James McNair's Favorites

This cookbook contains a wonderful variety of recipes from around the world, from "Chili and Chorizo Quiche" to "Thai Curry" to "Barbecued Chicken, Louisiana Style". My two favorites are "South American Spicy Beef Stew (Picadillo)" and "Sun-dried Tomato and Garlic Spread". The garlic spread uses goat cheese and comes out so elegant, it's hard to believe you can just whip it up in a food processor in a few minutes time. The other recipes I've tried have been impressive and delicious yet not too difficult to prepare. This book contains almost 600 pages of recipes, so you're bound to find some gems. Most of the pages are simply text since there are just too many recipes to have a photo of each. However, there are several sections of photos so you can get an idea of the presentation and be tempted by some delicious-looking food. The book covers the same sections as any basic cookbook: Appetizers, Soups, Entrees, Desserts, etc so it covers all the bases. And I didn't notice any exotic, hard-to-find ingredients in the recipes. Overall, this is a terrific cookbook and one that I actually use and enjoy paging through. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes to cook gourmet!

I received this as a gift and have really enjoyed it. I've tried a dozen or so recipes and they all been delicious. It's true that it does not have the number of photos McNair devotees are used to, but I would say that every recipe is a winner- perhaps not true of some of McNair's single subject books. The directions are very clearly written and easy to follow. Many easy enough for weekday, after work dinners; others require more prep either in cooking or shopping (although good guidance is provided on more hard-to-find ingredients). The best part is the a great range of recipes- a one-stop source for inspiration.