Customer Reviews

Wolfgang Puck Cookbook: Recipes from Spago, Chinois, and Points East and West

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

 

 

Despite what the previous reviewer said, this cookbook is excellent. Every recipe that I've tried out of this book has been excellent. The flavor combinations of these recipes are just unique enough to make them and this book stand out from others that are similar. Wolfgang explains the recipe, but also explains what would go well with it and what he likes about the recipe (so that you can understand the dish's strong points). I highly recommend this book.

Wolfgang Puck is the pioneer of east-meets-west cooking and successfully introduced creative oriental touches and flavors into his otherwise immaculately french style. Puck is a no-nonsense chef, and this is a no-nonsense cookbook that will allow you to create some quite stunning dishes. I have always found it clear and well-written, the recipes are easy to follow, and with good results. This cookbook is not meant for the beginner, if you need pictures with your instructions, do not bother. This is also not one of these all-inlcusive how to cook everything under the sun books but rather a recipe collection that is meant to introduce the educated enthusiast to this style of cooking. You will take away new techniques and a broadended palate.

I keep going back to the cookbook hoping to find something I want to make, I'm usually disappointed. It's not the recipes themselves that are disappointing, it's the cookbook itself; it's very poorly put together. There are absolutely no themes in the book, it doesn't follow any structure, and there are no recommendations for putting together a complete meal. They have "menus" of meals and banquets Puck's put together in the past, and none of the recipes can be found in the book! This simply doesn't make any sense. This from the multi-million dollar Wolfgang Puck Enterprises is very surprising (and disappointing). So what is it good for?

Pastas: Wolfgang Puck does have a few great pasta recipes. He describes how to put together a few different homemade pastas (Plain Pastas, Squid Ink Pasta, Herbed Pasta, etc.) and they are all excellent. I've successfully made his tortellini and will continue to do so.

Main courses: Puck has some great main course dishes. They are all a variant of French Asian Fusion, lots of seafood, beef and chicken courses. They are not overly complex to do, but they do require that you have some experience in the kitchen.

Another major problem with this book is that there are essentially no side dishes (fewer than half a dozen). Not only that, but there are few recommendations as to what you should make with his courses. This isn't absolutely critical if you are a fairly advanced cook, because you can always create and improvise, but it's a sign of a cookbook that hasn't had a lot of thought put into it.

Overall I would recommend against making this purchase. I've heard his latest cookbook is better, so I might take a shot at it, but I'll wait until I've have an opportunity to read through it first.

I must start by saying that I have many of his books already, so for me there were many repeat recipes. I don't care for his restaurant recipes as much; however, the book is good overall.