Wolfgang Puck

This book is easy to read (meaning I can see the print without pushing my nose to the page), but I'm not going to agree that the recipes are "Easy", because making pasta from scratch is not easy and the recipes use more than a few ingredients. So, I'm thinking he's trying to make his less complicated recipes available to the general public.

There are colored photos for each recipe, there are "Wolfgang's Easy Tips" for each recipe as well, and a small blurb about each dish above the recipe.

Contents are: Acknowledgements; Introduction; Breakfast, brunch, & breads; Appetizers, Soups & salads; Panini on the indoor grill; Pasta & pizza; Main Dishes; Side dishes & sauces; Desserts; Appendix; and Index.

Breakfast, brunch, & breads: Southwestern strata w/ sausage; Pistachio crusted vanilla French toast; Eggs in cocotte w/ smoke salmon & horseradish cream; Chocolate & orange swirl muffins; Brioche; and Fresh berry compote.

Appetizers, Soups & salads: Roasted crostini w/ assorted toppings; Artichokes stuffed w/ fresh herbs, breadcrumbs, & parmesan (this is NOT easy); Potato pancakes w/ smoked sturgeon; Roasted squash soup; Rich mussel soup; Asian steak salad; Five dressings for five salads; and Panko crusted scallops w/ cilantro mint vinaigrette.

Panini on the indoor grill: Grilled shrimp blt panini w/ shallot cream sauceGrilled steak panini; Fontina & broccoli rabe panini w/ sun dried tomatoes; and BBQ turkey & green chili quesadilla.

Pasta & pizza: Basic pasta dough (so not happening @ my house); Pasta w/ wild mushrooms, corn & bell peppers; Tagliatelle w/ pancetta, shrimp & roasted tomatoes; Fettuccine Alfredo w/ mascarpone cream suce; Pappardelle w/ braised duck legs (oh YUM); Making a pizza; Roasted garlic & wild mushroom pizza (Again Yum); Pizza w/ sausage, fennel & peppers; and Pizza w/ prosciutto & arugula.

Main Dishes: Roasted salmon fillets w/ red wine sauce & mashed potatoes (not easy); Sauteed shrimp w/ chardonnay dijon cream sauce (I make this w/ out the dijon); Pan seared ahi tuna w/ wasabi cream sauce; Pan roasted chicken w/ lemon & whole grain mustard; Buttermilk marinated pan friend chicken breasts; Roast prime rib of beef w/ garlic herb crust; Asian style pork hotpot w/ squash & eggplant; Ground beef & pork chipotle chili w/ kidney beans; and Wine braised brisket of beef w/ carmelized pearl onions & dried apricots.

Side dishes & sauces: Asparagus w/ brown buttered breadcrumbs; Sauteed squash ribbons; Fresh mushroom sauce; Mayonnaise; and red wine shallot sauce.

Desserts: Old fashioned ginger spiced cookies; My Mother's linzer cookies; Banana spring rolls w/ two dipping sauces (I think this is disgusting, but Rachel Ray makes this as well....); Granny Smith apple pie w/ cheddar cheese crust; meringue nests w/ lemon curd, chocolate mousse, or ice cream; Lemon curd; Warm strawberries w/ baked meringues & vanilla ice cream; Pink & white baked Alaska (Not easy); and Ginger creme brulee.

It (mostly) all sounds good, but it is NOT "Easy"... well for Wolfgang is is, but unless you are an accomplished cook, much of it is not. Personally, I would not buy this book ($34.99), but I would borrow it from the Library.… (más)

This is a lovely little book that celebrates the simplicity of pizza and pasta. I cannot recall the "more" at the moment, but I believe there are some sauces, broths, and breads included.

The book contains colorful pictures and narrative from the chef himself. The recipes are broken down into step-by-step, easy to follow sections. The ingredients are simple and fresh, and easily located.

I recommend this book if you are a pizza or pasta fanatic. It will bring some new ideas to the table, quite literally.… (más)