Customer Reviews

The Pleasure Is All Mine: Selfish Food for Modern Life

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Suzanne's book was a fun read. It's filled with lots of quirky anecdotes and food recipes for one.
The personal stories range from the seven guests who turned down her dinner invitation (the morons, but the story sounds vaguely familiar, like the New Testament incident in the gospels) to work-life in professional kitchens to an interesting ingredient in her "take-out" food chapter.
Ah, and the recipes. They range from the exotic to simple pleasures, like blueberry pancakes. Try the pancake recipe. I messed it up the first time (I confess, I deviated from the recipe) but the second time I saw the light and repented. They were the best - tall and fluffy. Great!
I can't wait to dip into the pool of dessert recipes.
Take it from an overweight guy who enjoys eating - buy the book!

While my lifestyle is not comparable, I did find many of Suzanne Pirret's recipes fun to read and even better to cook. They are easy to double when you do have company and the instructions are clear. I have already referred the book to others who have also purchased it.

Toss that can of Soup-For-One! At last someone is celebrating the delight of preparing a wonderful meal to savor alone. Suzanne's take is refreshing, blithe, snarky at times and always entertaining. What a breath of fresh air and a relief from the exhausting earnestness that can overtake food writing. Prepare her Steak Au Poivre with Frites, pour yourself a glass of Cabernet Franc (from the Collio hills in Friuli!)sit down and start reading!

This is simply a fantastic cook for any level of cook or chef, because these recipes are a combination of minimal and decadent and delicious. I'm not much of a cook but the general tsoa's recipe has turned into comfort food for me, I make it regularly when I have a night in for myself or for other friends (single guys, this is definitely a winner, trust me), blueberry pancakes and turkey sausage for loungey sunday mornings, pad thai, just to name a few. The next step for me is trying out all the delicious uber-healthy fish recipes for a pescatarian friend. Ultimately this is about enjoying the process of cooking for yourself, and sharing meals because you love to do it!! It's inspiring, and not to mention completely hysterical..

I do a lot of cooking. My wife demands we split household chores down the middle so I do half the cooking and buy half the groceries. I read many cookbooks as well. I originally thought, based on the cover, that this book would be like the Jill St John cookbookThe Jill St. John Cookbook: Jill St. Johnwith photos and recipes. I was wrong there. However, this has to be the most entertaining cook book on the market. Suzanne has a keen sense of humor that adds life to each recipe. And I have cooked a few meals from this book for my wife and I by doubling the amounts. Easy and fun. (Kindle version)

This is the most readable cook book and not a picture in it!!!!
Entertains the mind and soul with exquisite descriptiveness and easy to follow instructions highlighted by winsome, honest, ironic and bittersweet vignettes drawn from the parade of human kind. A real treasure!!!

While I'm still a little squimish about trying some of the recipes (sea urchin risotto, escalope of foie gras with wild mushrooms and aged balsamic, grilled sardine panzanelle), every recipe I have made so far has been excellent. The desserts are especially wonderful. If you lack will power around decadent food (as I do) it's very helpful to have the smaller portions that Suzanne has in this book.

Loved this book. The format leads for a quick read with lots of good recipes, and many funny stories. I particularly enjoyed the classic haute cuisine references,being classically trained myself. The pizza dough and pastry recipes are just the best. She also uses metric and American units for ease of use! I have also doubled and quadrupled recipes with perfect success. A must buy for anyone interested in improving their skill set or looking for a humorous and quirky read.

I own more cookbooks than the local library and I still bought Suzanne's. This is the missing link of the food chain. Great recipes with just the right quantities of everything for the solo eater. You can't go wrong if you follow the instructions and you don't have to go out and remortgage your shack to acquire the necessary hardware; a good size skillet, one 2qt sauce pan and a 4qt stock pot is all you need. Suzanne is not only an extremely talented chef but a great writer as well. For you gentlemen who still believe ordering out is the way to go or are too lazy to try, buy the book for the cover. She is one hell of a beautiful woman too!!!

What's the third best thing about food? We know the best thing about food is eating it, the next best thing is making it, so the third best thing about food has to be the stories. Not only is Chef Pirret's book arranged in a clever format and filled with recipes that are spot on, each new section is accompanied by very interesting, humorous, personal stories from the chef herself, which quite cleverly gives you something to do while you experiment with her recipes. Let's be honest, isn't it the stories that really make us remember a particular food item, and not just the great food. Make no mistake, these recipes are first class, as a chef myself, I've had the pleasure of eating some of the greatest dishes from top chefs around the world, I've also managed to bang out a few myself, so believe me when I tell you, you are going to love these plates, and the best part, they're just for you. Now how spot on is that.