Editorial Review

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Reviews (8)

Great Recipes, impossible ingredients
I can't make most of the recipes in this book without resorting to mailorder from La Tienda.I'm not living in the complete middle of nowhere, but a town of 100,000 is not large enough to stock things like monkfish or spanish chorizo or any of the other dozen essential ingredients Andres uses.He doesn't acknowledge that any of his essentials might be rare, and so never indicates alternative ingredients.
Tasting Tapas
I bought this book because a friend of mine took me to Andres' restaurant in DC while on vacation. I loved the food and wanted to recreate it when I got home.
Great Tapas!
This is a beautiful book and would make a wonderful gift for anyone who likes Tapas or enjoys looking a great cookbooks. Beautifully photographed, you get hungry just looking at it. Everything that I have made is wonderful. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery, Spanish    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Courses & Dishes - Appetizers    5. Regional & Ethnic - Spanish    6. Spanish Cookery    7. Tapas    8. United States    9. Cooking / Spanish   

Editorial Review

Many of the best restaurants tantalize diners' palates with charming, intensely flavored tastes that tickle the tongue and delight the eye. A tiny serving to whet the palate, an Read more

Reviews (10)

Little Bites that DO delight
Amuse-Bouche are wonderful when served in restaurants but there have been, until now, very few books covering these amazing pieces of indulgence. This book is a real gem as it enables an 'ordinary' cook to give a professional quality to any dinner party, or family meal for that matter. I would highly recommend it, and look forward to other chefs inputting their ideas too.
worth it
as a semi amateur cook i have found this book to be very inspirational.....not just for recipes, but encouraging creativity. some of the best recipes are the simplest, like corn soup with corn ice. would recommend for anyone interested in cooking creatively

Eye candy with excellent recipes
To put this review into perspective for you, it is written by a serious student of cooking that has been actively studying food on their own for 25 years.I have been focusing on Italian food for the last 10 years.My favorite cookbook is "The Professional Chef" by the Culinary Institute of America.
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Subjects:  1. Appetizers    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Courses & Dishes - Appetizers    5. Cooking / General   

Editorial Review

With Read more

Reviews (72)

This is a terrific recipe book...
Gorgeous photos, as most of the previous reviewers have indicated and if you take your time, they can look this way for you too!I have used this recipe book for many occasions/events...Granted, I really enjoy cooking, but have primarily used this book as my source for hosting wedding showers, personal cocktail parties and private family affairs.Most of the individual recipes are easy to prepare and, together, the recipes can be used to offer a substantial meal for many people.Their beautiful presentation absolutely makes for a professional, elegant appearance.A drawback....a lot of the recipes have to be prepared or assembled "day of" or "minute of", which makes it extraordinarily difficult to get multiple plates of food out at the same time, unless you have multiple people helping ...Overall, would recommend for purchase....

Beautiful but not perfect
We come to expect Martha's books to be perfection. Although this book comes close, and the recipes are certainly gorgeous and inspiring, the layout of the book is a little complicated and smacks of being thrown together in a hurry.
very happy with this purchase.
this book is full of great ideas as well as a building blocks section - very helpful when coming up with your own variations. Presented very well with two silk ribbon page markers - one for the photo in the beautiful photo section and one for the recipe in the recipe section. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Appetizers    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Courses & Dishes - Appetizers    5. General    6. Cookery dishes & courses    7. Cooking / Appetizers   

Reviews (11)

Do not buy this book
Absolute rubbish. Who publishes a cookbook without pictures. Ok. There are about a dozen pictures, but even so. 400 recipes and no pictures beside them. You eat with your eyes first. What a waste of 45 dollars. The author is a thief.

Atlas of delight!
This 600+ page tome has a wonderful cosmopolitan approach and organisation to it's wonderful recipes for appetizers from around the world. The background information is very helpful and educational. The ingredients are generally readily available, prep time is reasonable, and instructions are clearly written. Although not necessary, I wouldn't mind if it had more photos in the book or on a website, as some of the appetizersare such appetizing eye candy!
Excellent reference
I bought this book to express my appreciation for Arthur Meyer's organic chemistry class.Oddly enough, I discovered that he had an entirely different life outside teaching.Read more

Subjects:  1. Appetizers    2. Cookery    3. Cookery, International    4. Cooking    5. Cooking / Wine    6. Courses & Dishes - Appetizers    7. International cooking    8. Business & Economics / Hospitality, Travel & Tourism    9. Soups & starters   

Reviews (5)

Pretty, but dated...
This is a book I bought because of the color illustrations, not for the recipes. It has about 270 pages of recipes, about 90+ color illustrations, and an index thereafter. There are photos with some clever ideas I will use for plating and decorating, however I will use other appetizer books for the actual preparation of tasty foods..
Style over substance
The glossy photos in this pricey book can help spark your imagination to come up with interesting-looking starters.I found several of the actual recipes, however, bland and uninteresting.Also beware that many of the photos are printed backwards or upside down so captions don't match. While sometimes pretty and pleasant, the look of the food is frequently rococo and overdone--the book doesn't follow its own advice to keep the presentation simple and the decorations in harmony with the setting. ...

Purchase Pricevs. Content...Bad Value
Book cover is glossy(front and back).Pages are thick, glossy and heavy weight.Pictures, although color, do not appear to have been arranged by a professional food stylist...assumed in this era.Book gives ingredients and measurements in both European and American formats (grams vs. ounces).Comparing this book to other titles avaliable in market place today, book is too expensive for what you get.Glitzy buy vacuous. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. Courses & Dishes - Appetizers    4. Industries - Hospitality, Travel & Tourism    5. Business & Economics / Hospitality, Travel & Tourism    6. Food & beverage technology    7. Hotel & catering trades   

Editorial Review

Rich and silky, fresh foie gras is one of the world's great foods. But until the mid-80s, due to importation restrictions and without domestic production, none was available here. Michael A. Ginor, proprietor of Hudson Valley Foie Gras, was among the first to establish production of domestic duck foie gras, which excited the livers' current popularity.Read more

Reviews (13)

Foie Gras: A Passion
Chill your bottle of sauterne!Your mouth will be watering - makes abeautiful coffee table book or great hostess gift for a "foodie".

Stop being ridiculous
This is not a forum for open discussion about the method of making Foie.This review section is about a book and how well it was written and the information you get from it.This is a great book about the preparation of Foie and some really nice pictures as well.I would recommend this book to anyone that is interested in Foie.

interesting...why the love?
You have to be a very shallow and uneducated person to eat a product which causes such cruelty to a living thing.I am not an extremist....just a person with a warm heart and head on my shoulders.Common sense people...many other foods out there who do you think you are creating a demand for such a cruel product? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Courses & Dishes - Appetizers    2. Cooking / Wine    3. Foie gras    4. Methods - General    5. Cookery by ingredient    6. Cooking / Culinary Arts & Techniques    7. Cookery    8. Cooking    9. Foie gras (Foie gras)    10. Cookery (Foie gras)   

Editorial Review

Tapas are more than savory appetizers. "They represent a style of eating and way of life," says Penelope Casas, whose Read more

Reviews (22)

Tapas: The Little Dishes of Spain
This cook book is well done, has interesting recipes with good little anecdotes. I have already tried some of the recipes and they were well received at a recent party at our home. The stuffed mushrooms and other recipes are really good and received many compliments.

Perfect cook book if you love casual entertaining.
I bought this book when first published and really need to buy a new one as mine is so dog-eared and stained from overuse. When I was single I often entertained friends and family and they were always impressed with these dishes. Tapas are the perfect party food. Many of the recipes can be prepared a day or two ahead andthen reheated when guests arrive. I have prepared almost 70% of the recipes in this book and have yet to find a bad one. One of my favorites, gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp) is a sure pleaser. There are many recipes that call for Spanish paprika. Be sure to buy the "smoked" sweet paprika if you want authentic flavor.

The little dishes of Spain
This is a reasonable book. Probably the best of its type on Tapas; although some dishes may be plain and simple. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Appetizers    2. Cookery, Spanish    3. Cooking    4. Cooking / Wine    5. Courses & Dishes - Appetizers    6. Regional & Ethnic - Spanish    7. Cooking / Spanish   

Subjects:  1. Appetizers    2. Cookery    3. Cooking    4. Cooking / Wine    5. Courses & Dishes - Appetizers    6. Entertaining    7. Entertaining - General    8. Home Economics (General)    9. Cooking / Appetizers   

Editorial Review

Has fear of hors d'oeuvres stymied your instinct for entertaining? Then give three cheers for the editors at Britain's DK Publishing, the lush, informative books they produce, and the writers that bring to press the highest level of cooking instruction and encouragement. Please welcome Read more

Reviews (21)

Simple recipes and inspiring photos page after page
The information in this book has been organized into several different sections and it is very easy to find recipes. The book even recommends a few sample menus of several recipes that go well with one another for a party. The photos in this book are very beautiful and inspiring, the recipes are simple to follow and the glossary of ingredients very helpful. I have tried many recipes and followed the presentation suggestions in this book with much success. The only one thing that I wish the authors have included in the book is a recipe for "creme fraiche", which is often called for in recipes and included in the glossary, but no instructions of how to make it from scratch. Nonetheless, I highly recommend this book for anyone that wants to try making hors d'oeuvres at home for friends and family. It is one of the best cooking books I own and I refer to it very frequently.

Lots of variety
I love this book.Most of the recipes have few ingredients and are not hard to make. There are sweet as well as savory recipes and many of them have do-ahead instructions.In addition there are lots of pictures and garnishing ideas.It is the best book I have on hors d'oeuvres.

Beautiful, useful, educational, creative
I made 3 recipes out of this book for a party the day I received it, all three for things I had never attempted to make previously - and all 3 were a huge success. I have successfuly used it several times since, and while many recipes can be time consuming if you don't plan ahead, there are a few fairly simple and quick ones.It is porbably not for you if you are only looking for simple appetizer ideas or if you don't want to purchase somewhat advanced pastry utensils (i.e. fluted cookie cutters and tartlet forms), but as other reviewers have said, it is an excellent inspiration for those of us who love to cook. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. Courses & Dishes - Appetizers    4. Cooking / Appetizers   

Reviews (5)

Delightful
I agree with every word written by B. Marold below.This is simply a delightful book - a pleasure to read and the recipes are marvelous.For lovers of small dishes I cannot imagine anything better.

Little Foods Charm us All
Little Foods of the Mediterranean:
Dishing up morsels to enjoy for family dining
In Little Foods Of The Mediterranean, culinary expert Clifford A. Wright pre-sents and showcases 500 mouth-watering recipes for appetizers and bite-sized servings of all kind, from the rich and diverse culinary tradition of the Mediterranean. Recipes for stuffed vegetables, filled pastries, fried tidbits, kebabs, dips, and many more types of nibble-worthy delights are presented along with fascinating asides about Mediterranean cooking, foods, history, and lore. Little Foods Of The Mediterranean is a magnificent resource -- especially for dishing up morsels to enjoy for ordinary family dining and at special holiday celebrations. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Appetizers    2. Cookery, Mediterranean    3. Cooking    4. Cooking / Wine    5. Courses & Dishes - Appetizers    6. Mediterranean Region    7. Mediterranean cooking    8. Regional & Ethnic - Mediterranean    9. Snack foods    10. Cooking / Mediterranean    11. Main courses    12. Mediterranean Sea    13. National & regional cuisine   

Reviews (5)

Wonderful appetizer pictures!
This appetizer book is wonderful.Great pictures, excellent selection, conveniently organized!

Not Just Another Cook Book
The Essential Appetizers Cookbook is not only beautifully photographed, one of the things I love best in an great cookbook, but I found the recipes, directions,and ingredients easy to read, follow, and find, in that order.I used several of the recipes for a formal tea, and they provedto be a triumphant success.I highly recommend this book to those who love to entertain guests, and are looking for unique recipes which are fresh, eye appealing, and enormously scrumptious bites that will delight the taste buds of connoisseurs of the epicurean world, as well as friends and family alike.This book offers a wide variety of recipes, however; if you fail to find a recipe here, you can certainly use the book as a springboard to launch your culinary imagination in search of the "perfect appetizers."In other words, great book!

Another great book in a great series
This book is full of beautiful pictures that will stimulate your appetite, but don't hate it because it is beautiful.There's a lot of substance in here in addition to its tremendous visual appeal.The book is about presentation as much as it is about techniques and ingredients, and as such it lends itself to strong visuals. It will stimulate your imagination as well, for there are myriad ideas included here that you can adapt and use as you see fit. I buy way too many cookbooks, but if I were to get rid of most of them, this among the few I would keep, and the Appetizer book is one of the best in the "The Essential..." series.Check them out- there are several out there, and I think they are great cookbooks over-all.When you consider the price, however, they are fabulous.I originally bought this as a gift for someone else, but decided that I just couldn't part with it.Since then I've purchased two more from the same series (see my other reviews).Bon Apetite! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. Courses & Dishes - Appetizers   

Reviews (5)

Great food, great explainations
If you want to make an impression, this is the only cookbook you'll need. Beautiful photos, great descriptions, and everything tastes amazing. She even gives ideas for entire meal plans. Extremely popular way to eat right now but this book won't be tossed aside after the trend. The recipies are excellent.

if you love to entertain, this is the book for you
This book has all levels of appetizers so you can accommodate any party. Some are simple, some are complicated, but all are do-able and the ones I've tried are delicious! A great book!

Finger Food for Every Occasion
Just what I've been needing to keep up with the entertaining in our new neighborhood.How does Crab and Gruyere Nachos sound?This has the large color photos and clear format that DK is noted for.
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Subjects:  1. Appetizers    2. Buffets (Cookery)    3. Cookery    4. Cooking    5. Cooking / Wine    6. Courses & Dishes - Appetizers    7. General    8. Cooking / Appetizers   

Reviews (26)

Love this book!
This book has many great recipes and they are pretty easy to do!

A must read for people wanting to make good bread
Bread machines rule.But let's face it, after a few loaves you realize the thing basically makes a similar loaf almost every time. There are recipes to let the machine do everything.But you will want to be a better baker, and that is where this book shines.
These recipes really work!Artisan bread by bread machine.
When you have exhausted all bread machine recipes, you get bored with the same kind of bread and eventually stop making bread...Well, if that is what's happening to you, try any recipe in this book!
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Subjects:  1. Automatic bread machines    2. Bread    3. Cooking    4. Cooking / Wine    5. Courses & Dishes - Appetizers    6. Courses & Dishes - Bread    7. Methods - Special Appliances    8. Cakes, baking, icing & sugarcraft    9. Cooking / Appetizers    10. Europe    11. Gadget cookery    12. National & regional cuisine   

Reviews (1)

Great Party Food!
I just hosted a cocktail party and I used a few of the recipes in this book.All of my guests raved about the figs with blue cheese and prosciutto.The shrimp salsa was fantastic.Everything was easy and quick to make.A definite must for someone who loves to throw parties with great food. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Appetizers    2. Cookery    3. Cookery, International    4. Cooking    5. Cooking / Wine    6. Courses & Dishes - Appetizers    7. General    8. Cooking / Appetizers    9. Soups & starters   

Reviews (2)

A Campy, Kitschy Delight
By Bill Marsano. Trader Vic's Tiki Party!: Cocktails & Food to Share with Friends," by Stephen Siegelman, is perfect for retro theme parties. Trader Vic, with his famous rival Don the Beachcomber, ushered in the Tiki Bar Era of American partying, which centered mainly on the 1950s and 1960s (which of these two men actually invented the Mai Tai, signature drink of the epoch, remains in dispute--both claim it.) Those were days of restaurants blanketed with faux-Polynesian decor, when pupu platters were the rage and drinks came in bowls serving four or more and were decorated with paper umbrellas, which folks later learned to call parasols. Relive that glorious and joyously ridiculous time with this collection of tropical cocktails and food recipes for everything from finger food to entrees. The recipes are interesting, mostly pretty easy to make, and generally fun to eat or drink. The photos are very nice but the main appeal is that the recipes are clearly presented and easy to follow.--Bill Marsano is an award-winning writer on wines and spirits.
Let's Hula
The book contains "recipes for 100 of the restaurant's best loved tropical cocktails like the Samoan Fog Cutter, Potted Parrot, and of course, The Original Mai Tai, invented by Trader Vic himself in 1944." (summary from Buch Gourmet)
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Subjects:  1. Appetizers    2. Bartending    3. Beverages - Bartending    4. Cocktails    5. Cooking    6. Cooking / Wine    7. Courses & Dishes - Appetizers    8. Entertaining - General    9. Quantity Food Production And Service    10. Main courses   

Reviews (1)

Has it All for Professional or Amateur
Larousse is a classicist and presents classic Western cuisine in this book.
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Subjects:  1. Appetizers    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Courses & Dishes - Appetizers    5. Cooking / Appetizers    6. Hotel & catering trades    7. Soups & starters   

Reviews (1)

Great cookbook
In "The Ultimate Cooking with 4 Ingredients" author Jean Coates treats the reader to a plethora of simple, yet tasty, recipes.This is a particularly great cookbook for those with little cooking experience or for someone who wants to put together a balanced, healthy, home cooked meal without a lot of fuss.The instructions for preparation of each dish could not be easier.If you are used to the books with three or four paragraphs of preparation instructions you will be pleasantly surprised to find that these recipes can all be completed with only three to four simple steps.Read more

Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Quick & Easy    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Courses & Dishes - Appetizers    5. Courses & Dishes - General    6. Methods - Quick & Easy    7. Quick and easy cookery   

Editorial Review

To confuse meze with antipasto or tapas is to miss the point. These small plates of Greek deliciousness come to us from a Mediterranean world of mid-afternoon snacking, drinking, and talking. The pace is leisurely, the content simple, the effect extraordinary. Early on in Read more

Reviews (3)

Disappointing
Lovely book, lovely photos...BUT I am disappointed in the recipes.Admittedly, I have only tried five of them, but was disappointed in all five.I am a good cook,lived in Greece for 2 years, and have been cooking Greek food for some 30 years with great success.Some of the MEZE recipes were O.K., but not REALLY good, and one was a disaster.Sorry.

Simple Pleasures
Cooking from this book was a great joy after having spent several days with books dealing with French haute cuisine. I heartily recommend this book to just about anyone as a source of tasty, easy, traditional dishes. The only reservations would be to people who may not have the time or inclination to search out some of the speciality ingredients. What Rain?
Busy with bowls of savory Bread Salad with Watermelon, Feta, and Red Onion and Little Meatballs Stuffed with Olives, thunderstorms couldn't stop us from enjoying the last weekend of Summer. I found numerous recipes in Meze's index calling for different combinations of the just-picked vegetables from my mom's lovingly tended garden. Baby Eggplants with Herbs & Bulgur was the visual star of our Meze-covered table: luxurious eggplants with savory herb-flecked stuffing baked over a rich tomato "sauce" was amazingly simple to make. Author Kochilas demystifies favorite ingredients like thick, creamy Greek-style Tangy Yogurt [with Sauteed Carrots and Mint] by sprinkling Notes on technique throughout her book. It was a spectacular summer feast. And I can't wait til Fall to try the Pumpkin-Cheese Triangles. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Appetizers    2. Cookery, Greek    3. Cooking    4. Cooking / Wine    5. Courses & Dishes - Appetizers    6. Courses & Dishes - General    7. Greece    8. Greek cooking    9. Regional & Ethnic - Greek    10. Cooking / Greek   

Reviews (5)

Can't live without this wonderful book
Although I have tons of cookbooks, this is, by far, the most used of them all.Each recipe is delicious and I never tire of trying out something new on my friends as this is a no-fail cookbook.If you like to make something unusual, get this book!This cookbook is to hors d'oeuvres as the Joy of Cooking is to basic recipes.Can't live without...

This is a Hors D'Oeuvres book?????
I just received this book, and I'm very disappointed to say the least.This book is more about sauces and vinaigrettes not appetizers.

This is a must have!
I love this cookbook!I have a large collection of cookbooks, some thatmostly just sit on the shelf, but this is one of the few that I turn towhen I need a recipe - it is almost completely worn out!I just ordered acopy of this book for a friend of mine that raved about some of the dishesthat I prepared for a party of 70 last week.This is one of the fewcookbooks that offer several different serving suggestions for each dish,ranging from simple to spectacular - and ways to prepare ahead of time.Sowhen it is time to make something for a party, I usually double the recipedso that my freezer is ready for an impromptu get together! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Appetizers    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Courses & Dishes - Appetizers    5. Reference    6. Soups & starters   

Reviews (1)

This is the bestappetizer cookbook ever!
We love this cookbook! The recipes are interesting, simple and taste great! A must for a seaasoned chef (like my husband) or a novice (like my daughter!) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Appetizers    2. Cookery, International    3. Cooking    4. Cooking / Wine    5. Courses & Dishes - Appetizers    6. Courses & Dishes - General    7. Sale Books