When a chef and a good food writer join forces to write a cookbook, you expect nice, kitchen-friendly results. Share is a beautiful, large-format cookbook filled with professional food photos. Chef Chris Santos and food writer Rick Rodgers translated professional recipes from the restaurant menu to home kitchen—but not very successfully. The recipes are very good, quite varied, and well written with easy-to-follow instructions. Yet this cookbook was written for the most advanced cooks only. Recipe layout is poor. The long list of ingredients and many unusual, tedious preparations will intimidate most home cooks. A simple house salad has more than twenty ingredients. In fact, one the reasons we go to high-end restaurants is to have someone else labor over such dishes.
Santos’s idea is to share your cooking (not particularly original). He starts with cocktails, and you’d better have a very well-stocked bar. The same applies for your kitchen: the pantry should be well stocked, particularly with Asian and Latin ingredients. Many ingredients will be tough to find (e.g. Piment d’Esplette, piquillo peppers). The dishes are unusual (like chicken liver focaccia). The index is cross-referenced but has omissions. This cookbook is best left on the coffee table.
Reviewed By: George Erdosh
Originally posted at – https://manhattanbookreview.com/product/share-delicious-and-surprising-recipes-to-pass-around-your-table/
