Secondly, the book is a long overdue portrait of the real Mario Batali and of the real Marco Pierre White--two complicated and brilliant chefs whose coverage in the press--while appropriately fawning--has never described them in their fully debauched, delightful glory. Buford has--for the first time--managed to explain White's peculiar--almost freakish brilliance--while humanizing a man known for terrorizing cooks, customers (and Batali). As for Mario--he is finally revealed for the Falstaffian, larger than life, mercurial, frighteningly intelligent chef/enterpreneur he really is. No small accomplishment. Other cooks, chefs, butchers, artisans and restaurant lifers are described with similar insight.
Thirdly, Heat reveals a dead-on understanding--rare among non-chef writers--of the pleasures of "making" food; the real human cost, the real requirements and the real adrenelin-rush-inducing pleasures of cranking out hundreds of high quality meals. One is left with a truly unique appreciation of not only what is truly good about food--but as importantly, who cooks--and why. I can't think of another book which takes such an unsparing, uncompromising and ultimately thrilling look at the quest for culinary excellence. Heat brims with fascinating observations on cooking, incredible characters, useful discourse and argument-ending arcania. I read my copy and immediately started reading it again. It's going right in between Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London and Zola's The Belly of Paris on my bookshelf. --Anthony Bourdain
Book Description
Bill Buford—author of the highly acclaimed best-selling Among the Thugs—had long thought of himself as a reasonably comfortable cook when in 2002 he finally decided to answer a question that had nagged him every time he prepared a meal: What kind of cook could he be if he worked in a professional kitchen? When the opportunity arose to train in the kitchen of Mario Batali’s three-star New York restaurant, Babbo, Buford grabbed it. Heat is the chronicle—sharp, funny, wonderfully exuberant—of his time spent as Batali’s “slave” and of his far-flung apprenticeships with culinary masters in Italy.
In a fast-paced, candid narrative, Buford describes the frenetic experience of working in Babbo’s kitchen: the trials and errors (and more errors), humiliations and hopes, disappointments and triumphs as he worked his way up the ladder from slave to cook. He talks about his relationships with his kitchen colleagues and with the larger-than-life, hard-living Batali, whose story he learns as their friendship grows through (and sometimes despite) kitchen encounters and after-work all-nighters.
Buford takes us to the restaurant in a remote Appennine village where Batali first apprenticed in Italy and where Buford learns the intricacies of handmade pasta . . . the hill town in Chianti where he is tutored in the art of butchery by Italy’s most famous butcher, a man who insists that his meat is an expression of the Italian soul . . . to London, where he is instructed in the preparation of game by Marco Pierre White, one of England’s most celebrated (or perhaps notorious) chefs. And throughout, we follow the thread of Buford’s fascinating reflections on food as a bearer of culture, on the history and development of a few special dishes (Is the shape of tortellini really based on a woman’s navel? And just what is a short rib?), and on the what and why of the foods we eat today.
Heat is a marvelous hybrid: a richly evocative memoir of Buford’s kitchen adventure, the story of Batali’s amazing rise to culinary (and extra-culinary) fame, a dazzling behind-the-scenes look at the workings of a famous restaurant, and an illuminating exploration of why food matters.
It is a book to delight in—and to savor.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting but not what I thought it was going to be.......2007-09-19
I got this book because my husband heard an interview on the radio and thought I would like it since I love to cook. It was interesting but spent too much time, for me, on the politics of working in a restaurant kitchen and not enough on the workings of food in a restaurant. I bored with the personalities and gave up trying to figure out who was who.
I think I made the pages soggy..........2007-09-17
This guy, Bill Buford, is pretty amazing. Despite the danger of slicing off his hands entirely (an accident that he somehow manages to repeat) under various huge, sharp, professional knives, he insisted going (back again and again) to Italy to learn about things so obscure even professional chefs wouldn't have much idea about.
If you're looking for a book about Batali, this isn't the most comprehensive one, but it's scathingly honest and if you really live and breathe food, you'll gain a whole lot more than goss about the inner workings of Batali's businesses. It gets a bit soppy at times - a bit too "Tuscany is beautiful, and Provence is the ultimate foodie heaven", but only fleetingly, and all can be forgiven once you read about the author's hilarious effort to cook a whole pig...
ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......2007-09-11
The chapters on Mario Batali and the dynamics of his kitchen were really interesting and engaging. I was intrigud by the sections on Marco Pierre White as I had just read Gordon Ramsey's autobiography in which his tempestuous relationship with White plays a significant role. The rest of Buford's book is just too tediously, self-indulgently written to the point where it killed my interest in the underlying subjects of pasta making and butchery (I ended up skimming page after page as I just couldn't take it). It reminded me of a computer spitting forth every bit of information in its memory regardless of relevance or interest. Just too many tedious, boorish details.
BRAVO!.......2007-09-11
If you've ever wondered what it would be like to work in a professional kitchen... this is the book makes you feel like you are there. Ver interesting and delightful to read. Very different than any other book I've read.
A great foodie book...though missing just a slice of Bourdain.......2007-09-03
I'll offer right up front that Bill Buford offers in this book what I have been missing from Anthony Bourdain's books--both offer a wonderful no-holds-barred approach to the restaurant culture and the madness that lies behind the swinging kitchen door as well as a sheer love for food, but while Bourdain has much more of the insider appeal and the edge of experience from which to tell his tales, Buford is, hands-down, a durn better writer. This book is an intense view of the world of Italian food. It is researched and experienced. Buford made a reputation with Among the Thugs of going deep into his subject matter, culminating (in Thugs) in being beaten by cops as though he were one (after he had worked hard to be one of them). Rather than take a removed, journalistic perspective, researching from afar, Buford dives right in and learns everything from the inside.
In this book, Buford comes under the wing of rockstar-chef Mario Batali, and though he may fancy himself a foodie who could have become a renowned chef himself had he put in the time, the work of the kitchen turns out to be a whole different world. From almost day one, Buford learns that there is a proper way to dice carrots (which he didn't do), uncovering the first of many lessons I would learn through this book that would let me realize that I, too, am but an amateur in the world of cooking. Buford learns that one of the first secrets to being an ace chef is being able to cook the same dish the same way each and every time, so that those who come in and enjoy it one night can come in on any other night and still have the dish that they loved so well.
From there, the lessons don't get any easier. Moving up from prep to line cook creates its own hazards (literally), but within it all Buford maintains his cool (in his own way) and becomes a student of food. This eventually leads him to take some trips to Italy, where he tries his hand as an apprentice to making pasta and, ultimately, as a butcher. The book leaflet is a little misleading here, for Buford learns more about the proper way to butcher a pig carcass rather than slaughter the pig itself--this is where Buford divides from Bourdain, who wanted to be involved in the actual killing of a pig in his quest to become closer to the food he loves so much.
It's hard not to make corellations between Bill Buford and Anthony Bourdain, maybe because both have such a deep respect for food and the craft of making it. Bourdain, of course, speaks from the inside, and that might be his ultimate downfall. His TV appearances are golden, but when translated to the page, books like Kitchen Confidential and A Cook's Tour have the essence of foodiness that I like, but the pages eventually get rather unreadable. Buford has a very engaging style and is good at developing moments of humor and manicness and pure horror, and the gruff relationships between the cooks seem to go right up the same alley as Buford's previous work with English soccer hooligans. His research into cooking history (for example, when egg was first used in making Italian pasta) is wonderful, though I wasn't so intrigued in his chapters that delved into the histories of some of his colleagues, including Batali. In the later chapters, Buford's writing became almost a little too thick, like (excuse, please) munching constantly on duck in a thick, rich sauce, but then getting a little overwhelmed and wanting a bit more of a respite before being bombarded with another round of deep, deep flavor.
In all, this book becomes the story of a foodie's journey into discovering the essence of being a chef and even attaining that, in a way. Though I was a little let down by the ending that suggested a sequel in the guise of conveying a deeper sense of yearning in Buford's curiosity about food, the narrative is quite secure throughout.
The ultimate foodie book will be written by someone with the passion and experience of Bourdain, but with the skills and desire for further knowledge of Buford. Right now, this would seem to be the best case scenario we can find, but I hold out hope that there might be another out there who can mix absolutely everything together.
Book Description
The Tuscan house, whether a simple homestead or expansive villa, has become one of the most sought-after living environments. Its design is virtually unchanged since the Middle Ages, when landowners in the golden hills of Tuscany built country retreats with gardens, porticoes, and loggias. The landowners often drew upon the natural resources of the region-and it is these materials that give the Tuscan house its unique character. Tuscan Elements brings to life the colors, textures, and aesthetics of the Tuscan house-the magnificent stone and marble work; the hardwoods like chestnut, oak, and elm; earthy terra-cotta and brick; and the all-important water feature, used in ponds, fountains, and pools. This unique, visual sourcebook deconstructs the typical Tuscan home and examines its basic components in dazzling detail, from the tiled roof and floor, thick stone exterior walls, and vine-covered loggia to the exposed wooden beams, luminous frescoes, and the sunny courtyard garden with an ancient well or exquisite swimming pool. Filled with extraordinary photos by world-famous interiors photographer Simon McBride, Tuscan Elements emphasizes living life well with a home that nurtures and comforts, accentuates the importance of family and friends, and entertains with good food and drink. For anyone interested in infusing their present home and garden with a little bit of Tuscany, here is a delightful source of never- ending inspiration.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2007-05-06
This book is filled to the top with great quality pictures. Wonderful inspiration for me and our new home which we are doing a Tuscan Theme. Will make a good coffee table book as well :)
Too Primitive!.......2006-07-11
The disigns elements were too rustic for my taste. I was looking for more of a casual elegence.
Ótimo livro sobre casa toscanas.......2006-03-17
Recomendo esse livro para quem, como eu, pretende construir no estilo toscano. Claro está que não se encontra mais tijolos de 300 anos, porém, pode-se ter completa idéia de como é o ar de uma propriedade toscana. Ótimas fotos e boas dicas.
Tuscan Elements.......2005-08-19
This is the best book of its kind that I have seen on basic Tuscan home design elements. Concise descriptions, beautiful photgraphy. I would heartily recommend this book.
Tuscan Style.......2004-12-24
I normally don't buy tabletop table books because I don't feel that they represent a value or add much to my understanding of a subject. Tabletop books full of incredible pictures just do not fully capture my imagination or attention. Consequently, most tabletop books get a cursory flipping through before I put them down.
However, `Tuscan Elements' is more than a book of pretty pictures and it is worth more than just a cursory flipping through. The author, Alexandra Black, has organized her effort to capture the elements of Tuscany. The four elements are stone, wood, earth, and water. These four elements are expressed in the homes, furniture, terracotta, and ponds, respectively, of Tuscany. To stand alongside the pictures of these four elements, Ms. Black takes the time to build a supporting story from a historical and literary point of view. Quoting D.H. Lawrence and Pliny the Younger, the story of how these elements have been woven into the ebb and flow of Tuscan life since before the Roman Empire emerges with an impressive clarity and vividness.
As a lover of Tuscany I am drawn to images of Tuscany and its way of life. The seductive beauty of the Tuscan landscape and the romance of the Tuscan lifestyle as expressed in the prose and images of this tabletop book is the stuff of dreams. This tabletop book provided me the fodder for those dreams and never once disappointed me.
Book Description
American chef Marlena de Blasi and her Venetian husband, Fernando, married rather late in life. In search of the rhythms of country living, the couple moves to a barely renovated former stable in Tuscany with no phone, no central heating, and something resembling a playhouse kitchen. They dwell among two hundred villagers, ancient olive groves, and hot Etruscan springs. In this patch of earth where Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio collide, there is much to feed de Blasi's two passions--food and love. We accompany the couple as they harvest grapes, gather chestnuts, forage for wild mushrooms, and climb trees in the cold of December to pick olives, one by one. Their routines are not that different from those of villagers centuries earlier.
They are befriended by the mesmeric Barlozzo, a self-styled village chieftain. His fascinating stories lead de Blasi more deeply inside the soul of Tuscany. Together they visit sacred festivals and taste just-pressed olive oil, drizzled over roasted country bread, and squash blossoms, battered and deep-fried and sprayed with sea-salted water. In a cauldron set over a wood fire, they braise beans in red wine, and a stew of wild boar simmers overnight in the ashes of their hearth. Barlozzo shares his knowledge of Italian farming traditions, ancient health potions, and artisanal food makers, but he has secrets he doesn't share, and one of them concerns the beautiful Floriana, whose illness teaches Marlena that happiness is truly a choice.
Like the pleasurable tastes and textures of a fine meal, A Thousand Days in Tuscany is as satisfying as it is enticing. The author's own recipes are included.
Customer Reviews:
(4.5 stars) A gorgeous tribute to Tuscany and her people..........2007-09-28
A THOUSAND DAYS IN TUSCANY is Marlena de Blasi's second memoir recounting her life in Italy, after 2002's A THOUSAND DAYS IN VENICE. In the book's opening pages, she and her husband and soul mate, Fernando, have left Venice for a dilapidated farmouse deep in the Tuscan countryside. The residents of the idyllic village near their new home welcome them with a meal, which inevitably lasts for hours, ending with a dessert whose cream was just milked from a blue-eyed cow that morning. Subsequently, Marlena and Fernando are befriended by Barlozzo, one of the town's oldest residents, who is eager to share stories about the locals and to introduce them to timeless Tuscan traditions: hunting for truffles, baking bread, picking olives for olive oil, crushing grapes for wine, harvesting chestnuts... But it's not just Tuscany that Marlena and Fernando learn about during their stay in one of the world's most beautiful places; they also learn a lot about each other and about themselves, and a lot about what it means to slow down and enjoy a life free from the hustle and bustle of the modern world.
This was a beautiful, beautiful book, with some of the most stunning writing I've ever come across. De Blasi's descriptions bring Old World Tuscany utterly and completely to life; you can almost taste the olive oil, can almost feel the grapes bursting under your feet, can almost imagine yourself there, in an old Tuscan farmhouse, starting out the window at that marvelous landscape. The pictures de Blasi paints of the townspeople are insightful and vibrant, and the recipes at the end of every chapter are completely succulent, including the recipe for the "one true bruschetta" (no tomatoes, no garlic, no onion or herbs...just fresh-baked toasted bread doused in olive oil and topped with a little bit of sea salt). It's really obvious from her writing that de Blasi loves everything about Italy: her people, her food, her breathtaking vistas and her sun-drenched, relaxed way of life.
I fell in love with Marlena de Blasi's Italy, with her gorgeous writing, her delicious traditional Tuscan recipes, and her vivid portrayals of the people who live in the beauty and romance of Tuscany every day. There were moments when I felt like her writing bordered on pretentious, but mostly I just thought everything about this book was gorgeous. I haven't read A THOUSAND DAYS IN VENICE, but I'm definitely going to. You can definitely tell how much Fernando and Marlena are in love in this book, but I'm eager to learn how their love story began.
The Tuscan state of mind can best be summed up with the following passage, spoken by one of Marlena's dearest Tuscan friends: "Maybe the only thing that matters is to make our lives last as long as we do. You know, to make a life last until it ends, to make all the parts come out even, like when you rub the last piece of bread in the last drop of oil on your plate and eat it with the last sip of wine in your glass." A THOUSAND DAYS IN TUSCANY is a book for people in love, for people who long for a simpler way of life, for people who go to that idyllic Tuscan countryside every night in their dreams. I loved everything about this book!
Over to quickly!.......2007-05-07
I found myself reading slower as I got near the end of this story. I didn't want it to end. A THOUSAND DAYS IN VENICE was a delightful book but I found this one more captivating. Ms. De Blasi weaves a beautiful, true adventure as if the reader was traveling along with her each step of the way. Her descriptions and characters are so real in her words I thought I might be there. BRAVA, de Blasi!!!!!!!!!
I'm in love with De Blasi's Italy.......2007-05-06
I've read A Thousand Days in Venice, A Thousand Days in Tuscany and The Lady in the Palazzo. Once I started the first, A Thousand Days in Venice, I was hooked. These are love stories about an American woman of a certain age who fell in love with a Venetian man of a certain age, and more. De Blasi loves this blueberry eyed man with a passion not to be duplicated. She also loves the people, the food, the customs the land. She learns to live in Italy, speak the language, read and dream in Italian and she pushes the box each time she reaches out to someone, which is often. Her recipes are wonderfull. I'm trying to figure out if I can find walnut flour in Minnesota.
Read it as a travelog, as a cookbook, as a love story. Just read all of the books.
A Thousand Days in Tuscany.......2007-01-18
It is a good book but rather slow. However, I will have to say I have enjoyed reading about this woman's time living in Tuscany. The recipes that she wrote really sound good. I will be trying some.
She shows her love of Italy through her writings.......2006-11-05
I read her first book A Thousand Days in Venice and enjoyed it very much. It seemed so real like we were sitting over coffee discussing her life. It made me want to walk the same places she walked and see the same markets to bring it to life for me too.
She has a smooth way of writing that is enjoyable. And the recipes are wonderful.
She again brought Tuscany to life for me and I wanted to see the villages and cucina's there. I am looking forward to the 2007 book.
Book Description
Just when we thought we knew everything there was to know about Tuscany, along comes Beth Elon–cookbook writer and 30 year resident of a small village at the foot of the Appenines–who takes us along the back roads and through the ancient hill towns to remote restaurants that are for the most part overlooked by tourists and known only to the locals. At each restaurant the cooks share their highly personal recipes for regional dishes made with local ingredients.
With this guide in hand, you’ll not only know where to dine, but what to order when you get there. Each regional section begins with illuminating and absorbing explanations of what makes Tuscan cooking so unique: location, location, location. You’ll read about a bean so beloved by a village that it’s been elevated to cult status–but that is totally unheard of a few kilometers down the road; the specialty of the Zeri Valley, a milk-fed aboriginal baby lamb, that is almost unknown elsewhere in Italy; the endless array of vegetable tarts found only in Lunigiana and Garfagnana.
Elon has organized ten itineraries that also include stops at gourmet shops, food festivals, greenmarkets, and private kitchens. Along the way, she points out significant architecture, historic sites, churches, art, museums, and points of interest in the memorable landscape. The indispensable travel information in this guide is enriched by the author’s deep personal knowledge of the history and legend of the region–and her delightful voice and beautiful writing.
Customer Reviews:
tuscany.......2007-03-14
I love all about Tuscany would love to live ther and be able to write about it
No photos, but the simple instructions don't need them........2006-11-07
Beth Elton's title isn't just a cookbook - it takes a culinary tour of Tuscany into regions largely uncovered in other titles - and surveys the special kitchens and products of over fifty restaurants whose cooks produce original recipes revealed just for this title. All dishes have been adapted for home cooks but retain the authenticity of generations of development, so cooks seeking a blend of travelogue and new dishes to try will find delightful the blend of travel insights and easy dishes. No photos, but the simple instructions don't need them.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
A Culinary Traveller in Tuscany - Food for Thought.......2006-09-06
A fabulous travel guide, which my wife and I used extensively on our recent visit to Tuscany. The author provides details of wonderful restaurants, spectacular settings and hidden gems in small towns and villages throughout the region!
If you are planning a visit to Tuscany, don't leave home without this book. If you are over 50 and look forward to a good meal at the end of a well-travelled day, this book is a must-read.
Mike and Michal
New York City
Delectable!.......2006-08-05
This book is what so many books claim to be but aren't -- an off-the-beaten-track gem. For any visitor to Tuscany with the time or inclination to go beyond the usual Florence-Lucca-Pisa-San Gimignano-Siena type of itinerary (to name just one), the book offers a wonderfully imaginative alternative: plan your days -- or the entire trip -- around the best restaurants to be found in the little towns that most tourists never visit. The author gives tantalizing descriptions of both the towns and restaurants (with maps and itineraries), and supplies plenty of recipes to boot. So the book will function in the kitchen just as well as on the road -- it is essentially half cookbook and half guidebook. But for me (not being much of a cook, and planning a trip to Italy) it was the places the author describes that were the most delectable of all. The book is a great idea, beautifully executed and beautifully written.
This book is like great advice from a friend.......2006-07-27
Beth Elon's descriptions and recommendations are spot-on. I got this book just in time for a trip to Tuscany and found it extraordinarily useful. We loved visiting the places she mentioned and found her recipes and description of local specialties a great help in making fantastic menu selections. Back home, the recipes are like having Tuscany in our kitchen. It's now my favorite book to give to food- and travel-loving friends.
Average customer rating:
- Simple, delicious recipes
- Refreshing, fun, delicious
- Placed in Tuscany
- My favorite cookbook from a library full of cookbooks !!
- THE BEST
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A Tuscan in the Kitchen: Recipes and Tales from My Home
Pino Luongo
Manufacturer: Clarkson Potter
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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| Baking
| Cooking, Food & Wine
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Simply Tuscan: Recipes for a Well-Lived Life
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Fish Talking: Recipes from le Madri, Coco Pazzo, and Sapore di mare
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Lidia's Italy: 140 Simple and Delicious Recipes from the Ten Places in Italy Lidia Loves Most
ASIN: 0517569167
Release Date: 1988-10-12 |
Book Description
This exuberant, delightfully unconventional cookbook is a warm, personal collection of recipes and reminiscences of the author's native Tuscany and a guide to a spontaneous way of cooking based on good taste and common sense rather than rigid rules.
In A Tuscan in the Kitchen, Pino Luongo, the creator of New York's successful Il Cantinori restaurant, presents 140 of his favorite recipes, from soups and antipasti to salads and desserts. The recipes include such tempting dishes as trout with balsamic vinegar, peasant-style risotto made with sausage and peas, roasted quail with tarragon, spaghetti with sea bass sauce, radicchio and orange salad, and baked peaches stuffed with walnuts and chocolate. Interspersed throughout in a spirited narrative are tales of his adventures as well as stories of family celebrations and the local traditions of the people who live in Tuscany's dries, hill towns, and fishing ports.
Mr. Luongo shows us how to cook the Tuscan way, using a small repertoire of ingredients and a few basic techniques to create dishes that taste delicious and can be endlessly varied. The ingredients in each recipe are broken down into a three-part list: pantry staples, like olive oil, pasta, and canned plum tomatoes; cold storage items such as eggs, butter, and cheese; and a handful of market foods that need to be purchased fresh. In the recipes, he gives basic instructions and guidelines for making each dish but does not give exact quantities. For instance, a recipe for tagliatelle with fresh garden vegetables suggests a variety of vegetables and herbs; the cook decides how many and how much of each to use, according to taste. Mr. Luongo teaches us the kind of flexibility good cookshave always practiced and encourages us to create our own personal style of cooking -- and have a wonderful time in the kitchen, too.
Filled with warmth and an irrepressible enthusiasm for life's pleasures, A Tuscan in the Kitchen is an original and inspiring cookbook.
Customer Reviews:
Simple, delicious recipes.......2007-06-09
This book teaches cooks how to create delicious, seasonal foods out of simple ingredients. He also includes stories linked to the traditions of Tuscany. It is an unusual cookbook in that Pino Luongo doesn't include amounts of ingredients but that seems to aid in the educational process. It's okay to make food based on taste rather than exact amounts. I definitely recommend this cookbook.
Refreshing, fun, delicious.......2001-07-11
Pino is so refreshing, so much fun. His recipes have no quantities. Forget that, he says, be creative, abandon your inhibitions, trust yourself. A good Italian lesson in or out fo the kitchen! Although I'm an average cook, I find his recipes straight forward with ingredients organized in three columns--pantry, cold storage & fresh from the market. He chats away with you on little tips like how to make your bean salad ever stronger tasting, on episodes from his childhood, on the Tuscan way of life in the old days. With the polenta recipe you read about the "heartbreaking imagination" of the poor people who made endless varieties of polenta dishes for all three meals. He makes you laugh throughout the book with tales like his first kiss with his face among the stinging nettles--just before the grilled vegetable recipe. A full of life book! You'll have a good time cooking and soaking up the Tuscan culture around food and love. What else is there?
Margaret Cowan, author of Your Guide to 133 Decadent Cooking Holidays in Italy.
Placed in Tuscany.......1999-12-16
I bought 'Tuscan in the Kitchen' years ago and find myself turning to it continually. I have tried 99% of the recipies and find each one bursting with flavors not found in any local retaurant. Measurments for the ingredients are not given, leaving the recipe in the hands of the cook. This requires a bit of wisdom in cooking and inspires all sorts of improvisation. Not for the beginner! But worth the fun.
My favorite cookbook from a library full of cookbooks !!.......1999-09-17
I went away for a year and left my books with my sister. This book was in her kitchen and it took me another year to get it back from her. The recipes are the finest and it was only when I lent it out and was told that there were no measurements that I became aware of it. Mr. Luongo instills in us the instinct to cook these dishes ... through his words, stories and pictures. The meals that I've made from this book are my kitchen regulars ... I can't wait for a nice cold day to make the "Stracotto" again. It is a leftover that I dream of all day long!!
THE BEST.......1999-03-18
I have enjoyed using this cookbook for almost ten years. Not only is the book visually beautiful, with wonderful anecodtes, the recipes are amazing. The stains on the pages attest to that. More than a few of the recipes have become my "comfort food" favorites, yet they still draw compliments when prepared for guests. Pino Luongo has taught me a philosophy in cooking that has spilled over into all of my food preparation--and I thank him for it. This book is a joy to read and especially to use.
Average customer rating:
- Over the Top
- Actually useful for design.
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Tuscany Interiors/ Interieurs De Toscane: 25th Anniversary edition
Paolo Rinaldi
Manufacturer: Taschen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Tuscan Elements (Decor Best-Sellers)
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ASIN: 3822847585 |
Book Description
Nestling in the gentle hills and brushed with the hazy sfumato of the air, the homes of Tuscany have long been the objects of lust and legend. This book affords a privileged glimpse of Tuscan houses and interiors. Leading lights of the international arts and fashion scenes open their doors and bid us enter. The range extends from the simple casa colonia, the typical farmhouse of Chianti, via the majestic palazzo of the Puccis and the magnificent villa of the Siemens family to a house designed by Ettore Sottsass.
Customer Reviews:
Over the Top.......2003-09-20
This book did not provide any practical interior design ideas. If, however, you are into Tuscan, it would make a fabulous coffee table book.
Actually useful for design........2003-09-06
Unlike most interior design idea books, this book actually has a fair number of interiors that are relevant to normal size homes and rooms. I would say that about half this book is useful for homes that aren't mansions. This is unusual, because most design books only have a few plates that are relevant to anything less than a Hearst manion. Definately a buy.
- jim and katya preston
Book Description
I always imagine each of the signoras who lived in this house—where she shelled peas, rocked the grandchild, placed a vase of the pink roses. Now I would like to take one of these women back to my house in California to show her how Bramasole traveled to America and took root, how the doors there are open to the breeze from San Pablo bay and to the distant view of Mount Tamalpais, how the table has expanded and the garden has burgeoned…
The “bard of Tuscany” (New York Times) now offers a lavishly illustrated book for everyone who dreams of integrating the Tuscan lifestyle—from home decoration and cooking, to eating and drinking, to gardening, socializing, and celebrating—into their own lives.
When Frances Mayes fell in love with Tuscany and Bramasole, millions of readers basked in the experience through her three bestselling memoirs. Now Frances and her husband, In Tuscany coauthor Edward, share the essence of Tuscan life as they have lived it, with specific ideas and inspiration for readers stateside to bring the beauty and spirit of Tuscany into their own home decor, meals, gardens, entertaining and, most important, outlook on life. In her inimitable warm and evocative tone, Frances helps readers develop an eye for authentic Tuscan style, with advice on how to:
• Choose a Tuscan color palette for the home, from earthy apricot tones to invigorating shades of antique blue.
• Personalize a room with fanciful door frames, unique painted furniture, and fresco murals.
• Cultivate a Tuscan garden, adding fountains, vine-covered pergolas, and terra-cotta urns among the herbs and flowers
• Select the best Italian vino. (Frances describes lunches at regional vineyards and imparts tips for pairing food and wine.)
• Create an atmosphere of irresistible, anytime hospitality—a casa aperta (open home).
• Make primo finds at local antiques markets. (And to help truly bring Tuscany home, shipping advice and market days for several Tuscan towns are included.)
• Set an imaginative Tuscan table using majolica and vintage linens.
• Enjoy the abundant flavors and easy simplicity of the Tuscan kitchen, with details on everything from olive oil and vino santo to pici and gnocchi, plus special homegrown menus and recipes.
• Make the most of a trip to Tuscany, visiting Frances’s favorite hill towns, restaurants, small museums, and other soothing places.
With more than 100 photos by acclaimed photographer Steven Rothfeld (including several of the Mayes’s California home and its Tuscan accents), twenty-five all-new recipes, and lists of resources for travelers and shoppers, Bringing Tuscany Home is a treasure trove of practical advice and memorable images.
Customer Reviews:
How can a Frances Mayes book be anything but fabulous??.......2006-03-28
Francis Mayes does such an incredible job of bringing Tuscany to the rest of the world. This book includes fun recipes and beautiful photos...a joy to read!
--Vicki Landes, author of "Europe for the Senses - A Photographic Journal"
Great photos.......2006-01-15
This a wonderful exploration into Italian design. Loved it. Highly recommended for the designer or homeowner.
Really Let Down by this book........2005-12-06
I was so excited when I ordered this book and so let down after getting it and looking it over. The cover is VERY deceptive. This is NOT a style/decorating book. This is the story of a couple renovating a wonderful old home in Tuscany. It is well written and at times charming and warm. It is also often quite boring reading about what stone to pick for the house and who they visited and what wine they drank. It almost seems as if the author were forcing another book out for publication!! There are VERY FEW photos...barely any really in the book. The photos present are of wine, friends, a few of the house and a few of home decor/furniture layout, and food. The photos are very striking and pretty....if you enjoy seeing their friends and not really getting any basic decorating ideas. There are about 30 recipes and photos of the food, as I said above. Some recipes are nice but I really didn't see anything new and inspiring. A good Italian cookbook would be a better investment. As for the cover....it is very deceptive to say the least since it focuses on a very pretty vignette: furniture, art, pottery and style of arrangement. This is most definitely NOT what this book is about. In fact: I found the cover to be the best part of the book. I decided to return it and look for a better book really focusing on design. The author clearly loves Tuscany and if you want a nicely written and warm hearted book to read about hers and her husband's story of renovation, friends and their love of food, wine and Tuscany then you will like this book. It is not a picture book at all but rather a reading book with a story that seems rather forced and often VERY VERY boring and drawn out for the purpose of publication.
terrific service.......2005-10-03
ordered book as a gift and at the last minute. Afraid it would not arrive in time but I received it in less than a week. It was securely packaged and looked brand new. Great experience and will definitely order from vendor again
Enough already!!.......2005-08-19
In my opinion Ms. Mayes is doing for the literary world what Thomas Kincaid has done for art.
I was absolutely entranced with Italy after reading UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN.........and equally so with BELLA TUSCANY. I must admit that while I truly enjoyed the photographs contained in IN TUSCANY I was less than satisfied with the written content. I feel that the passion Ms. Mayes felt with her first book, and so openly shared with the readers, has wained with each successive book and she is nothing but commerical at this point.
I feel she has allowed celebrity and money to corrupt her art ..... much the same as Mr. Kincaid. So, when will we see the Bramasole tea towels or the Cortona coasters???
Book Description
Tastes of Tuscany is a treasured collection of family recipes sprinkled with photos, cooking hints, family sayings and the usage and folklore of Italian garden herbs.
After many years of requests, Mrs. Figone is sharing her recipe collection in a full volume ranging from Antipasti to Dolci (desserts).
Tuscany, known as the heartland of Italy, echoes medieval days with its timeless olive groves, vineyards, and cypress trees. Family farms boast vibrant and colorful vegetable and herb gardens. Out of these gardens and field come the superb raw materials that make northern Italian cusine famous.
This cookbook is made up of simple but delicious home-spun Tuscan recipes as well as recipes for Tuscan feast days that will delight your guests and win you a reputation as a cook.
Customer Reviews:
A great tour of Tuscany and its food.......2007-02-21
I enjoyed the recipes in the book as well as some of the historical quips surrounding many of the traditions of the region. I've since used several of the recipes and found them to be very basic in terms of preparation. The food is simple and really delicious. I've had fun with this book. I just had 10 of my best friends for dinner and they loved their Tuscan meal.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful Tuscan Cookbook.......1997-04-16
Giuliano Bugialli's "Foods of Tuscany" has a perfect balance -- probably 90% recipes and 10% pictures and background. The pictures are wonderful, the recipes are delicious, and the background information displays a surprising level of erudition. My only criticism would be that many of the recipes are very labor-intensive; Julia Child's typical recipes seem easy in comparison. But the results are worth the effort
Book Description
Each title in this award-winning series offers an exquisite region-by-region taste tour filled with culinary specialties and surprises. Included in each large-format volume are gorgeous food and landscape photographs.
Customer Reviews:
If it's good enough for the De' Medicis.............2007-03-13
I received this book as a gift when the Frances Mayes Tuscany book (ugh!)was all rage. I flipped through it thinking "what a dumb format for a coobook" then slipped it into a bookshelf where it lay buried for a couple of years. I did however remember seeing in it (& liking the idea of) a recipe for "Elder Flower Flat Bread" (p.34) and I had an elderberry shrub in bloom so I dragged the book out, plucked the 1/2 cup of elderflowers and made the bread. It was good. I started actually looking at the photographs and then read through it. I kinda liked it. Then, to go on an antipasti (as Lorenza suggested) I made the "Stuffed Eggs with Tarragon" (p.35). Big hit! I tried, like an earlier reviewer, the "Chickpea Flat Bread"(p.45) Big-gloppy -mess- disaster! But, Lorenza had my attention with her great commentary on the culinary regions of Tuscany and the food styling is so irresistable and appetizing I forged on. Also VERY LOVING photographs of Tuscany. I've tried: "Naked Ravioli" (p78) Great! "Meatloaf of Arrezzo"(p.148 ) Nice suprise. "Fennel Cake" (p.242) Indispensible, I bake one a week! Light Apple Cake (p. 246) Delicious! So, long story short I really enjoy this book. The format is very large, rather absurd for the kitchen but I just slap it down on the counter, keep it open with a marble pestle and happily cook away.
Nice Gift Book.......2007-01-16
A large, attractive book that I gave as a gift. Nice pictures of the food and the recipes looked interesting and not too difficult.
Best In Many Ways.......2007-01-06
I received this book as a gift a few years ago and have used it often. The recipe's are imaginative, easy and always well recieved by family and guests. The recipe's ingredients are basic and credible. And of course, the presentation in this book is a knockout! The food, the scenery, the dishware. All top drawer.
Ah, Tuscany!.......2006-09-27
This is a book that lives up to its name in all respects. The color photos (250) are warmly, rustically lit. These carefully composed still lifes entice the earthier senses with taste and aroma and give the reader a yen for this beautiful region.
And the recipes, arranged by course, highlight regional dishes from the simple -- Chicken in Red Wine, Chestnut and Rice Soup to the unusual -- Salt Cod and Mint Soup, Spaghetti with Sea Urchin Sauce to the sublime -- Snails with Sausage and Tomato Sauce, Pheasant Broth, Ricotta Tart.
for the coffee table, not the kitchen.......2006-01-10
I got this as a gift from my son, since I had just visited Tuscany last year and loved the food. I am an experienced gourmet cook. This book needed a test kitchen in the worst way. I tried two recipes: one for polenta (as basic as pasta) and a Garbanzo bean bread. The proportions for both were totally wrong. The polenta balled up in the pan, and the "flat bread" was like a soft egg dish. I checked in one of my favorite chef cookbooks (Sheila Lukins of Silver Palate fame) and the proportions were very different for the polenta. the other recipe couldn't find anywhere. I'm donating this one to the library for the Friends of the Library sale.
Books:
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- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
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