Customer Reviews

Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights: Guilt-free Eating with Abandon

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I received this book two weeks ago and it has already become a permanent fixture in my cooking repertoire. First, this is not a how-to diet book, this is first and foremost a cooking book. That it is filled with Ms. Dahl's own story about food and weight is simply a bonus, a beautifully written ribbon that laces through the story and ties it all together.

This book is broken down into four sections - Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer, further divided into Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, and each section starts with a few pages of Ms. Dahl's lovely stories, starting as a youth in the US and UK, cooking with her mom and grandmother, along through her days modeling, and learning to find balance and harmony in her diet, up until present day. Peppered throughout are Ms. Dahl's sweet line drawings.

The first thing I noticed about this book is the quality. From the heavy paper, to the impeccable photographs, from the seemingly perfumed smell of the book to the careful attention to detail throughout, this book screams quality and care. I normally abuse my cookbooks and after a while they are covered in tomato splatters, greasy fingerprints and folded pages, but this book begs to be treasured. Despite having worked my way through half of the recipes, it remains pristine.

The recipes themselves are wonderful. Looking over my notes from cooking, one word pops up over and over: simple. Ms. Dahl's recipes are simple to cook and wide open to improvisation, should you be lacking in some of the ingredients. Each recipe builds off of the premise of quality ingredients and simple preparation and the reward is a delicious dish that needs no heavy spicing or fat to improve the flavor.

The rhubarb yogurt is mouthwatering: tangy, sour and sweet with a nutty crunch in each bite. The Beetroot soup is earthy and creamy, it fills your mouth with flavor and looks amazing sitting in the bowl. The Quinoa Salad with tahini dressing is one of those recipes that you find yourself craving all the time, with its nutty soy-sweet dressing, fluffy quinoa and a fresh crispness from the raw vegetables. The Fish Cakes forgo the usual breading in favor of a fresh, simple approach that tastes like you spent hours. The Cinnamon peaches with yogurt are a decadent breakfast that feels more like indulging in dessert for breakfast without all of the guilt. The chicken stew was incredibly easy but tastes sophisticated with a variety of flavors, from the juicy chicken to the pop of the olives and the licorice zing from the fennel. The Crab and Fennel salad is crisp and cool, perfect for the heat of summer... I could go on. I've been living off of the recipes in this book for two weeks and each meal is delicious, exciting and takes hardly any time to prepare. Each recipe is simple enough that you will find yourself whipping them up on a whim and never needing to order take out when you get home late from work.

My only complaint about this book, if you could call it that, is that some of the recipes make portions a good deal larger than necessary. Most of the recipes are meant for two but we could never finish all of the food and ended up having enough for one more serving, sometimes two. The recipes are measured in US and UK measurements and include both terms for items that have different names in the US and UK.

I would recommend this book for everyone. From the first time cook to the experienced chef, from the Sophie Dahl fan to the person interested in cooking that has never even heard her name. If you enjoy cooking you will enjoy cooking out of this book.

I received this book nearly a year ago and it has become a permanent fixture in my cooking repertoire. Not a week goes by that I don't find myself turning to this book for a quick and simple recipe. First, this is not a how-to diet book, this is first and foremost a cooking book. That it is filled with Ms. Dahl's own story about food and weight is simply a bonus, a beautifully written ribbon that laces through the story and ties it all together.

This book is broken down into four sections - Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer, further divided into Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, and each section starts with a few pages of Ms. Dahl's lovely stories, starting as a youth in the US and UK, cooking with her mom and grandmother, along through her days modeling, and learning to find balance and harmony in her diet, up until present day. Peppered throughout are Ms. Dahl's sweet line drawings.

The first thing I noticed about this book is the quality. From the heavy paper, to the impeccable photographs, from the seemingly perfumed smell of the book to the careful attention to detail throughout, this book screams quality and care. I normally abuse my cookbooks and after a while they are covered in tomato splatters, greasy fingerprints and folded pages, but this book begs to be treasured. Despite having worked my way through all of the recipes, it remains pristine.

The recipes themselves are wonderful. Looking over my notes from cooking, one word pops up over and over: simple. Ms. Dahl's recipes are simple to cook and wide open to improvisation, should you be lacking in some of the ingredients. Each recipe builds off of the premise of quality ingredients and simple preparation and the reward is a delicious dish that needs no heavy spicing or fat to improve the flavor.

The rhubarb yogurt is mouthwatering: tangy, sour and sweet with a nutty crunch in each bite. The Beetroot soup is earthy and creamy, it fills your mouth with flavor and looks amazing sitting in the bowl. The Quinoa Salad with tahini dressing is one of those recipes that you find yourself craving all the time, with its nutty soy-sweet dressing, fluffy quinoa and a fresh crispness from the raw vegetables. The Fish Cakes forgo the usual breading in favor of a fresh, simple approach that tastes like you spent hours. The Cinnamon peaches with yogurt are a decadent breakfast that feels more like indulging in dessert for breakfast without all of the guilt. The chicken stew was incredibly easy but tastes sophisticated with a variety of flavors, from the juicy chicken to the pop of the olives and the licorice zing from the fennel. The Crab and Fennel salad is crisp and cool, perfect for the heat of summer... I could go on. I've been living off of the recipes in this book for nearly a year and each meal is delicious, exciting and takes hardly any time to prepare. Each recipe is simple enough that you will find yourself whipping them up on a whim and never needing to order take out when you get home late from work.

My only complaint about this book, if you could call it that, is that some of the recipes make portions a good deal larger than necessary. Most of the recipes are meant for two but we could never finish all of the food and ended up having enough for one more serving, sometimes two. The recipes are measured in US and UK measurements and include both terms for items that have different names in the US and UK.

I would recommend this book for everyone. From the first time cook to the experienced chef, from the Sophie Dahl fan to the person interested in cooking that has never even heard her name. If you enjoy cooking you will enjoy cooking out of this book.

(Note: this review references the UK release of this book)

In "Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights," Sophie, the granddaughter of famous children's author Roald Dahl, shares her recipes and stories from her life. The recipes are divided into four seasons: fall, winter, spring, and summer. The recipes are further divided by breakfast, lunch, and supper. There is also a separate section for desserts.

The book is very colorful, and the recipes tend to put creative spins on well-known food like scrambled eggs, tofu, salads, rice, and soups while also introducing more unique recipes like barbecued salmon on cedar plank, buttermilk chicken with sweet mashed potatoes, fish cakes, homemade muesli with strawberry yogurt, buckwheat risotto with wild mushrooms, omelet with caramelized red onion, or lemon and ricotta spelt pancakes, along with others.

I enjoyed Miss Dahl's stories about her childhood and adolescence, her life in New York, modeling (her employers wanted to turn her into a plus size model), various travels, and the subsequent eating habits which changed the way she looks at food. Each of the four sections starts off with her stories, which makes the cookbook part memoir. This structure however didn't take away from the actual recipes, which are plentiful. Miss Dahl comes across as down-to-earth which makes her a likeable personality.

At the end of the book, following the desserts section is an index structured by ingredients which makes it easier to locate recipes containing certain foods like chicken, eggs, mushrooms, peppers, spinach, or onions--among those listed. Overall I thought this cookbook was pretty well done, with recipes ranging from basic to advanced.

I bought it because I read a couple of VOGUE reviews, plus an article she wrote explaining a bit of how the book took shape, and telling a little about herself. I've read 'Playing with the grown-ups' by her also, but I didn't like it as much, because I found it too "troublant" to really be able to enjoy reading it (I'm more of a Jane Austen person).
But in the other hand, with 'Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights', I was mesmerized... Not only her recipes are really appetizing, but the message of the book itself is beautiful. To me, the strength of it is what it makes the reader feel: we share her utter love for food, and can't wait to lead a peaceful, harmonious and healthy life... It is specially thanks to the little introductory texts she writes at the beginning of each part of the book (it is very originally and cleverly divided: 4 parts, one for each season of the year, and a final part for desserts), which being autobiographical, show how personal her book is, but also how universal. Thanks to her struggles to find balance in her life, we understand the choices of the ingredients, and the dishes, and the kind of life she wants to lead, everything.
It is just inspiring. The pictures are also wonderful, and I strongly recommend to read it at least once as if it were a regular novel. Then, when imbibed with the flavour of her funny and delicious narrative, you must give a closer look to the recipes themselves, and be marvelled by their surprising touches and interesting combinations.
Her style is very homy, but with a modern touch: she combines traditional cuisine with sparkling touches of italian/asiatic/... gastronomy here and there.
As I said, simply inspiring.

I never knew much about Sophie Dahl, but after (sorry for impending pun) devouring this book, I feel as though we're friends. I love cookbooks with stories--not just recipes (this is likely because one of my favorite reads when I was little was Peg Bracken's "I Hate to Cook"). Here, we have a totally engaging story of the author's life, and how she learned to find balance and peace within herself. Which is not to say that she comes across as preachy or holier-than-thou. And the recipes! I'll admit I read cookbooks far, far more than I actually cook out of them, but this is an exception. Just reading the recipes made me want to get back into the kitchen and be the sort of girl who whips up lovely meals at home. The foods are filling (not heavy) and healthy feeling without making a big fuss about it.
The theme of this book is that it's cheaper, healthier, and more satisfying to cook for yourself and loved ones--cooking can be fun and creative. After my first reading--and before cooking anything--I felt as though I had spent a lovely afternoon with my best girlfriend. And I'm pleased to say that that warmth and joy comes through in the recipes. Each one that I've made has been totally perfect. I hope we have more like this from Sophie Dahl!

Such a lovely book with wonderfully cozy easy-to-do recipes that are simple and nourishing. I loved reading the fabulous Miss Dahl's commentary on her life and why she had chosen each dish and what it meant to her. Reading it feels like chatting with an old friend. The pictures are gorgeous and homey.

I love this cookbook by exmodel Sophie Dahl. It is organized by the seasons and also categorized by breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Recipes are simple and fresh and delicious. I have already made quite a few...and I love that even though Sophie is a total vegetarian she includes some recipes that are made of meat because her boy friend is not a vegetarian and she totally accepts that!!! Photos are so appealing...you will want to make something right away. I love that I found her and this book.

I enjoyed reading this book, but I am very glad that I checked it out from the library instead of buying it. I know that sounds simply horrible but it is true. I did write down a handful of recipes but have only made two of them so far and they were simply passable, not amazing. I was far more interested in reading about Sophie Dahl herself, so for me that is what made this book worthwhile. As a cookbook only, I would not have enjoyed it as much and if I was not already intrigued by Miss Dahl I probably would not have made it all of the way through.

I am so glad I purchased this cookbook -- the recipes are very similar to my own recipes from straight out of my garden. They are lovely in their simplicity -- this is a home run!

I bought this in Philadelphia on Saturday, read it from cover-to-cover on the 13 hour journey home on Sunday and cooked dinner from it on Monday.

The recipes are good with well-written and reassuring directions, and I enjoyed the auto-biographic text that opens each chapter. It's also a beautifully photographed book, and Miss Dahl herself may well be my new style icon.