Finally, a great book about Italian Desserts
341587
Although there have been other books about Italian Desserts, none have made me want to drop everything and start baking.  The pictures are so beautiful. The layout of the book is exceptional.  The ingredients are clearly described. I love that it is divided by region, as each region in Southern Italy has their own specialties.  Though some of the recipes are challenging, there are recipes for all levels of bakers.  Even if you are not a baker, and only enjoy eating, the book will serve as your travel guide for your next visit to Italy.
3234593
This book is wonderfully written.  The pictures are beautiful....sometimes I leave it open on my kitchen counter for that reason!  Most recipes take some time and planning.  I often make the recipes on a Sunday or if I am preparing ahead for a dinner party.  I love the kale pasta with sauteed red onion and marinated goat cheese.  It is "go-to" recipe.  The pumpkin (kabocha) bread is really yummy.  And let's not forget about the tarts!!! These are truly wonderful desserts.  I have made a few and they are an awesome way to cap off an elegant meal or special occasion.
2531776
There are so many great recipes in this book from dinner to dessert! The only empanadas I knew of growing up were sweet / dessert type empanadas and it wasn't until I visited Colombia earlier this year that I fell in love with the meat filled / dinner type empanadas. So you're telling me I can have empanadas for dinner AND for dessert?! YAY!

I love that the author details how to make the different types of dough in the early pages of the book and then refers back to those pages as the book progresses as to avoid getting repetitive. There are lots of beautiful photos in the book (great quality, composition, lighting - I am a photographer so I really appreciate a well taken photograph) although I really wish there was at least one photo for each recipe. Not a big deal, I think most cookbooks are set-up like this where most of the recipes have photos but not all of them.

The thing I loved the most was that she listed both the English AND the Spanish name of each empanada and the country from where it originates. It's really cool to know the origin from a cultural appreciation aspect.

The book was well written, easy to follow, and nicely laid out. I will definitely look for more cookbooks by this author.
1998751
My favorite house to eat at growing up was at my Italian friend's. Everything they made was amazing, but I'd sit in the kitchen and the preparation looked like alchemy - nothing was measured, it was all a pinch of this or a dab of that. I've tried recipes but either they were too difficult or they just never tasted right.

But this cookbook by Salinas Press has been the most helpful so far! It's not just great dishes to make with ingredients I already have at home, but it explains things that were a mystery before - like the differences between olive oils, cheeses, etc., so you're not just following directions, you understand of what you're working with. This collection of recipes is wonderful!
4577884
This is an enjoyable little book, and would be a nice gift for someone who loves coffee and/or Italian food. It is hardcover, thin, and has a beautiful, mouthwatering full-page picture on just about every other page.

Besides a short section on coffee and its preparation, (including conventions for ordering and drinking it in Italy) there is a collection of recipes for cookies, pastries, cakes and a few savories.

I made three recipes so far: The Chocolate Almond Cake, Tuscan Soft Almond Cookies, and Caramel Almond Cookies. The Chocolate and Almond cake, (which actually happens to be a flour free recipe)  was delicious but very rich, also a little gooey-er than perhaps it should have been. The Tuscan Soft Almond Cookies possibly could have had slightly better instructions, but came out fine.  The marzipan is a little hard to blend per the instructions (which say to use a blender).  I would use a food processor, but a potato masher also worked.  The instructions don't mention that you need to flatten the dough 'logs' a bit after you place them on the cookie sheet, they really don't spread. But they were delicious, soft and almond-y.

The Caramel Almond Cookies are perfect to make at the same time you are making the Tuscan Almond Cookies because one recipe calls for an egg white and one for an egg yolk.  The Caramel Almond Cookies are DELICIOUS. And very attractive. I would definitely make these again. Together with some Italian espresso, they made a nice gift for someone returned from an Italian vacation.

Most of the cookies and pastries in this book are chock full of butter, (not all, Tuscan Almond Cookies has none) but have fairly simple ingredients that are generally widely available. Almond flour is probably one of the more exotic ingredients, it can be purchased at Trader Joe's if you are lucky enough to have one nearby.  The recipes that I made were fairly simple and straightforward.  I look forward to making more of the recipes in this book.
2041302
I visited Santa Ynez Valley very often but wasn't able to do it the last 10 years. So, I mist the oppurtunity to visit the Trattoria. But I promised to myself to do in the future. For now I enjoy the Cookbook. Is the best of ALL my Italian Cookbooks. I love the Photos. A lot of it (I don't like Cookbooks with few or no Photos because I have to SEE how it looks). Photos are from done Dishes or People, the Restraunt, Wines etc.. I love to cook but sometimes I have times I don't like to do it. But after I read the Book I had to make a List for Ingridients and can't wait to start. You got it all: Appetizer, Pasta, Fish, Poultry, Meat and Desserts. When you see the Photos the Food looks like you need to be a Chef to cook it but when you read the "how to do it", it's easy to understand and to do it. No exotic Ingridients. If you cook Italian Food you will have the stuff in your Pantry. The Book is a great Gift for People who like to cook or for yourself.
4433371
This book has a lifetime of desserts. Traditional and different.
208101
Since I bought "Ready for Dessert" I have purchased a great number of other dessert books, but David's is still one of my very favorites. His recipes are interesting and unusual, and I have yet to make one that I didn't love (my favorite is the ginger cake - incredibly moist and flavorful). Most of the recipes are relatively straightforward to make, and the section on "extras" like sauces and caramels gives you a nice option of dressing up your dessert if you have the time and energy. I also love to read David's little introductions to each of his recipes; he's always charming and funny. If you're looking for a great dessert book with a wide range of recipes, from cookies to souffles to caramel sauces, "Ready for Dessert" is it!
2596441
From what I can tell, this book is available only used or in the Kindle edition. Its publisher should reprint it ASAP, as it makes an excellent companion to The Ultimate Ice Cream Book, by the same authors. Furthermore, it has a splendid selection of gelato recipes, each with multiple variations. I feel, after reading this book, like I actually know why gelato is gelato. I value it more highly than the all-gelato cookbook I purchased when I purchased my DeLonghi gelato maker (which I also love). In addition to the great selection of gelato recipes, there are sherbets and other frozen desserts here. I have not made my way through all the recipes in the book, by any means, but I have thoroughly enjoyed all the ones I've tried so far.
2886208
Written by a mother and daughter. The copy of this book that I have is actually visually pleasing and attractive. It is a lovely book with fabulous Italian recipes and fun family stories associated with each one.  My husband rolled his eyes when I purchased it saying, "Oh great another cook book". Well this cook book is special.  We has enjoyed learning to prepare the delicious recipes it offers.  Most important for me is the white sauce, which isn't an alfredo sauce but a sauce for the Cannelloni. I want to thank the lovely authors for writing this book.  You have inspired our family.
4809582
One simple word: Yum. The recipes in this book are fantastic. From a basic guide to stock Italian ingredients in the front to the desserts in the back, this cookbook is chock full of all the recipes anyone who loves Italian food should know in one beautiful book. Get to know Cindy through her anecdotes about her family and travels to Italy while trying your hand at traditional recipes that will impress both family and friends.
946376
`Naples at Table' by Arthur Schwartz is another addition to that excellent collection of books on regional Italian cooking by, for example, Lynne Rossetto Kasper on Emilia-Romagna in `The Splendid Table', David Downie on Lazio in `Cooking the Roman Way', and Lydia Bastianich on Istria in `La Cucina di Lydia'. Even allowing for the fact that there are a number of only fair titles dealing, especially with Tuscany, the crop of books on Italy's regional cuisine is truly marvelous.

While my overall impression of the book was very good from the moment I opened it, I knew I was on to something when I encountered Herr Schwartz' statement that in Campania, cooks rarely use both garlic and onions in the same dish. This is something I have never heard (or do not remember hearing) or reading, even from my guiding star of Italian cookery, Mario Batali on his show, `Molto Mario'.

Unlike many of these books, even very good ones, the author takes the time to give us a history of Naples and Campania. While I can't say for certain, there is a hint here that part of the reason tomatoes found a home in the cuisine of Naples is based on the fact that Campania, Sicily, and other parts of southern Italy were ruled by the Spanish in the 200 years following the importing of new foods, including tomatoes, from the new world by the Spanish. I suspect the rich growing conditions for tomatoes in Campania had as much or more to do with the situation, but the potential connection is a rich subject of speculation.

I also get a strong sense of believability in Schwartz' description of this cuisine based on his statement that the residents of Campania rarely think of themselves as natives of this Italian governmental region. Rather, they think of themselves as residents of the smaller province, city, or island such as Naples, Avellino, Benevento, Caserta, Salerno, Amalfi, Capri, and Ischia.

This is the cuisine on which practically all `Italian-American' cooking is based, since most Italian immigrants to America were from Campania, Sicily, and other parts of southern Italy. It is also true that two of the most popular types of dishes in the world, dried semolina pasta and pizza, were created in Naples. Unlike other good books on other regions, Schwartz also goes into a lot of the history of these and other types of dishes. For example, his treatment of `puttanesca' is virtually the only one that gives at least two different perfectly reasonable explanations for the source of the name.

The book is laid out in very traditional chapters, covering antipasti and fried foods; classic sauces; pizza and savory breads; soups; pasta; cheese and eggs; fish and seafood; meat and poultry; vegetables; and desserts. His pasta chapter even includes two different recipes for the famous timballo baked pasta pie, which made such a big impression in Stanley Tucci's movie, `Big Night'. The best thing about his recipes is that they are not the same as the two in Lynne Rossetto Kaspar's `The Italian Country Table', although there are strong family resemblences. The most interesting thing about his `Timballo di Tagliolini is that it has a pastry rather than a pasta crust.

There is not a single dish I associate with Naples that cannot be found in this book. There is even a great recipe for `Torta di ricotta Gregoriano', the southern Italian take on cheesecake, based on ricotta and including citrus flavorings.

While this book does have a few heartwarming stories about convivial dinners with Italian friends, this book is much more about business, and it is easily one of the best three to five books I have seen on a particular Italian provincial cuisine.

Highly recommended.
4733755
I have all of Giada's other cookbooks, so I was really looking forward to her new book, not sure what to expect.
Lilke her other books, this one is easy to read, the recipes are not complicated, easy to follow.
I have made her sun dried tomato muffins several times with great success, and even my son, who is a picky eater liked them.  And I want to try the Tuscan mushroom recipe next.
In the section for kids ( " and not for kids only ") there are recipes for Parmesan fish sticks and Prosciutto Mozarella Pinwheels that look so good and just invite you to try them.
As in her other books, the pictures of her finished products are beautiful. I know I will try some other recipes in this book in weeks to come.  I highly recommend this book, just as I recommend all of her other books.
142117
This book was well-written and very helpful.  it gives specific menu ideas along with recipes, information about what certain foods symbolize, and foods from the different regions of Italy.  It also goes into detail about the Italian wine regions and gives ideas for serving wines.  This book  includes information about Italian wedding traditions and stories from people about their Italian traditions and experiences.  It gives ideas for wedding locations, how to plan it, tips on planning a wedding in Italy and suggestions for wardrobe, music, Italian dances and a lot more.  This book is obviously well-researched and also speaks from first-hand experience only gained from living Italian!
3368222
I love to cook and especially love eating--sweets in general and candy bars in particular--but have never baked much or made anything except simple desserts, generally straight out of the box. Recently, I went to an event at Omnivore Books in San Francisco, where Susie Norris and Susan Heeger hosted a tasting of commercial candy bars vs. handmade versions from their book and also talked in simple terms about the basic techniques involved in candy cooking. The bars made from their recipes were infinitely better than the commercial counterparts I grew up with--indeed so much better that I immediately decided to buy their book. I was also taken with the clarity of their explanations, which are present throughout the book and which really demystified processes like tempering that had previously intimidated me. The photos are gorgeous and illustrate the text nicely, adding up to, for me, the beginning of a new era in the kitchen!  There are a number of easy recipes for novices, like chocolate bark, that seem well within my own limited grasp, and even the more complicated recipes can be done in stages, aren't much more difficult than baking a brownie, and cost about the same.  So this book puts really delicious candies--impressive enough to serve as desserts for company--within anyone's reach.
3291593
I have liked every recipe I have tried out of this book.  The recipes are simple and produce great tasting food.  There are lots of recipes that are perfect for after work when you want something on the table quickly.  In addition to the great recipes, Naples at Table has a lot of general information about the role of food in Naples.  I enjoyed reading it.  This is a good book for anyone who is interested in reading about food and for any who likes simple, flavorful, Italian food.
1686691
I always thought Italian cooking was complicated until I read this book! With over 77 recipes that any newbie can understand, this cookbook is a wonderful introduction to the fine cuisine known as Italian cooking. The book contains 10 chapters, with dishes ranging from my favorite Baked Eggplant Pizza! - to scrumptious desserts. Each recipe is perfectly broken down step-by-step for easy following. And, I just love the informative subcaptions found in each recipe! I thoroughly enjoyed the two chapters about saving money and time! The Reference Section and Glossary are particularly helpful for learning more about this tasty cuisine.