Customer Reviews

Wolfgang Puck's Pizza, Pasta, and More

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Although Wolfgang Puck has become one of America's best known chefs, I have not been overlly impressed with either his restaurants, nor his prior cookbooks. This cookbook was in fact for me, a very nice surprise. Mr Puck shares with us his secrets for his famous pizza and pasta recipes, and every recipe I have tried from this book so far has been great. One favorite is his Savory Squash Soup, and another his Herbed Artichoke Pizza. The recipes are easy enough for a novice cook to follow, and the food photos are truly inspiring. It is difficult not to run to the kitchen after browsing through this book. This cookbook has definitely given me a more favorable opinion of Mr. Puck.

As always, Puck gives us clever and innovative recipes, but this time they're better suited to professional chefs and restaurant budgets. I particularly point to recipes like the one for balsamic shallots which calls for a whole pound of shallots and one-and-a-half cups of balsamic vinegar. That much supermarket balsamic vinegar would be harsh and unpalatable, while a decently-aged balsamic from a specialty shop would take this dish, just a side dish after all, out of range for the average budget.

Also, I don't think his testing team did a thorough job. I found several errors, obvious to me because I'm a professional too. Regardless of these points, I think Puck is a terrific chef and teacher, although he just may have lost touch with what people will cook at home as opposed to what they would rather eat in a restaurant.

Wolfgang Puck's skills as a chef and restauranteur are well established, but with this cookbook he joins the select group of food professionals (like Perla Meyer, Caprial Pence, and Alice Waters) whose knowledge translates beautifully into recipes a home chef can prepare readily. The recipes are not only well thought out and obviously thoroughly tested under home kitchen conditions, but the mix of flavors and textures is sublime. Puck's sensitivity to his ingriedients and his innovative flair for marrying ingriedients stand out: the dishes are exciting to eat and easy to prepare.

We've prepared probably 20 or more of the recipes in this book so far, and we find it perfect for those evenings when you want something pretty wonderful for dinner but you're played out from a hard day at the office.

I had never been too impressed with what I saw of Wolfgang Puck and his celebrity chef status until I had the opportunity to try one of his restaurants in LA. While I wasn't blown away by the originally of the menu (there is very little difference from California Pizza Kitchen), the excution was simply terrific. All of the food, though items you can find on many other menus, was incredibly tasty and well done.

Same can be said of this cookbook. There are recipes in it that you will find in other cookbooks, but the flavor of the dishes make it great. My favorites include the tortilla soup and the beet salad with blue cheese, both a nice combination of textures and flavors. While none of the pizza recipes in of themselves blew me away, the pizza dough recipe is one of the best I've worked with. Yeast doughs in general don't like to work for me, and maybe it is just that I finally got the hang of it with his recipe, but it was a great tasting dough which made a great base for any pizza.

This book include many great recipes that can all be made with simple, inexpensive ingriedients. Many a time have I impressed guests by using these recipes. These recipes were created by the well known chef, Wolfgang Puck. After some practice, one cook these delicious recipes and the results will be so outstanding, the food will taste as if it came from a restaurant. Before the purchase of this book, it is best if one has had some previous experience cooking.

Rarely do I find a cookbook where I actually WANT to make every recipe. This cookbook is one of them.

I've made the pizza's the pastas! Last night I made fresh spinach pasta. It was delicious and fun.

I would HIGHLY recommend this book if you are a lover of California Cuisine. It's worth every penny!

This is a lovely little book that celebrates the simplicity of pizza and pasta. I cannot recall the "more" at the moment, but I believe there are some sauces, broths, and breads included.

The book contains colorful pictures and narrative from the chef himself. The recipes are broken down into step-by-step, easy to follow sections. The ingredients are simple and fresh, and easily located.

I recommend this book if you are a pizza or pasta fanatic. It will bring some new ideas to the table, quite literally.

Delicious recipes. I would recommend this cookbook for any fan of his cuisine. We go to his restaurant at the MGM whenever we're in Vegas and love the gnocchi's, but my son can eat two (or three)orders at one sitting! At $22.00 a plate, this can get expensive. Now I can make them myself for a fraction of the cost.