The Waldorf-Astoria Cookbook [Hardcover]

The Waldorf=Astoria, with three restaurants, has held court to the rich, famous, powerful and tourists with an intense desire for the best prepared and presented food anywhere.

The Waldorf=Astoria Cookbook is a culinary delight and an artistic masterpiece. The cookbook invites everyone to take a tour of the kitchens that boast seven chefs, ten sous-chefs, and 110 cooks, led by Executive Chef John Doherty. We are privy to recipes for 120 dishes (complete with chef notes) from the breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. Also informational sidebars give the hotel's history, and the photography is stunning.

The Breakfast Lemon Cake might not be everyone's choice, until you gaze upon the scrumptious photograph. It changed my mind. It's one of the recipes immediately marked for future preparation.

I couldn't believe the Raspberry Irish Oatmeal Brulee with Strawberry Coulis. It is to 'die for.'

If you want to impress someone, try out the Parmesan-Crusted Chicken with Asparagus Morel Risotto and Tomato Confit. And while you're at it, make sure to read the Chef's Notes and take advantage of the good advice.

If you're a beef aficionado, the Filet Mignon with Blue Cheese Crust, Bull and Bear Popover, Port Wine Sauce, and Bearnaise will fill the bill.

But my favorites are the desserts. The Chocolate Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce almost made my heart stop. And the Red Velvet Cake will stun you when you check out the ingredients.

Armchair Interviews says: If you love to cook, really cook good food, The Waldorf=Astoria Cookbook is a must have for your cookbook library.

This review is based on the recipe for Chocolate Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce. If you have ever experienced the marvelous Chocolate Babka from Dean & Deluca, then you already have an idea of what this is like. Extraordinary. But this concoction, to my mind, is even better. It's made with store bought croissants. Its ridiculously simple to throw together. And it is absolutely delicious, with a much more interesting texture than the Dean & Deluca babka (imagine airy, lightly crispy, and custardy all at the same time). And very chocolatey. I did, however, notice what appears to be an editing error in the recipe, which concerns me, and made me wonder how reliable to book will be. Specifically, the recipe directs you to butter a 9-inch baking dish to bake the pudding in. In the next paragraph, inexplicably, the recipe refers to buttered "custard cups". At the end of the recipe, it goes back to talking about "the baking dish". The recipe never actually explains that you can prepare the pudding in one large dish or 6 custard cups. So, ask yourself, would this kind of sloppy editing throw you for a loop, or would you be confident enough to try the recipe anyway? I decided to brave it, and prepared the recipe, and was very glad that I did. Bottom line, I consider this a killer dessert, and will definitely incorporate it into my repertoire. Am very much looking forward to trying other recipes from this book.

This book is a fascinating account of the history of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel that leaves you wanting more... food that is! While the recipes are not for the novice, they give you very close reproductions of the food that we have come to love at this wonderful old hotel!