James McNair's Favorites (Hardcover)

~ James McNair (Author) "MANY nutritionists insist breakfast is the most important meal of the day..." (more)
Key Phrases: line with kitchen parchment, scrape the mixture that clings, lightly greased wire rack, White Stock, Crème Anglaise, Brown Stock (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

At a time when cookbook authors were covering great stretches of territory (China the Beautiful, say) or claiming entire landfalls of subject matter (Seafood the Beautiful, say), James McNair came along in the mid-1980s with slim volumes dedicated to single subjects and designed with an exacting eye. Beautiful books, really. And they were passive books in the sense that McNair was not out to assault anyone with his style or ideas, or with hundreds of recipes packed between covers. His intention was to share his enthusiasm for great food and beauty, but keep it light. Make it easy: see the picture; make the dish.

What we have here with James McNair's Favorites is the master of the single subject's first fat book, his compendium of greatest hits. This big boy is over 600 pages long. For the food archaeologist, it's the Rosetta Stone of American catering and upscale takeout, covering the last 15 years of the century. Press your nose to the glass of any chic deli, fresh pasta shop, or trendy market and you will find displayed some of the contents of this book. McNair's favorites are the comfort food for the end of the millennium.

Blueberry Corn Pancakes? Sunshine Granola? Any cookbook that starts with breakfast starts right. Then, and only then, he's on to appetizers. And this section, like the one on desserts, is indeed long. The message is graze first, then have dessert. Simple, no? McNair moves from Granny's Onion Dip to Chutney Glazed Cheese to Hummus to Seviche, Satay, and Thai Toast. Desserts start with Venetian Glazed Oranges and end with Passion Fruit Cake.

An über-chapter called "Moving On" includes sections on soups, salads, noodles, pasta, polenta, risotto, gnocchi, and pizza. You'll find Sichuan Hot and Sour Soup back to back with Louisiana Gumbo, Caesar Salad back to back with Panzanella, Thai Noodles vs. Spaghetti Carbonara--and a whole delicious world of food in between. The same is true for other chapters: you'll find fish, vegetable, meat, and poultry main dishes from all corners. The only criterion for inclusion is McNair's enthusiasm for a dish, and he has proved the value over the years of his Good Food Radar. There are sections on condiments and relishes, various breads, and all the basics such as stocks and classic sauces.

There is a selection of those famous, well-designed McNair food photos that can set the most unrepentant misanthrope to menu and party planning. But this is not only a book for special occasions. If McNair has one credo, it would seem to be Eat Great Food at Every Meal. And that includes breakfast. --Schuyler Ingle

Review

LOS ANGELES TIMES
James McNair is the king of the pretty little book. Since 1985, he's written 28—thin glossy things, packed with beautiful photography and stylish recipes. Selling more than 3 million copies, they have made him a minor brand name, a less neurotic Martha Stewart. His latest, James McNair's Favorites, is a sort of greatest hits collection from those books, though it does include recipes that have not been previously published. McNair is a culinary popularizer, not an explorer. He specializes in carefully written, workable recipes from a wide range of cuisines. In Favorites, you'll find everything form a rustic Moroccan tagine to Cambodian rice flour crepes and, of course, a lot of Thai and what might be called modern Southern cooking in between—those seem to be his favorites.

DENVER POST
James McNair's Favorites—is a compilation of his favorite recipes. These classics have been updated to reduce the fat without sacrificing the flavor. McNair includes recipes such as Pueblo Vegetable Stew, Maple Baby Back Ribs and Moroccan Tagine. In addition to the recipes, McNair includes instructions on how to make pasta, cook all types of grains and form the perfect pie crust.

TRADITIONAL HOME
Sandra Granseth
Now, to the list of such star cookbook authors as James Beard, Julia Child, and Craig Claiborne, add James McNair. His contribution, James McNair's Favorites, beautifully reflects today's food trends.
Although he calls his upbringing—he's a Southerner-turned-Californian—a major influence on both his cooking and storytelling skills, it's his West Coast connections that have put him in the right place at the right time to become a lasting part of our culinary firmament. Americans now look toward the Pacific Rim for lighter and fresher fare, and we like our food to be art-director beautiful as well as boldly prepared and flavored.
This well-crafted and handsomely designed book, with 350 recipes and 64 full-color illustrations is unquestionably the centerpiece of his cookbook offerings. His previous cookbooks—slender, delicious single-subject volumes—were elegance personified and among the first of their kind. And since the publication of Favorites, he has authored yet another elegant book, The Sutter Home Napa Valley Cookbook, filled with new and classic recipes from California's wine country. Armed with Favorites, even novice cooks can create memorable meals, while more expert cooks will use the book as a springboard to other dishes.

James McNair does it again. McNair's book-"James McNair's Favorites"-is a compilation of his favorite recipes. These classics have been updated to reduce the fat without sacrificing the flavor. McNair includes recipes such as Pueblo Vegetable Stew, Maple Baby Back Ribs and Moroccan Tagine. In addition to the recipes, McNair includes instructions on how to make pasta, cook all types of grains and form the perfect pie crust. -- Denver Post

James McNairs is the king of the pretty little book. Since 1985, he's written 28-thin glossy things, packed with beautiful photography and stylish recipes. Selling more than 3 million copies, they have made him a minor brand name, a less neurotic Martha Stewart. His latest, "James McNair's Favorites" is a sort of greatest hits collection from those books, though it does include recipes that have not been previously published.

McNair is a culinary popularizer, not an explorer. He specializes in carefully written, workable recipes from a wide range of cuisines. In "Favorites," you'll find everything form a rustic Moroccan tagine to Cambodian rice flour crepes and, of course, a lot of Thai and what might be called modern Southern cooking in between-those seem to be his favorites. -- Los Angeles Times

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 616 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (August 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811801152
• ISBN-13: 978-0811801157
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.3 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #392,874 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delicious & Reliable, November 17, 1999

By	"fourlarsens" (Alameda, CA) - See all my reviews

I received this as a gift and have really enjoyed it. I've tried a dozen or so recipes and they all been delicious. It's true that it does not have the number of photos McNair devotees are used to, but I would say that every recipe is a winner- perhaps not true of some of McNair's single subject books. The directions are very clearly written and easy to follow. Many easy enough for weekday, after work dinners; others require more prep either in cooking or shopping (although good guidance is provided on more hard-to-find ingredients). The best part is the a great range of recipes- a one-stop source for inspiration.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A cookbook to be used and enjoyed!, December 28, 2006

By	I. Seligman - See all my reviews

This cook book is in my top 50 books (of over 1000 cook books) for it's no nonsense approach to having uncomplicated recipes that taste very good.

I've never read Mr. McNair's 30 some brief previous single subject books that he distilled to get this 600 page book of favorites. I'm glad he did the work for you and me. He truly offers a world of recipes, from Asian to Middle Eastern, and Italian to Swedish and American with Thanksgiving.

His instructions are clear in each recipe. What I like most is that he gives his favorite recipe, and then gives 15 variations to try. For cornbread, for example, he gives a Northern style, with optional sugar and 50:50 cornmeal:flour, and then lists variations that include Bacon/crackling cornbread, buttermilk, cheese, chile, custard, double corn, herbed, nutty, seeded, and Tex-Mex variations.

Similarly, for creme brulee, he cautions not to get air bubbles mixed in, tells clearly how to cook each step and what to avoid ("bake until set, but still wobbles like gelatin when the containers are shaken very gently"). He then takes the custards from their waterbath to the refrigerator till chilled, cautions to rermove all moisture from the tops before sprinkling with sugar and torching or broiling, then letting the melted sugar set firm before serving.

If one had never made a creme brulee before, you'd have yours like a pro with his simple precise instructions. Again, the part I like best is the variations, and for this he has: banana custard, Cajeta (caramelized goat milk) custard, caramel, carrot, chocolate, citrus variants, coconut, coffee, fruited, ginger, lavender, maple, mint, pumpkin/winter squash and various spirited custards...Wow!

Want to bake a pie? He has 5 pages on just how to bake a basic pie crust, and has crust variations such as almond crust, brown sugar, cheddar, chocolate, cornmeal, cream cheese, spice, sweet and whole wheat.

These are not trendy stacks of food, or food foams made with expensive paco jet commercial devices; these are very tasty comfort foods, simply, properly and lovingly cooked.

Other items include South African Bobotie, and beef and wild mushroom stroganoff and smoked chicken salad.

I am minimally disappointed in that while he says he has been a judge for Sutter Home's Build a Better Burger competition, his "better burgers" page has only one burger recipe, and that uses worcestershire sauce, optional crumbled cheese, and a loaf of French bread. John, where's the beef?

His photography is good, not great, with the color photos having the flat, slightly underexposed lighting of the 90's-when this was published...not a negative to me.

As this is currently out of print, get this used on Amazon or at a garage sale, it's well worth reading. For cookbook writers, it's equally well worth emulating.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful and Delicious variety of International recipes, November 3, 2007

By	Melissa Kaye (Texas) - See all my reviews

This cookbook contains a wonderful variety of recipes from around the world, from "Chili and Chorizo Quiche" to "Thai Curry" to "Barbecued Chicken, Louisiana Style". My two favorites are "South American Spicy Beef Stew (Picadillo)" and "Sun-dried Tomato and Garlic Spread". The garlic spread uses goat cheese and comes out so elegant, it's hard to believe you can just whip it up in a food processor in a few minutes time. The other recipes I've tried have been impressive and delicious yet not too difficult to prepare.

This book contains almost 600 pages of recipes, so you're bound to find some gems. Most of the pages are simply text since there are just too many recipes to have a photo of each. However, there are several sections of photos so you can get an idea of the presentation and be tempted by some delicious-looking food. The book covers the same sections as any basic cookbook: Appetizers, Soups, Entrees, Desserts, etc so it covers all the bases. And I didn't notice any exotic, hard-to-find ingredients in the recipes.

Overall, this is a terrific cookbook and one that I actually use and enjoy paging through. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes to cook gourmet!