Italy : The Beautiful Cookbook

Rating:
Summary: Great Food!
Review: An excellent book with easiy to follow recipies. Very authentic recipes, I know I have lived in Europe for 11+ years.

Rating:
Summary: Not terribly authentic, a dissapointment
Review: I own and love my Mexico the Beautiful Cookbook, so I decided to invest, and at 50 dollars it IS an investment, in the Italian edition. I was severely dissapointed in it. The photography is indeed as beautiful as the Mexico book, but the recipes are rather blah. I greatly prefer my books by Marcella Hazzan, especially her Essentials of Classical Italian Cooking.

After using Hazzan's books, this one left me cold. I gave it away, and that is rare, as I collect cookbooks. Save your money.

Rating:
Summary: Makes me a chef, instead of the food hack that I am!
Review: Italy the beautiful contains all of the classic Italian recipes. They are concise and easy to follow and written with Americans in mind. Everything I've cooked from vegatables to major main courses are delicious and maybe more importantly, the dishes look like the photographs!