Customer Reviews

Emeril's Creole Christmas

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Emeril's Christmas cookbook is loaded with all sorts of interesting recipes. So many of them look really good. I love watching Emeril on FoodTV. He always cooks with such enthusiasm and flair. He also has a way of making the cooking look really easy. I have all of his books in my collection. I like to read his recipes, but I must admit that I am really disappointed with the inconsistencies in the recipes. In some cases, Emeril will call for a certain amount of one ingredient, but it will never be called for in the instructions, or he vice versa, he will call for something that wasn't listed in the ingredients. Sometimes the recipe appears to skip entire steps. I have really been disappointed with this, because as a professional Emeril should have been far more accurate and thorough.

This book has a lot of great ideas and is well written. I enjoy trying new things and this book leads me to new heights.

This is a great cookbook. While the pictures are nice the food is wonderful. AND it's so refreshing when you have a chef who not only loves food, but doesn't talk down to you. It was one of the first things that I enjoyed about his first book. As a recreational chef, I own an entire library of cookbooks. Mr. Lagasse is an excellent chef, and good enough not no feel the need to be pompous about it! Well worth the money (as are his others as well!)

To be fair I'll let you know that I only made one recipe from this book...Banana Cream Pie. So I base the 2 Star review on that recipe alone. I made this pie 4 times and the 1st 3 times the cream smelled and tasted extremely sour. After going to the bookstore and researching other cream pie recipes I found that Emeril left out two very important details. #1 You are instructed to whisk heavy cream, sugar and a vanilla bean, split & scraped, in saucepan over medium heat. To that add a combination of egg yolks, cornstarch and heavy cream. When you add the cold egg mixture to the warm cream & vanilla bean mixture on the stove, the stove mixture sours terribly. What I learned is that you must take a very small portion of the warm mixture and add it to the cold egg mixture first. Add a little of the warm cream at a time to slowly alter the temperature of the egg mixture. Then you are safe to pour the egg mixture into the saucepan of warm cream ingedients without souring. I can't believe this critical detail was missing from the recipe. Was I supposed to already know this? #2 Emeril instructs you to split and scrape the vanilla bean but he doesn't tell you if you are to add the scraped, resinous paste to the ingredients or disgard it. I tried it both ways and it tastes much better if you add the paste to the cream ingredients on the stove. After all this, the pie was the best banana cream pie I ever tasted. It was outrageous! My family went nuts for it! And what a presentation. Definately try it but don't forget these important details.

If you're only familiar with Emeril from his TV appearances, this book may surprise you. It lacks the flamboyance and loud flashiness, replacing them with a certain elegance and gourmet style. It includes a Christmas Eve dinner for ten, Emeril's Christmas Day brunch buffet, New Orleans New Year's Eve dinner, a New Year's Day supper family style, the Chef's holiday favorites, and Emeril's "stocking stuffers."

The book is filled with gorgeous photographs of lavish decorations and settings. They artfully set the mood in this book--one of no expense spared in the interest of fabulous holiday memories. Each section of the book is done as a menu, so that you can make the menu whole or steal individual recipes. None of these menus are quick things, and this book isn't designed for the cook who doesn't like to spend more than a half-hour in the kitchen. Shopping lists are included, as well as wine pairings.

This is not the cookbook for someone on a budget: it calls for such expensive ingredients as caviar, truffles, and huge amounts of fresh raspberries, some of which can be tough to find depending on where you live. The book also assumes at least a little experience with basic cooking techniques--novices shouldn't be starting with a gourmet cookbook using expensive ingredients. Not all of the recipes cost so much, however, and they aren't all complicated; for example, the spiced pecans are extremely inexpensive and easy, and they're so good that we've made them more than 15 times at least (and we don't often repeat recipes). They're so good, in fact, that people request them specially when they come to visit at holidays.

So try the salad of new potatoes and roasted walnuts with warm bacon vinaigrette, or the truffle risotto with parmesan croutons. Make the andouille cheese bread or the white cheddar truffle eggs. Save this book for an occasion when you really want to pull out all the stops, whether it's Christmas or some other important time in your life. The photos alone will inspire you to do great things in the kitchen!

I absolutly love to cook, have been to culinary school, also not afraid of new things. I have tried most of these recipies and many have become regulars. The smoked salmon terrine although is expensive we normally make on every holiday now. Sugarcane Baked Ham with Spiced Apples and Pears is super. Beef Tenderloin with Fresh Horseradish and Black Pepper Crust was suprizing ly good, I ont like horseradish at all, but it was paired so beautifully in this recipie it was sublime. Jiffy Pop Firecracker Shrimp we make everytime we have shrimp in the house. the Chocolate Chocolate Pudding Cake with Chocolate Ganache, Creole Christmas Trifle, Creole Christmas Fruitcake with Whiskey Sauce and the Banana Cream Pie with Caramel Drizzle and Chocolate Sauces is to die for, however this recipie is written with the assumption you have made custards b4 and know you need to temper it beford adding the hot milk mixture. I have not made the Lobster Cheesecake with Christmas Caviar Sauce but hope to soon. the big boy cookies and the spiced pecans...Ummm yummy, I am soo happy to have bought this book. If you are open to try new things, If you like to occasionally like to indulge and eat like something so decatend and pretend that it is a common thing, this book is definatly for you. Emmeril, you are my hero.

This book is definitely not for novices - if you can't figure out to make a banana cream pie without doing research, it's not for you. I don't think the recipes are difficult in the least and they are all very tasty. The recipes are great. I have made them most - and have had great success. Big Boy Cookies, Jiffy Pop Firecracker Shrimp, Pickled Jalepenos, Banana Cream Pie, Sweet Barbecue Sauce, Butter Cream Mints, Chocolate Macadamia Nut Brittle . . . mmm mmm mmm! If you like Creole food and are looking for something new and exciting to feed your family, this book is a must-have!

My husband and I love this book! We've planned at least four special dinners exclusively from it... and our family and friends are still talking. It's NOT one for those looking for quick dishes, but if you enjoy cooking you can't go wrong. I enjoy the beautiful photos and layout of the book as well. Just looking through it gets you in the holiday spirit.

A complete guide to holiday party planning from recipes ,shopping guides and personal stories.This book is a must for any cook from beginner to professional.you have to get it!!!!

I did not like this book at all. I did not like the recipes. They were terrible. Emeril is not the cook that the TV makes him out to be. This was a dissapointment.