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Summary: Great Reference for a Foodie
Review: I cannot think of a better reference in my kitchen. When I plan to cook venison, what flavors go with it? I grab Culinary Artistry and find out, now what kind of side should I cook? I have never found another book that is such a great reference.
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Summary: One of our favorite research tools.
Review: One of our favorite research tools that we use when developing recipes for our books (the only diabetic cookbooks to win the James Beard and Julia Child Cookbook Awards) and diabetic-lifestyle.com is CULINARY ARTISTRY by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. CULINARY ARTISTRY lists these flavor enhancers among the many ingredients that can be used when cooking with apples: blackberries, brandy, brown sugar, Calvados, cheese, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cranberries, ginger, honey, horseradish, Kirsch, lemon, nutmeg, nugs, oranges, pears, pepper (black), prunes, raisins, rosemary, rum, sauerkraut, sherry, sour cream, vanilla, vinegar, wine, and yogurt. --Frances Towner Giedt and Bonnie Sanders Polin, PhD
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Summary: Good reference, some useless parts
Review: This book is pretty good for a reference concerning matching different food, although many of the combinations are pretty standard, and any chef knows (should know) what goes with what. On the other hand, it can be a good place to find ideas, or to remember food combinations, and the tables are very clear. There are useless parts such as - interviews, that shows some US inferiority complex masked as superiority one. For instance, when it says that in the United States the ingredients are better than in France: what about Foie Gras? fleur du sel? poulet de Bresse? and, adding Italy, olive oil? San Daniele ham? Parmigiano Reggiano? etc etc etc. I cannot recall one single ingredient from US superior to what is produced in Europe. - As well, at the beginning of the book the "chefs" are divided into three categories, the artists being the highest (and the one, obviously, to whom this book is targeted). But then there are plenty of places where chefs do this or that to please customers. An artist does not please anybody but himself. Picasso didn't paint Guernica so and so because of the customers. - over-simplistic menu schemes. Being Italian, I learned that in Italy we have salad/main course like the US. How am I going to tell my 60 millions compatriotes that starters / first course (pasta or rice) / second course (meat or fish) / cheese / dessert / fruit is not what we always had? Nice book to have, won't be on top of my list, neither at the bottom.
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Summary: Professional cook loves it - wonderful reference!
Review: Wonderful book...the sections on seasonalities of foods (like liver and pates are fall/winter foods)...and food classical food pairings (eg cranberries with orange, walnuts with bleu cheeses...) are indespensible for planning menus and creating new dishes!
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Summary: Best place to experience the cult of the New American chef.
Review: "The husband-and-wife writing team of Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page -- he is a chef, she a journalist -- has produced four books in the past six years, and these are the best place to experience the cult of the New American chef. The most over-the-top of their books is the second, CULINARY ARTISTRY, which is dedicated to 'the original Creator' and goes on to treat the chef as being only a small notch down from Him. 'We have been awed by the unusual levels of perceptiveness we've experienced America's leading chefs as possessing; we believe some to have certain skills of extrasensory perception," they write. The assumption underlying CULINARY ARTISTRY is that being a great chef, like being a great artist, is far more a matter of talent than of training, and that making great food is a matter of imaginatively, instinctively combining flavors -- Abstract Expressionism with coulis." --Nicholas Lemann, THE NEW YORKER
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Summary: Expect to be inspired! Wish it had been printed as hardback.
Review: Though I just received my copy today, just a quick glance at the book assures me that it will provide some much needed inspiration to this novice homemaker and mom of three. It is not a book exclusively for culinary-artists-in-training! I chose to order the book because, from its reviews, I expected that it would teach me about how foods and flavors combine and work together. I was also hoping to find a book that would free me from the multiple-ingredient recipes which I have found in the nearly innumerable cookbooks I have purchased or checked out from the library. With these other cookbooks, I often find myself frustrated (never having all the ingredients) and, perhaps, even resent being confined by the recipes themselves. No doubt I am also frustrated at being so ill-equipped to handle the cooking tasks which accompany my new role as "homemaker". If there is any other mom from my generation (the 20-30 crowd) who is frustrated also at not having learned the basic techniques of putting food together without relying on a printed recipe (you know, "pinches of this, pinches of that") because our moms were busy working outside the home and too tired to cook, let alone give cooking lessons, I am confident this book will bring you and me up to speed. My vision upon completing this book: to be able to pull out a few choice, on-hand ingredients and whip together an enjoyable, tasty meal anytime and on-time (no more dinner nearly served in bed). "Culinary Artistry" is the first, and major, step to achieving this vision. On a pickier note, I wish it had been printed in hardback with smooth-edged paper. Perhaps I am unknowingly revealing a lack of sophistication here, but I already know from handling the book after it arrived that I am always going to be a little annoyed by the rough-edged acid-free paper as I attempt to thumb through to my favorite sections. A minor issue, to be sure.
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Summary: Unlocking the mystery of the world of food!
Review: I really enjoyed reading these set of books. I am a graduate of The Culinary School of Kendall College and i know for a fact that it sits on the shelf of their bookstore. Becoming a chef really tells the tale of what it is like to be in the throes of the fast and exciting world of culinary arts. It tries to give the reader a first hand look at what the experience will be like when they get out there into the field. For the culinary artistry book, i think that whoever came up with this idea is a genius! There is an ultra helpful section in there that gives you a nice and pretty comprehensive table of ingredients and all of the possible things that will accompany them or compliment them; for instance they will have rosemary as the header and then under that, an extensive list of what goes well or what foods can be paired with that (like lamb, chicken. brown sauces etc.)... There are a good number of items also, ranging from herbs, spices, vegetables, and fruits to actual meats. And hey, Don't be afraid that your certain ingredient wont be represented because i can pretty much assure you that it will. I think that this book is invaluable to those dinner party throwers/ culinary adventurians that like to use spices but need a new idea or fresh perspective! (pardon the pun!) i must say that i especially like that feature. If you are a culinary artisan (beginner or experienced) you will find that this table-index will spice up your ideas in no time at all! I highly recommend this book (or should i say cross referencing dictionary for cooking) it is well worth your money, extremely reader friendly, it assists you whether you are an expert, a novice or a beginner! so get it and have a good time with it. It also makes a great gift to any foodie that you know out there! Buon appetit! did i mention that both books offer recipes as well??? YEA!
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Summary: FOOD & WINE MAGAZINE was right -- this book is great!
Review: "I read that this was the favorite book of one of America's Best New Chefs (Will Packwood of Emilia's in Austin, Texas) in the July 2001 issue of FOOD & WINE MAGAZINE, so I was curious to check it out. CULINARY ARTISTRY blew me away! I never even knew this book existed, and it contained more insights on cuisine and gastronomy than any other book I can think of. This is a graduate-level course in how to think about food, and how some of the greatest chefs in history as well as contemporary American chefs think about composing their flavors, dishes and menus. It's probably NOT for beginners, but anyone who is already pretty facile in the kitchen will be inspired by the lists of which ingredients pair best with what other ingredients. I've never seen a compilation of classic food pairings like this, from the simple (e.g. beef and potato, pork and apple) to the sublime (e.g. duck and sweet potatoes, game and red cabbage, venison and cranberries). The lists in the back of which 10 ingredients various celebrity chefs would take with them to a desert island were not only fun but instructive in taking you into the mind of how great chefs think. Just by reading the lists, you get a great sense of the chef's palate and how they combine flavors. Of Mexican cookbook author Rick Bayless's 10 ingredients, 3 were chiles! And Miami chef Norman Van Aken seems right at home on his island with plantains, mangoes, black beans, and coconut in his backback! I can't think of another book I've read in recent years that has been as inspiring as I'm finding this one. Bravo!"
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Summary: CULINARY ARTISTRY is amazing!!
Review: This book is amazing! The greatest thing about CULINARY ARTISTRY is that it discusses which ingredients are/aren't compatible with different types of food. I am studying to be a chef at Peter Kump's Cooking School in New York City, and I think everyone in my class owns this book! --Michele L.
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Summary: This is the most tattered book in my kitchen...
Review: Whenever I find a new ingredient, or got bored with an old one, I will just flip to the "Food Matches" section, look it up and find tons of inspiration. If I am feeling lacklustre or uninspired I can re-read any section of this book. If you are creative, but sometimes need a push, this is a wonderful tool. It helps keep the seasons in perspective, and freshness & quality on your mind. I highly reccomend this book! (and perhaps a sturdy plastic cover for it!)
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