We eat a lot of soups and salads for lunch and my imagination has run out so I thought a cookbook book would help revive our boring brown bags. I recognized the name “Wolfgang Puck” as a popular chef so got the book.

About the Author
The book mentions that Wolfgang Puck is a chef of many upscale restaurants such as: Spago, Chinois on Main, Postrio, Granita, Trattoria del Lupo, and Wolfgang Puck Cafes. He has also written three other books.

The Contents
The recipes are divided up into four categories:


The Basics: Stocks, Sauces, Dressings, and Condiments
(Examples: pesto, chili oil, caramelized onions, balsamic glazed shallots)

Salads and Soups
(Examples: Greek shrimp salad, Spinach and Blue Cheese Salad with Sliced Apples and Spiced Carmelized Pecans, Creamy Cauliflower Soup, White Bean Soup)

Pizza
(Examples: Pepperoni and Mushroom Pizza, Cheeseless Pizza, Spicy Scallop and Artichoke Pizza, Calzone with Four Cheeses and Black Truffles)

Pasta
(Examples: Fettuccine with Lobster and Green Curry Sauce, Spicy Thai Cold noodles with Crushed Peanuts and Cilantro, Three-Cheese Ravioli)


About the Book
The recipe book starts out with a three page introduction by the author which mainly talks about the importance of picking the best ingredients.

The book has 205 pages and is printed on very nice paper. There are a few professional photos through out the book of the entrées or the steps pictured which adds a little to the book.

Each recipe consists of the title, how much the recipe makes, the ingredients, and numbered steps to prepare. Each recipe has its own page and rarely takes up 2 pages.

Short recipes should not be confused with a simple and fast. Advanced planning is essential to every one of these recipes. The soups take hours to simmer. It takes about an hour for pizza to make the dough from scratch and allow it to rise. You also have to prepare the ingredients, roll it out and bake. The pasta recipes vary but will require more tie if making the pasta from scratch.

My Thoughts
This isn’t exactly the same as a traditional cookbook. First of all you’re only getting options for a pizza and pasta meal. One of the nice things about eating out is that everyone can have what they want. At home, it’s not as simple. After eliminating all the items that we wouldn’t eat as a family my selection was very limited. Seriously, it’s not going to go over very well if I try to serve my kids who love pizza something like: Spinach, Mushroom, and Blue Cheese Pizza. My husband who hates seafood would never eat White Clam Pizza or Smoked Salmon Pizza. I certainly would never eat Prosciutto and Goat Cheese Pizza. I’m sure that these pizzas will appeal to someone and I’m sure the recipes are as good as any but all depends on how picky the folks that you are cooking for are.

There are about 33 recipes in the pasta section. There is a large selection of pastas such as angel hair, fettuccine, gnocchi, penne, and ravioli. These recipes include ingredients that not everyone will like and be able to find at the local grocery like: golden caviar, Fava beans, veal shank, duck, asparagus and calamari.

There’s also a large selection of soups and salads. They are on the gourmet side and ended up being quite tedious to make.

One of the reasons that these recipes take so long is because everything is homemade. The book lists the recipes for pizza dough, pasta dough, and all the sauces and dressings.

What I didn't Like
Unlike a traditional cookbook the recipe does not mention the time required for preparation or cook time. It also doesn’t give any nutritional analysis of the recipe or recommended serving size. So, this may be fine for a special dinner in place of dining out where the calorie and fat count is a big mystery. But for every-day use I need to know things like the exact amount of calories and carbs.

This didn’t help me at all with my search for brown bag replacements. I was mostly interested in the salads and soups for lunches but they are far too gourmet for what I needed. With the amount of time that it takes and the types of ingredients required I’ll only be pulling this book out for special occasions.

Overall
Overall I didn’t get much out of this book because I’m cooking for a family. The recipes take too long and have too many fancy ingredients that the family won’t eat. The meals are rather inexpensive to make, considering they are restaurant quality. Since I’m not an expert on gourmet food I find it hard to know what I can substitute in place of ingredients (such as goat cheese which is expensive and they won’t eat).

This is a book for those who have time and want to cook an occasional gourmet meal in place of going out. If you’re a good cook and want to make a special meal I’m sure you’ll save a lot of money by cooking these recipes yourself.

Even if you are not a great chef you’ll be able to prepare these gourmet recipes. The secret is in the fresh ingredients and the amount of time you spend preparing. Not a lot of skill is needed for these, just boiling and waiting.



Recommended: Yes