Roy's Feasts from Hawaii

I've owned and used "Feasts from Hawaii" for several years. Roy's combination of asian flavors and french cooking techniques brings new excitement to your dinner table. Yes, the recipes are labor intensive and it is essential to have a source for asian ingredients as well as excellent seafood, but the results will make you feel you have discovered NEW FOOD! His pizza dough, which is sweetened with honey, is one of the best. You can pare down the recipes and serve interesting food or go for the presentation and cook like a pro. I would recommend this book to anyone who feels their cooking is growing stagnant with repeat flavors and themes. The recipes are challenging enough to make the work interesting and your family or guests will be completely content. Also, many of the sauces required for "a drizzle or drops" can be frozen and used as needed, or be a basis for other dinners during the week.

I bought this book after eating at the restaurant in Palm Springs. I'm in no way the most experienced cook out there, but I had no trouble understanding the directions - even to fix his Peking-style duck - and the recipes I prepared tasted almost as good as the restaurant.If you don't live near an Asian grocery, you may have trouble finding some ingredients. However, most of the "foreign" ingredients called for are very common at any Asian store - even a very small one. I was even able to get the specific brand of red chile paste he recommended at a tiny Asian market by my house without going to the larger Asian grocery downtown.Plus, most of his recipes do call for the same basic chili pastes and spices, so I wasn't discouraged by the thought of buying a whole bunch of bottles only to use a teaspoon out of each one.Excellent book, and well worth the money, in my opinion.

Although the recipes are not for the faint of heart and do take some time until you are familar with them, they are worth the effort. The recipes are clear and concise and the results delicious. Along with being a very well written cookbook, it is also a beautiful cookbook. Just looking through it is a pleasure. Roy Yamaguchi introduces us to Hawaii in a warm and friendly way. A book with this kind of visual beauty, friendliness and above all recipes that actually work and taste fantastic is well worth the price.

our food didn't look as good, but it was tasty and fun to try it. we were able to take some short cuts without messing it up too badly. loved his cabernet sauce and tuna!