Customer Reviews

Panini Express: 70 Delicious Recipes Hot Off the Press

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I received a panini press for a present and couldn't wait to get this book to try it out. The book is very pretty with nice, in-color photographs. I think the food photographer, Ellen Silverman, did a wonderful job of capturing the feel of the sandwiches, spreads and such. However, the editor fell down on the job. The same picture is printed on pages 19 and 61 and another same picture is printed on pages a and 23. Yet another same picture is printed on pages b & 57; 2 & 17; and 24 & 93. The exact same picture! Are you kidding me? Someone didn't notice they were using all the same pictures?! They're very pretty pictures but all the same ones? I quit comparing but there are many other duplicates as well. Please get that fixed on the reprint of this book. The authors of this cookbook need to get an apology for that glaring mistake.

Now for the meat of the cookbook. The first section gives recipes for making your own rolls, baguettes, flatbreads and such if you are so inclined. They are made by hand, not using a bread machine to start the dough. If you know how I guess you could convert them to a bread machine to save yourself some effort.

There is a section on making your own sauces, compotes, etc. The red pepper-garlic mayonnaise is delicious. Make sure and drain the roasted red peppers well otherwise the mayo was too runny. The watercress mayonnaise was a little bitter but perhaps it's just my taste or the fresh watercress (it's not the season right now).

The section on making your own sandwiches gives instructions for making your own breads and compotes (recipes are included) or offers store bought alternatives. In addition I like that the authentic version of the italian panini is listed but then a cheaper american version alternative is also offered. It gives you the option so you can lower the price or find the needed ingredients. My example is comte cheese vs. swiss; prosciutto vs. ham.

The corned beef and cabbage panini is excellent. It will make an excellent dinner on St. Patrick's Day. Add some black and tan beer and the evening will be perfect.

My next tries will be the Cubano and the Italian Hero. You won't be disappointed in this cookbook. It's worth having. There are even dessert panini's but I haven't tried those yet...it gives me something to look forward to!

I rated it a 3 even with the glaring picture misprints because the cookbook itself is excellent and I wouldn't want others to not purchase it because of that. The Taunton Press Co. needs to hire some new employees who know what they're doing but otherwise this cookbook is worthy of purchase. Just don't give this version as a gift wait until the next edition.

Yes, this is this is by the Daniel Leader who wrote Bread Alone and Local Breads, two incredible books on authentic artisan bread baking. This sandwich book is a wonderful resource for home bakers and non-bakers alike. The recipes for the spreads and chutneys are fantastic and can be used for dishes other than sandwiches.

You might think, "Doesn't everyone know how to build a sandwich??" Well, yes, but Leader's combinations are particularly delicious. Some are obvious, but are still excellent inspriration for when you have leftovers you do not know what to do with.

I definitely recommend this book. Unfortunately, there are numerous typographical errors. Fortunately his formulae are reliable. (Local Breads is full of similarly annoying and distracting errors, so hopefully Leader's editors will become more vigilant in future editions and for future books).

My husband is a hard sell on cheeses. He's a hard sell on weird combos as well. This book was given to us as a christmas gift. We LOVE LOVE LOVE this book. We have made at least half the recipes. The flat bread recipe is simply nummy. We always make a double batch of it so we can eat some right away with hummus. My husband who is scared of cheeses and weird flavor combos has come to really enjoy BOTH those things from this book. He was afraid of it at first, and the more we tried, the more he loved. The avocado shrimp is just amazing. The garbanzo bean with yogurt we've made a couple times. The apple and gorgonzola is so yummy. Almost every page is newly inspiring. Things I'd NEVER think to put together are just amazing. This is one of my favorite cook books and we try and make a new sandwich every week. There is so much more to making a panini then just heating stuff between bread I learned. The order matters. The temp matters. The bread matters. And it really brings it to the next notch. Very good guys.

My wife is an excellent cook looking for new recipes. I bought this to get some brownie points. We have tasted some great panini sandwiches and we now have a panini press to enjoy them at home. My wife saw other reviews on the web and was excited to get it.

This is a great addition to my cook book collection. The sandwiches in this book are off the beaten path by using odd ingredients. The several that we have tried so far have been great! There are recipes for different types of breads and sauces that I suggest using otherwise the sandwich will not come out right. Especially when it comes to the different breads. We tried a focaccia bread from Panera but it was to thick. The different breads were the hardest part of the recipes. All in all I am glad that I have this book. We have had a lot of fun with it.

As we were checking in books, we started salivating over the pictures of the sandwiches in this book. To celebrate a colleague's last day, we made some of the paninis. Delicious!

I love the recipes for making first your own bread and matching it with the topping. Daniel Leader did a good job putting this book together.

This book has great recipes and amazing photos. Shows how to make all of the great breads as well as how to build the sandwiches. Would definitely recommend. Makes a great gift for the kitchen wizzard in your life.

Panini Express is the book I have been waiting for. This book is an excellent guide for making the succulent hot sandwiches that have become ubiquitous in sandwich and coffee shops around the country. But more than a sandwich making guide, it provides creative ideas about panini construction and combinations of ingredients. This book opens up the whole experience of panin creation and hot sandwich options. Highly recommended.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Great panini recipes, along with great spread recipes. Simple and straight forward, this is a book that should be recommended with panini grills.