Diva Cooking: Unashamedly Glamorous Party Food [Paperback]

Victoria Blashford-Snell (Author), Jennifer Joyce (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2002

Every cook aspires to be a culinary diva who knows that glamorous, delicious food is easy. All you need are some basic equipment and a few professional secrets and you'll be creating decadent dishes in no time. The authors of Diva Cooking divulge these culinary secrets through their diva-dos and diva-don'ts lists that are part of every recipe. They include information on how to adapt recipes to include the freshest seasonal ingredients, how to create beautiful garnishes and, most importantly, how to save time doing it. Whether you want to serve tapas-style dishes or a five-course meal, this book is essential for anyone who loves to entertain. Dinners of Seared Duck Breast with Balsamic Vinegar, Rosemary and Shallot Sauce followed by Sweet Goat's Cheese, Orange and Almond Tart await you.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Diva Cooking has great tips and tantalising recipes for everything from easy canapes to glam feasts. You will be performing culinary treats in your ballgown and tiara in no time." Elle; "packed with top tips to help you create fabulous canapes, tarts, and meat and fish dishes. But best of all, these recipes don't take forever, leaving you all the time you need to pamper yourself" OK; "Victoria and Jennifer can cater for any party of mine any day, and with their help everyone will want to come to yours." Clarissa Dickson Wright" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Victoria Blashford-Snell's great passion is cooking for parties large and small. With her dynamic personality and love of food, she runs a successful catering company and is a regular cooking teacher and demonstrator in Italy, Somerset, and at London's Books for Cooks. Known for bold tastes and pairing unusual flavours, nothing Victoria does is in a small way. A true diva, she knows the secret of throwing a great party is to cook, eat, and, most importantly, have fun.

Jennifer Joyce came to love cooking at an early age, while growing up in a food-obsessed Italian family of nine children. At the tender age of 10, she was making dinner for 11 people. Currently Jennifer works as a food writer, a teacher at Books for Cooks and other culinary schools, a television presenter and food consultant.

Jennifer is passionate about travel which constantly gives her new ideas and recipes. Born in Wisconsin, Jennifer now lives in Richmond-upon-Thames in the UK with her husband Pat, and their two young sons, Liam and Riley.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Whitecap Books (July 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1552853713
• ISBN-13: 978-1552853719
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #879,101 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Outstanding Cookbook!, April 4, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Diva Cooking: Unashamedly Glamorous Party Food (Paperback)

I stumbled on this cookbook truly by accident, having to buy one book for a commitment to a cooking book club--and what an amazing suprise! I love to cook gourmet food--especially recipes fit into my busy schedule as a mom and author of The Mom Book (www.momcentral.com) and often almost always in charge of appetizers for my various women group gatherings. I always rate recipes from 1-5, and anything below a 4 never gets cooked again. I have now worked my way through about 17 recipes from the Diva Cookbook, and remarkably they are all 5's--when most cookbooks fall into the 3 star rating of recipes. I have been raving about this all of my friends, who have been impressed by the complex tastes and sophisticated presentations of these delicious appetizers (while they have not taken me more than a half-hour to make at home)--so I figured it was high time to share my complete enthusiasm for this book on Amazon[.com] to pass the word along. Outside of The Splendid Table, this is the very best cookbook I own--all I can say is: Wow!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for those who like to entertain, January 10, 2003

By 

mackr (Bay Area, California, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diva Cooking: Unashamedly Glamorous Party Food (Paperback)

I received this book before the holidays as a gift and found it great for preparing glamorous holiday food. The recipes were not too complex, yet my friends and family were very impressed with the tasty results. Besides great tasting recipes, I think one of the best aspects is presentation. The smoked salmon in filo dough appetizer looked very elegant at New Year and went great with bubbly. The tips (called Diva dos and don'ts) are also quite helpful in avoiding problems.
I liked this book so much I bought a couple copies as gifts for friends.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have for Entertaining !!!, January 10, 2003

By 

Andrew Pollpeter (Stevens Point, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diva Cooking: Unashamedly Glamorous Party Food (Paperback)

Jennifer and Victoria do a wonderful job with walking you through each dish so it looks and tastes as wonderful as the pictures throughout the book. I use the book every weekend trying new dishes for my guest - All have been fantastic! This is a must buy for anyone who entertains.