Customer Reviews

The Gourmet Potluck: Show-Stopping Recipes for the Buffet Table

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

 

 

I bought this cookbook on a whim while at the checkout isle at a department store as I knew I would have upcoming events to cook for.

I made 'Cold Baked Chicken Breasts with Jalapeno Plum Sauce for myself and several others. Rave, rave reviews. It didn't hurt that I happened to score 2 1/2 pounds of fresh plums, in season, which brings me to the next best thing about this book -- it is organized seasonally, so one can take advantage of flavor, convenience, and economy when searching for the right dish.

An overlooked gem.

This cookbook has become a staple of mine for entertaining, as well as for special family meals. The spinach dish shown on the cover is excellent and surprisingly easy to make, as are all of the recipes I have tried. Because the dishes are meant to be ones that you take to gatherings, they are meant to be somewhat showy, so the presentation for each one that I have tried is nice. In addition, most of the recipes can be assembled a day or two in advance, and the cookbook gives instructions for that, which makes entertaining much easier.

Delicious recipes, step by step instructions, with full color photographs of the finished product so that you know what it should look like, and how to present it.

Very good for someone who is learning how to cook and entertain.

As the title says, this is a potluck book: for each recipe, the author gives you important information such as how far in advance you can make the dish, required serving utensils, and whether refrigeration or heating are needed on site. Some recipes serve 8 people, others up to 36. Very helpful info.

The recipes are organized by the seasons, Spring through Winter. Most of the 50 or so recipes are accompanied by gorgeous photos. The cover photo of the Filo Green Tart with Fresh Dill and Feta is easier to make than it looks, it's delicious, and a it's show-stopper. Other recipes include:

Wine Braised Brisket
Oven Poached Whole Salmon
Shrimp with Feta
Baked Saffron Rice with Almonds and Golden Raisins
Cold Roast Filet of Beef with Green Peppercorn Mustard Sauce
Maque Choux
Calico Bean Bake
Green Chile and Rice Casserole
Mushroom Lasanga
Glazed Cornish Game Hens
Pork Tenderloin with Cassis Sauce
Scalloped Potatoes with Sage
Buffet Salmon en Croute
Moroccan Chicken with Dried Fruit and Olives
Maple Candied Yams
Gorgonzola Bread Pudding

I like that most of the recipes are geared for 12+ people, some even go up to 36 so it is a true buffet cookbook. There are nice pictures of the recipes, preparation timelines, make ahead suggestions and then on-site prep and reheating instructions. All very valuable when travelling with food. The recipes are somewhat gourmet as the title suggests. Moroccan Chicken with Dried Fruit and Olives is not typically found on the family reunion buffet table. LOL. These recipes are meant to impress and thus are a little time consuming to make and have many ingredients. All have a pretty presentation.
I made the buffet Salmon en Croute and it was a little expensive but it did impress and was beautiful on the buffet table.
The down side to this cookbook is there are no buffet layout instructions to keep the flow moving around the table. There are no menu suggestions. These are one dish wonders and not whole buffet suggestions. If you want a book that gives excellent buffet design go with Betty Crocker's Buffets. The book is dated 1984 but the buffet design is timeless. It also has whole menus designed around all kinds of party themes. Another good one is Do It for Less! Parties: Tricks of the Trade from Professional Caterers' Kitchens. It's geared for 12, 24 or 36 and includes full menus. If you just want one recipe then you can just pick one.

One I cannot suggest is Buffet Parties. The recipes are not geared for a crowd and there is no buffet design. It's all small bites so how it got the title "Buffet Parties" I'll never know.

Overall this cookbook is what it says it is, excellent pictures by Peterson, just no buffet design, menus or tablescape ideas.

This book is by far one of the best cookbooks I own for large scale dishes. With four kids and a hungry husband to feed, I use this cookbook weekly for both main and side dishes. I like that I don't have to "double" everything in my head; the recipes were developed to serve 8 - 14ish people from the start so the ingredient and spice proportions are correct at the start. There is a good mix of hearty comfort food recipes (Ground Beef and Noodle Casserole, p 90-91 / Green Chile and Rice Casserole, pg 50) and more elegant dishes for "the table". There is an excellent selecion of vegetarian dishes (Calico Bean Bake p47, which is actually vegan if you leave off the bacon strip topping), which I am especially pleased with. Arranging the book seasonally also helps bring focus on the freshest ingredients available at the time for best flavor and presentation.

Unfortunately this book is filled with ordinary recipes with a lot of bragging and inflated ego. Not worth the price.