Customer Reviews

Charlie Trotter's Desserts

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a fantastically beautiful book that dismays me. I appreciate the suggested substitutions- when they're provided, but I don't understand the lack of sources. I don't understand why "caramelize" and "filo" make the glossary but "feuille de brick crepe" doesn't. Is that the wafer you find on Italian nougat? I guess so, but I have no idea where to get it.

I also don't understand the "basic recipe" selection process. I kind of think that sweet pie dough is more basic than honey-chickpea ice cream. Call me crazy. This section needs an overhaul.

For somebody as admirably obsessed with perfection as Charlie Trotter seems to be, the proofing errors and dumb editing decisions littering this book make me think that the authors just don't care as much about empowering me to stretch my limits and learn as they do about providing a showcase for themselves and selling books. If not, then what's the explanation? I just wish I could spend my energy exploring the recipes instead of having to painstakingly look for sources for ingredients. I know that sources change. How about posting them on the web site?

Sigh. Buy it anyway.

This is a great book to draw inspiration from , but the recipes are not always accurate. I have enjoyed the book for over a year. The pictures alone are worth the price. The book may be better suited for those who are professionals and not the home cook.

When I recieved this book I was very excited. Looking through it the photography and presentation of the desserts is magnificent. Unfortunatly after numerous attempts on atleast 3 recipes I have decided to put this book on my coffee table and not my cookbook shelf. I found the recipes to lack clarity and some just don't turn out right even with following the directions to the letter. I have used it only as picture reference since the last fiasco. A beautiful book but a sad dissapointment as a cookbook.

Have you ever traveled cross-country to Chicago just to dine at Charlie Trotter's? I have, and it was one of the best meals of my life. This book and the others in the series are great at giving you a feel of what the real thing is like. The pictures are outstanding and the combinations just wow you. But if you think for a moment that any cookbook would allow you to duplicate what Charlie does, you are mistaken. Some cookbooks are for those who want to follow a recipe and duplicate it. This is not one of those. This is for people who want to understand the Chef's unique cuisine and appreciate it for the art that it is.

What a knockout of a cookbook! Visually it is just so well done. Nothing else like it! Difficult to do the recipes, not for beginners or the faint of heart. Ingredients most of us have never heard of, nor know where to go to find them. But inspirational, and some of them even from our homes can turn out for that very special occassion when some dazzle is needed at the end of a culinary adventure. Try Mango Compote with Green Tea Creme Brulee or the Peach=Polenta Upside-down cake with almond sherbet. Also, pick up his new book as Charlie Cooks at Home. Much more friendly.

charlie trotter creates some of the finest courses i've ever seen. the only problem with this is, nothing contained within this series of books is even remotely practical or feasible from the home kitchen. the ingredients he uses are sometimes impossible to find (even when ordering through a professional kitchen), and the equiptment required for them aren't usually owned by the common cook. so, if you're serious about trying to create an award winning entree or desert, and have the time, patience, equiptment, and endless exotic produce, this book is perfect for you. the rest of us will just have to admire the pictures.

Have you ever traveled cross-country to Chicago just to dine at Charlie Trotter's? I have, and it was one of the best meals of my life. This book and the others in the series are great at giving you a feel of what the real thing is like. The pictures are outstanding and the combinations just wow you. But if you think for a moment that any cookbook would allow you to duplicate what Charlie does, you are mistaken. Some cookbooks are for those who want to follow a recipe and duplicate it. This is not one of those. This is for people who want to understand the Chef's unique cuisine and appreciate it for the art that it is.

Some cookbooks are meant as much for inspiration as they are for actual cooking...moreover, some cookbooks aren't for the normal home cook. I was a pastry chef and made some of these recipes. In that context, it is an excellent book, and probably my favorite of the Trotter lineup. Really, these were his pastry chef's recipes, so perhaps that says something about my impressions of his food.

An experienced homecook could make these recipes as well, but please know going in, that if you are not somewhat skilled in the pastry arts, you might find the book frustrating (but beautiful).

I can say that I am a reasonably competent home chef with an above-average knowledge of technique and most necessary equipment to get the job done. Having said that, I was impressed with the photos of nearly every featured recipe in this book and find the recipes to be admirably aggressive in their taste and texture contrasts. The recipes, however, are nearly all flawed in some significant manner in that following them verbatim will result in poor results. Even when this is not the case, I find these recipes to be "out of whack" from a taste perspective by any gastronome's standards and in need of serious tweaking. If you have good kitchen skills and seek to be inspired by the ideas in this book, then I would suggest it (USED!!) ... otherwise, there are much better cookbooks that will yield far superior results.

But it ends there. Like the others before me, this book leaves a bit to be desired.

The recipes require a pastry certification just to attempt. I have one and I still wouldn't try most of these in my spare time. They require great skill and exotic ingredients in most cases. Nobody will find this book useful for casual dessert needs.

The photos, on the other hand are incredibly beautiful. This book *can* inspire. I do keep this book easily at hand for guests to drool over. I just prepare something uch more simplistic, yet delicious in it's own right.

If you like awe insipiring dessert pictures, this is your book. If you want awe insipiring desserts you can actually prepare, you are better served with something like "The Williams-Sonoma Collection: Dessert"