The Best of Gourmet 1999: Featuring the Flavors of Spain

The Best of Gourmet series is predictable for offering the best cookbooks out there every year. The photos are gorgeous, the recipies are delicious and easy to follow, the menus are brilliant and perfect for entertaining, and there are an astonishing number of recipies from easy ones for the novice cook to challenging ones for the gourmand chef. The photos are so good that I often flip through the pages just to enjoy the beautiful photography, whether I feel like cooking or not. I believe no serious chef's collection is complete without the Best of Gourmet series.

I was expecting a compiling of hard to wrangle recipes.. but from the few that I have tried so far.. all of came out smashingly!! I made a pork chili.. which was to die for.. (although i did spice it up a bit more).. the louisiana mussels.. were not quite as good.. i prefer a lighter sauce for the mussels..and this was a HEAVY tomatoe sauce.. but the real winner was the mahi mahi with orange viniagrette and cilantro pesto served with crushed potatoes.. I prepared it a couple of days ago..and WOWed everyone.. it was such a beautiful dish, easy, and tastey!.. even better those two sauces can be used for practically any fish.. (I plan on adding some ginger to the orange vini and use it for a dipping sauce for boiled shrimp!!

The Best of Gourmet 1999 Featuring the Flavors of SpainReviewed by Liz Waters Copyright 1999, all rights reservedYou can always count on Gourmet magazine and its annual compilations of recipes published by them to be elegant taste experiences presented in such a way that their preparations are surprisingly easy. This volume is no exception. While it is the practice of this reviewer to prepare at least one recipe from each book we review, I have prepared over a dozen from this volume. Each has been greeted with cheers by family and friends. This book includes 27 Summer Brunch, a Picnic at a Lighthouse, and a Summer Lunch by the Sea are a few of the menus offered. In addition to these, a special section featuring the foods of Spain offers a rich of Spanish recipes which are easily prepared in the modern American kitchen