James McNair's Salads

Any book written by Jim McNair is great for all levels of cooking skills. He combines the unique with the simple, the different with the familiar, and it is all easily accomplished. I have a large compendium cookbook he has written and several of his smaller books. Each one is excellent and easy to follow. He brings together a wide variety of cuisines and tastes. The Salads book is very good in today's world with the current emphasis in adding fresh greens to one's diet. McNair offeres delicious alternatives and choices.

I'll admit I only tried a couple of recipes from this one but I'm very familiar with the author's other books. McNair is a true pro. But most the recipes in this one were a bit over the top even for your average formal get together. It seems like you would need to be highly experienced to combine these powerful, exotic salads with a full meal. And events where that kind of meal would be appropriate are few and far between for the average American. But if you can pull it off I'd be willing to be the major of these recipes would be delicious. The couple I had were great.

I only own a couple of James McNair's books, and his recipes seem to lean towards the fancy and complex... some ingredients may be too specialized or expensive for the common kitchen. These books do not pretend to be the be-all-and-end-all on any topic: they are made to present a couple-dozen recipes which can spice up your meals and wow the dinner guests at your next get-together.Having said that, these books do present some amazing recipes, beautifully photographed in a way which inspires you to jump in and try to create something new. Some of the salads presented here are simple enough to make from what you've got in your pantry, and several of the combinations (Crab and Melon with Mint Vinaigrette, for instance) are so distinctive and wonderful that I know I'll be making them again and again.This Salads book has a number of wonderful ideas. It is slanted towards several recipes from both the Southwest U.S. and Southeast Asia, but there are other more "traditional" items, many of which can be made throughout the year. It's not "your mother's recipe book," but if you want to jazz up your meals and experiment a bit (and eat healthy in and out of summer), this is a good place to start.