More than just KrumKakes
932655
First, let me admit that I don't know what an authentic KrumKake is. I had this item on my wishlist because I wanted to use it to make ice cream cones in the summer. After looking at waffle cone makers and other KrumKake devices, I settled on this one because the pattern was pretty and the size of the circle seemed just about right for a reasonably sized ice cream cone. When I got it for Christmas, I tried making cones and formed cups using the included recipe for German cookies. The cones were indeed a good size -- not super-sized cones, but a reasonable size for a sensible dessert. And the recipe was quite tasty.
Then, I got the idea that the cookies would make interesting fortune cookies -- a little larger than normal, and with a pretty pattern instead of the usual flat surface. Using the same recipe, but adding just a little almond extract, I made fortune cookies, and with custom fortunes, they were a big hit at a recent party.
It does take some time to make a big batch of cookies, but once I got the rhythm down, it wasn't so bad. And to be honest, if this thing was baking two cookies at once, it would be a race to get them formed before they cooled. Better to make them one at a time and be able to shape them better.
Overall, I'm pleased with this device. Yes, the cookies aren't always perfect, but home made products aren't always perfect. I'm fine with that.
155617
This book is much more than the next Pacific Northwest book introducing shrubs&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Pok-Pok-Food-and-Stories-from-the-Streets-Homes-and-Roadside-Restaurants-of-Thailand/dp/1607742888/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Pok Pok: Food and Stories from the Streets, Homes, and Roadside Restaurants of Thailand</a>&nbsp;or bitters&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Bitterman-s-Field-Guide-to-Bitters-Amari-500-Bitters-50-Amari-123-Recipes-for-Cocktails-Food-Homemade-Bitters/dp/1449470696/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Bitterman's Field Guide to Bitters & Amari: 500 Bitters; 50 Amari; 123 Recipes for Cocktails, Food & Homemade Bitters</a>&nbsp;or similiar retreivals of "lost" foods. Rather it is an introduction to a wide variety of ways to infuse flavor by steeping, decocting, percolating ... in oil, vinegar, water, alcholol, broths, honey ... to make drinks, desserts, pizzas, stews, salads ... And yes, it does include bits on shrubs and bitters.

What sets this book apart from similiar books on infusing is the care given in melding the infusion into a coherent flavor profile in a finished dish. For example, lemon infused oil is nothing innovative ... you can buy it in a store. However, when you taste the oil made by this recipe and combine it into Flatbread with Sheep's Milk Feta, Lemon-Infused Olive Oil and Mint you understand precisely why you would make your own infused oil and consider it essential.

It may be a bit unusual that I have three varieties of shiso in my garden (red and green Japanese; green Korean), but it was absolutely delightful to find a Shiso-Infused Broth recipe (also using lemongrass-infused rice vinegar) as a base of Shrimp and Vegetables in Shiso-infused Broth using shredded diakon for noodles

There are also uncommon flavor profiles that work splendidly e.g. Bay Leaf-Infused Cream for Ice Cream. With a bit of fresh nutmeg on top this makes an unusual icecream that you are assured all your guests will enjoy. Yes, fresh bay leaves are best but they are available in some stores ... and apparantly should be added to my garden.

One feature I appreciate in Erin Coopey's cookbooks is her ability to be imperfect. Here she tells a hilarious version of her letting ginger beer go a bit too long and not burping out the extra carbonation. It gives the home cook permission both to experiment and messup in a healthy way that improves one's cooking. It allows one to say, "Erin has this wonderful ginger ale recipe; I wonder what would happen if I use galangal instead?" Or having discovered the flavor of home infused oil, why not try Erin's vanilla extract recipe?
2977844
This book is full of flavorful and interesting recipes and is great for entertaining.  Recipes have the influence  of Morocco, Greece, Sweden, Italy, France and others.  If you are in the market for plainer spicing, this is not the book for you.  But if you enjoy a twist in the taste of your food, you will look forward to each recipe you try.  I find these recipes straightforward to prepare although they may have a lot of different ingredients.
1135551
I picked up this book because I was touched by the story behind the bakery that inspired it.  The Greyson Bakery is all about supporting the local community by providing jobs to people with difficult pasts.  I admire the efforts of the bakery and am pleased that the recipes in the book live up to their great vision.

Contained within the book are basics (i.e. whipped cream and butter cream frosting) as well as cakes, tarts, cookies and bars.  The creations are all sweet in natural so there aren't any yeast breads, croissants, etc., but there are so many delightful recipes I couldn't care.

I found the recipes to be approachable and well written.  Best of all, they were a good mix of more classic/expected recipes like peanut butter cookies, blondies, etc. as well as more unique creations like a maple fig tart, chocolate banana nut cake, and pineapple macadamia upside-down bars.  Because of this mix of recipes, I think it would be appreciated both by someone who is looking for a single beginning book to bake from as well as a cookbook collector who is looking to add another great book to the shelf.  It caters very well to people who have more traditional tastes as well as those looking for a little something more adventurous.

An important note, however, is that there are only 16 pictures in the book.  If you are a more visual baker and prefer a picture with every (or almost every) recipe you would probably prefer&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Martha-Stewart-s-Baking-Handbook/dp/0307236722/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook</a>, which has an exhaustive number of photos.  Overall though the photos in this book are lovely and pique my interest about recipes I might not otherwise think to try.

I really enjoyed this cookbook and think that other bakers, both new and more experienced, will as well.
1160184
Fare exchange is the space in Australian Gourmet Traveller magazine where readers can request recipes they have enjoyed from the chef at the restaurant. The recipes in this cookbook are therefore not only field tested (someone enjoyed the dish enough to write to a magazine about it - that's a recommendation), but are drawn from a diverse pool of kitchen philosophies and talent, avoiding the one chef's influences permeating the whole book. In addition, the recipes are drawn from bistros and bars as well as five star establishments, giving a good range of complexity in the menu of the book. While not for the beginner cook (some recipes are complex and /or require preparation the day before), the flavours and textures on show are not to be missed. There will be a personal favourite for everyone in this volume, and the layout and photography lends the cookbook to be pored over (with some salivation), when plotting that special meal or when you have a little time to do something a bit fancy.

The range of Australia's unique culinary landscape is  on display, with regional and ethnic influences reflected both in the range and type of cuisines selected and in the restaurants themselves. Spanning  breakfasts and desserts, and everything in between, this will remain a guilty pleasure on the cookbook shelf for many years to come. My favourite? Slow cooked pork belly with seared scallops and asian greens. Why? Because it tastes sublime, and it gave me an excuse to buy Green Ginger Wine....
3229048
I found this book very helpful.  There is more information than just the names on some of the entrees.
1740987
I bought this booklet (spiral bound and thin) because of some distinctive-looking recipes in it.  In other words, it's not just run of the mill chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies.  It has a lot of photos, which to me is a plus.  What I esp. like about it is that it doesn't have gobs of recipes with candy tossed into it.  Candy is not cookies.  Baking cookies is what I look to do, and I don't want the non-bake kind.  I also don't want gobs of candy in my cookies; I don't want to  make candy.  If you want gluten-free, vegan stuff, don't buy this book.  This is more for people who want to bake traditional cookies but with maybe some unusual flavor variations, i.e. cherry date bars, glazed rum bars, banana cream sandwich cookies, Cornish biscuits, etc.  I have not baked from it yet as it just arrived today.
858092
I seldom buy cookbooks anymore because (a) I have about 100 of them and (b) I usually use the internet these days for new ideas. Having said that, this book is very well done, organized by region and interesting to look at. In addition, there are really some interesting recipe ideas.....spread out among lots of mainstays and favorites.
2733743
I like this book. For the recipes (many of which I use) and descriptions and photos of small town food festivals using regional and seasonal ingredients.

Many of the ingredients are indigenous to local areas or states as well. From Swamp Cabbage in Florida to Fiddleheads in Maine. I got a great tip about using liquid smoke in a BBQ brisket recipe out of a Festival in Texas. The recipes include the "local favorites" as well as more gourmet adaptations. Obviously, there are many local and regional ingredients that would be hard to source in other areas of the country (Even in Florida, you can't find "swamp cabbage" in any grocery store, you have to go out and harvest it yourself! For those wondering, "swamp cabbage" is the heart of a young cabbage palm tree)). However, there are plenty of fun recipes that we be do-able no matter where you are.

Thanks for reading, I hope this review is helpful!
250891
Not only do they recipes for the Aebleskivers, but a mixture of other recipes. I am looking forward to making some of the different dishes they show.
3267319
This book is half cookbook, half documentary. The stories he writes as they travel from place to place are extremely entertaining. It makes me want to go out and buy a motorcycle and replicate what he's done in this book. Most of the recipes are simple and easy to cook but taste great. Some recipes are real contributions from the restaraunts they visited and others are Alton's attempt to duplicate what he tasted. Worth the purchase!
3062167
What do our music stars eat? Good question. This book features over 100 recipes with clever notes about the food (and drink) preferences of some of our favorite cutting edge music types.

My Morning Jacket offers up their "You can care if ya wanna" sandwich. The Long Winters show us Alaska-style macaroni soup al carne. Mojave 3 has a nifty recipe for leek and potato soup.

I'll confess, I hadn't heard of half these bands, they are that trendy. The food is good and the notes are so precious. Worth checking out.
1049670
This is not the book to give you detailed descriptions of the bike rides it covers.  Instead, it describes a variety of cycling holidays in diverse locations that will inspires you to consider riding in locations you may never have considered.  Whether you are looking for an easy cruise or a more challenging ride in a remote location, there will be something in this book to whet your appetite.  If you are thinking of a cycling holiday, this book may well make up your mind.
55265
I love a cookbook that is more than just a collection of recipes.  The recipes in this cookbook all start with some background about where the recipe came from, how it can be used, and other ideas for how to serve it.  This makes the book fun to browse through.  Also, the book is well-organized and well indexed.  There's even an ingredients index so you can look in your pantry and pick a dessert based on what you have on hand.  The variety of recipes is good: some are easy, some are more complicated, some are good for kids, some are fancy for adults.  I've tried several things from each chapter of the book and everything has turned out well.  Basics are included, such as a flawless pie crust recipe, as well as more unusual desserts such as Pink Chiffon Cake.  Another bonus is the multicultural aspect of the book.  There are several recipes from the Middle East, and some from Italy, Greece, too.  These Mediterranean desserts tend to be less sweet than what our US taste buds usually like, and I've found them great for informal suppers and luncheons.  (By the way, the name "Moosewood" in this cookbook does not mean "healthy"!  There's plenty of sugar and other good stuff in these recipes!)  I make desserts only when entertaining, so I usually have to take the risk of trying new recipes with guests, but with this cookbook I never have any worry about whether it will be a hit or not.  This book has proven itself to be a Dessert Bible for me!
748912
I'm not familiar with the name 'dump dinners'. It made me think of raiding skips (dumpsters) behind supermarkets for excellent food, sometimes still in its sell-by date. However, I am a great fan of slow cooking (in winter, we cook on top of the woodburning stove that heats our home) and intelligent use of freezers and microwave ovens. This book is packed full with a wide variety of recipes for very tasty meals. Some use canned ingredients, others use fresh, and there's no reason not to opt for whichever suits you at the time you use each recipe. I very happy to see plenty of garlic and spices - this is not a collection of bland food you could find in your local HoJo restaurant. The one major ingredient I would add is interesting bread, which is easy to make and keeps well in the freezer.
4857477
Dishing Up Minnesota by Teresa Marrone is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in early June.

Naturally, this cookbook has me busting with an immense amount of pride, not just because the location photos are sourced from places that I've visited and know well, but the recipes can be traced to a campfire, a bistro, glass jars in the dark corners of a family basement, and the long-hallowed vestiges of the ever-popular supperclub (insert bright white blinky lightbulbs here). Yes, those fancy topped toasts, relishes, and mousses can all be traced back to a supperclub crudite starter menu. Delicious, rib-sticking food in a darkened plush setting; memories like that ring a little bit more true than the newer, veg-heavy recipes that this book offers.
4570573
For those who  are planning a big party, family get together or other large group function, there are some interesting and not too complex recipes.  The author seems to have many such occasions and has developed time and food saving steps.