Starred review from October 15, 2012
A master caterer, TV celebrity, and prolific cookbook author, Garten will delight her legion of fans with this appetizing and welcoming cookbook. Garten focuses on foolproof cooking: recipes that work, are satisfying to eat, and can be made ahead of time. For those who struggle with timing the doneness of multiple dishes, she advises creating a very specific game plan that lists every step, and provides 10 tips to aid in reducing stress and ensuring a well-timed, delicious meal. Recipes cover cocktails and starters, lunch and dinner, and vegetables and desserts. Photos are luscious and mouth-watering, and will drive readers into the kitchen. In addition, she shares her expertise on numerous related topics such as menus, shopping, and table settings, an often-overlooked aspect of entertaining. Recipes are fairly simple but pack big flavor, such as mussels with saffron mayo, balsamic roasted beet salad, penne alla vecchia bettola (penne with vodka), and foolproof ribs with barbecue sauce. Combinations are sometimes unusual but still appeal, like roasted sausages and grapes, and salmon and melting cherry tomatoes. Garten doesn’t skimp on desserts, an area where many cookbooks fall down. Her chocolate cassis cake and raspberry crumble bars are drool-inducing. Once again Garten’s culinary wizardry will inspire, delight, and empower readers to entertain in true Barefoot Contessa style.
February 15, 2013
Already a best seller, Food Network star Garten's latest asserts several known truths: it's hard to get dinner on the table, entertaining is stressful, and recipes can be scary. Seeking to help home cooks bolster their cooking repertoire, Garten offers "foolproof" (i.e., tested, consistent, and clearly explained) recipes like Easy Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Croutons, Parmesan Fennel Gratin, and Raspberry Crumble Bars, alongside tips meant to allay fears and answer frequently asked questions. Note that Garten's "Foolproof Menus" reference recipes from her other cookbooks. VERDICT Practical tips and easy, elegant recipes--Garten's standard--are always popular. Expect demand.
Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
October 1, 2012
How many magazine, newspaper, and book recipes have resulted in major dining disasters, or at least less-than-optimum visual and tasty delights? Not content to rely on titles alone, nationally known cook and TV host Garten, aka the Barefoot Contessa, carefully counsels reader-chefs on turning out perfect dishes and menus every time. Each page, if not featuring a list of foolproof techniques and tips, includes all the right directions as well as photographs. Just a sampling of the ideas that make her 100 dishes work: freeze cookie dough but not already baked cookies; when a dish specifies fleur de sel, don't use kosher salt; avoid serving appetizers on Thanksgiving, but do cook in abundance, so that guests go home with leftovers. Her treats, as always (and like her packaged mixes), are stomach pleasers: mustard and gruyere batons, lobster mac and cheese, salted caramel brownies, and cinnamon baked donuts, among others.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)