Vegetarian Books
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Books : Pure Vegetarian
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Rating: 
- The ultimate veg book
I love Paul Gayler - as another reviewer says, he produces beautiful 'cheffy' recipes that are perfectly possible to make at home. I've used his books for years (and believe me I'm no chef) and friends are always impressed when I make one of his dishes. He's full of brilliant ideas, too - I don't like tomatoes, so his beetroot gazpacho will become a regular feature next summer.
Not for complete beginners, perhaps, but certainly nothing to daunt anyone with a few years of cooking under their belt.
Rating:
- The Great Gayler
I love Paul Gayler's cooking. I think he is a rare thing: a masterful chef, with an ability to translate his passion and experience into writing, and a humble regard for his readers. He pays immense respect to his ingredients, and his recipes, while often imaginative, sometimes extravagant, never lose sight of that. I also have his series of 'Passion for..' books, including Cheese, Potato and Vegetables, and each one is an inspiration.
I don't feel that he is particularly precious about his recipes, either, so if one or two might seem more complicated, they are also eminently adaptable. I don't agree with another reviewer that his ingredients require a trip to Borough market or a fat wallet (though those do tend to mean the same thing), since banana shallots, thai fish sauce and cavolo nero can be found in most big-name supermarkets. Granted, one or two of the others might be harder to find, but might be substituted in some way - a little dry white wine for verjuice, for example. But I appreciate the frustration. Don't let such things put you off Gayler's book, though, it is a worthwhile addition to any veggie or vegetable-lover's cookbook collection.
Rating:
- Don't try this at home
You may not have to be a vegetarian to enjoy the recipes in this book, but you'll have to be a chef. And live in a big city. And have money.
The recipes ask for Yuzu juice (a citrus fruit), verjuice (juice of unripe grapes), truffles, fresh porcini, banana shallots (?), cavalo nero (black cabbage, but you can use savoy cabbage instead), nuoc mam chay (Thai vegetarian fish sauce), Vietnamese mint. Even if I knew where to get any of this (Borough Market?), I would probably be very nervous while cooking, in case I ruin these rare and expensive ingredients.
I have doubts about some of the methods as well. Can you, for instance, see yourself slice 4 avocados into 20 very thin slices, then stuff and roll them up? How are they not going to break, go brown, end up with finger prints on them? The picture looks fantastic, but not like something I'd ever be able to make. Even attempting it would be asking for disappointment.
I'd love to eat the dishes from this book, but I'd rather have them put in front of me by somebody else. The pictures look gorgeous, the dishes sound tasty, but it's not for your average home cook.
Rating: - paul gayler gives vegetarian food 5* treatment
these recipes do require the cook to concentrate ,but the results are wonderful and very achievable.There are some good combinations of ingredients and their inspirations are truly international.Even the most hardened carnivores will love the results. I have tried and tested over 50% of the recipes with trainees chefs and their results and enthusiasm for the dishes has been superb.these recipes bring vegetarian food away from the "pine bench" restaurant into the main stream .Long over due.
Rating: - Style and panache rather than substance
The recipes here are unusual, inventive and I'm sure delicious once in a while - however, though I adore food and I also love cooking, and have been a vegetarian for over 25 years, I wouldn't really feel inspired to work through these recipes.
This book reminded me of nothing so much as one of Gordon Ramsey's 'Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmare' programmes - notably the one where he visited a restaurant run by a clearly talented French chef who however never knowingly used 1 ingredient when he could use 6. The idea of simplicity in flavours never occurred, instead there was overkill in every dish.
I'm not a huge fan of 'worthy vegetarian cooking' but believe there is a middle ground between that and the twirl every leaf. garnish every last crouton approach which this book skydives into.
As far as 'gourmet' vegetarian food goes, which this book clearly offers, I'll stick to my Colin Spencer, thankyou very much.
- The ultimate veg bookI love Paul Gayler - as another reviewer says, he produces beautiful 'cheffy' recipes that are perfectly possible to make at home. I've used his books for years (and believe me I'm no chef) and friends are always impressed when I make one of his dishes. He's full of brilliant ideas, too - I don't like tomatoes, so his beetroot gazpacho will become a regular feature next summer.
Not for complete beginners, perhaps, but certainly nothing to daunt anyone with a few years of cooking under their belt.
Rating:
- The Great GaylerI love Paul Gayler's cooking. I think he is a rare thing: a masterful chef, with an ability to translate his passion and experience into writing, and a humble regard for his readers. He pays immense respect to his ingredients, and his recipes, while often imaginative, sometimes extravagant, never lose sight of that. I also have his series of 'Passion for..' books, including Cheese, Potato and Vegetables, and each one is an inspiration.
I don't feel that he is particularly precious about his recipes, either, so if one or two might seem more complicated, they are also eminently adaptable. I don't agree with another reviewer that his ingredients require a trip to Borough market or a fat wallet (though those do tend to mean the same thing), since banana shallots, thai fish sauce and cavolo nero can be found in most big-name supermarkets. Granted, one or two of the others might be harder to find, but might be substituted in some way - a little dry white wine for verjuice, for example. But I appreciate the frustration. Don't let such things put you off Gayler's book, though, it is a worthwhile addition to any veggie or vegetable-lover's cookbook collection.
Rating:
- Don't try this at homeYou may not have to be a vegetarian to enjoy the recipes in this book, but you'll have to be a chef. And live in a big city. And have money.
The recipes ask for Yuzu juice (a citrus fruit), verjuice (juice of unripe grapes), truffles, fresh porcini, banana shallots (?), cavalo nero (black cabbage, but you can use savoy cabbage instead), nuoc mam chay (Thai vegetarian fish sauce), Vietnamese mint. Even if I knew where to get any of this (Borough Market?), I would probably be very nervous while cooking, in case I ruin these rare and expensive ingredients.
I have doubts about some of the methods as well. Can you, for instance, see yourself slice 4 avocados into 20 very thin slices, then stuff and roll them up? How are they not going to break, go brown, end up with finger prints on them? The picture looks fantastic, but not like something I'd ever be able to make. Even attempting it would be asking for disappointment.
I'd love to eat the dishes from this book, but I'd rather have them put in front of me by somebody else. The pictures look gorgeous, the dishes sound tasty, but it's not for your average home cook.
Rating:
- paul gayler gives vegetarian food 5* treatmentthese recipes do require the cook to concentrate ,but the results are wonderful and very achievable.There are some good combinations of ingredients and their inspirations are truly international.Even the most hardened carnivores will love the results. I have tried and tested over 50% of the recipes with trainees chefs and their results and enthusiasm for the dishes has been superb.these recipes bring vegetarian food away from the "pine bench" restaurant into the main stream .Long over due.
Rating:
- Style and panache rather than substanceThe recipes here are unusual, inventive and I'm sure delicious once in a while - however, though I adore food and I also love cooking, and have been a vegetarian for over 25 years, I wouldn't really feel inspired to work through these recipes.
This book reminded me of nothing so much as one of Gordon Ramsey's 'Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmare' programmes - notably the one where he visited a restaurant run by a clearly talented French chef who however never knowingly used 1 ingredient when he could use 6. The idea of simplicity in flavours never occurred, instead there was overkill in every dish.
I'm not a huge fan of 'worthy vegetarian cooking' but believe there is a middle ground between that and the twirl every leaf. garnish every last crouton approach which this book skydives into.
As far as 'gourmet' vegetarian food goes, which this book clearly offers, I'll stick to my Colin Spencer, thankyou very much.
