ContactMessage BoardsLinks  Home  
Featured Chefs
Gourmet Articles
Environmental Kitchen
Cookbook Reviews
Current Reviews
Archive Reviews
Recipe File
The Wine Guy
Career Center
Ask An Expert
Search
Cooking from the Heart
cookbook reviewscooking from the heart
Cooking from the Heart, 100 Great American Chefs Share Recipes They Cherish A Share Our Strength Book to Fight Hunger
By Michael J. Rosen

List Price: $29.95
Price WithAmazon.com: $20.97
You Save: $8.98 (30%)

Reviewed by Tracy McGillis

Click Here to Buy It On Line!
Review

April 2004
Cooking From the Heart is an unprecedented collection of recipes written by some of our most beloved and world-renowned chefs. Besides the obvious and noble goal of raising money to support Share Our Strength's fight against hunger, this compilation aims at evoking the sensory memory and deep emotional attachment we have to an unforgettable dish. In an era of slick food photography and coffee table cookbooks, Cooking From the Heart breaks the mold and focuses entirely on its objective: great recipes and evocative storytelling. You won't find any glitz in this cookbook; conversely it has a very homespun feel. Considering the density of recipes and recollections offered there is literally no room for food photography.

With contributions by chefs ranging in style from Lidia Bastianich to Ming Tsai and Rick Bayless, there is something for every food lover in this cookbook. Each recipe has an accompanying story, told in the first person by the chef. In this same vein, each recipe is written in a distinctly personal style, some more user-friendly than others. The chefs' experiences range from childhood Sunday suppers (which can become a little too "precious" after the fourth or fifth one) to inspiring anecdotes about coming of age as a young cook, or a culinary revelation later in life.

Broken into helpful, although broad sections, most recipes have a distinctly down-home feel, including many roasts and braises. With a few exceptions, recipes are easy to execute and scaled appropriately to the home kitchen. This incredibly eclectic, evocative compilation is potentially hard to navigate, but that's part of the adventure. Although not particularly useful as a culinary reference book, Cooking from the Heart is an exciting and intense journey through America's diverse culinary landscape and the inner worlds of our most celebrated chefs.

Top
Advertisers
igourmet.com Morrell Wine American Express
  Copyright © 1999 & Beyond.