Really enticing serves
926530
I love series that manage to be different and this one does! You will fall in love quickly with these immortals!
3386689
It's difficult to imagine a more persuasive recording of these lovely pieces.  The music is charming but the performers take it to another level, displaying both tenderness and vigor where called for.  They are in no hurry and relish every bar.  The recording is beautiful, clear and present without being in your face.  This is an excellent production all around

If they lavish this much care on Hummel, I can only imagine what their Beethoven or Mozart would be like.
485512
Thank you for a wonderful book that gives us outside of North America an opportunity to create awesome menus and by extension meals with what we have.  I live in Jamaica and was inspired by each menu.  It is summer but I follwed the Easter Brunch menu slavishly.  I enjoyed the Wine Lovers Evening and was delighted to find a things to do with all the wine corks I have been saving.

I believe a strength of this book is the instructions which feel more like suggestions which you just fall into and you do and they make the entire evening a success.  There may well be other books that do this but I would say that this book is moving to the head of my class of my over 60 cook books.
881433
J. Scott Morrison, a previous reviewer, is right.  Craig Sheppard's playing is absolutely fabulous.  (On the other hand, Russell M. Sackowitz should get his earwax removed, seriously.  How can he describe this lively and exuberant playing as "mechanical"?)  I previously downloaded this recording from itunes for my ipod. (I usually listen to Bach on my ipod while I'm exercising in the gym.)  But I wanted to have it in CD version, and so I ordered it directly from Craig Sheppard.  Both the CD booklet and the CD itself have the pianist's sign and short message: how thoughtful he is!  I like Craig Sheppard's playing slightly more than those of Tureck (meditative and introspective) and Perahia (elegant and zingy); much more than Hewitt, Schiff, Roberts....  I also like Partita 1 by Tomsic, and Partita 2 by Argerich. (If only they record the entire six Patitas!)
3594942
I've been using Brittany's recipes from her blog for quite some time, so I've been looking forward to buying this cookbook. It was worth the wait! I've had a chance to make several of the recipes, and they're all delicious. From breakfast breads to calzones, these breads help me to stay "on plan" when I want the occasional treat meal.

The recipes are very creative, and her photography is beautiful! Give it a try!
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
4737032
This is just a fun thing to do. And it makes a meal look more exciting  :)
2874393
I have made a couple of the recipes in this book so far and they have all been incredibly delicious.  I am struck by the amount of recipes that do not ask me to go buy lots of strange ingredients that I don't already have (or aren't usually on my shopping list) and meet the picky eating habits of my household.  These relatively simple dishes taste like special occasion food and are easy to prepare from the directions.  I haven't roasted many whole chickens in my life, but there are so many enticing and accomplishable recipes here that it may become a staple in our culinary repertoire.

Each dish is separated and sometimes preceded with a piece of parodical writing recasting the characters from "Fifty Shades of Grey" as a chef and his ingredient.  Occasionally, the parallels take the already sensual act of cooking to a heightened erotic place that is sometimes appropriate and other-times awkwardly reaching.  Perhaps the concept of the Chef literally consuming Ms. Hen at the end of each cooking episode is the most apt interpretation of the original source material, but I still find it hard to think about the raw chicken's ecstasy at being roasted as I slide it into my oven.
2625317
This book is enormous fun.  Michel Richard is an incredibly talented chef and the kitchen is his playpen.  His passion is contagious and his innovations are ingenious. From using a meat slicer to cut cookie dough to cooking with Saran wrap, he encourages the reader to improvise and enjoy. The book is beautifully photographed and the recipes, though involved, are doable. (I had great success with the salmon dishes including the salmon with asparagus and the lamb. The recipes and presentation are restaurant quality and may be a bit complex for a beginner.) The food is gourmet with a dash of humor--check out the Chicken Faux Gras and the use of cocoa puffs in one of the desserts.

Start this book from the beginning --I jumped to the recipes before reading through the book and was quickly overwhelmed. A few days later, I started  at page one and was quickly enchanted by the author and his philosophy. Food at its best is a sensual pleasure--an aromatic merger of taste, texture, temperature and appearance.  When fully engaged, the craft of cooking raises eating to an art.
3383827
This and the eggs are by far my favorites out of their meal lineup. I looked forward to the day I got to cook this and will probably find excuses to take this to work with me for dinner as I work nights.
1541759
I enjoyed the flexible approach the author took to putting together her pot pies; she used many alternative coverings like whipped potatoes, biscuit variations, pie crust, phyllo and few more uncommon options. They really spice up the choices, allowing you to cook from the book several days in a row without feeling like repeats. I was also pleased by the notes the author provided for some recipes allowing for the main ingredients to be cooked in a crock pot and then transferred to the oven to finish off the topping at the end. For long, busy days that's a great convenience!

I look forward to cooking my way through this book and experimenting with the flavor combinations and presentations.
4864609
I love their new cook cook. The pictures really "sell" the food. All the recipes I have tried so far have been a hit. I can't wait to make a few more. Thanks Serene and Pearl.
4608696
my daughters and i love to break out this tureen to eat our soup and it always makes it feel like a special occasion.  i took it to my grandmother's house with some soup i had made her, and now i have to buy my mother one as well since she was so jealous.  a practical serving set, for a very reasonable price.
3790309
Robata is a stunningly beautiful cookbook.  As a visual treat alone, Bjerrums book is delicious.  After a detailed dive into the mechanics of Robata grilling, Bjerrum lays out the basic ingredients that are needed for this style of cooking.  Ill admit that the discussion of charcoal was a bit intimidating, but I was encouraged by the claim that the recipes will be delicious, even if we use more conventional grilling equpment.  While the other ingredients can be somewhat harder to find, a well-stocked Japanese grocer will set you up.

If you are lucky enough to be able to source fresh fish, that chapter, with its inventive side dishes, are well worth the price of admission.  Ive tried only a few dishes from this cookbook  (the Sea Bream Filet was terrific, and the side pickles a treat), but very much look forward to sampling more extensively.  This is a cookbook to use, not just to read.
2769450
I'm a pretty fair cook, but in the country style. If the cookbook has "gourmet" in the title, or the recipe has a French name, it's probably not for me -- so this book was a very pleasant surprise. I have a feeling the editors have somewhat dumbed down more sophisticated recipes in order not to scare off people like me, but that's okay: I've found some really good dishes here. The "Split Pea Soup with Bacon and Rosemary" was a very tasty variation on an old favorite of mine, and the "Cider-Brined Pork Chops with Leeks and Apples," which I fixed recently for a family birthday, got a lot of compliments. Some others, like "Macaroni and Cheese with Red Peppers" and "Stir-Fried Chicken with Onion and Hoisin Sauce" are definitely on my to-do list. Of course, there are quite a few things here I'm not ever going to fix, but the percentage that appeal to my tastes is pretty high.
2033477
This is mix is so tasty and rich, you would never believe it came from a mix. I received one as a hostess give and after a good long while, needed a dessert fast. It was a hit. Many guests had two pieces. I was very pleased to find that I could find more at Amazon.
3393462
WOW! What a elegant/modern addition to my dinners. My friends where so impressed. I believe presentation is just as important as a fresh homemade meal. This sets the bar really high!