Rating: 
Summary: food as gift rather than product
Review: This book is about food as gift, passion, art. You can't sling these recipes together from what you've got in the back of the refrigerator. They require thought, purpose, planning and love. If you love cooking, this book provides nothing less than the opportunity to indulge in a master class in your own home. If you don't cook but just love good food, this book is a window into the exquisite nuance and detail that go into truly great meals. Bouley isn't a celebrity chef because he rides a motorcycle as some of the reviews imply; he's celebrated as one of the great chefs of the world because he brings such creative juxtapositions and complexity of flavor to every dish. Perhaps it's a cultural thing--we live in an era when time is of the essence, anything but the microwave takes too long. As recently as twenty or thirty years ago, everyone's mother and grandmother spent three days just to make a simple spaghetti sauce. A lot of us have forgotten what a difference that makes in terms of pure taste. You simply can't get certain flavors by whipping up something between the time you get home from work and the time your guests show up at the door two hours later. As a working mother of limited culinary talent, I don't think the recipes in this book are really so much hard as they are time-consuming. But that's not a reason to feel frustrated or deprive yourself of what this book offers--take this book as an opportunity to think about our lifestyle, our alienation from food production in this society, and as impetus to consider the virtues of the kind of "slow food" movement sweeping Europe and what kind of more nurturing life-style changes that might imply if we were to allow ourselves that here in the U.S.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Mega-Chef, Another Big Hollow Book
Review: This is a chichi and conceited piece of work, much about Mr. Bouley, not so much about the cookery of Vienna or the blue Danube. Star-struck people impressed by the publicity that surrounds today's celebrity chefs will find all they could wish in this volume; as glossy advertising for Mr. Bouley and his restaurants it probably could not be bettered. Those looking for a workable introduction to a fascinating but neglected cuisine would be advised to search elswhere, perhaps Lesley Chamberlain's Food and Cooking of Eastern Europe - a wonderful book now sadly out of print.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, imaginative food
Review: Well, this one sure seems to have sparked some controversy, but count me on the side of the fans. This is the only new cookbook I've seen this season that seems truly original. I'm very tired of the next French, next Italian, next Bistro book that while they may have a few interesting things are old hat to my cookbook collections.Some of the recipes in East of Paris are complex, and I agree that the seasonal organization could have been dispensed with. However, I've already picked up a number of ideas and tips to spur my own kitchen inventions, as well as easily made some of the recipes as written. I'm delighted with this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Beware, check this out from a library or friend first!
Review: What can I say, many of the pictures in this book are wonderful and present the cuisine in fabulous splendor, but the recipies tend to be complex and will not come out exactly as pictured. Some of the dishes seem convoluted, particularly the dishes that require minute amounts of over a dozen ingredients.
I understand that David Bouley is held in a high regard, just reading Charlie Trotter's review is enough said, but, I think that is based largely inpart on Bouley's restaurant, not the book itself. I also beleive that much of what is in this book is not meant for the novice cook. I consider myself experienced and more than capable of preparing an out and out quality meal, but this book is not helpful in explaining technique or corresponding the text and pictures to an actual outcome.
I say beware of this book. Check it out from a library or borrow a copy from a friend and try the recipies first. I think that if you were to buy this based upon reviews or a cursory glance, you will be disappointed in how the recipies translate into stunning dishes in your own kitchen. If you struglle or fail, as I did, it is disheartening and should in no way reflect upon you as a cook. I will be honest, I was discouraged, but I had to sit and think about the audience for this book and the level of skill it is written for. I think anyone considering this book as a gift or addition to their own library needs to consider these two factors prior to making a purchase. And, if in doubt, spend some time looking it over carefully in a bookstore coffeeshop before you buy.
Make no mistake this book is wonderfully photographed and well constructed, but contnet wise, I cannot say that it is among my favorites nor do I find it a very useful or insightful text.
Rating:
Summary: Beware, check this out from a library or friend first!
Review: What can I say, many of the pictures in this book are wonderful and present the cuisine in fabulous splendor, but the recipies tend to be complex and will not come out exactly as pictured. Some of the dishes seem convoluted, particularly the dishes that require minute amounts of over a dozen ingredients.
I understand that David Bouley is held in a high regard, just reading Charlie Trotter's review is enough said, but, I think that is based largely inpart on Bouley's restaurant, not the book itself. I also beleive that much of what is in this book is not meant for the novice cook. I consider myself experienced and more than capable of preparing an out and out quality meal, but this book is not helpful in explaining technique or corresponding the text and pictures to an actual outcome.
I say beware of this book. Check it out from a library or borrow a copy from a friend and try the recipies first. I think that if you were to buy this based upon reviews or a cursory glance, you will be disappointed in how the recipies translate into stunning dishes in your own kitchen. If you struglle or fail, as I did, it is disheartening and should in no way reflect upon you as a cook. I will be honest, I was discouraged, but I had to sit and think about the audience for this book and the level of skill it is written for. I think anyone considering this book as a gift or addition to their own library needs to consider these two factors prior to making a purchase. And, if in doubt, spend some time looking it over carefully in a bookstore coffeeshop before you buy.
Make no mistake this book is wonderfully photographed and well constructed, but contnet wise, I cannot say that it is among my favorites nor do I find it a very useful or insightful text.
Rating:
Summary: Austria's Road to Modernity
Review: What makes this book effective are the possibilities it offers to take part in the realm of pure gastronomic ritural - from cooking to digestion. It's hamartophobic in the best sense, as Bouley and Clark capture through words and photographs what taste buds would attest to if they could take on their own five senses. I entrechat and applaud your efforts. It's Austrian food on the highest level.
Rating:
Summary: Austria's Road to Modernity
Review: What makes this book effective are the possibilities it offers to take part in the realm of pure gastronomic ritural - from cooking to digestion. It's hamartophobic in the best sense, as Bouley and Clark capture through words and photographs what taste buds would attest to if they could take on their own five senses. I entrechat and applaud your efforts. It's Austrian food on the highest level.
Rating:
Summary: Austrian Cuisine For Today, Exceptionally Prepared
Review: When the caliber of Charlie Trotter says of Bouley: "the most influential chef cookingin the United States" and this cookbook a masterpiece, it should give gourmets notice. One notices the title, East of Paris, something else other than French. In this case, Austrian. Bouley reached this point via a journey leading from his G-Mom's roasted fresh vegetables to cooking in Vienna 49 and from there spending time in Vienna. The cuisine result: peak flavor of ingredients, combining classic technique with world flavors and then having all this translated into an Austrian gestalt. Teaming up with Austrian Chef Lohninger, they offer a combo of Austrian classics, classics upgraded, and others dreamed up from scratch soley with us, the home cooks in mind. The offerings come forth in seasons, with additional chapters on desserts, signature dishes, pantry, wine suggests and sources.
The layout is rich and photos are large, stylistic and captivatingly sumptuous. Try the likes of: Rosti Potatoes with Smoked Salmon and Mustard Vinaigrette; Krautwickler=Cabbage Rolls Stuffed with Duck, Dates and Foie Gras; Roasted Prosciutto-Wrapped Striped Bass with Szedediner Sauerkraut; An unbelievably good "Goulash Soup; Wine-Braised Beef Cheeks with Chanterelle Goulash (a good dish to venture into a new ingredient); Rubarb Buttermilk Parfait; Salt-Crusted Lamb with Green Tomato Jam; Tyrolean Wine Soup with Fresh Trout and Smoked Trout Crepes. Of course there are schnitzel and pastry/coffee house items here as well. You'll want to go exploring in this big, wide recipe offering. Be aware though that this is not for the timid home cook who isn't into venturing out with time, technique, or ingreds. But for those who are or on the edge, splurge right into this beaut! This is a definite upper crust cookbook!
|
