Recipes from Paradise : Life & Food on the Italian Riviera

Rating:
Summary: Recipes From Paradise, Fred Plotkin
Review: I bought this book and was very disappointed by the recipes. It is beautifully presented but the recipes were, in my opinion, probably not tested by the author for either flavor or correct proportion of ingredients.
For example, the Pansoti (little Ligurian raviolis) and walnut sauce recipe was a loser from start to finish. The ingredients for the pasta dough were so far out of whack as to be unusable (and that includes both the one for the actual recipe and the book's generic pasta dough recipe). The stuffing for the pansoti's (and I followed the recipe as written) was devoid of flavor and the walnut sauce (and the directions for its application to the pasta) was very poor. It had decent flavor but came out very thick and paste like, again, the result of poor, inaccurate ingredient proportions.
Given the price of this book, it is not at all a good buy.
I'm an experienced cook and because of a trip to Liguria I was excited about trying this book. Unfortunately, the book is, in my view, all show and possesses little substance. I would advise against buying it.

Rating:
Summary: Recipes From Paradise, Fred Plotkin
Review: I bought this book and was very disappointed by the recipes. It is beautifully presented but the recipes were, in my opinion, probably not tested by the author for either flavor or correct proportion of ingredients.
For example, the Pansoti (little Ligurian raviolis) and walnut sauce recipe was a loser from start to finish. The ingredients for the pasta dough were so far out of whack as to be unusable (and that includes both the one for the actual recipe and the book's generic pasta dough recipe). The stuffing for the pansoti's (and I followed the recipe as written) was devoid of flavor and the walnut sauce (and the directions for its application to the pasta) was very poor. It had decent flavor but came out very thick and paste like, again, the result of poor, inaccurate ingredient proportions.
Given the price of this book, it is not at all a good buy.
I'm an experienced cook and because of a trip to Liguria I was excited about trying this book. Unfortunately, the book is, in my view, all show and possesses little substance. I would advise against buying it.

Rating:
Summary: Good stuff
Review: I found this book while searching Amazon for something on Genoa/Liguria, in hopes of learning more about my ancestral home. Mr. Plotkin's book did not disappoint. While it is mostly a cookbook (and the recipes I've made from it so far have been delisioso) I enjoy it mainly for his fond descriptions of Genoa/Liguria and its people. While there are plenty of travel books about Venice, Rome, Florence, etc., there seems to have been very little (at least that is still in print) about "La Superba." Although Twain, Dickens, and others who Plotkin quotes extensively wrote lovingly of Genoa, most modern writers have ignored her. This book helps to restore this oversight by giving this fascinating city her due. I recommend it to anyone who would like to vist Genoa/Liguria or who wants to know more about this stunning unsung region.

Rating:
Summary: Cookbook from Paradise
Review: This is an outstanding cookbook. The recipes are interesting with some being unusual. I have cooked many of the dishes in this book often for entertaining and everyone has been impressed. I'm constantly asked where the recipes come from and if I would share them. For the most part the recipes are fairly simple and always straightforward. Fred Plotkin has obviously put much thought and care into the recipes because they always turn out, not something that can be said for most cookbooks. I highly recommend this book for the novice cook as well as the more experienced.

Rating:
Summary: Cookbook from Paradise
Review: This is an outstanding cookbook. The recipes are interesting with some being unusual. I have cooked many of the dishes in this book often for entertaining and everyone has been impressed. I'm constantly asked where the recipes come from and if I would share them. For the most part the recipes are fairly simple and always straightforward. Fred Plotkin has obviously put much thought and care into the recipes because they always turn out, not something that can be said for most cookbooks. I highly recommend this book for the novice cook as well as the more experienced.