[.ca] The Best American Recipes 2000 (ISBN 0618009965)

From Amazon.com:
Cheers for Fran McCullough and Suzanne Hamlin, editors of The Best American Recipes 2000. As with previous Best editions, they've culled a truly choice collection from a year's worth of eligible recipes from books, magazines, newspapers, and the Internet. It's an all-occasion crop ranging from the unabashedly down-home Beer Can Chicken to chef Thomas Keller's cheese strips molded in an egg carton. What makes the difference in projects such as this is the quality of editorial taste and the compilers' commitment to recipe practicality. In both these matters McCullough and Hamlin excel. "Most of all," the editors write, "we love smart recipes that maximize flavor," and these they've provided in satisfying abundance. Ranging from starters and breads to desserts and drinks, the recipes cover the classic to the exotic-but-definitely-worth-trying varieties. Examples from the repertoire include Mexican Pistachio Soup, Puffy Maine Pancakes, and Indonesian Ginger Chicken. There are also dishes, such as Texas Lemon Bomb (coiffed with meringue swirls), that are simply, though never frivolously, fun. With a "Year in Food" rundown (food comeback of the year: the egg), tips, cooking notes, and serving suggestions, The Best American Recipes 2000 makes an important culinary bookshelf addition while providing true cooking and eating enjoyment. --Arthur Boehm

Great recipes:
Now that I have gone through this cookbook, I need to go back and find the similar recipe books McCullough has done for the last four years. If this one is any indication, I predict that I will think I died and went to heaven. I cannot wait to try some of the recipes that I earmarked in this book--including some unusual soups, the Garlicky Sun-Dried Tomato Spread (looks good AND easy!), a salad made with prosciutto and sugar snap peas, an Italian beef stew, and more desserts than I have any right to want to taste! I especially liked the conversational tone of the book, the way the recipes are introduced and the tips that accompany them. It's kind of quirky, and I liked that!

Great Techniques -- Great Recipes:
I am one of those cooks that has never had any formal training (beyond my mother/grandmother) -- so I appreciate the teaching and conversation beyond the recipe. For example, the book details homemade chicken soup and the technique for making an excellent base. This lets me experiment and expand on the ingredients that I like -- so that I can build my "perfect" recipe. The recipes have all turned out well and at the same time, have taught me a lot about cooking. This is an excellent book for an aspiring home cook.

Collection from multiple sources of Great Recipes:
Here is what some of us do--collect recipes from all kinds of varying sources, sorted through and published in book form. Tried few recipes thus far, and each lives up to rating: Scallop and Corn Chowder, unique Ricotta Hot Cakes with Honeycomb butter, Port-and-Black-Currant Glazed Chicken Thighs,Roasted Potatoes with Garlic,Lemon and Oregano. For a different closing meal treat, try "Roasted Apricots with Sugared Pecans and Dulce de Leche. It's simple and sooo sooo good! Unique--simple--- zipped up kind of cuisine, with outstanding variety of cuisines and sources--- great collection for varying levels of cook levels. Neat feature is wine offerings with each entree suggested.

Best Recipes:
This series is great. Don't be put off by the boring format. Not one recipe tried has been less than it promises. I like them so much I've bought them all.

Best Recipes for Jan 2002 - Oct 2002 ONLY!:
I own The Best American Recipes 1999 & 2000. The recipes I have tried from those books are very good (Pan Roasted Carrots & Creamed Scallions). While I had already made (and loved) some of the other recipes listed from several books in the series (because I have the cookbooks they were pulling them from), I have a huge issue with the newer publication of this seemingly successful book. How can a book claim to have the best recipes from all the varying resources for 2002 AND 2003... when it was published in October 2002?! I am noticing this in Jan of 2003, while we still have an entire year of new recipes yet to be released... and this book will clearly not have any of them. Since I cannot give this 2.5 stars (5 for the recipes and 0 for the misleading title), I opted for 3 because despite the title, it's a good book.