Customer Reviews

Fast Appetizers (Fast Books)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have a number of Hugh Carpenter cook books and find all of them to be excellent. Some of the recipies in Fast Appetizers appear in his other books. The beauty of this book is the multiple choices and in many cases the simplicity of making different appetizers which will have your guests asking for the recipe. If you are looking for rave reviews on your appetizers, this is the book for you.

Unlike the other reviews I've read, I do not have any other books by Carpenter and Sandison. This is going to change! I have been enchanting my dinner guests with each recipe that I have prepared out of this book. The food is not only good, it is simple to prepare, and beautiful to look at (a must for appetizers). With this book I feel confident that I can get my dinner parties off to a memorable start. I'm buying copies for friends and family and recommending it to everyone.

I am disagreeing with most reviews, if you do not like goat cheese, don't buy this. If you have no access to buying wild mushrooms, don't buy this. If you don't like tuna, salmon or lamb, don't buy this. I was looking for a more practical appetizer book with common things I buy each week at the grocery, many recipes with goat cheese, caviar, salmon, tuna, and lamb just don't fit my lifestyle or my budget. If you like eggplant, oysters, lamb and swordfish recipes then go for it!

The recipes in this book are wonderful. I made 3 of them for a baby shower, and they all were hits. Many can be done ahead of time, which is wonderful, and many have unique flavors and also create a beautiful presentation.

I rarely entertain guests, but thanks to this book, now I can do it in style. My boyfriend invited several of his co-workers over for a coctail party and I dazzled them with my wonderful, good tasting finger foods, hot and cold appetizers and pastas. They were all easy to make and fast, they looked so pretty and didn't last at all. This book has well over 100 different easy to make recipes, some of the wives are calling me and asking for my recipes...

I have taken a class with Hugh Carpenter and have a few of his books. His recipes are great and most of them are easy. He always gives information on what can be done ahead of time, which is great for entertaining. His wife's photography is beautiful and inspirational. If you like this book, try his "Hot Pasta" also.

I have had the pleasure of attending Hugh's culinary cooking camp in Napa and own all of his cookbooks. There is a reason.
Hugh's recipes are simple to prepare, always have a "wow" factor, and above all else, taste fantastic. The other important ingredient in Hugh's cookbooks is that the recipes are 100% trustworthy. This is not something that I will say for many cookbooks. His recipes are designed for the home cook and have been tested and re-tested so that you can trust the recipe.

So stock up your pantry with hoisin, coconut milk, and yster sauce and have fun making his recipes! Some of my favourites in the book are the Pan-Fried Scallop Dumplings with Coconut -Herb Glaze, the Spicy Thai Meatballs Wrapped in Lettuce, and he Quesadillas with Barbecued Meat and Brie. All are wonderful.

Hugh makes cooking fun and his flavours are intense and exciting. You won't be disappointed at your next dinner party!

Great easy recipes, a must for the busy mom who wants to impress her guests with some tempting appetizers!!

This is a good book on appetizers. The ones I've tried are in fact easy to make and delicious. But I find this book difficult to use: it seems I have to flip through every page in order to find appropriate appetizers, all because the Table of Contents is wacko. Take, for example, some of the chapters: Bar Food Nibbles; Crudites for Small Parties and Crowds; Quick Cheese Appetizer Wonders; Sizzling Appetizers from the Grill and Oven; Meatball Appetizers; New Ideas for Pizzas. These are overlapping categories. Quick Cheese Appetizers can certainly be Bar Food Nibbles, and Bar Food Nibbles can include New Ideas for Pizzas as well as Sizzling Appetizers.

No clear thought went into organizing these chapters. Busy cooks need easy-to-use books.

I've used these recipes for cocktail party after cocktail party and the majority of guests ask for the recipes each time.