Customer Reviews

West Coast Cooking

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

 

 

I received this cookbook as a Christmas gift last year from my sister who lives in Seattle. As I live in the midwest, I thought there wouldn't be a lot of recipes I could use daily. I was WRONG! This cookbook has some of the most outstanding recipes in more categories than almost any in my collection. The cake recipes, which are pre-world war two (translation, magical, yummy, fool proof concotions), inspired me to not ony conquer my fear of the layer cake, but to trimumph and pull out my great grandmother's cake stand! I love this cookbook! Atkinson has a wonderful writing style he uses to begin each chapter that makes this cookbook more than just a collection of recipes.

From wild salmon from Alaska to Washington apples and mushrooms, chef and food writer Greg Atkinson explores the entire length of the West Coast and its culinary specialties, providing cookbook that is part history and part recipe collection. Here are nearly four hundred dishes, from Grilled Tuna Steaks with Papaya Lime to Chicken Enchiladas - many offering personal reflections, culinary insight, and the author's gift for description. Don't expect the flowery color photos so many cookbooks hold - do expect the flowery language so many leave out. Any West Coast cookbook collection - indeed, any who love regional cookbooks - will love WEST COAST COOKING.

This book is so freaking awesome. Delicious recipes using local NW ingredients and written in an easy-to-follow sort of way. Gerald's lemon chicken is the best simple chicken recipe I've ever tried.

Pluses: recipes are simple, there are almost no unusual ingredients, and the lay out and print are very straight forward.

Minuses: ethnic recipes may be too simplified

It's a good cook book for those who have sensitive taste buds and like a simplified palette.

This is my favorite cookbook of all time. I checked it out from the library a couple of years ago and liked it so much I had to order my own copy. There are a number of recipes that have become family favorites and I can honestly say that everything I've made from this book has been outstanding. The recipes themselves are very easy to follow and have easy to find ingredients, but the finished product comes out tasting like restaurant quality stuff. I tell people about this book all the time! Get it, you'll love it.

Trust me when I say I have a lot of cookbooks. And I have cooked from many of them. But....this cookbook is one of the most used in my collection. My son received a copy as a gift and raved about it, so I checked it out of the library (which I do quite often) before deciding that it was indeed a winner. He gifted me with my own copy and I have enjoyed it tremendously.

The Pollo Bollito with Lemon Aioli is deceptively simple, but the aioli is also fabulous with artichokes as a dip and with roasted potatoes...all in the same meal. Gerald's Lemon Chicken is another winner as is the Typhoon-Style Green Beans. I have several bookmarks ready with other recipes I am anxious to try.

The only caveat I might make is that the salt has been a bit more than I might use as I found in the Seasoned Croutons, the topping on the Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp and the Meat Loaf....I've just made adjustments the second time around.

My daughter-in-law had this book in her collection during a recent visit to her home. She informed me that it had been a gift to her and she really liked it. I thumbed through it briefly, and had to have a copy. I'm always on the look out for new a different things to try that aren't so full of hard-to-find ingredients and more work that it's worth - this book fits the bill. My cook book arrived very promptly and in perfect condition. I'd definitely recommend picking this book up; for yourself or as a gift.

Arrived in condition described, in predicted time. Love the variety of recipes and the stories that go along with them. Very happy with this purchase!