Some incredible recipes
929810
I have not tried every recipe in the book yet, but it is worth buying even if just for two recipes - "Neo-Neopolitan Pizza Dough," and "Soft Cheese Bread".

I have made pizza for years with home made dough and a pizza stone. I've always thought it was better than anything from a restaurant . But after using this dough recipe, anything I used to make tastes downright mediocre. The dough has a crusty surface, but a tender, almost wet interior. It's very hard to describe because it is not at all common in the US - it is NOT just "thin crust pizza".  The only time I've had pizza like this was in Chicago, at Spacca Napoli. Phenomenal and now a weekly meal at our house.
The cheese bread is equally amazing, if not such a surprise. You can tell just from reading the ingredients - cheese, beer, and onions. Complex flavor, amazing comfort food that could be a meal in itself. It's almost like fondue in a loaf - especially if you cut it a bit sooner than he recommends.

I have only three minor complaints... 1. He could do a better job describing the character of each bread so you know what to expect. 2. Every recipe is written so that you refrigerate the dough overnight before baking. Once in a while a recipe will describe how to let it rise and skip the refrigerator but it would be nice to have that option spelled out in every recipe. 3. Quite a number of sourdough recipes. Great that they are there, but for the moment I'm just avoiding them and the fact that there are so many reduces the number of recipes I'll try for now.

All told though a terrific cookbook.
4637124
Great recipes that astound your guests. Used it for a formal Trafalgar Day dinner to great effect. Some truly weird and wonderful recipes in here (Dusty Millers??) and a fine wine and beverage section. An excellent companion to Aubrey/Maturin
2411433
Every recipe they make is incredible. Some of the recipes are a little closer to "cooking for three," but I don't mind since I like leftovers.
4521834
If you are looking for a slick cookbook with color photos of each dish, you need to keep looking.  But those cookbooks don't always have clear instructions, realistic proportions and easy to aquire ingredients.  This one, on the other hand was clearly a labor of love by the author and her cohorts. The recipes are not so "Steampunk" as an odd array of traditional (Shepard's Pie, Banana Bread), to off the beaten path (Hudson Bay Bread, Rutabaga and Potato, Pumpkin Penne), to the truly unique and bizzare (G.D. Falksen's Salmagundi Slop -a concoction with ground buffalo, or Rhubarb Wine). The recipes are not written by professional chefs and they assume that the reader isn't either. Most are explained in a down to earth, easy to understand, example of what to shoot for, way. They do talk you through it which is a very good thing, they "idiot proof their recipes".  After reading most of the recipes, I got the feeling that most of the contributers were really fun, slightly off center individuals. Some of the recipes have been "Steampunkified" with allusions to Steampunk friendly topics (Frankenchicken- Butterflied Roast Chicken with Chorizo Stuffing, you will be sewing the chicken up at one point, or Fried Kraken - which is simply fried squid, but it got my attention). I have over 400 cookbooks, most of which are very good, but there are dishes in this little made on a shoestring budget cookbook, that I don't have anything similar to anywhere else in my collection. I have only made one dish so far (a scallop and asparagus thing that was REALLY good), but there are so many things that look good. It is a real shame that this book seems to be out of print.
4733808
This recipe book has some really good stuff. There are so many fantastic and creative recipes in here, it was hard to pick the one I wanted to start with! Some really interesting combinations I wouldn't have imagined together either. Will certainly have some fun exploring these recipes.
2491206
C.  SMITH  The recipes are easy to follow and I loved the layout of this book . I wish it had the breakdown  of each recipe's calories  ect.  Some of my favorites :  Blueberry Muffins , These are really moist and I love the hint of Lemon.  Mac and  Cheese  2 : This is excellent , We like  to double the recipe and stick it in the oven at 350 for 30 mins. for a light crispy topping .  Avocado Spread :  This tasted a little bland so I spiced it up with a little chopped Red Onion , 1  TBS. Cilantro and a couple shakes of Red pepper Flakes .  Gingerbred Spicecake :  This is fun to make at Christmas time. Very moist.  Blueberry Oatmeal Bars :  These are so good , you hardly taste the spinach .  Graham Cracker Icecream Sandwiches : These are a refreshing little snack in the summer time. I used Vanilla Lowfat Yogurt instead of plain yogurt .  I really enjoyed making these recipes and my family enjoyed eating them.  Check out doitdelicious recipes . She has an awesome recipe for  Roasted Chicken and Baked Fish on a Bed of Spinach ....Yummy .  Thank  You Jessica for writting this Cookbook , You did an awesome job.
4282549
I haven't made my way thru all of the recipes in this book yet, but the ones I've tried have been truly great.  Yesterday I made the Thai Beef Stew (in the slow cooker) and it was beyond amazing.  I have tried many slow cooker recipes and it's so hard to get a really concentrated, intense flavor cooking this way... meat gets tender but things are often bland (unless you reduce the sauce, add butter, or add extra flavors at the end).  This dish really stood up on it's own... bursting with flavor with nothing added at the end.

The desert recipes in this book are really great too.
1768994
Wow! First, a great collection of recipes, with the added attraction of having been written by someone I was blessed to know as a wonderful preson and incredible cook.

This is not a book for purists, but rather realists who realize that, whatever their perceptions, this woman was an incredibly successful cook and these are great recipes.

My copy was a gift, and arrived in A1 shape, bringing a birthday smile to the recipient, as well as to the givers, and, incidentally, creating an arc across FOUR generations of women in our family, from my wife's mother to our grand daughters, who will be cooking from this wonderful resource. My wife was blessed to have worked with and learned from Esther, snd this has been a cornerstone of her cooking, to which my battle with my waistline is abundant tribute..
1066618
I have made many recipes from this book and and all but one have turned out fantastic, the outlier was still fairly good.  I would recommend reading the recipe a couple of times before trying is because some of the steps might be a little strange or unorthodox.  Even when I have screwed up a step or two the recipe turns out really good.  My biggest complaint is the way the book is laid out, there are a number of smaller recipes that you don't see in the main table of contents that are really good but not easy to find unless you look in the index in the back of the book.
1842461
I was so excited for this cookbook after cooking one of her recipes that I had found on her website. It was not a letdown. In one week I've made about 9 of the recipes and they all came out more than stellar. Absolutely delicious, all of it. There are some recipes I don't plan to make just because it's something I don't like in general, and some of the recipes just aren't my cup of tea, but delicious for others. Everything is amazing. Just buy it.
2602366
We have only had this book for a few weeks but every recipe we have tried has been amazing.  So far have made Speghetti Carbonara, Speghetti Amatriciana, Potato and Bacon Pie and several other recipes.  They are amazing every time.
1379979
I was so excited to get this book and as soon as it arrived a few weeks ago I started making as many of the dishes as I could. So far I've made the salted squab (or quail since I couldn't find squab), pistachio lemon terrine, winter vegetable stew, injera, spicy okra, and tomato rice. Most of the dishes turned out amazing, although I've had to apply some tweaks.

Here's the good: This book contains many amazing and inventive recpies. If you're an experienced home cook who isn't turned off by recipes containing a few exotic or hard-to-find ingredients, or who feels ok with improvising and substituting, then I think you'll enjoy this book. Marcus Samuelsson is a very talented chef and he's capable of concocting dishes and flavor combinations that are out of this world. This is a cookbook of dishes from all over Africa but it doesn't shy away from experimenting with non-African cuisines and ingredients.

The bad: This book is not for a beginning cook, or someone who needs clear instructions because they still can't feel their way around the kitchen. It's also not for someone who's pressed for time or is looking for simple recipes. Many of the ingredient quantities or ratios seem a bit off, or very roughly approximated at best - for example, quite a few of the recipes seem to call for way more lemon juice and acidity than is necessary, and I've adjusted those with good results. I was also disappointed with the injera recipe. I love the tart, sour injera that we sometimes get at our local Middle Eastern market and found that the one I made from this book bore no resemblance to it in taste. Instead, it tasted like a wheat pancake.

Overall, I think this is a great book for its amazing and authentic recipes alone. But I would only recommend it to an experienced cook who more or less knows what they're doing.
4557702
Photos didn't give a good prospective of the plate but the book it's amazing and the recipes are incredible. A great book.
4599736
This is a great way to eat.  A lot of good recipes.
1535587
I have been looking for some recipes for Slow Cooker's and in looking through this book I was pleasantly surprised on how many recipes that I found in this book that I can not wait to try.

Here are some of the recipes with the page numbers I am going to try:

CREAMY LOADED BAKED POTATO SOUP p. 31
LONE STAR SIRLOIN CHILI (beer is one of the ingredients) p. 67
SEAFOOD JAMBALAYA p. 79
OLD FASHIONED MAC AND CHEESE p. 90
ENCHILADAS VERDE p. 99
CHICKEN ENCHILADAS WITH RANCHERO SAUCE p. 100
TANDOORI CHICKEN p. 113
BONELESS BUFFALO CHICKEN FOR SANDWICHES p. 124
OLD FASHIONED CHICKEN POT PIE p. 127
MOM'S STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS p. 214
PORK CHOPS WITH SAUERKRAUT AND APPLES p. 245
SMOTHERED PORK CHOPS p. 248
BARBECUED BABY BACK RIBS p. 271
PUSHCART SAUSAGE & PEPPERS p. 279
GERMAN POTATO SALAD WITH SAUSAGE p. 350
STUFFED PEPPERS p. 380
MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKE p. 435
STUFFED CHICKEN PARMIGIANA p. 485
BANANAS FOSTER BREAD PUDDING p. 517
CHERRIES JUBILEE LAVE CAKE p. 523
3414618
I received a copy of this book as a promotional offer, and I have to admit that I am really enjoying the recipes.  I have only tried two of them so far, and they turned out great.  I made the Cuban Sandwiches and the Paella.  Both were easy to make and my family just raved over them.  I can't wait to try some of the other recipes.  Everything looks authentic and delicious.
460788
The recipes in this book are wonderful. There is a nice mix of appetizer, main dish, and desserts.  Well, maybe there are more desserts, but it may just seem that way as that is what I like to make.  I have tried numerous recipes and they have all been great.  I especially like that the author explains how to make many of them in advance.  I don't keep kosher, but have family that does and I like to be able to bring foods to them that are kosher (well, kosher-style, as my kitchen is not kosher).  I also like making some recipes (like a nice fish roll one) that are easy and popular in any setting.