The Williams-Sonoma Collection: Risotto [Hardcover]

Pamela Sheldon Johns (Author), Chuck Williams (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Williams-Sonoma Collection | Publication Date: November 5, 2002

Creamy risotto, dotted with fresh spring peas or delicate shellfish, is a classic of the northern Italian table. This versatile dish never ceases to please -- combining the satisfying flavors of tender rice, fresh herbs, and seasonal ingredients with delicious results. Whether featuring grilled sausage and bell peppers, wild mushrooms, or the perfect pairing of salmon and dill, risotto is as equally well suited to simple suppers as it is to formal dinner parties.

Williams-Sonoma Collection Risotto offers more than 40 recipes, including old favorites and fresh new ideas, all rooted in the venerable Italian tradition. Warm up winter evenings with a rich, satisfying four-cheese risotto, or serve a light risotto with artichokes for an early summer supper. Delight guests with special dishes such as risotto-stuffed tomatoes or crisp risotto croquettes. Risotto recipes in the dessert chapter combine figs and almonds or chocolate and hazelnuts to complete this inspired collection.

Full-color photographs make it easy to decide which risotto to prepare, and photographic side notes highlight key ingredients and techniques throughout, making Risotto more than just a fine collection of recipes. An informative basics section and glossary include everything you need to know to make this hearty Italian dish a trusted favorite in your kitchen.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A compendium of every imaginable variation of a northern Italian staple, this volume, part of Williams-Sonoma's user-friendly cookbook series, is divided into six sections dedicated to different interpretations of risotto. The classics section delivers a Risotto with Mushrooms, heavy on the wild mushrooms and garlic, while the vegetable section offers a deep crimson-purple Risotto with Beets. The recipes, each accompanied by a close-up of a creamy-looking bowlful of rice, also include a luscious Risotto with Pesto and Shrimp and a rich wintertime Risotto with Lamb, Rosemary, and Olives. Dessert risottos such as Ricotta-Rice Tart and Chocolate Risotto are like rice pudding gone to heaven. Simple to follow and thoroughly idiot-proof, the cookbook even provides a few pages at the end marked "Risotto Basics," which lay out the rules of choosing the right pan, rice and stock. This section also includes recipes for various meat and seafood stocks, rightly noting that your dish "will disappoint you if your stock is not first-rate." The magic of risotto, after all, is that with a few good ingredients, a bit of patience and a lot of stirring, Arborio rice can be transformed into something enchanting.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Pamela Sheldon Johns is the author of many cookbooks, including Italian Food Artisans, Parmigiano!, and Balsamico! She lives in Italy, where she writes and oversees culinary workshops in Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, and Piedmont. Also a noted lecturer, Ms. Sheldon Johns has appeared before such groups as the American Institute of Wine & Food and the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 120 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; First Edition edition (November 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743226801
• ISBN-13: 978-0743226806
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,227 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #25 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Cooking by Ingredient > Rice & Grains

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, May 2, 2005

By 

Cosmas Bisticas "Chez Cosmo" (Denver) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Williams-Sonoma Collection: Risotto (Hardcover)

I have seen risotto prepared in many different ways, unfortunately there is only one way to properly go about the task. Arborio or Carnaroli rice depending on your choice requires a certain method to extract all of the creaminess from the rice while maintaining a good al dente texture. In this book, the author here has done a wonderful job of illustrating the proper way to produce a quality risotto. Nice photos to give you ideas as risotto leaves much room for experimentation once you have mastered the basics.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully Illustrated, Delicious, Easy Recipes, February 25, 2001

By 

Jill Clardy "So many books, so little time...." (Redwood City, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Risotto (Williams Sonoma Kitchen Library) (Hardcover)

Risotto is a wonderful, filling, nutritious meal and can be simple or sophisticated, served at family meals or dinner parties. (It also makes great left-overs!) Whether you're browsing or planning a menu, this book will fulfill your appetite. Each recipe is beautifully illustrated and presented on a separate page with easy-to-follow instructions. Several of the recipes I've tried have become family favorites. Just serve with a fresh baguette, and some can be considered one-dish meals.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yummy Book!, January 7, 2006

By 

David F. Brenner (Babylon, New York USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Williams-Sonoma Collection: Risotto (Hardcover)

This is a really good book about Risotto. The recipes range from light to deliciously heavy and creamy. There are also very basic instructions and tips for the beginning Risotto maker.