedia article on khmeli suneli has additional ingredients that can be added to the recipe. I tried that, about 2 teaspoons of each ingredient that's not already in Darra's recipe (less for black and chili pepper), and it came closer to the authentic smell and taste. I think the author of the wikipedia article might have meant safflower (marigold) instead of saffron though, so I didn't add that.

As someone who was born and grew up in Tbilisi, I was very happy to find this book -- it captures all of my favorite recipes, and when I prepare them according to this book, they taste just like my grandma's cooking.

More than just a recipe book, this is also an exploration into the rich history and culture of Georgia, and how the history shaped the cuisine. I suggest this book to everyone who would like to add some interesting preparations to their cooking. For vegetarians, Georgians have plenty of healthful and filling ways to prepare veggies and beans, and also some mouth watering sauces that will enliven any dish (veg or not).

I enjoy this book both as a cook book, and as a historical book!

I gave this book to a Georgian and she loved it. It had all the dishes she had eatten as a child. If your looking for a book to fill in any missing recipes this is the book for you.

If you buy one book on health, make it this one. It drills down to the fundamental causes of all our modern diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and the gamut of neurological afflictions. The book is very well organized so you can zoom in to your item of interest and get specific nutrition and supplement recommendations. But you should read it cover to cover - it's an eye-opening ride, taking you from the political and corporate history behind different health policies and commonly held medical beliefs, zooming all the way down to molecular mechanisms for different toxins. Tightly written, neither dogmatic nor dry, the book is a pleasure to read. Decades from now the medical establishment may consider this information self-evident, and look back on chemo, angioplasty, and statins as they now look back on leeches, but for now, this book is cutting edge. Learn how to use simple nutritional changes and supplements to give your body the tools it needs to fight and win against diseases that have been labeled chronic or incurable. If you are short on time and want just quality actionable information, subscribe to his Blaylock Wellness Reports, and download the collection of PDF's that focus on specific diseases and health issues, distilling the information to about 10 pages for each subject. Even if you never buy a vitamin, the information here will help you navigate the toxic nutritional minefield we live in.

Every person in America should read this book. It is well written by a very knowledgeable person that seems to care. It should be Oprah's book of the month. It you eat, have kids or are concerned about health, then this is the book for you. I do have to warn you, some parts are pretty scary. It was amazing to find out all of the things the government doesn't tell us about our food supply.

this is probably one of the best book I have read on nutrition. what America is eating how are we reaction to what we ingest.

Sink your teeth into this book!!

Its easy for Food Manufacturers to get consumers addicted to their chemical substances now-a-days... for the sole purpose of making profit. It IS the definition of a *corporation* to do just that-- Make Profits (check out dvd documentary "The Corporation" and "Enron, Smartest Guy in the Room"). It doesn't have to be good for you or even safe for you to be approved in our markets today. As long as the effect isn't immediately obvious, their product can linger out among the masses... People get strange chronic illnesses everyday and think that their environment is not the cause. Many think that there are strict regulations and government agencies protecting our food, but there is not. Companies producing chemical toxins have become wealthier than we can imagine.
Be tough! Don't buy the foods with metallic, chemical, toxic substances.

A word on X-RAYS-- Thank you Dr. Blaylock for speaking on the damaging effects of X-Rays. Once we are *radiated* where does the radiation go? Is there no better diagnostic tool like thermograms..? Are we so set in our ways that we cannot do anything else to detect bone breaks, like for example high pitch tuning forks-- which cause certain vibrations felt only on a fractured bone? Marie Currie who discovered x-rays, died of radiation poisoning-- isn't that a clue?

If you seek to educate yourself about how to maintain good health through good nutrition and to avoid all the disinformation heaped upon you by the medical establishment and pharmaceutical companies then this is the book to your independence and a brighter, healthier, more alive future. Base upon the experience of a formerly practicing neurosurgeon who got fed up with a distorted medical system, Br. Blaylock clearly and in a no words minced manner, explains why and how we find ourselves in a process that doesn't try to prevent the maladies that afflict us but only wants to prescribe to the symptoms to perpetuate their bottom line financial reports and profits based on our illnesses. An illuminating and infuriating book. A must read...

I'm very happy with this book. The recipes I've made so far reminded me of home. I especially loved
the creamed spinach recipe (spenot), which turned out just perfect. (I followed the book's recipe to the
letter.) Not everyone will like this particular dish, but this is what I grew up with and I always loved it.
I have numerous Hungarian cookbooks--some from Hungary--but this is by far the best.

I'm also impressed that on one of the first few pages there's a picture of carp soup. I'm originally from Baja,
Hungary, where this soup is served at Christmas at many family's tables. There's nothing I've ever tasted in
the 50 years of my life that compares to a properly made carp soup--absolutely nothing. I'm so impressed
that this book gives this dish the attention it deserves.

If you think that carp soup is a joke, do a Google search using the following key words:
baja hungary fish soup festival

However, don't bother trying to make the soup...

This book is authentic. It is not only a great cookbook but also a colorful introduction to the Hungarian culture. I am a Hungarian living in the US and have always had a hard time explaining our ingredients, dishes and delicacies to my friends and when I saw this book I realized that this was the best solution. That was all I needed in my kitchen, so now whenever I serve a Hungarian dish to my guests, I just show the book as an explanation. We always have a good laugh at the pictures and at the stories and memories they bring up, it is a great way to show where and how I grew up - and what I was eating meanwhile.

The recipes are authentic and they cover the variety of the home-made dishes we eat.
This book will make you want to cook a tasty gulyas soup and a chicken paprikas with noodles... but be careful! You may soon find yourself sitting in a cafe in Budapest trying one delicious pastry after the other, or getting dizzy on a wine-tasting tour near the Balaton or trying to sneak some sausage and pickled vegetables in your suitcase on the way back. :) Jó étvágyat! Enjoy!

I really like this book. All of the CULINARIA books are huge. They're probably not the most handy to have sitting on your counter while you're trying to cook up something from the pages, but still, they're pretty darn cool. This book has really nice, quality photos with insight about what the picture is showing you. The history packed into these books is crazy. It covers everything related to cuisine in Hungary. And I do mean everything. If you not only have an interest in the food of this country, but also a curiosity about the history behind the food,... GET IT. If you're only interested in some interesting historical tid-bits about Hungary and it's culture, but not really interested in the recipe aspect,... GET IT. It covers both and isn't boring.

this is a terrific book of authentic hungarian cuisine, the book focuses heavily on recipies with sour cream, paprika and sweets. i give it four stars for a reason though, one i found rather annoying at times

not all recipies have quantities required for them!!!!

this is very annoying for instance with goulash soup which requires "a layer" of paprika, took me 3 tries to get the right amount. If only it said 1/4 of a cup like i ended up using it would have been perfect.

so make sure you remember when making those ones to write down the quantity you use in the book once you get it right and you have a 5 star book.

I borrowed this book from the library in my ongoing search for a reliable English version of the recipe for Esterhazy Torte which I first ate in Hungary, a cake to die for - truly. Anyway, I didn't get it in this book but it gave me everything else! This book does have many recipes but I would not really characterize it as a recipe book. Rather, it is about Hungary's traditional agriculture, its resultant tastiest base ingredients for the local cuisines. Basically, it is a book about traditional Hungary, the country, seen through its foods and drinks. You kind of feel like you're being taken on a tour of the country with stops along the way to eat the local specialties (through your eyes until you can get into the kitchen). I wish I had read this book before I went to Hungary because now I see how much a missed. It has lots of colorful pictures and just the whole presentation is A-1, including the quality of the physical book. It doesn't have the most recipes but it has the best ones. I did have trouble understanding what some of the ingredients were here and there but I am sure some research would clear it up for me. I recommend everyone who is interested in Hungarian food buy this book FIRST and then buy additional books afterward. I even recommend it for anyone planning a trip to Hungary. I wouldn't lug it along but it would really help you plan a few key restaurants, cafes and markets to go to and what key dishes and drinks you have to have.

I'm American-born Vietnamese, and my parents came to the U.S. in 1975 at the tailend of the war. I have been searching for a thorough Vietnamese cookbook for quite some time. My mom sifted through the book in great detail and compared it to her set of Vietnamese recipes that have been passed down through generations. She kept commenting how thorough the recipes were and how authentic.

What I love about this book is:
1. Vietnamese cooking is difficult, meticulous, and takes patience. What I love what the author does is simplifies these recipes to make them adaptable to American kitchen equipment, while still keeping authentic flavor. Yes, you may have gotten there differently, but you end up in the same place.

2. The intro and appendix chapters to teach you about the foundations of Vietnamese cooking and explaining the different ingredients (how to store them, how to cut them, where to find them)

3. The equivalent Vietnamese names and pictures help me associate the dishes to the botched English translations. Any Vietnamese person will say that the English translations do not translate directly to what the author has named them in this book, but having the exact Vietnamese name helps me recall what the recipe is...and for anyone else, helps you recognize it on a menu to order at a restaurant later!

4. The group of recipes provided really encompass end-to-end Vietnamese cuisine that consist of classic dishes and "Dac Biet" dishes (fancy dishes usually saved for special occasions). From crab asparagus soup to Moon Cakes, each dish brings back all of my childhood memories of my favorite dishes that my mom is now too tired to cook herself.

Bottom line, the recipes are simplified - it's no 30-minute meal - but instead of brewing pho broth for a full day, she gives alternatives of how to shorten it....but also still providing the recipe for the all-day broth.

Andrea Nguyen has written a wonderful, easy to use cookbook on Vietnamese cooking. We just returned from Vietnam in April (2008) and Ms Nguyen has put together a wonderful, comprehensive book that sums up the wonderful cuisine of Vietnam. We traveled from Hanoi to Saigon and never had a bad meal. Ms Nguyen recreated our experience 100 times!!! She recounts the evacuation of her family from Saigon in 1975 and relocation in San Jose. How her family became accustomed to their new life, but continued to cook wonderful Vietnamese food. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Vietnamese cooking...I have made a number of the recipes and they have turned out fabulously. Every dish I make reminds me of our wonderful trip to Vietnam.

When I got this book I had very limited knowledge on Vietnamese food. There is a striking difference in ingredients, spices and herbs used in the Vietnamese cuisine compared to western cooking and the author takes the time to explain all the different ingredients used, how and where to purchase them and how to store them. I found that very helpful! All the recipes in the book are explained in detail and often take more than one page. The ingredients are also very well listed and the dishes are very well organized in chapters.The recipes are very easy to follow and I have been really satisfied from everything I have cooked until now! The author also tells a few words about each dish and its origin and characteristics making the book a true journey into the Vietnamese kitchen (and culinary culture) rather than a mere cookbook. I have a much better understanding and appreciation of Vietnamese food now and a lot of it is due to Andrea Nguen's book.

I was just mentioning to someone that what I like about this cookbook is that it has recipes in it for everyday type of food. Not fancy. Easy ingredients, and very good. Too often cookbooks only have those recipes that would be intended for banquets or special occasions and take hours to make with lots of ingredients. This cookbook has an excellent assortment of easy/good vietnamese food with some good descriptive reading to go along with it. I'd recommend it to anyone.

After reading so many bad Vietnamese cook book- This is an extreme pleasure.

The book was well organized with separated chapter for sauce and ingredient glossary.

I try out some, they all have very intelligent twist that make the original food very flavor full.

My son (6 years old) and I love this easy and fun cook book. We have been trying for the recipes every weekend.

This was the first cookbook I had recieved myself as a child. The ingredients are illustrated in a very clear appealing way. Even the measurements are illustrated which makes it very friendly for a child just attempting to cook. I gave this book to my neices and will pass on my copy to my boys, who are a little to young at this time. A great first cookbook. I'm glad to see it is still being published 20 years after I first recieved it.

I had this same cookbook when I was a kid, so I was surprised that I was able to find it again, what? 20 years later? My daughter and I have made several of the recipes, and she adores the book just as I did when I was a kid! She constantly flips through the pages and picks out something to make for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It's nice to have something kid-friendly to share with my 5-year-old. She always wants to help me cook, and with this book - she gets to be in charge.

We have an old copy of this book and love it. My 3-year-old reads the pictures in the recipes. Our favorite is Hidden Hotdogs (pigs in a blanket). The ingredients are listed as both words and pictures. The instructions have visual aids as well. Younger chefs can read the pictures and help get the ingredients ready. Some of the recipes are a bit more intricate and may not hold the interest of the little ones. For the under 6 crowd, choose the easier recipes first. There are a few egg recipes that only have a few steps (Egg in a Frame) and can be done with 'helpers'. This cookbook can grow with your child. The measuring spoons are just a cute add-on.

I love to cook, and for years my little boy has wanted to help me out in the kitchen. Unfortunately, most of my recipes exist only in my brain so it was very hard for him to lend a hand.

This book, which I purchased only hoping to find one or two recipes we'd like, has turned him into an independent little chef in his own right. The instructions are very well-written, the safety precautions are clear and the foods themselves are all kid-pleasers. Well, let me rephrase that: they are all family-pleasers. We've made every one in the book and they've all been big hits.

He's quite proud of owning his own measuring spoon set, too. My only complaint is that the gold-colored paint used to label each spoon's measurements wore off quickly. That was easily solved by going over the raised letters with a permanent marker, though.

Fantastic book: a great gift for any kid!

How marvelous to see this wonderful cookbook back in print. I have an original hardcover, stained and old and with a broken binding - but that shows the hard use it has seen over the years. I love desserts, and I love chocolate - but I have other chocolate cookbooks that almost never get opened. When I think "chocolate" this is always the first, and usually the only, cookbook to come out.

I have never had a bad choice made from this cookbook. Some can be a bit complicated in the making, like the incredible Sept. 7th Cake, but are well worth it in the end.

But probably the biggest part of the charm, to me, are all the wonderful anecdotes about each recipe. Just reading them makes we want to try the recipes out as a mere list of ingredients never would. I'm sorely tempted to buy myself a a new fresh copy of this book.

I gave this to my sister in law who is a very good cook, and I know she has lots of cookbooks, but I thought this seemed like the quintessential book on chocolate. (I also was secretly hoping she'd experiment with some of the recipes, and that I could be one of the taste testers!)
I think she seemed pleased with the book, and mentioned that is covers rudimentary tips, as well as, more complicated recipes.

It is one of the best written cookbooks with regard to instructions ansd the reciope for chocolate expresso ice cream is worth the price of the book.
cincinnatus

I received this book many years ago at my Sweet Sixteen birthday party. I was already a pretty good cook, but I credit this book with taking me to the next level.

What is truly special about this book is that the author takes her time to tell us things other cookbook writers don't. First, she gives us a lovely introduction to each recipe, including where it comes from, and what to expect from it. That certainly saves the home cook much time and effort trying recipes that might not be a good match. She tells us at beginning of each one which desserts are moist, dense, light, easy, challenging, sweet, less-sweet, etc. Which means that I was able to zero in on the recipes which were most likely to match what I or my guests like.

Second, she discusses choices of equipment and ingredients, both in an introductory chapter and then again throughout. And unlike other gourmet cookbooks which are sometimes inflexible, she is frank about choices and substitutions, and when it's o.k. to use less costly or more readily available ingredients.

And third, she doesn't assume that the home cook has training as a pastry chef, which means she includes details like how & why to temper your eggs, how to arrange the oven racks for a particular recipe, and which way of preparing your spring-form pan will work best with this particular recipe.

And lastly, she ends most recipes with ideas for alternate forms of the same recipe, either in suggested ingredient substitutions, or alternative prep methods, or variant presentation.

As a result, this is a hefty book, and many recipes take up several pages. The first chocolate chip cookie recipe itself is 3 full pages long. (There are eleven chocolate chip cookie recipes to choose from!)

Many (!) years later, when I see friends from high school, they still talk about the chocolate desserts I made from recipes in this fabulous cookbook.

I bought it when it was first available back in the early 80s and all the recipes are really great. But first among equals is the Toblerone Milk Chocolate Mousse - I regularly double the recipe and it never fails to please.