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The Gourmet Slow Cooker Simple and Sophisticated Meals from Around the World

The Gourmet Slow Cooker Simple and Sophisticated Meals from Around the World

In this volume, Alley (Lost Arts: A Celebration of Culinary Traditions) provides a montage of surprising and intriguing recipes-everything from White Truffle Risotto to Chocolate Chip Cookies-all of which are made in a slow cooker. Chapters are divided by country, and include France, Great Britain, India, Italy, Mexico and the U.S. According to Alley, signature meals, side dishes and even desserts from each of these countries, such as Chicken Mole from Mexico, Eggplant and Pea Curry from India, Pork with Prunes from France and Anise Biscotti from Italy, can be made simply in one pot. Alley includes drink recommendations with each recipe. These are generally wine pairings (with Provencal Beef Stew, “a Cotes de Provence rose or medium-bodied red table wine would do well”) but the author refrains from going over the top to underscore the sophistication angle. For chocolate chip cookies, she writes, “milk is the only proper accompaniment.”
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Gourmet recipes for slow cooker!
Bought this lovely recipe book as a Christmas gift for my daughter! I love it - full of interesting goodies for the slow cooker! Practical and down to earth - not at all “too exotic” for everyday meals!

2 Stars Another Pretty Cookbook with Little Substance
I like the photos and the concept of this gourmet slow cooker book; however, after trying a few recipes I gave up because they simply did not taste good. With one exception that is - the chicken tarragon was delicious. Unless you’re looking for a pretty coffee table cookbook, save your money.

1 Star One can do better
Simply not worth the cost; suggest you look elsewhere. Do not be a fool—as I was.

5 Stars Chicken Tarragon, Pork Stew in Tomatillo Sauce…Love this book!
I have a bookcase full of outstanding cookbooks. This is one of them. My crockpot is pedestrian–when it dies I will replace it with All-Clad–I never thought I would become a slow cooker enthusiast. But this book has changed my perspective. Yes, there is prep work–this is not a mushroom soup/quartered onion/garlic powder/round steak kind of recipe collection–gratefully. It is classy, stylish, even elegant food– entrees that you would proudly serve to dinner party guests. Some of my favorites: Chicken Tarragon (worth the price of the book), Pork Stew in Tomatillo Sauce (everyone kept “wow-ing”), Apricot Chicken (simply fabulous), Neopolitan Lamb Stew (realllllly delicious), Chicken Cacciatore (often repeated, unbeatable), Doublin Coddle–great winter comfort food), Artichoke Risotto (amazing–who would have thought?), and, beyond my Indian-food loving dreams, Chicken Curry–do grind your own spices–and use a large package of chicken thighs–simply ambrosia. I’ve never bombed with this book.

So, I guess the bottom line here is: if you want a kid-pleasing Hamburger Helper kind of crock, pass it by. But if you are a dedicated cook who wants to create really memorable meals with little hovering over the pot, and don’t mind the Iron Chef flurry up front, this is your book. Thank you Lynn Alley. I’m a fan.

P.S. I’ve learned that when time is crunched to start the recipe on “high” for an hour, then turn it down to “low” to finish. I often add a bit less liquid than called for (rarely, though) so I don’t end up with a slightly watery finish–guess it depends on the slow cooker. I’ve learned that leaving the finished dish on “warm” for the last hour doesn’t harm anything–in fact, it improves it. Rely on instinct.

1 Star Don’t bother
I am not the very best cook in the world however, I do know how to read and follow instructions! Now having said that, I tried 2 very basic recipes from this book and both of them went down the drain literally and that has never happened to me before. One was way, way too hot and the other was much too sweet. I was even thinking of writing to the publisher when Amazon sent this email for the review so save your money and look on the web for recipes!!

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101 Recipes in a Flash Healthy Gourmet Meals in 30 Minutes or Less

101 Recipes in a Flash Healthy Gourmet Meals in 30 Minutes or Less

Let me tell you why I wrote this book, especially with YOU in mind: Like many people today, I run my own online and offline businesses that I manage, day-in and day-out. It gets quite tiresome sometimes, and there’s no other way to cap off your day than with a big meal. But, making myself a meal was out of the question; I never had the patience or experience to cut, mince, dice or blend…in other words, cook myself a meal that probably takes an hour to prepare and cook, then another half hour to indulge my creation. Or I’ll end up just finding a local fast food joint, which also takes a lot of time and money. So, I did some research one day for some quick and easy recipes I could make in a snap. Unfortunately, the only quick and easy meals I could find were burger, fries and pizza-related recipes…meals I like once in a while, but not every day. I wanted great tasting meals, made in a quick and efficient amount of time. The type of meal you’d see on television made by Emeril Lagasse or Bobby Flay; and yet created in a short amount of time like Iron Chef! (under an hour). When this book was still in its planning phase, I experimented and used cookbooks I found collecting dust around my house. The goal I kept in mind was, “how can I turn these intricately-made-meals into 101 quick and easy recipes?” 101 just sounded like a catchy number to me… My goal was set and I tried a new recipe everyday – creating the meal and then finding a way to shorten the recipes directions. By the time I got to, somewhere around 52, I realized 101 is one heck of a number. 53…60…75…90…finally, 101 quick and easy meals for me to use when I have an empty stomach. So what you’ll find here is a collection of unique, original, and traditional recipes that were recreated to be made in 30 minutes or less, and still taste great!

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CORNMEAL BLUE 12 oz Bag

CORNMEAL BLUE 12 oz Bag

Blue Cornmeal has a sweet, intense flavor and a hearty, fine texture. Blue Cornmeal is made from ground Blue Posole. Blue Corn, also called Hopi Corn, is still cultivated by Native Americans of the southwest. For them, Blue Corn has significant spiritual importance. It represents the eastern rising sun and the beginning of life, wisdom and understanding. Taos Pueblo elders use Blue Corn in the naming ceremonies of infants. Ground Posole is used for many products such as Cornmeal, Corn Starch, Masa Harina and Corn Flour. Cornmeal is made of dried corn kernels that have been ground into a fine, medium or course texture. Cornmeal commonly comes in a yellow or white form. The specialty Cornmeal typically comes in a blue or red form. Cornmeal is used primarily to make corn chips, corn bread, tortillas and porridge.

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