Park Avenue Potluck: Recipes from New York's Savviest Hostesses [Hardcover]

The Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering (Author), Florence Fabricant (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 23, 2007

To benefit America’s leading center for the research and treatment of all types of cancer, here is a cookbook with a cause par excellence. The members of The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center are some of the most celebrated partygivers in New York City’s fundraising world. Now the ladies of the society have opened up their private recipe files to present foolproof dishes that will turn any event–whether a cocktail party for sixty or a comforting family meal–into the talk of the town. Edited by acclaimed food writer Florence Fabricant, Park Avenue Potluck is filled with such recipes as Cheddar Chutney Croustades, Baked Spinach Risotto, Cider Roasted Pork Tenderloin, and Bermuda Banana Bread Pudding. This unprecedented peek into the dining rooms of Gotham’s poshest addresses offers up advice on entertaining in true New York style. Among the boldface names contributing are Coco Kopelman, Muffie Potter Aston, Nicole Limbocker, Daisy Soros, Patsy Warner, Alexis Waller, and Katie Colgate. Humorous anecdotes, insider tidbits, and party-planning advice from these grand dames make this the season’s choicest invitation.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a lovely collection of recipes from some of New York society's grandest dames." ~O, the Oprah Magazine

About the Author

Florence Fabricant is an experienced food writer who contributes regularly to the New York Times Dining pages. She is the author of eight cookbooks, including The New York Restaurant Cookbook. The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center works to ensure the well-being and comfort of patients, raises funds for cancer research and treatment, and educates the public about cancer.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli (October 23, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847829898
• ISBN-13: 978-0847829897
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 0.9 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #136,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Easy, approachable recipes, January 10, 2008

By 

Ellie Z "Ellie" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Park Avenue Potluck: Recipes from New York's Savviest Hostesses (Hardcover)

This book is so beautifully designed and photographed that it honestly could do double duty as a coffee table book. Having said that, and at the risk of sounding snobbish, the only thing separating this cookbook from your local community junior league cookbook is that this book has much better photography and does not come spiral bound. So, buy it for its looks or for the good cause it supports, but chances are you already have most of these recipes lurking in your cookbook collection.

I purchased this (rather expensive) book expecting to find it filled with exclusive recipes for fancy dishes served by the Park Avenue elite, but instead I found it to contain very approachable, common recipes, many of which I was already familiar with. That is not to say that the recipes aren't good: they are. The lemon & dijon chicken, the Paris iced tea, "Mexican" chocolate cake with a boiled chocolate icing and the "Aunt Janet's" beef recipe all turned out beautifully.

Bottom line: this book is filled with recipes by and for home cooks, whether your home's address happens to be on Park avenue or not.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Park Avenue Pot Luck, December 3, 2007

By 

Roben M. Grillo "Roben" (El Jebel, Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Park Avenue Potluck: Recipes from New York's Savviest Hostesses (Hardcover)

I didn't expect to be impressed, but I really did enjoy it! It's for a good cause too.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When was the last time you saw "Park Avenue" and "potluck" in the same sentence?, July 26, 2008

By 

Jesse Kornbluth (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Park Avenue Potluck: Recipes from New York's Savviest Hostesses (Hardcover)

In the silver serving bowl on the cover of "Park Avenue Potluck", there's a....could that really be a casserole?

For that matter, when was the last time you saw "Park Avenue" and "potluck" in the same sentence?

Yes, the days of black tie dinners that begin with Rigaud candles in the hall and champagne in the living room are over. "Ladies who lunch" have pretty much died off. Fashion shows have lost their urgency. And thank you notes are starting to look a lot like e-mails.

Oh, one thing hasn't changed: the ultimate audience. "I design every menu according to what the men will eat," a hostess says. She's a smart one. The C-level husband labors all day to keep his family in a zillion dollar co-op and a country "cottage" --- if "New York's savviest hostesses" are going to make their men go to dinner parties, better believe they'll focus on their care and feeding.

So what we have here is a book of recipes that a Manhattan hostess could actually cook --- has, in fact, actually cooked. Like a local club cookbook. If you happen to live in a neighborhood where everyone's rich, accomplished and fit.

So (and this may be meaningful) only the drinks are exotic. Like "Pond Water" --- sugar, vodka, limoncello, lime juice and thyme. Not something you drink every day.

The soups here are simple and toothsome and, mostly, appallingly healthful. There are no fewer than 15 casseroles, including a mac-and-cheese punched up with dry mustard. Chicken with Potato Chips: there's a blue-collar concept. Nice recipe for cider-marinated pork loin from a Rockefeller. A pot roast recipe I don't know, but very much want to try. Applesauce with dark rum. And far too rich desserts.

Florence Fabricant, a world-class food writer, did this book as a labor of love --- it benefits Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. As a private cancer facility, it's the world's largest. As a cause, it's one of the most prestigious in New York. Good to see a fundraising tool that not only tempts the palate but suggests "New York's savviest hostesses" aren't all insufferable snootballs.