Of
all the cookbooks I have reviewed, I was most excited about this one.
I told my husband right away that this is the cookbook our next meal
for our dinner group would come from. I am really looking forward to
testing out these recipes in preparation for that meal. The author
has brought decades of personal and professional experience in
cooking Middle Eastern foods to the creation of this cookbook. While
respecting the ingredients and preparations of the original dishes,
she has striven to create recipes that do not take days to make and
to use ingredients that are available in North America. There is way
more information than I could take in during the first read of
Chapter One: the culinary regions of the Middle East, the main
ingredients preferred by these regions, particulars about the spices
and which are better toasted and how to do that in order to get the
best flavors, along with other helpful information. I was thrilled
with the number of vegetarian recipes, and excited about the melding
of flavors and textures. The only thing I would change about this
cookbook would be to include more pictures. I would love to see what
the finished products are supposed to look like as a way of checking
on my own efforts. Most importantly my family, friends, and myself
will be able to judge by the tastes that I create. The clear
directions given for each recipe along with special tips make me feel
very confident that I will be successful in creating many restaurant
quality meals with this cookbook.
I
am very grateful to have received a copy of The Essential
Middle Eastern Cookbook from
RockRidge Press in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no
obligation to provide a positive review, and received no monetary
compensation.
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