Customer Reviews

Cuba Cocina!

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Don't let the French sounding name fool you. I've met this author a couple of years ago in Philadelphia and she brings together a fusion of flavors that make the old classic Cuban recipes come to life as well as some new `nuevo' items that will make your taste buds dance a mambo.

Cuban Cocina - the tantalizing world of Cuban cooking - yesterday, today and tomorrow is written by Joyce LaFray and is a deceitful cookbook only because it contains about 250 pages filled with close to 500 recipes. The book begins with a section on the ingredients and techniques that will be used some of which are non-traditional. There is also an English to Spanish shopping list dictionary, although hard to read with the green color, it is fun and educational, let alone helpful.

Some of the many recipes include: Cilantro Mayonnaise; Pickled Chicken, Havana Style; Marinated Fish with Cilantro; Fresh Conch and Lobster Seviche; Crispy Yuca Ham Croquettes; Lime Avocado Dip; Hearty Galician Soup; Yucassoise; Fried White Bean Cake; Cuban Rice; Marinated Garbanzos; Saffron Rice Salad; Baked Red Snapper with Garlic and Cumin; Grilled Swordfish with Mango and Blueberries; Plantain-Coated Fresh Fish; Sofrito Chicken; Oxtail with Peppers and Capers; Ginger Sherried Roasted Pork; Baked Calabaza Squash with Apples and Cheeses; Sweet Potato Pudding; Pineapple-Citrus Chutney; Pepper Corn Muffins; Banana Flan with Coconut Rum Sauce; Coconut Bars with Guava Jelly and a variety of beverages.

The cookbook is well designed, not breaking the cardinal sin - No pages need to be turned to finish a recipe. Some of the ingredients are not readily available at all grocery stores, but should be from any Latin grocery store. For anyone that wish to add some terrific ethnic foods to their repertoire, Cuba Cocina is a great addition to the bookshelf.

As a native Key Wester, most of my knowledge of Cuban cooking has been passed on to me via my family and local friends. When I moved to Tampa, (and on many trips to Miami) I noticed many differences and interpretations of classic Cuban dishes of my youth. Such differences are natural due to the verbal, generation-to-generation passing of Cuban cooking. It is very nice to see a cookbook that records this tradition and its variety.

Joyce LaFray's book is the best example that I have seen of capturing true Cuban cooking. I have made a few of the recipes and can honestly say that they are excellent! Her recipe for "Erasmo's Black Beans" is out of this world - having sampled a hefty portion recently at a food tasting event.

If you are experienced in cooking Cuban food; or a beginner who wants to look like a brilliant Cuban food chef - this book is for you. Go ahead and order it - you will be glad you did!

The book is very true to the Cuban style of cooking. It has many recipes that my family forgot how to make since leaving Cuba. It has many old recipes with new twists to them, to make them a little different. This book has almost every recipe that you could imagine and would find in any Cuban restaurant all in the comfort of your own home. This is a wonderful book and very easy to use and understand.

Cuba Cucina has not only the best traditional recipes, but also incredible neuvo Cuban cuisine--the hottest food in South Beach, Miami. The black beans are the best! The recipe came from none other that from Castro's private chef. My guests were transported by "Hemingway's Daquiri" . It's out of this world delicious! Of all the Cuban cookbooks I've tried this unquestionably has the best recipes and is the most fun reading. My compliments to the chef/author!

I bought this cookbook thinking I was going to have a whole slew of receipes that I hadn't seen before. True. But the taste is not Cuban. It is a hodgepodge of Latin flavors influenced by Mexico and Puerto Rico. They taste well, but it is not Cuban. So, I believe if you are going to put Cuban on the title, the food has to be Cuban. That said, I've done several receipes and they are easy to follow and tasty. If you want a Hispanic cookbook -- whatever that U.S. census "race" is -- then, this is it. The ingredients are easy to find. But again, not Cuban and that to a Cubanita Cook is a sin.

I have a nice collection of cookbooks and I'm very happy and excited that I added Cuba Cocina to my collection. I am American of Italian German descent who loves to cook different ethnic backrounds. I find this book very informative and the author shows respect by acknowledging the other cultures which make up Cuba. What I like best about this book is author Joyce Lafray tested these recipes in her kitchen. I've done a few of these recipes on my family (who are picky when it comes to food) while vacationing in Key West and they loved them all. I was happy cause they talked about it on the long drive back to New Jersey. I'm comfortable using this cookbook, from the tips to the descriptions of the ingredients makes cooking easy. I'm looking foward to exploring into the rest of this golden collection of recipies. I'm a crane operator in NYC and at times it could be a little stressful so when I get home, cooking relaxes me and Cuba Cocina makes it all the better.

I have eaten Cuban food for a very long time, growing up in Miami with my best friends that were Cuban and continuing to create my own recipes through trial and error, AND I can definitely say that Ms. LaFray knows her Cuban food!! The recipes in this book are extremely authentic. I definitely do not agree with the reviewer before mine. Trust me, Ms. LaFray could not be more authentic with her recipes in this book. And from following many of her titles and reading about her years of experience with food from several different cultures., I know that you can't get much more authentic than obtaining your knowledge straight from the one and only CUBA!!! I would recommend this book to anyone that loves authentic Cuban food....

Ms Lafray is lacking in authenticity, in addition for a reviewer not to have so many mistakes, even in issues a simple as the correct spelling of the restaurant that started the Elena Ruth, she has it misspelled. Proof reading anyone, and the recipes are not authentic.