Cooking with David Burke

Rating:
Summary: Complicated for the home kitchen
Review: The recipes in this book are very complicated for the home cook,especially if you are cooking alone. They represent dishes conceived for and prepared in a restaurant kitchen. I'm a competent cook and the 2 dishes that I made were delicious but quite time consuming, and therefore only suitable for special occasions with much beforehand preparation. We've eaten at the restaurant and the food was wonderful, unfortunately difficult to duplicate, as most of the recipes involve multiple ingredients and several stages of preparation.

Rating:
Summary: A book from which to learn
Review: Upon considering this book for purchase, one must be committed to embrace and learn the concept of turning ingredients into something extraordinary. Of course, most conventional basics are the foundation to most any cookbook. However, David's Burke's book is one that will challenge the better than average home chef to go far beyond what is common kitchen knowledge. This book will literally open doors that you didn't know existed. It will force you to think and understand the purpose and culinary importance of many things that we often take for granted. By doing this, the reader is enriched with an approach that will transform his or her home kitchen into a studio for their next masterpiece. Needless to say, I love this book because it teaches many things beyond a traditional cookbook. It is an insight into a world that is not often seen by many resonably accomplished home chefs(of which I'd like to consider myself). There is no doubt that many of the dishes presented here will be a challenge for some people. However, there is truly no better way to advance to the next level than with the lessons learned here.