March 2004 Cookbook Reviews

Solo Suppers: Simple Delicious Meals to Cook for Yourself
by Joyce Esersky Goldstein

Chronicle Books

ISBN# 0-8118-3620-7
Suggested Retail Price: $19.95

Oh! Poor Baby! All alone and hungry? You can be soothed with this little book. Chef Goldstein knows exactly how to make the comfort food that will be delicious and filling, even if it's only your dinner-for-one.

The book starts out with an early chapter on how to shop for one. This could be a problem. Not only the unmarried, but the empty nesters could use this advice. There is a perfect recipe for Pomegrante Marinade And Basting Sauce. Use this exquisite sauce on any number of main dishes like kabobs. I love pomegranates!

From blintzes to swordfish, the pictures that guide you to the final look of your dish will give your tastebuds a singular treat. Chronicle Books produces some of the best cookbooks on the market and they always have the finest photography and directions to guide you.

Most Loved Appetizers
by Jean Pare

Company's Coming Publishing

ISBN# 1-896891-70-5
Suggested Retail Price: $17.99

You can prepare a whole meal using just appetizers. This is the book to use for that kind of meal or meals. More than 100 dip, spreads, and finger food recipes are here. Your family may already know about some of the recipes, but here they are all together and presented with attractive color photography. The ingredients used are easy to find. In fact. you likely have most of them in your kitchen now. The author tells us that appetizers are a great way to start off a good party.

Try some of the classics like Deviled Eggs With Shrimp, but you will be delighted to find good recipes for the regular foods an then move on to recipes like Quesadilla Starters or Grilled Brie and Fruit Crostini. There is a mushroom dip that could make you famous. Be sure to try some of the meatball specials. They are great!

Bittersweet : Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate
by Alice Medrich, Deborah Jones

Artisan

ISBN# 1-5796-5160-7
Suggested Retail Price: $35.00

Dark Chocolate is my drug of choice. This beautiful cookbook gives the directions for 130 elegant recipes. They all sound yummy! There are 30 color photographs that give the recipe life and sets your own taste buds to quivering.

The good news is that this author tells us the darker, European-style of chocolate has a higher percentage of cocoa bean solids and less sugar.

Author Alice Medrich was the owner of a successful candy store in San Francisco. The name of the bakery was "Chocolat." Anyone in this area knows about the sweetest place to buy chocolate in the San Francisco Bay area.

Its a little more money than you might expect, but every page is a taste teaser that make the book well worth your money. Starting off I tried the recipe called "Fallen Chocolate Soufflé Cake." As my soufflés have always collapsed on me, I thought this is just perfect. The instructions were clear, and the results were a miracle of chocolate taste. No flop here.

For those of us who prefer dark chocolate, this is a perfect book if you need to put on a little weight. Yeah, right!