Simple Classics Cookbook: Recipes

My family and friends claim that I am a gourmet cook, but I owe that to Wllms Sonoma. Of their series this is the best one, the all-in-one version. Elegant, healthy and not too labor intensive to prepare meals. The text is sufficiently large to see at a glance and good pics are provided of dishes so that you may mix and match courses visually with ease. There are many other Wllms Sonoma books covering many specialties, but this one is my mainstay along with the Seasonal cooking one.

This cookbook demostrates that combining good ingredients with simplicity can result in wonderful dishes. I have an extensive cookbook collection, some are beautiful to look at and some are a great resource for recipes; this is both a joy to browse and a pleasure to cook from. The instructions are clear, the lists of ingredients and number of steps are reasonable, and the results have always been very rewarding. As an indication of how highly I think of this book, I purchased copies for both my mother and daughter. This is a great book to have in your kitchen library.

I have collected some very interesting and promising cookbooks over the years, and all of them combined could not teach me what this one book has. I literally went from Novice to Gourmet when I started making some of these recipes. I rave about it and give it to everyone on my gift list. You can make any of the recipes everyday and not feel overwhelmed because they are truly simple! My favorite is the Lamb Shanks with Rosemary and Leeks served with mashed potatoes. Although it takes 2 hours to make, your actual work time is less than 20 minutes. Just leave it to simmer and check on it every half hour, and Viola you are a gourmet chef!I have such confidence in the kitchen because of this book! I hope, if you decide to purchase this book or put it on your wish list, that it will give you half the joy it has given me because even that would be heaven sent!

This book blows my breath away! Fabulous pictures on every page, Delicious recipes (especially the vegetables) and most recipes take only 15-35 minutes to prepare with simple-to-find ingredients. I love this book and hope they will one day do another like it.

As an avid cookbook collector and frequent shopper at the Williams-Sonoma retail stores, I was especially pleased when my husband bought this as a gift for me. I often take cookbooks to bed at night for inspiration to plan parties and this has become a favorite. As the title states, the recipies are simple and classic with wonderful photographs to show the finished products. While some of the ingredient lists may seem a bit intimidating, the results are worth it. The Potato and Onion Gratin is delicios as well as the Chicken Salad with Apples and Walnuts.The desserts are amazing, the Bittersweet Chocolate Cake is decadent and the Chocolate-Orange Cheesecake will take your breath away. The final chapter has a list of basic recipies and techniques that even the most advanced cooks would be likely to use as a reference. This is a wonderful book.