Joyce Esersky Goldstein

Joyce Goldstein is a first rate cookbook author, combining a lusciousness up there with Paula Wolfert's with a practical kitchen veteran's tone akin to Marcella Hazan's. This book includes the cultural background of the cuisine, contrasting it with the Ashkenazic tradition most people are more familiar with. And the recipes are amazing--pumpkin-filled filo coils, leek and cheese matzo pie, vegetable soup with plums, tomato bread pudding, and Georgian-style meat-with-fruit fare like roast show more chicken with apples and pomegranate. YUM. I'm a cookbook addict--by which I mean I love the ideas and opinions behind sublime food, and I also love curling up with a good cookbook just to read it for fun, and collecting them as historical documents. This takes the cake for all three. show less

First off, don’t read this book while you are hungry, it doesn’t help, it just makes the cravings worse. So i knew there was jam, jelly, and chutney, but this book goes way beyond that. Did you know you can make other flavors than just Orange Marmalade? Who has thought of adding Rhubarb to your jam, or the difference between butters and Conserve? Not me until reading this book. Well done, lots of mouth watering pictures, and plenty of fun recipes that I can not wait to try out. My show more kitchen will be a disaster zone, but I look forward to it. show less

These books are odd, in that they're cookbooks that are apparently designed to be coffee-table books. While I with they had been published in a normal cookbook size, the photos of the regions and the recipes, and the recipes themselves, are top-notch.

I have been on a long quest for adequate cookbooks with recipes for the single chef, who isn't consistently cooking for "four to six" people. This one is imaginative, and full of strategies for how best to stock your kitchen, how to store or use leftovers, and how to expand recipes for a guest or two. As the subtitle suggests, the meals are simple, but they aren't cheap. The author makes it clear her audience has plenty of disposable income, and enjoys the pleasures of fine dining. I knew show more that when I bought it, but I was still a little surprised at what it would cost me to cook like this all the time.

If you're unsatisfied with your current menus, or looking for some new ideas, this would be a good selection. If you are cooking on a tight budget, it might be hard to adapt these recipes to remove some of the expense. show less