[.ca] Charlie Trotter Cooks At Home (ISBN 1580082505)

From Amazon.com:
Now he's really gone and done it! Charlie Trotter, chef and owner of one of America's finest restaurants (of the same name), has already enriched our lives and decorated our coffee tables with volumes of recipes from his famed establishment. Here, in Charlie Trotter Cooks at Home, his signature style shines bright, but in recipes we won't be afraid to try. The ingredients Trotter calls for are readily available, the techniques he describes are manageable, and the titles of the dishes describe what you'll be eating so well that there aren't any photographs at all. Who needs them to describe Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Asparagus and Roasted Red Onion Vinaigrette, Orange-Blossom Honey-Glazed Chicken with Roasted Sweet Potato Purée, or Cilantro-Crusted Tuna Loin with Bok Choy and Lemon-Sesame Vinaigrette? As you flip the pages, your mouth will water as though there were photos throughout. "The Basics" chapter starts us off with recipes for stocks and suggestions on how to make and store them so that they are always on hand. The table of contents is really an index, organized by course rather than alphabet, with every single recipe listed. Then there are appetizers like Smoked Salmon Tartare with Horseradish Cream, soups like Sweet Corn and Shrimp Chowder, and salads like Chilled Orzo, Asparagus, Chicken, and Goat Cheese. The entrees are divided into seafood, poultry, meat, and vegetables, and the more than 25 desserts include treats like Molasses Spice Cake with Caramelized Apples, Jasmine Rice Pudding with Lemon-Caramel Sauce, and Warm Bing Cherries with White Chocolate-Bing Cherry Sorbet. Of the over 125 recipes, only a handful are more than a page long. But every single one of them packs a Trotter punch. They're inventive, fresh, and absolutely beautiful. In his introduction, Trotter acknowledges the home cook's time constraints and limited access to gourmet ingredients, and promises that "with a few basic foodstuffs and a touch of bravado, home cooks can create flavorful dishes that will impress even the most ardent gourmet." He delivers. --Leora Y. Bloom

Best collection of recipes in one book I've ever found:
I have made 30 of his recipes from this book, and have been dazzled all but once!! The sample menus are great, if planning and organization is something you like to be done for you. I highly recommend this book! Every month at recipe club, I find that my Charlie Trotter recipes are always received well. A++++

As close as you can get to an easy Trotter cookbook:
Considering the unworldly nature of Trotter's other cookbooks, it is a wonder he could dumb it down as much as he could for this cookbook. Although this is far and away the most accessible of his books, nonetheless it is not intended for a novice cook. Most of the recipes are within the realm of possibility, and some are actually pretty basic. For a change, the recipes won't make you want to launch the book across the room in frustration. One wonders why Trotter can't do more books like these rather than indulging in the culinary delusions masquerading as cookbooks.

An excellent collection of home recipes by a leading chef.:
The first of Charlie Trotter's books I reviewed was his newest title 'Raw'. As it was a potentially misleading title for the readers of one of the most distinguished chef / authors in the country, I gave it a rather cautionary review to be sure no one reading about the book would get false expectations. Since that book did succeed in showing Trotter's brilliance with food, I was anxious to follow up with a review of a much different sort of title from this renowned culinarian. I was not disappointed with what I found in 'Charlie Trotter cooks at home'. This book is one of the very best exemplars of the subgenre of cookbooks by celebrity chefs aimed at the home cook. It equals or surpasses titles like those from Tyler Florence, Sara Moulton, Ming Tsai, Tom Colicchio, and Food Network in several ways. First, the book is arranged in a very practical manner, by course and, for entrees, by type of protein. This excellent choice of chapters is enhanced by a complete listing of 'recipes at a glance' at the beginning of the book plus a listing of recipes by main ingredient at the end of the book. Excellent features for a cook at home resource. Second, the range of foods used in the dishes is quite familiar to the typical American home cook. There are very few unusual ingredients or unusual flavors. The entrees are divided into a generous number of seafood dishes; fewer but varied poultry (without any exotic game recipes) and a good selection of meat recipes with all being beef, pork, lamb, or veal. There are no exotic game meats here. Entrees finish up with a good selection of pastas and risottos. Similarly, the desserts are neatly divided into sections on soups, sorbets, and granites; tarts, pies, and pastries; and cakes, custards, and puddings. Third, the range of techniques is diverse enough to succeed in broadening the horizons of even an experienced home cook. This is the only place in this type of book where I have seen the author use tomato water, an ingredient which, when I saw it in Paul Bertolli's book made great sense to me and made me wonder why I have not heard more of it. The book includes several examples of low temperature poaching, even for filet of beef. I have not seen this anywhere else except in Jamie Oliver's latest book. Fourth, the first chapter on stock preparation gives very professional recipes. I recommend people following them not try to take any short cuts. This chef knows what he is talking about. Fifth, the entrée recipes often include instructions for preparing a complimentary side vegetable, with instructions for plating the protein and it's side. All the recipes appear to be positively delightful. All techniques are well done, quite good enough for the home cook. The pie and tart pastry techniques, for example, are sound, with all the right cautions about working the dough cold and quick. Unlike a volume like the recent 'The Way We Cook', the book has the advantage of speaking with a single voice rather than showing traces of diverse sources for the recipes. Every time potatoes are cooked in water, they are done in exactly the same manner. Potential buyers should be aware that this is neither quick nor cheap cooking. Trotter may have done us the service of providing accurate timings for prep and cooking, but it was better that he leave them off than do them poorly. There are three things, which annoyed me about the book. First, I found the 'photographs' interesting, but perfectly useless in this kind of book. They are arty, primitive 'photograms', which are so disconnected from the recipes that the photographer had to explain of what foodstuffs they were made. This was the wrong kind of book for these pictures. Second, the 'insight' paragraphs at the end of the recipes would have been much better placed as headnotes at the beginning of the recipe, fitting the practice of practically every other cookbook author writing in English. Third, the book is bound with textured paper rather than with true fabric like the 'Raw' title cited above. Since the price of the two volumes is not that different and the current volume was cheaper, it would not have been a stretch to give this volume a decently attractive binding. These nuisances aside, this is a very worthy book especially for someone who simply wants a better source of recipes than the hum drum Betty Crocker or Good Housekeeping volume.

A must-have for a budding foodie:
Despite being a resident of Chicago for four years, I only recently made my pilgrimage to Charlie Trotter's. Given the high expectations going in, it still amazes me that his restaurant was still able to exceed all of them. However, that dining experience was not my first with Charlie Trotter. I have owned Charlie Trotter Cooks at Home for over a year and have tried three to four recipes from each section (Starters, Entrees, and Desserts) of his book. With the book, a person can transport some of the amazing flavors and techniques into the home, yet not to be intimidated. The ingredient list for each recipe is reasonable since you can find 95% of the ingredients at the local supermarket. The cooking techniques are simple enough for someone who has comfortably advanced beyond cooking with a microwave. Each recipe ends with a simple insight offering information about the ingredients, techniques, or substitutions. The recipes offer a solid repertoire which you can cook regularly. In fact, Trotter includes sample menus and wine pairings. After getting the recipes down, don't be afraid to experiment because that is what cooking is all about. Then you will really be able to impress your friends.

A must-have for a budding foodie:
Despite being a resident of Chicago for four years, I only recently made my pilgrimage to Charlie Trotter's. Given the high expectations going in, it still amazes me that his restaurant was still able to exceed all of them. However, that dining experience was not my first with Charlie Trotter. I have owned Charlie Trotter Cooks at Home for over a year and have tried three to four recipes from each section (Starters, Entrees, and Desserts) of his book. With the book, a person can transport some of the amazing flavors and techniques into the home, yet not to be intimidated. The ingredient list for each recipe is reasonable since you can find 95% of the ingredients at the local supermarket. The cooking techniques are simple enough for someone who has comfortably advanced beyond cooking with a microwave. Each recipe ends with a simple insight offering information about the ingredients, techniques, or substitutions. The recipes offer a solid repertoire which you can cook regularly. In fact, Trotter includes sample menus and wine pairings. After getting the recipes down, don't be afraid to experiment because that is what cooking is all about. Then you will really be able impress your friends.