This is a wonderful book and each recipe I have tried is outstanding. The Double Chocolate Decadance with roasted almonds and the Caramel Walnut are the best. 'My biscotti' is now requested and expected for every holiday or visit. My mother and sister both asked for this book for Christmas and now even more family and friends are enjoying the results.

This Biscotti will keep your family and friends asking for more.I can't tell you enough about the Almond Crunch Biscotti, because it is that good.When you get finished eating one it is like the crunchiness and the after taste is so good that the biscotti actually has a spell on you and you just keep wanting more and more.And I am not joking when I make this biscotti everyone has said the same thing about the after taste making them want more.I love this book!!!And I try to keep some made because they go with everything from coffee to wine,so if someone stops over morning or night you have something to offer them.Plus they don't take long to make.

This slim volume of biscotti recipes is a winner - a visually appealing volume as well as having consistency good recipes. It provides a sufficiently broad selection of biscotti - from very sweet to mildly sweet, from very crisp to barely crisp. Everyone should be able to find a favorite.

I love this cookbook! It's features a great assortment of both sweet and savory crepes. Some are a little too gourmet for my taste (I'm thinking of the Shrimp & Jicama crepes, specifically), but most are simple, easy and delicious. The best part about this cookbook is it quickly shows you how quick and versatile crepes are. They can be used like pancakes, like tortillas, and sometimes even like pasta (like with Spinach and Ricotta crepes....just like manicotti). It's easy to throw ice cream, fruit, or nuts into a crepe for an amazing dessert. Sure, the book shows you plenty of amazing recipes, but taking the basic ideas and coming up with your own creation is a snap. This is a marvelous book. Sure to make a crepe enthusiast out of you!

This cookbook gives you all the basics to make crepes at home. They're surprisingly easy and versatile. Several of the recipes are for "savory" crepes, where the crepe is used like a tortilla, like philo dough, or like layered noodles. The pictures make them look great, and the recipes sound delicious. But crepes are still sort of like a pancake, so it's hard for me to take them seriously in a dinner or main course, even when it involves shrimp or caviar. The desserts I have no problem with. All of them are delicious, and it's easy to take the ideas and change them to your own liking (trading peaches and pralines for apples, dried cranberries and walnuts, for example). But regardless of whether you prefer the sweet or savory, this cookbook makes crepe cooking easy for the gourmet or the novice. Definitely worth the money.

I made crepes a couple times before, but they never came out well. After reading this, I made three perfect batches using the basic recipes. I like making a batch, then filling them with things and keeping them in the refrigerator for breakfasts. With the recipes and tips in this book, I haven't had a single problem.

this is a very simple book, with easy to follow instructions,and easy to find ingredients. it isn't overwhelming, or intimidating at all. i find myself going back to it time and time again. every recipe that i have tried, from this book, come out wonderful.i wish other cook books(and baking) were this easy to follow.

If you love pesto you will love this book. It is small, simple and everything I have made has been delicious. From the pesto recipes to the dishes using it, taste and color abound. I have a small herb garden that produces heavily. One can only eat so many fresh herbs, so pesto is a way of preserving most of what I grow, to be enjoyed later. (I even put the pesto in pretty jars with ribbon around the top, add a recipe and give it as Christmas gifts). The recipes are delicious and so easy, (anyone can use a food processor or a blender). Don't expect a pesto encyclopedia, but a book with easy directions and plenty of recipes for good pesto.

Do not let the slim size of this collection put you off. The recipies are first class. Try the "Dark Chocolate" or the "Pistachio". Homemade ice cream, especially mixes using eggs and cream, are a form of pastry cooking. Fresh is always better.

This book is a great gift for for any cook. Its provides exciting, simple and easy to follow recipes. There are modern and traditional recipes. I enjoy most of the recipes, especially the souffles. This is book is also great for its introductory understanding about eggs and for those who like to experiement with the many different ways to cook with eggs.

I have several crockpot cookbooks, and this one is my least favorite of all. Most of the recipes are very unusual, and they are no where close to being easy, common recipes that the average cook would like to cook in her/his crockpot. If you like cooking unusual dishes, and you enjoy using your crockpot, then buy this cookbook. But if you're looking for a crockpot cookbook with great, common, family-type recipes, then pass this cookbook by.

This book is an outstanding crock pot cookbook for people who like to cook and try new things. Not for people who like standard meat and potato dishes, and who don't like to cook and want to just throw everything in the pot and forget about it.
The recipes are very easy and tasty. Great cook book for company fare since the recipes are so different. I love this book!!!

This cookbook has some simple standard crockpot recipes, but the really good part about the book is that it has a variety of recipes beyond pot roast and stewed chicken. There's a WONDERFUL turkey breast recipe and several recipes for lamb, all of which are great. If you're looking for recipes you can serve guests, or a bored husband, this is your book.

I'd never seen a real recipe for sugarplums. That was really a treat. The confections are obviously high class and fancy. The only thing I found wrong with it was that there were not enough photographs included in it. I mainly bought the book because there's a marzipan pig recipe and eggnog truffles. Unfortunately, there were no pictured instructions on how to form them or what they look like after they're made. There are nice pictures included,just not enough of them. But again, I can tell that the recipes are of very good quality. Enough so to make what's displayed in the book.

This book is not only gorgeous, the recipes are easy and taste out of this world. I made turtles first thing, and was astonished at how easy it was. Course, then I had to eat the 48 turtles I just made, which wasn't too difficult! The instructions are simple to follow, and the results are spectacular. I recommend it to anyone who loves candy or loves making special gifts. Top notch!!

I tried 2 recipes: the Florentines- which were worse than tasteless, they also spread so much and were so thin/holey, that the chocolate on the back dripped through, making it basically a very unattractive thing.
The 2nd recipe was for lemon wafers: this time I was prepared for a weak cookie so I added half again the lemon zest, AND I added a couple of drops of lemon flavoring....well it was better texture but again it would have been tasteless had I not doctored it up a bit. They were still quite flavorless.

I LOVE THIS BOOK! THE PHOTOGGRAPHY IS SO SIMPLE AND BEAUTIFUL AND THE RECIPES ARE SOME OF MY FAVORITES. LOU PAPPAS HAS A DELICATE PALATE THAT DOESN'T OVERPOWER THE PASTRY WITH ONE INGREDIENT. I HAVE TASTED ALMOST EVERY RECIPE SO I SHOULD KNOW!! IT IS SO GOOD I GAVE THIS TO 8 FRIENDS FOR CHRISTMAS AND THEY LOVED IT TOO.

This is a good book for cooks who have some expertise in baking.
Yes, the instructions are clear, easy to follow BUT after trying the Blueberry Orange Coffeecake, I am not sure if all these recipes were adequately tested.
The problem with that coffeecake is I followed the instructions to a T and the cake turned out to be a disaster. It was gummy gummy gummy. Why? I suspect there was a misprint in the number of eggs: The recipe called for 5 eggs (this is for a 10-inch bundt cake); I remember thinking to myself -- gosh, that's a lot of eggs for one little cake. Well, it was.
So, I had to throw out a cake that I had made with fine ingredients (french butter etc etc). From this point on, I don't trust the other recipes, even though others I tried turned out OK (although all her cakes turn out with a slightly dense texture)