[.ca] American Brasserie: 180 Simple, Robust Recipes Inspired ... (ISBN 0028616308)

Uh Oh, Now For The Other Side:
First, let me explain that I absolutely adore Gale Gand's show Sweet Dreams and I love her Butter, Sugar, Flour, Eggs cookbook. I've made a lot of her recipes and they always come out great. But, this book has too many ingredients that are hard to find, unusual, time-consuming, (you get the picture). Also, it doesn't help matters that our home is totally alcohol-free. I consistently read & collect cookbooks and I felt I needed to cast an opinion to keep the reviews "fair and balanced."

The way we really want to cook.:
Casual home style cooking of the great cusines for the American cook! Insipired by the other great casual French dining style and reinforced by Italy and even America. Ideas come flooding to me every time I open the book.

So good I had to buy it:
A lucid text, edible photos, and luscious recipes make this a keeper. In fact, I borrowed it first from the library and hated to give it back so I bought my own copy! Several of Gale Gand and Rick Tramonto's recipes earned me rave reviews from friends and coworkers. Do you want people to think you're a culinary star? Try this book. You can't miss. And if you don't think you can cook, try this book anyway. The pictures will hook you. The directions in the recipes are very clear. Take, for instance the Pear and Roquefort Salad with Grapes and Spiced Pecans. There's a picture in the book, one of those edible pictures. You buy a few simple ingredients and there you are! How hard can it be to wash a few grapes? Or slice a couple pears? Or to crumble some cheese? Or - and this is the really good part - to throw a few things in a blender to come up with the Apple Vinaigrette dressing that goes on the salad? If you want to know the really hard part about this recipe, it's the spiced pecans. They are so good I kept eating them before the salad was finished. I think I'll bring them as a gift the next time I visit someone. Ya gotta try 'em. And if that's not enough, try the Roasted Fruits with Cinnamon-Red Wine Glaze and Toasted Almonds. It's a cinch (as it ought to be since it graduated from a pretty hot restaurant!). If you were short on friends, your problems are over. Okay, you get the idea. This book will not just sit on my shelf. I expect it will regularly hop off your shelf, too.

Robust,Rustic Food For Beer/Wine/?:
I've for long time been a fan of Gale's, but only recently discovered her partner, Rick through his amazing new book, "Amuse-Bouche." So wanted to check out more of his culinary wizardry, and found it to be of same high, creative quality. This is quite a collection of hearty, flavorful food, meant to stand up to beer brewery atmosphere. Yet it is all very stylistic and well prepared. To date few dishes prepared are winners, e.g. Roasted Vegetable-White Bean Chili; Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Polenta Cakes, Mesclun, and Balsamic Sauce; Roquefort and Pear Salad with Grapes and Spiced Pecans; Provencal Lamb Shanks with Roasted Vegetables, Roasted Garlic, and Tapenade. This is fun food to serve during winter and those fire in the hearth nights when a hearty meal and drink hits the spot. Just an unusual, well-done, useful work from cover to cover. Don't forget the great desserts by Gale!

I've used it so much I need to buy a new copy:
I have gotten so many great meals out of this book. I recommend it completely without reservation. Some of my favorites include the lamb ragu, the pear salad, and sweet ptotato- apple puree. I have used it some much t he binding has broken and I need a new copy. The only other books that come close in use are the Hugh Carpenter books.