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Rating: 
Summary: Tired of Store Bought Dressings?
Review: "If you know how to prepare a vinaigrette, then you know how to cook" Stephanie Sedgwick quoted from "Perfect Vinaigrettes Appetizers to Desserts"Although great vinaigrettes seem to be somewhat of a lost art (especially in today's world of pre-made dressings). Linda Dannenberg leads the way for any that are eager to learn the necessary techniques of making perfect vinaigrettes. In her beautifully done book "Perfect Vinaigrettes Appetizers to Desserts" Dannenberg takes the mystery out of preparing perfect vinaigrettes by walking the reader step by step through the process. Broken down into easy to read sections the book is a great starter for the beginner cook or an excellent reference for the more advanced. Perfect Vinaigrettes is not at all overwhelming, in fact it is a fairly small book. I found that the recipes were very easy to follow, and the accompanying photography excellent. There are many things that I like about this book, but what I liked best is the different stages it goes through in explaining to the reader how to prepare a truly great vinaigrette. In her introduction Dannenberg starts off by pointing out some of the philosophy behind making vinaigrettes and states that "something as simple as mixing oil, vinegar, and seasonings is often very difficult even for the best of cooks". Even though a vinaigrette has the potential for disaster, Dannenberg ensures you that all you need to know to create a perfect vinaigrette is elementary, the quality of your ingredients and the proportion. Putting aside the philosophy of vinaigrettes, Dannenberg then goes into great detail describing the different components that make up a perfect vinaigrette. I found this to be an excellent section of the book, and aptly titled "The Vinaigrette Pantry". It is here that the reader will find such excellent information as to what purpose a particular ingredient serves, and recommended brands to use. An especially nice touch was the addition of an appendix (near the back of the book) of quality food purveyors where the reader can obtain the recommended brands. The rest of the book is devoted primarily to the preparation and use of various types of vinaigrettes. Beginning with the most basic vinaigrettes, the book builds on this base throughout the book as it progresses towards the more advanced vinaigrettes. With over sixty excellent vinaigrette recipes through the book (many of the recipes are from top chefs from around the country) the book is an excellent resource for new vinaigrette ideas. Even if you don't feel very comfortable with the more advanced vinaigrettes, the beginning vinaigrettes will give you good base of simple vinaigrettes that you can try different variations with, and still achieve a great vinaigrette. Perfect Vinaigrettes is an excellent book and offers a refreshing look at vinaigrettes, salads, and their preparation. If you are tired of the store bought dressings I highly recommend Linda Dannenberg's Perfect Vinaigrettes. Review by Nicko Sahlas of
cheftalk
"A food lover's link to professional chefs"
Rating: 
Summary: Shouldn't a vinaigrette have vinegar?
Review: Generally, this book does a good job covering the class of sauces having an acid component, but I think the author could have done a better job compiling recipes of true vinaigrettes. Of the 60 recipes in the book, fully one third don't have vinegar as an ingredient; these generally use citrus juice as their acid. That's all well and good if you're just looking for a tangy dressing, but these definitely are not vinaigrettes. And while this probably isn't much of a failing if you're not a vinaigrette purist, the book has a few other failings as well. While most of the recipes are extremely simple, some are unnecessarily difficult to follow the first time through, and many of the ingredients are definitely beyond the pale of what is available at the average city market. The author does seem to have a good sense of flavor and offers many useful tips for how to create an effective sauce, but overall the book could have done a better job with the topic.
Rating:
Summary: Shouldn't a vinaigrette have vinegar?
Review: Generally, this book does a good job covering the class of sauces having an acid component, but I think the author could have done a better job compiling recipes of true vinaigrettes. Of the 60 recipes in the book, fully one third don't have vinegar as an ingredient; these generally use citrus juice as their acid. That's all well and good if you're just looking for a tangy dressing, but these definitely are not vinaigrettes. And while this probably isn't much of a failing if you're not a vinaigrette purist, the book has a few other failings as well. While most of the recipes are extremely simple, some are unnecessarily difficult to follow the first time through, and many of the ingredients are definitely beyond the pale of what is available at the average city market. The author does seem to have a good sense of flavor and offers many useful tips for how to create an effective sauce, but overall the book could have done a better job with the topic.
Rating:
Summary: Vinaigrettes - classical and not so classical
Review: This book concentrates on the basics of vinaigrettes - the fundamental ingredients, classical additions, techniques, adjusting for the food context. It also expands the class of vinaigrettes to include sauces with alternative acids, most often citrus, or alternative oils such as yogurt.
Recipes for vinaigrettes are provided for green salads, composed salads, vegetables, fish, meat and fruit. These recipes demonstrate the creative adaption of the fundamentals into actual finished foods. Most of the recipes are simple to cook even when creating complex flavors. The ingredients for most recipes are basic; a few more "exotic" recipes nudge the creativity of even the most accomplished cook.
This is an excellent book for a cook who wishes to thoroughly learn the basics in order to become a creative cook, confident of their own adaptations to particular ingredients and pairings.
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