Intimate Gatherings: Great Food for Good Friends

I can't say enough good things about this cookbook. Every recipe draws my interest and after a week of entertaining I can report every recipe from the book that I have tried is a winner. Start with the cherry almond biscotti and move on to the Tuscan Chicken with a Roasted Corn Salad with Avocado Vinagrette. I usually design a single menu from recipes from different sources,however there is enough in this book to keep me busy for awhile.

I recieved this book as a gift two summers ago, and it's long since been a favorite. The mixed berry cobbler is to die for, and most of the other recipes are just as simple and wonderful to prepare and devour. A few suggestions, though. The authors never inform us when to remove the shells for the barbequed shrimp, and we are asked to baste the grilled chicken with bricks sitting on top of them! Nothing a more meticulous editor couldn't have caught. I really do like books that mention a little something about the recipes before simply listing the ingredients and method. I don't know about anyone else, but you really get a feel for the authors's passion for good food. Yummy.

The recipes in this book are very easy to follow and very delicious (slightly heavy on the garlic, though). Most of the recipes can be made without scouring your city for exotic ingredients. The recipes that I have made have worked well (unlike in some other entertaining based cookbooks). The best thing about the book is the menu ideas for dinner parties of different sizes. While I have yet to make a dinner as suggested by this book, I have composed a dinner party based on many of the recipes represented in this book. Excellent choice for people who want ideas for menu construction.