Signature Dishes That Matter? Well, that is a title to fill one with expectations. This is an imposing tome with a substantial hard white cover with simple crisp text in black and gold. Edges are marbled in blue and white. The book is definitely of gift quality, although I personally wouldn’t give my copy away.
Signature Dishes That Matter is a worthy representation of the celebrated restaurant dishes that moulded the path of culinary history worldwide over the past three centuries. The fascination with fine food is not the new phenomenon that we might assume.
Surprises from page one!
This is a sweet and savoury page-turner. The book is divided into two parts: the first offers the background to all those iconic recipes to follow in the back half of the book. Each page is devoted to a particular recipe and those dishes are beautifully illustrated. The section starts with Gelato made in France in 1686. Surprises from page one! The last dish is that of Whole Turbot from the UK in 2018. There are a few of my personal favourites included here, such as the spicy and moreish General Tso’s Chicken – to know it is to love it.
Any food lover will covet Signature Dishes That Matter. It’s not about the celebrity of these plates but rather it is that they are just so very good, and have therefore endured. There are recipes here for which I have been searching for years. It’s wonderful to have so many classics all in one volume. There are temptations for every taste, and they have been popular in some cases for hundreds of years.
Signature Dishes That Matter offers culinary creations from Europe, Asia and America. There are recipes to suit every skill level. There are striking cheffy dishes, but others which will be perfect for even a new home cook. This will likely become one of those must-have cookbooks and easily recognisable on bookshelves – although it will spend just as much time in the kitchen. This is a book to use – by you, and likely by future generations, too!
Signature Dishes That Matter
Author: Christine Muhlke, foreword by Mitchell Davis, illustrations by Adriano Rampazzo
Published by: Phaidon Press
Price £35.00
ISBN-13: 978-0714879321