Cooking With Curtis [Paperback]

Curtis Stone (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 27, 2005

Curtis Stone is a chef with impeccable credentials and a master at developing recipes for the home cook. In this book, his mission is to celebrate fresh seasonal ingredients, to stir a passion for using them innovatively, and to demystify the techniques needed for cooking with them.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Stone, a former head chef in a major London restaurant, is the host-chef of the cable television show Take Home Chef. His charm and creativity, hallmarks of his show, come across in print as well, as indicated in this stunningly illustrated cookbook. His focus here is on seasonal ingredients. For each of the 24 ingredients he features, he offers three recipes in order of difficulty (Stone labels them easy, everyday, and adventurous). These ingredients, which include asparagus, pumpkin, veal, raspberries, mushrooms, and chocolate, are arranged into four chapters corresponding to which of the four seasons the ingredient is most available or most weather suitable. From prosciutto with figs and balsamic vinegar to a warm salad of smoked lamb with a cabernet sauvignon vinaigrette to slowly braised oxtail, Stone carefully guides cooks through recipes not nearly as daunting as they may sound. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

Chef Curtis Stone brings a refreshingly easy-going style to his work. (Rita Demontis Toronto Sun 20070411)

A wonderful read in which recipes are artfully presented with various levels of ease in creating dishes. (Rita DeMontis Sun Media 20070411)

Old World opulence and New World freshness combine ... Photography is of the 'in your mouth' variety. (Angela Murrills Georgia Straight 20070426)

Makes preparing meals a breeze using seasonal ingredients. (Judy Creighton, Canadian Press The Okanagan Sunday 20070301)

If you want to eat seasonal, delicious food in inspired combinations, Cooking with Curtis is a good choice. (Staci Rae Scene Magazine )

[Stone's] charm and creativity, hallmarks of his [television] show, come across in print as well... Stunningly illustrated. (Brad Hooper Booklist ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Pavilion Books; 1st Ed. edition (October 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1862056986
• ISBN-13: 978-1862056985
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 8.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,780,706 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seasonal Recipes Using Seasonal Ingredients, November 8, 2006

By 

rodboomboom (Dearborn, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cooking with Curtis: Easy, Everyday and Adventurous Recipes for the Home Cook (Paperback)

Stone has caught this reviewer's attention and admiration via his TLC program. I find him to be an adept chef with great attitude, right mate?

This work seeks to provide for home chefs three recipes for each seasonal ingredient on three levels of difficulty (time, technique, ingredients) from easy to everyday to adventurous. Example here is crab: easy is simple cracked crab seasoned on crusty bread with home-made mayonnaise; everyday is fresh orecchiette with crab and chili; adventurous is Crab, Carrot, and Celeriac Salad with Avocado Cream and Gazpacho.

His choice of seasonal ingredient focus is broad, surprising at times, yet readily available to home chefs. It ranges from scallops to raspberry to rhubarb to champaigne to crab to asparagus to vanilla. There are wide range of menu choices from appetizer to sides to desserts. This is truly a nice selection.

The recipes are mixture of some known (tomato, mozzarella, arugala salad) to very creative (tartare of hand-dives sea scallops with tomato essence and oscietra caviar). Each has good instructions and advice plus sumptuous color photos. The plating is superb! Only unmet desire here is for Curtis to provide wine advice for each dish, which he does on the show and he knows his wines as well. Would have been great to here some of his choices!

Flavors are fresh, refreshing and highlight quality of seasonal ingredients combined with great technique and topnotch plating.

This is truly one to buy, use, give and enjoy. Hope that this is just beginning for this chef, who has become one of my favorite gourmet mates!

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Love Curtis but...., June 26, 2007

By 

KPilk (Princeton, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cooking with Curtis: Easy, Everyday and Adventurous Recipes for the Home Cook (Paperback)

I originally bought this book because of all of Curtis' great recipes from his show, Take Home Chef. However, this book was based around "certain" ingredients that I certaintly don't ever use. I feel as most European chefs enjoy (and rightfully so!) their hometown traditional dishes, its not as easy of a transition for an American cook. I am not a fan of rabbit legs, or pig trotters... and that right there is 10 pages. Don't get me wrong some of the other recipes look fabulous. However, if you are an eccentric epicure you would love this book!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars COOKING WITH CURTIS, January 9, 2007

By 

Angela C. Fiducia - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cooking with Curtis: Easy, Everyday and Adventurous Recipes for the Home Cook (Paperback)

I LOVE THE SHOW TAKE HOME CHEF AND WATCH IT FAITHFULLY. IT WOULD ALSO BE GREAT IF THEY MADE A COOKBOOK FROM THE SHOW WITH ALL OF THE RECIPES. CURTIS AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE IS BRILLIANT AND CAN COOK ANY MEAL FROM ANY COUNTRY. I BELIEVE THAT IS A GIFT! THERE ARE MANY CHEFS TODAY BUT, NOT ALL CAN DO THAT AND MOST ARE OVER RATED. I HOPE IN THE FUTURE HE GETS THE RECOGNITION HE DESERVES. THIS COOKBOOK WAS GREAT AND CURTIS EXPLAINS ALOT OF THINGS THAT WE DO NOT KNOW ABOUT FOOD AND COMPONENTS TO MAKE UP A MEAL WHERE THEY COME FROM ETC.... IT IS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE WRAPPED UP IN ONE. IT HAS RECEIPES FROM EASY TO HARD WITH SOME GREAT PICTURES. CURTIS BEST OF LUCK TO YOU IN THE PRESENT & FUTURE! HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON!

A.C.FIDUCIA