Great cookbook for those special occasions where you want to spend the time and resources on making something special. The recipes are a little more time-consuming, the ingredients a little harder to find, but the result is wonderful. Jacques Pepin is simpler (and excellent) and French Laundry Cookbook is even more complicated (but also excellent) - Terra is a great in-between.

I've cooked over 10 of their recipes already and every single one has turned out really well. They're not simple nor for a beginner cook, but if you have a little experience, it'll make for some very memorable dinners.

The desserts are especially great, as are the appetizers.

For those of you fortunate enough to have dined at this world class restaurant, Hiro & Lissa'a book needs no introduction. I was fortunate enough to have found Terra shortly after it opened in 1988 (living in St. Helena at the time) & have been hooked ever since. The BEST dishes of their menus past & present are included in this beautifully illustrated book. Most importantly the instructions are well detailed & the dishes turn out exactly as they do in the restaurant. What more can I say? THIS IS A FABULOUS BOOK!!!!!

Much like it's worthy counterpart's book (Tra Vigne), this wonderful piece should not fail to delight and please all those who happen across it.

First, if you are lucky enough to have dined at Terra, you'll already understand the beauty of (and behind) this book. Quite simply, this is a work of art. Why is that the case? Well...

Design--Beautiful graphic design and photographs. The layout is incredible and the photos are enough to make you drool.

Dialogue--Add to that delightful text and dialogue. Much closer to what this book achieves is the word "prose" as opposed to merely "text." The stories and dialogue are true pleasure to read. It makes this much more than simply a "cookbook."

Recipes--The recipes are, much like the food at the restaurant, exquisite. They are just delicious. Their difficulty ranges from relatively easy to moderately difficult. But, they are very easy to follow, making even the harder recipes accessible to the average "joe."

I strongly urge those considering this one to just go ahead and make the purchase. You will not be disappointed. It will be book you will treasure, and will reach for time and again.

Also, look into the Tra Vigne cookbook. It too is on the same level as this piece.

If you're looking for a collection of recipes to wow your guests, this is the one. I use this book whenever we have dinner parties, and people are always blown away by Puck's menus. Definitely not a great source of recipes for those watching their weight, but a wonderful treat for occasional super rich meals.

This cookbook has a great diversity of interesting dishes. There are some recipes that are fabulous for entertaining that will really impress guests.

This famous chef takes classics from French cuisine and adds the California touch of some lighter sauces with American ingredients.

He relates that this book was tested on students in his cooking school, so the average home gourmet should be able to pull these off. I would not encourage beginners to try one of these for a meal unless they practice the technique several times before the real thing. Puck has great suggestion: If you are giving an important party, it is sometimes better to present five recipes that you have mastered, rather than struggle with twenty that are new to you."

What I love about Puck is the attitude he brings: kinderspiel--my child's play. Share and laugh, great advice.

Especially have enjoyed preparing Lamb Chops with Cream of Shallots and Coulibiac of Pike with Crayfish. With each entree he also suggests an appropriate wine.

Wolfgang Puck's Modern French Cooking for the American Kitchen is a wonderful collection of recipes which will easily fill anyone's appetite. This book of recipes provides the reader with many great sauces which will bring enormous flavor to any dish that a person is creating in their kitchen. The recipes in this book have an American flavor with a French twist. This book is sophisticated and is geared more towards people with a intermediate knowledge of food preparation. If a person has this knowledge in the kitchen I suggest that they add this book to their collection of recipes. If you do feel like going out to eat at Spago you now can bring Spago home to your kitchen. If you enjoy this book of recipes I suggest that you look further into other Wolfgang and Spago recipe books. I am going into the hotel and restaurant business and from books like this I am able to further my education and knowledge about the various details of the food industry.

As the mother of three active children who also works full-time, I have always found preparing quick and healthy meals a challenge. Then I saw Sandra Lee on the "Today" Show. I immediately bought her book.

I have tried a number of cookbooks that promise quick, delicious meals in 15 or 20 minutes and most of them are a disappointment. They "conveniently" forget to include prep time so it ends up taking hours to get dinner ready or else the food is bland or the ingredients are a chore to find. This book isn't like that. The prep and cooking times are spelled out and are pretty realistic. I can have most meals on the table in less than half an hour. The price for speed is the use of pre-packaged ingredients but frankly after my husband and I drag ourselves home after another long day at the office, every little thing we do not have to do ourselves is a godsend. I think it is great that Sandra controls quality by using name products. They are easy to find and make shopping easier. And the food really does taste homemade. I have three words to say about this book - buy it now!

If you're a die-hard cook who loves spending your life in the kitchen, you'll find little use for this book. If you, like most of us, would rather spend time savoring a meal than cooking it, you'll buy this book and beg Sandra Lee for more.
Refreshingly, this book makes good on its promises - quick and marvelous and nothing is made from scratch. It goes even further to meet the demands of the more discriminating palate - that food be innovative and attractively presented.
The book is so artistic it wouldn't be amiss on your coffee table. It is a trifle large for the kitchen, but its generous size is more than made up for by its pleasing format. Each recipe receives two pages, with a gorgeous, full-page color picture on one side and the recipe on the other. Recipes range from everyday comfort food to glamorous meals for special occasions, with individual sections for snacks, appetizers, cocktails and desserts. The Banana Foster's Pie alone is worth the price.

Delightful, delectable, quick meals that taste like they were made from scratch. Most, if not all, of these meals can be made in thirty minutes or less and nobody will know that you didn't spend hours in the kitchen. The recipes are clearly explained and easy to follow so that anyone can be a success in the kitchen.

Divisions include breakfast, lunch, dinner, appetizers, cocktails, soup, salads, snacks, gravies and sauces, and even a short section on pet foods. Try the biscuits and gravy for breakfast (preparation time of about 15 minutes) or the Dijon Chicken and Mushrooms for dinner (preparation time of about 30 minutes) or perhaps the Cheddar Potato Soup (preparation time of about 15 minutes).

If you find yourself often in a hurry and trying to put together a delicious meal in a short time then you will not be disappointed in this book. Granted it takes a lot of short cuts to get you to the end result with a minimum of effort, but it does not sacrifice taste to do so. The only thing that I did not like about the book was that it was not spiral or comb bound. So, it was hard to keep it lying flat so you can actually read it. Still it fills such a unique niche that it is a recommended read.

As always, Puck gives us clever and innovative recipes, but this time they're better suited to professional chefs and restaurant budgets. I particularly point to recipes like the one for balsamic shallots which calls for a whole pound of shallots and one-and-a-half cups of balsamic vinegar. That much supermarket balsamic vinegar would be harsh and unpalatable, while a decently-aged balsamic from a specialty shop would take this dish, just a side dish after all, out of range for the average budget.

Also, I don't think his testing team did a thorough job. I found several errors, obvious to me because I'm a professional too. Regardless of these points, I think Puck is a terrific chef and teacher, although he just may have lost touch with what people will cook at home as opposed to what they would rather eat in a restaurant.

I had never been too impressed with what I saw of Wolfgang Puck and his celebrity chef status until I had the opportunity to try one of his restaurants in LA. While I wasn't blown away by the originally of the menu (there is very little difference from California Pizza Kitchen), the excution was simply terrific. All of the food, though items you can find on many other menus, was incredibly tasty and well done.

Same can be said of this cookbook. There are recipes in it that you will find in other cookbooks, but the flavor of the dishes make it great. My favorites include the tortilla soup and the beet salad with blue cheese, both a nice combination of textures and flavors. While none of the pizza recipes in of themselves blew me away, the pizza dough recipe is one of the best I've worked with. Yeast doughs in general don't like to work for me, and maybe it is just that I finally got the hang of it with his recipe, but it was a great tasting dough which made a great base for any pizza.

This book include many great recipes that can all be made with simple, inexpensive ingriedients. Many a time have I impressed guests by using these recipes. These recipes were created by the well known chef, Wolfgang Puck. After some practice, one cook these delicious recipes and the results will be so outstanding, the food will taste as if it came from a restaurant. Before the purchase of this book, it is best if one has had some previous experience cooking.

In this cookbook, Wolfgang Puck brings together all his favorite recipes and dishes from his famous restaurant. The cookbook is divided into different sections such as Appetizers, Soups, Pasta etc. The sections helped me find what I was interested in cooking that day, without having to do too much searching.

I thought that this cookbook was very nicely laid out and the design was beautiful and tasteful. Some of the recipes were also interesting and made a nice presentation when cooking for friends.

Now that I¡¦ve told you some of the good things about this book, here was one thing that I didn¡¦t like about this cookbook: I think the recipes lean towards the elaborate side of cooking things. Most of the meat dishes take more than 30 minutes to cook without the preparation time and require extra steps that I normally would not take for everyday cooking just for myself. Most of the time while I was cooking I felt that there would have to be an easier way to do some of the steps. It would be best not to follow the instructions blindly and do a little modification when cooking with this book.

I eat at Wolfgang Puck's Cafe in Evanston a lot, and have been to the Spago in Chicago for a special occasion. I love the food at both places. But I never thought I could cook Wolfgang's great food at home until I picked up this book and saw how simple he makes it. His instructions are really easy, and he includes step-by-step photos to show you exactly how. And the finished food pictures look mouthwatering and aren't fussed up like lots of cookbooks. I've made several of his chicken dishes, all delicious, and some incredible soups. My family went crazy over the bacon-wrapped meatloaf and his garlic mashed potatoes. The cheesecakes are the best ever. And his chocolate cupcakes with the warm melting centers are [super].

I am a stay-at-home mom, so I look for cookbooks that are easy to follow. Even though my girlfriend recommended this book, I was hesitant to buy it because I figured Wolfgang's food would be much too hard and fancy to make. But she was right, the recipes were easy and had really cool step-by-step photos. I have made his Chicken Pot Pie, Fettuccine Wolf-fredo, and Potato Salad so far, and they were all outstanding. My husband said jokingly that he is going to kiss Wolfgang for making his wife into a good cook. I definitely think this book should be in every home kitchen.

Of all the cooking books out there, this would be the one book I would recommend for anyone who wants to learn to cook, but has no kitchen experience at all. It explains basic kitchen terminology and methods in very basic terms....even a child could understand them. If you have much kitchen experience at all, you probably won't learn a whole lot from this book, but it does serve me well as a reference book. For example, if I can't remember exactly how long or how hot to bake a potato, I turn to Cooking for Dummies. It's recipes also serve as a wonderful jumping off point for developing your own cooking creativity. The recipes are very basic, and can always be changed or doctored up to your own tastes.

.....who never really liked cooking. She actually received this gift from co-workers as a joke! Recently, while visting her city, I spent several days with her and she decided to show off her new cooking skills, telling me that I'd be the "guinea pig". With this she held up her copy of Cooking for Dummies and explained how she came to possess it. This book starts very simply apparently, explaining such things as the difference between "boil" and "broil" and how to tell if meat is cooked. It's perfect for those who've really never done a day of cooking in their lives or those who are still in the fairly early stages of learning cooking basics. It proceeds slowly until the point where the reader is actually ready to put together a dish and can follow the book's recipes. Well, my cousin wowed me over the next several days and really put together some quite tasty meals! I recommend this book for all novice cooks!!! If she can do it, you can too!!!

Okay. I have your attention. Several years ago, I searched and searched for ANY book that would simply tell me how to cook. ANY! Finally I found a Godsend, "The New Cook Cookbook" by Raymond Sokolov. But, well, the book deserves five stars in it's own right, but it's not really written for, well - all right - DUMMIES! Then I found this book. It is simply incredible! It sits you down. Lies and tells you that you are not a "Dummie". Then proceeds with a graphic survey of the elements of simply...learning...how to cook! I would also advise those who are expert cookers (or whatever the name- culaniasts maybe) to buy this book as well. We need the basics before we can go ahead. But then we have to go back to the basics time and time again. THIS book goes with me if I'm ever on the Titanic!

This is TRULY the most used cookbook I have ever owned!! It is completely falling apart, I have used it so much. If you buy it, it is worth is just for the apple pie, chocolate bread pudding, sticky buns, and brownies alone!!! I haven't tried everything in here yet (some of them are a little too difficult for a novice like myself - like the opera cake and tiramisu) but it is a MUST have for anyone who loves to impress people with their baking!

The recipes in this cookbook include the standard techniques and repertoire that a good pastry chef (including a good home pastry chef) should have. Very few of these recipes are not greatly rewarding. Though some may require the devotion of a few hours, or even more, the recipes are almost always fairly easy. The chef-writers allow much flexibility in mixing parts of recipes (the outside and the inside, crust and fillings) and include the fundamentals for the basic dessert types, including cake, cheesecake, ice cream, cookies (including biscotti), pies, tarts, muffins, and fruit-based desserts. The recipes are clear, easy to follow, and require rudimentary cooking skills to produce quite amazing results. This book is appropriate for homey, feel-good deserts as well as rather bombastic ones, and each is as delicious as the next.

I just bought this book for my collection, after having tried some of Mary's desserts, a while ago (a long while ago). I earn my living, like Mary Bergin, making desserts and taking some of the blame for accumulated pound around the waist line.
The recipes in this book may not be easy for the home cook/baker, but it should not stop anybody from trying. Your friend and family will elevate you to saithood just for a piece of Mary's Pumpikin Pie or Pecan Pie. And love you even a bit more for the Austrian Chocolate Cake. It may not be Austrian (I am Austrian) but then who cares after having tried it.
I will write again after having tried some more of the recipes, and include my customers comments. See ya Mary.....

I keep going back to the cookbook hoping to find something I want to make, I'm usually disappointed. It's not the recipes themselves that are disappointing, it's the cookbook itself; it's very poorly put together. There are absolutely no themes in the book, it doesn't follow any structure, and there are no recommendations for putting together a complete meal. They have "menus" of meals and banquets Puck's put together in the past, and none of the recipes can be found in the book! This simply doesn't make any sense. This from the multi-million dollar Wolfgang Puck Enterprises is very surprising (and disappointing). So what is it good for?

Pastas: Wolfgang Puck does have a few great pasta recipes. He describes how to put together a few different homemade pastas (Plain Pastas, Squid Ink Pasta, Herbed Pasta, etc.) and they are all excellent. I've successfully made his tortellini and will continue to do so.

Main courses: Puck has some great main course dishes. They are all a variant of French Asian Fusion, lots of seafood, beef and chicken courses. They are not overly complex to do, but they do require that you have some experience in the kitchen.

Another major problem with this book is that there are essentially no side dishes (fewer than half a dozen). Not only that, but there are few recommendations as to what you should make with his courses. This isn't absolutely critical if you are a fairly advanced cook, because you can always create and improvise, but it's a sign of a cookbook that hasn't had a lot of thought put into it.

Overall I would recommend against making this purchase. I've heard his latest cookbook is better, so I might take a shot at it, but I'll wait until I've have an opportunity to read through it first.

Despite what the previous reviewer said, this cookbook is excellent. Every recipe that I've tried out of this book has been excellent. The flavor combinations of these recipes are just unique enough to make them and this book stand out from others that are similar. Wolfgang explains the recipe, but also explains what would go well with it and what he likes about the recipe (so that you can understand the dish's strong points). I highly recommend this book.