Customer Reviews

The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook

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

 

 

This is a great accompaniment to the original Silver Palette Cookbook. The emphasis here is on entertaining, so the recipes are frequently more formal and serve larger quantities. The book is arranged seasonally with proposed menus (i.e. a Kentucky Derby party, mid-winter skiing holiday). You'll get great ideas for parties just looking through the book. Plus, there are lots of great tips on planning a party and cooking for a crowd. I particularly recommend the Broccoli-Watercress Soup - I return to it again and again as the definitive cream of broccoli soup. If you're not able to brine your Thanksgiving turkey (which is my personal favorite but very time consuming), the recipe and cooking method in this book is the next best thing. Also, their turkey saves better than any other I've tried. Martha Stewart has better pictures of entertaining in her cookbooks, but this book has the best recipes for entertaining and is the most practical for your typical cook.

Alright, these recipes are not nutritionally-correct. Many are high on fats and sugars. But when you want a special dish to really "wow" your guests, or to celebrate a special occasion, this is the book you'll turn to! Not only are the recipes great, but the sidebars have lots of useful tips for serving and entertaining. This is one of the two or three most used cookbooks in my collection!

This is the most used book in my kitchen. I love the seasonal approach, and always look at the book for dinner and entertaining ideas at the start of each season.

Some of my favorites are Bobbies Roast Chicken (ginger, mustard, lemon, mmmm!), June's Apple Crisp, some of the unusual and festive winter vegetables dishes (how about Brussels sprouts with maple and walnut vinaigrette or the Ruby Radishes?).

Christmas is very special indeed with the Red and Green Christmas Salad (spinach, avocado and pomegranates) with Warm Champagne Vinegar Dressing.

Buy it, you will feel inspired to be more creative with your cooking!

The recipe for Chocolate Raspberry Cake alone is worth the price of this book.Then there's the St. Nicholas Cake, a fruity cake for the holidays and Eggnog French Toast and Lamb Stew with Lemon and Olives. Recipes have some unusual ingredients sometimes, but you can often track them down without too much trouble.

The book is beautifully organized by the seasons. You'll find fancier illustrations elsewhere, but you won't find better recipes for entertaining. Rosse and Lukins developed these recipes for their shop in New York City and each one that I've tried is a hit. So many cookbooks have mediocre recipes but you can depend on this one.

All of these recipes will encourage one to begin cooking with a fervor - no matter what the season! All ingredients are seasonal ... but uniquely combined. But, be warned! These recipes are not for the mom-on-the-go. They are time consuming.

If you like to entertain, you're going to love this cookbook. Filled with wonderful, elegant and delicious recipes that aren't too difficult to execute; it's a source I return to again and again when searching for a new, fresh idea for a party.

In addition to the clearly written directions, illustrations and side bar hints and tips assist in ensuring that you achieve good results every time. The garnishing and presentation ideas provided also elevate the look and feel of even the most informal or impormptu event.

Thematically and seasonally arranged, you can follow the pre-planned menu's developed by Rosso & Luskins or pick through and choose those that appeal to you most.

The splatters and stains on my copy confirm that this is a much loved, much used book in my collection. I partucularly enjoy the Marinated Shrimp flavored with herbs and citurs and the Pate Mousse with Bacon and Walnuts is divine!

The follow up to the Silver Palate Cookbook in some ways even exceeds its predecessor. All recipes are organized by season, focusing on the best quality ingredients available. Truly a great cookbook.

Just for three or four of the recipes alone it's worth it, but overall the blueprints of all content for various occasions bring uncomplicated flare and quality to the kitchen. A kitchen must-have.

Food is my passion. I love nothing better than thinking about it; shopping for it in big open markets; preparing it; serving it to others; eating it myself; writing about it and reading inspired cookbooks. Alas, too few cookbooks are inspired and fewer still fire my enthusiasm like the first pair written by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins.

The original "Silver Palate" and this "Good Times Cookbook" are my kitchen bibles, along with Mark Bittman's "The Best Recipes In The World."

"Good Times" is an essential culinary reference for anyone who delights in celebrating the seasons with good food, thoughtfully prepared. Long before "eating in season" became the foodie anthem, Rosso and Lukins theme-inspired-menus for "Rainy Day & Sundays;" "Siestas, Sunsets and Stargazing" and "Daffodil Weekend," gamely encouraged us to do just that.

How better to celebrate Halloween than with smoky pumpkin soup and Old Fashion carmelcorn? Mother's Day is the perfect excuse to whip up lemon chicken. Bring in the New Year with a golden caviar soufflé. Mark your favorite winter holiday with Christmas goose, three onion casserole and baked kumquats and parsnips. There are thousands of other holiday cookbooks out there, but none as original, inspiring and downright do-able as "Good Times."

I bought the book for a friend and put notes by the recipes I've used over the last 20 or so years. I realized these are still some of my favorite dishes. The sidebar notes in the book are still very useful and fun reading. I would recommend highly for a cook who doesn't already have a dog-eared (like mine) version.