Customer Reviews

South African Gourmet Food and Wine: Traditional South African Food and More

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"South African Gourmet Food & Wine" by Myrna Rosen and Lesley Loon

Don't be fooled by the title; this book is for all of us. Not only for experienced or gifted cooks but for those, like me, trying their hand for the first time. I particularly liked being told how many guests each recipe is designed to feed. I liked being given the option of measuring in either Metric or Imperial and I liked the simple way each recipe is explained. I showed it to a Master Chef friend and, despite his twenty years of experience, he was impressed.

Two old favourites that caught my eye were a Cape Malay dish called "Bobotie" based on fish and spices and "Monkey Gland Steak" with a terrific sauce of onions, mushrooms, Worcestershire and tomato sauce.

At random here are a few more : "Boerewors" (a typically South African barbeque sausage), Tomato Bredie (a tasty meat and tomato stew), Melktert (milk tart), Watermelon jam, Herring in mustard sauce, Sundried tomato and roasted garlic spread, Bombay curried banana chicken soup, Fish steak au poivre, Herb crusted rack of lamb and so on and so on and so on.....

This book is a must if you have ever lived in, or visited, South Africa. It will bring back many memories.

I had a wonderful dinner party and made the Bobotie dish. It was a great success! Most of my guests wanted the recipe. I told them to just buy the book because there are so many wonderful dishes and they are easy to make. I have had the pleasure of eating both Lesley and Myrna's cooking, they are both wonderful cooks.

What a joy to have another Myrna Rosen cookbook on my shelves! This time she has teamed up with Lesley Loon and they have created yet another tour de force. My Mom gave me my first Myrna Rosen cookbook when I got married many years ago. It soon became my "bible" in the kitchen. Then came the second book, and again I was not disappointed. The new book is, if it's at all possible, even better! I have made many of the recipes to wild acclaim from all. There are so many outstanding ones, it's hard to pick one or two to mention specifically, although the Croissant Bread Pudding has caused more oohs and aahs than anything I have ever made before. The salads are imaginative and anyone who is a vegetarian will find themselves with many choices. The extensive South African section is a trip down Memory Lane, and Myrna and Lesley have also kindly considered those of us watching the fat grams by adapting some recipes, such as the fish and vegetarian options for bobotie. The Ratatouille Torte and the Tortellini Salad are unusual and appealing, and the Best Ever Chocolate Cake with Caramel Frosting is just that -- the best ever! I have given this book as a gift many times to some most grateful recipients. It is a "must" for anyone who enjoys good cooking!

As an ex-South African I have always admired Myrna Rosen's previous cookery books. This one, written in collaboration with Leslie Loon,has exceeded all my expectations. I have prepared a number of recipes for guests from this book, they worked out beautifully and received accolades from all. The presentation of the recipes is well conceived, light-hearted and user-friendly. All in all a book to keep for the generations to come

I bought this book in great anticipation and was dissapointed to find that only the first 72 pages, equal to one quarter of the book were devoted to South African food. I felt duped! and my further disappointement were blatant misrepresentations e.g. Traditional Bobotie is made with ground cooked lamb not beef. As a one South African to another, Ms. Rosen please be true to our cuisine.

As an ex-South African, Myrna Rosen's cookbooks have always been absolutely outstanding. I have tasted Lesley Loon's cooking and that is always brilliant - so with the two of them writing this cookbook, how wrong can one go. I have tried a few recipes and they were delicious and easy to follow. All in all a fantastic buy and a great cookbook to have at home!!

most glossy cookbooks thesedays have few usable recipes-this one is filled with easy but really good recipes for all occasions-it lives up to the wide reputations of the authors

This is a fantastic book! I have only tried a few of the recipes so far, but they were easy to follow and absolutely delicious. My company loved it too! These are great recipes for entertaining or for a quiet evening alone. For anyone who loves to cook, this is just the perfect book!

What a pleasure it has been following the recipes and reaping the benefits in the eating. Not only are the South African recipes delicious but the explanation and description of each dish makes them more enjoyable to prepare. The chapters that follow are filled with gourmet delights most of which require little preparation. For those who enjoy the challenge of cooking there are many recipes that do just that with exciting mouth watering outcomes. My interest in cullinary creations has been rekindled and for this I thank Myrna and Lesley.

I haven't been able to try out any of the recipes yet but I have marked several that I want to try. This cookbook is beautifully done and the recipes are easy to follow. Most of the recipes have easy to find ingredients although I live in the south and some recipes have ingredients that I haven't heard of. The deserts look out of this world delicious (I have a sweet tooth), I would have like to have seen more pictures of the finished products but there are some in the center section of the book. Only a portion of the cookbook seems dedicated to South African recipes. I love that it tells you how many the recipe can serve. I wish it had some nutrition information but most cookbooks don't so that isn't too big of a problem for me.
I would recommend this cookbook for any skill level. I think anyone could cook from it.
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