Customer Reviews

The Splendid Table's How to Eat Weekends: New Recipes, Stories, and Opinions from Public Radio's Award-Winning Food Show

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

 

 

This is a cookbook for those who wish to have some complex flavorings and offerings and have the time to prepare the recipes that are described with great detail. This is why this is a weekend cookbook; you will definitely need the hours that a weekend provides for many of these dishes. There is plenty of help and guidance, but this is certainly not for the beginning cook or those who just want simple comfort food or have simple tastes.

A section of menus is provided using recipes that are included in the pages. Menus are for the following meals: Mexican, Vietnamese, Italian, Indian, Chinese, Winter Holiday, Potluck Thanksgiving, and Vegan Thanksgiving - that alone will be a reason for some to buy this book.

However do not think these are the simple menus they might sound like. The Mexican Comida is an example of what all these menus have...an introduction, a schedule of days in advance preparation a picture of the feast with dishes labeled, kitchen tools and supplies needed and unique culinary techniques. Then the food consists of: tomatillo salsa with fresh cheese from El Cardenal, Jicama & mango sticks in chili and lime, Yucatan pork in banana leaves, black beans & rice, corn tortillas, chili-spiked Mexican wedding cakes, watermelon water.

There are suggestions for wine throughout the book, information given includes, serving size, prep time, cooking time, how long it can be refrigerated or frozen. Culinary tips are also incorporated. Recipes included are: starters, snacks and small plates, soups and salads, pasta and grains, casseroles, vegetarian and vegan main dishes, poultry, fish and seafood, pork, lamb, beef, sides and sweets. There are many pictures of the dishes throughout and there is an index.

We have tried and enjoyed the saffron tomato sauce - it's absolutely wonderful, as is the five-nut caramel tart. However, if you have someone in your family who cannot eat or has an aversion to chilies, as we do, there are many recipes in here that contain them. These dishes are designed for the modern taste of `kicked up' flavors.

Your family or guests will need to have the desire for some complex, but good quality dishes and you will need the time and energy to prepare them. Hopefully you will have some help so that you might enjoy this adventure in cooking. Just know that nothing is as simple as it seems, sit down and read the recipe and you can be successful.

Yet another great book from the Kasper/Swift duo of Splendid Table fame.

This book is full of great ideas and really delicious recipes. Some are complex, but the majority are quite simple and in all honesty no one writes recipes better than this team. There is a great section on shopping ethnic markets and an entire menu section with lots of cultural information included. The recipe for Lamb with Smoked Romesco is sensational as is the Ricotta Gnocchi and the Playboy Steak with Preserved Lemon Gremolata. Wine suggestions are included as well and the reasoning behind the choices nicely explained. Lots and lots of vegetarian options too and even some vegan things. I will cook from this book for years.

This is a great cookbook! It is rare to describe a cookbook as a good read, but this one really is. The recipes are not only tantilizing, but the "book" is fun to read.

The second book in her series isn't quite as interesting as the first, but still twice as good as most recent cookbooks I have seen.

I was looking forward to this new book, but just found it lacking in interest for my tastes. I found the format distracting-heavy on cute bits of extraneous "stuff" related to food & eating, but lean on actual recipes. The ricotta gnocchi & a few of the desserts looked interesting, not enough for me to justify the purchase price and shelf space. I agree with the 1st reviewer that there are some very strong flavors in the mix & that might not be appealing to everyone.