Customer Reviews

Williams-Sonoma Foods of the World: Barcelona: Authentic Recipes Celebrating the Foods of the World

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

 

 

I am from Barcelona and there are two things I really appreciate about this book. It allows me to cook our food with US products, which is not always easy. On the other hand, it serves as an introduction to our food and our way of life. It is always a handy present for my non Catalan friends.

Chuck Williams really knows how to produce cookbooks that treat a terminal case of wanderlust and an adventurous, full-bodied appetite. As part of the Williams Sonoma Foods of the World cookbook series, the Barcelona volume stands up quite well to the excellent books on the more renowned culinary destinations of Paris and San Francisco. However, Barcelona, as Williams and author Paul Richardson know intimately, offers its own distinctive cuisine that is worth discovering for the first time or rediscovering from a fond memory of a past trip. In fact, I was on holiday there just last month, and the Paella Parellada (Shellfish and Mixed Meat Paella) at the world famous Restaurant 7 Portes looked nothing like the abundant feast on page 136. I even took a cooking class along the Ramblas and made a seafood paella that doesn't quite measure up to the bountiful image that Jason Lowe captures in his beautiful photography.

The book's first third is a well-organized explanation of what makes Barcelona unique starting with the culinary history of Catalonia. There are sections on local specialties such as tapas (small plates), xharcuteria (pork), formatge (cheese), and Catalan wine. The actual recipes actually don't start until page 75, but the fifty selections all look tasty and not overly complex to prepare. I have always had good luck with the recipes in the Williams-Sonoma catalog, and this one is proving to be a worthy source for dinner parties. Personally, I have tried making Fideuà (Vegetable and Seafood Noodles, page 162) and the Crèma Catalana (Catalan Burnt Cream, Page 170) with my own kitchen torch. There are comparatively simpler dishes such as Calcotada (Grilled Green Onions with Romesco Sauce, page 121) and Pa Amb Tomaquet (Tomato-Rubbed Bread, page 75) that make the ideal complement to any Mediterranean-style meal. Williams has yet again done justice to a city known for its food by providing this evocative culinary guide, a perfect companion for the home chef and armchair traveler.

This is a beautiful book. Not only is it a great cookbook, but a great coffee table book. Looking through it brings back all kinds of memories of my visit to Barcelona!

This book looks beautiful, but that is not enough for a cookbook. The recipes should taste good and work, too and they do not in this book. We could not even eat the Chicken and Ham Croquettes, the mixture should have congealed into a thick paste, but it did not, it was runny and bland tasting. The chocolate truffle cake looks and sounds great, but is dry and dissapointing. The Cream of Lentil Soup was bland, the topping added a bit of flavor, but not fabulous. The Flatbread with Eggpland, Peppers, and Olives was the best thing we made, but the flatbread needed more salt for flavor.
Search for another Spanish cookbook if you really want to cook, but buy this one, if you would like to learn about the food and look at pretty pictures!

I recently returned from Barcelona and couldn't be happier to have found this book at my local Williams Sonoma. It's gorgeous and informative and, in addition, has recipes! I feel much better equipped, for my next trip to Barcelona as I'm making lists of eateries not to miss. I'm in the process of ordering Barcelona for my sister and also Rome and Florence for myself. I'm looking forward to trying several recipes in the book, pork loin with peaches, Catalan-style fava beans, marinated olives and especially the cava recipe, "liquid" granita of sparkling wine. This book is going to make the coming winter months very warm indeed with marvelous memories of an incredible city and whetting the appetite for future trips.