Nicole Routhier's Fruit Cookbook

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely superb, a must for your kitchen!
Review: A friend of mine was buying this particular book for another friend as a Christmas gift. He was asking my advice, since I do far more around the kitchen than he; was it a good enough book for a fellow kitchen-dweller? Well, after a brief examination and a flip-through, I gave him the okay and snuck off to buy a copy for myself! What an incredible book!

For those of you who are visually inclined, the bad news is, there are no pictures in this book. However, that is greatly outweighed by the sheer amount of recipes, tips, and useful information. There are notes about fruits (obviously) and many more about non-fruit foods (not quite so obvious). For example, in the meats section, there is a great tip on cooking and preparing pork products.

The recipes range from original and well-found, to the similar and familiar, to the exotic and delightful, and of course the stand-by fruit recipes that are so essential (i.e. jams, jellies, spreads, and the like).

If you are a kitchen-dweller, too, or know someone who loves to cook, with or without fruit, this is a must-have. Oh, let's be serious, this book is a must-have for any kitchen. Make no mistake, this book is loaded with facts and incredible recipes, some that will do in a pinch for quick dinners, some that can assist in preparing that Sunday feast. A superior buy and a necessary addition to any kitchen library!

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely superb, a must for your kitchen!
Review: A friend of mine was buying this particular book for another friend as a Christmas gift. He was asking my advice, since I do far more around the kitchen than he; was it a good enough book for a fellow kitchen-dweller? Well, after a brief examination and a flip-through, I gave him the okay and snuck off to buy a copy for myself! What an incredible book!

For those of you who are visually inclined, the bad news is, there are no pictures in this book. However, that is greatly outweighed by the sheer amount of recipes, tips, and useful information. There are notes about fruits (obviously) and many more about non-fruit foods (not quite so obvious). For example, in the meats section, there is a great tip on cooking and preparing pork products.

The recipes range from original and well-found, to the similar and familiar, to the exotic and delightful, and of course the stand-by fruit recipes that are so essential (i.e. jams, jellies, spreads, and the like).

If you are a kitchen-dweller, too, or know someone who loves to cook, with or without fruit, this is a must-have. Oh, let's be serious, this book is a must-have for any kitchen. Make no mistake, this book is loaded with facts and incredible recipes, some that will do in a pinch for quick dinners, some that can assist in preparing that Sunday feast. A superior buy and a necessary addition to any kitchen library!

Rating:
Summary: A must-have to add to your collection!
Review: Many new and unusual ways on preparing fruit, from the common to the exotic. Dishes range from savory to sweet, main dish to desert. The format is easy to read and work from.

Rating:
Summary: A must-have to add to your collection!
Review: This book is an excellent reference on different recipes using fruits of different types and especially the "regulars" with which many of you are familiar! Many of the recipes use fruits in different settings than compotes, pies, or cobblers... Although she has some very GOOD recipes there as well! A must-have for any cook's collection! -ed-

Rating:
Summary: Fruit for breakfast lunch and dinner
Review: With nearly 500 pages of sweet and savory international recipes, with shopping and storing advice, descriptions of more exotic fruits, numerous tips for taste combinations, and a chart showing months of availability and peak seasons, this is a valuable volume for any fruit lover.

Author of the award-winning "The Foods of Vietnam," Routhier organizes this imaginative book by course. Starters include Raspberry-glazed Chicken Wings and Tex Mex Mussels with pineapple, tomato, cilantro salsa. The soups will interest more adventurous cooks (Mexican Lime; Clam Chowder made with pineapple juice and coconut milk). First course and main dish salads include Smoked Trout and Pear, two kinds of carrot salad, Scallops with Cantaloupe and Cucumber.

The Pasta & Grains chapter features Couscous with Dried Fruit and a kugel with apples and raisins. For sides try Baked Acorn Squash with Peach Butter, or Braised Red Cabbage with apples and raspberry vinegar.

For main courses there are Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Peaches or Grilled Chicken with Nectarine-Tomato Salsa, Orange-Glazed Flank Steaks or Braised Cranberry Pork Chops. There are desserts, of course, Raspberry Rhubarb Pie; Peach Cobbler, Three-Fruit Terrine with Banana Sauce.

Routhier also includes chapters of drinks and smoothies: (Raspberry Cooler, Strawberry Iced Tea), sorbets and ice creams, breakfasts (Sausage and Orange Marmalade Omelets, Cranberry Apple Corncakes, toast spreads like raspberry butter and blueberry-walnut spread) breads (Blueberry Banana Muffins, Strawberry Lemon Bread) and pantry items (Cherry Jam, Spiced Apricot Chutney, Fresh Plum Sauce, Blueberry Vinegar).

This is a comprehensive, informative guide to using fruits the year round and should be a must for any cook's well-stocked bookshelf.