The Desperate Housewives Cookbook [Hardcover]

Christopher Styler (Author), Scott Tobis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 26, 2006

Spicy. Sweet. Tasty. Tart. No . . . we’re not talking about the lovely ladies of Wisteria Lane, but their cooking. Bree, Susan, Lynette, and Gabrielle may not be traditional housewives, but they do have their special talents in the kitchen. In The Desperate Housewives Cookbook, they share those recipes . . . and so much more!

Tune in to ABC’s monster hit Desperate Housewives on any given Sunday night, and you’ll salivate over everything from Bree’s über-gourmet repasts to Susan’s what’s-a-spatula simple suppers. They may have wildly different personalities and story lines, but if there’s one thing the four heroines have in common, it’s food. In The Desperate Housewives Cookbook, the show’s millions of fans will find recipes for all the foods made famous by the show, as well as many others inspired by each housewife. For example:

-Bree’s elegant, impressive dinners feature dishes like Basil Purée Soup, Braised Duck, and Chicken Cutlets Saltimbocca.

-Lynette’s time-challenged lifestyle leads to quick, healthy, everyday fare like French Toast for Breakfast (or Dinner) with Blueberry Syrup; Warm Turkey, Muenster, and Coleslaw Wraps; and Potato Casserole.

-Susan’s lack of kitchen skills means that her dishes are of the couldn’t-be-simpler (but still mouthwatering) variety, like a Salad of Roasted Peppers, Fresh Mozzarella, and Arugula; Foolproof Macaroni and Cheese; Chocolate Butterscotch Bars; and Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

-Gabrielle enjoys the finest things in life -- and food is no exception. Her meals are gourmet, and most definitely prepared by a personal chef. Her faves include Shrimp with Chorizo and Red Pepper, Guacamole with Warm Chips, and Pineapple-Peach Smoothies.

-Edie uses food for seduction as much as for sustenance. Her sensual favorites include Oysters Poached in Champagne and Cream, Sausage Puttanesca, and Ambrosia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 273 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; First Edition edition (September 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401302777
• ISBN-13: 978-1401302771
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #377,228 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Christopher Styler, experienced chef, teacher, culinary producer, and author has over 30 years of experience in the food world. Chris' love for food has taken him to the test kitchens of CUISINE and Food & Wine magazines, restaurants in Italy for study, and all across North and South America for consultation, menu design, and food preparation.

Chris was the chef of Metro C.C. in Manhattan and The Black Dog Tavern on Martha's Vineyard. He was also the chef/owner of Blue Collar Food, a Manhattan based catering company. In addition, he assisted Brendan Walsh in the opening of Arizona 206 in New York City and was responsible for the recipe development and opening of Winners, an American restaurant in Bogota, Columbia. Most recently, he served as the menu and recipe consultant for Lidia's Kansas City and Lidia's Pittsburgh, both operated by Lidia and Joseph Bastianich.

Author of Smokin', Primi Piatti, a cookbook of Italian first courses, and Working the Plate, Chris is the co author of four books, Sylvia's Soul Food with Sylvia Woods; Blue Collar Food with Bill Hodge; Vegetable Love with Barbara Kafka (winner of a 2005 IACP book award); and The Desperate Housewives Cookbook with Scott S. Tobis. Other recent publishing projects include: editing Mom's Secret Recipe File: More than 125 Treasured Recipes From the Mothers of Our Great Chefs; collaborating on Rosa's New Mexican Table with Roberto Santibanez; Daisy Cooks! by Daisy Martinez (Sept 2005; nominated for an IACP award), Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen, by Lidia Maticchio Bastianich (recipient of a 2003 IACP award) and The Mushroom Lover's Mushroom Cookbook, written by Amy Farges. Additionally,

Chris has served as Culinary Producer for eight PBS and Food Network television series: Viva Daisy! and Daisy Cooks! with Daisy Martinez, Lidia's Italian Table and Lidia's Italian American Kitchen with Lidia Bastianich; Julia and Jacques: Cooking at Home; Savor the Southwest with Barbara Fenzl, and, America's Test Kitchen. On the other side of the camera, Chris has had numerous appearances on IVillage Live, Good Morning America, Today, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, Good Day New York, The Home Show, and Lidia's Italian American Kitchen. An episode of Sara's Secrets with Chris as featured guest aired on the Food Network in August 2004.

Chris is also at home giving cooking classes or demonstrations--from large to small. He has taught in intimate settings like Sur La Table and the Kings Cookingstudio chain. As Special Project Chef for Gourmet magazine, Chris demonstrated cooking techniques for groups as large as 500 people.

In 1996, Chris started Freelance Food, LLC, a restaurant and food consulting service that specializes in recipe development for corporate clients, restaurants, and publications. He graduated cum laude from the Culinary Division of Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. He is currently at work on two cookbooks as well as keeping active in television production. His website is www.chrisstyler.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely a Hit, January 30, 2007

By 

J. Bass "Time for Tea" (SF Bay Area) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Desperate Housewives Cookbook (Hardcover)

I received a copy of this cookbook for Christmas (Thank you, Santa.) The book was all that I was expecting it to be and then some. Cookbook fans and Desperate Housewives fans alike will enjoy this book, and if you are both, even better! It is an honest-to-goodness cookbook, with a twist. It's also like a Desperate Housewives "scrapbook", with photos, snippets from the show and some cooking history for each of the "Housewives."

Obviously, the five "Housewives" of Wisteria Lane did not write these recipes, although they are presented as though they did. Christopher Styler is the creator of these wonderful recipes, capturing the style of each "Housewife". From Bree's perfectly fancy treats to Susan's fool-proof, simple dishes, there are a variety of cooking styles presented and a number of dishes available for each style. The photos of the dishes are great and reflect the appropriate housewife style even in presentation. (Check out photos of Lynette's dishes and you'll see a pacifier and plastic dinosaurs in the background.)

I like the fact that the cookbook is arranged in six different "Housewife" sections, one section for each of the five principal "Housewives" of the show and one section for the "neighbors" of Wisteria Lane. As a result, this cookbook is effectively grouped by style, rather than by course or food category. You want something fancy and intricate? Go to Bree's section. You want basic family fare? Check out Lynnette's. You're looking for a seductive, romantic meal? Go straight to Edie's section. (By the way, if you do want to see a list of all the salads in the cookbook, just go to the index in the back and look under Salad.)

Included in the collection are also recipes for dishes that have been either featured or implicated on the show, such as Susan's famous Macaroni and Cheese, Bree's muffins, Felicia's Macaroons and even Mrs. Huber's Smoothie (remember the blender?).

I do have to tell you that the first time I used the cookbook; I decided to do a three-course DH meal, with each course from a different section. I used Bree's Boston Lettuce & Chili-Toasted Walnut Salad (everyone loved the walnuts!), Susan's Shopping Bag Chicken (which I doubled) and Felicia's Wisteria Lane Icebox Napoleon dessert (with which I took a "Lynnette shortcut" and used a pudding mix). My family and guests loved it all!

The highlight was when I was cooking Susan's Shopping Bag Chicken. As I went to stir the chicken and veggies in the roasting pan after the first 15 minutes, my roasting pan (which is still very new) started to slide off the oven rack as I pulled out the rack. The whole thing started coming at me...and it was hot! I quickly said a couple of unprintable things, dropped my spoon, grabbed the other hot pad and managed to stop the roasting pan before it hit the floor. I pushed the pan back onto the rack, picked up two pieces of chicken off the floor, rinsed them, tossed them into the pan and with as much dignity as I could muster, closed the oven door. I then turned to my startled guests and said "Well, that wasn't in the recipe." And then without missing a beat, "but then, it WAS Susan's recipe!"

While I can't "guarantee" the same exciting results I had, I can say the food was great and I would love to make it again (with less drama, I hope). Whether you actually make any of the dishes from this cookbook or not, you'll enjoy looking at it.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Something for Everyone!, October 17, 2006

By 

Mary Ray "SamAckbar90" (Wayne, WV USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Desperate Housewives Cookbook (Hardcover)

I was excited to hear that there was going to be a Desperate Housewives Cookbook being released. The week the book came out I was curious to see if it was nice - and IT IS!

The book is smartly divided by each Housewife and also includes recipes from the neighbors - Martha Huber, Felicia Tillman, Mike Delfino, and Mrs. McCluskey.

Bree's foods are elegant and classy to say the least; Susan has homey, easyily made foods; Gabrielle has Spanish dishes an healthy foods; Lynette has Family favorites and also dinners to impress, and Edie has seductive and sensual foods.

The book is also a nice hardback with color pphotographs throughout, and
tells about the characters and describes each of their dishes. It even includes "grocery lists" of the characters, a behind the scenes look from the set explaining the job of the "food stylists" from the show and gives cooking tips throughout. I appreciated a section of Lynette's portion of the book explaining how to make the perfect grilled cheese.

I have only made a few recipes from this cookbook - Martha Huber's Strawberry Smoothie Surprise, Felicia Tillman's Wisteria Lane Ice box Napoleons, Lynette's Grilled Cheese, and Mrs McCluskey's peanut brittle.

All have been delicious, and I plan to cook alot more of them. The only thing missing is the nutritional information of the recipes, but other than that, this book is great!

You're sure to find something you like out of this cookbook because it has a wide variety of different foods from the different characters. This makes a great add to your Desperate Housewives Memorabilia Collection, Cookbook collection, or a great gift to a Desperate Housewives fan!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something to please even the pickiest palate!, January 16, 2009

By 

Stephen Dumont "Uber Mensch" (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Desperate Housewives Cookbook (Hardcover)

First off I have to say that I love the Housewives, so I had to get this book to finish my collection of memorabilia. I never actually thought I would be cooking any of the dishes, but I tried some. Bree's Muffins and Corn Chowder are to die for. The Lobster Risotto was very good too. The Tomato Bisque is next on my list of things to make. As I glance through the book I see alot of different styles of food. Even the pickiest eater should be able to find something that they will thoroughly enjoy. All in all, for the price and just for the novelty of this book, its worth it. Get it and try some recipes out, you will be pretty impressed.