Customer Reviews

The Babbo Cookbook

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I ate at Babbo last weekend and was pleasantly surprised to find that the recipes I'd made from the book were as delicious as the food at the restaurant. Ok, maybe my plating isn't as beautiful ;) This is a great cookbook just to feast your eyes on, but when cooking from it, I'm glad it isn't dumbed down. With some effort and practice (and yes, you'll also need a lot of free time), you can produce food that's as good as Babbo.

This book lives on my coffee table. Not for lack of use, but because everything about it is so beautiful, I don't want to destroy it in the kitchen. The paper stock is so satisfyingly glossy thick, I can't bear the thought of getting it covered in splash marks, or warped by steam. The layout is easy on the eyes, and I still get excited about peeking under the dust jacket to see the tomato red cover with the Babbo jester marching across. I LOVE well designed cook books, and this is one of them.

The recipes are simple in that they don't really require advanced technique. They are often quite labor intensive, or time consuming (don't let this stop you from making the maple marscapone cheesecake), but its not the kind of overwrought fussing that can take the fun out of being in the kitchen. As other reviewers have said, the recipes are easy to modify, and I quite often do for variety's sake. The bruschetta trio are wonderful; I like to eat the cici bean mixture as a light lunch, and the tomato and sheep's milk cheese bruschetta makes a wonderful salad when you replace the bread with spinach leaves.

My only caveat is that some of the ingredients can be pricey. Its worth your time and money to seek out the ones that are hard to find, and pay for quality, but be prepared for sticker shock. I wouldn't plan on cooking for large groups from this book (you can quite easily max out your weekly food budget on one three course meal), but it is definitely the first one I turn to when I need something special.

Mario Batali's Babbo Cookbook is no mere cookbook. While delivering the recipes that have been developed and presented at his Village restuarant, it's through Mario's brief pre-chapter and pre-recipe writings where he lovingly conveys his passion for Italian food and cooking. His core passion is for fresh ingredients in simple (unlike the French) yet tasty preparations. He cannot stress enough how important it is to have relationships with the local baker, butcher, fishmongerer, grocer, etc. to insure the delivery of the best quality ingredients. He stresses the use of ingredients that are in-season to maximize the taste and appeal to the senses. His passion extends to the presentation and delivery of food. Simple suggestions in the cookbook include priming the wine glass before serving fine wines.

This book is a superb addition to any cook's collection.

This is a simply stunning cookbook; everything from the recipes, the layout, the photos - it's gorgeous and inspiring. I personally enjoyed his musing on food and his resturant. Whilst some of the ingredients are hard to find (esp. in my location!) you can subsitute other things - after all, Mario always says to use what is local to YOU and in season. Some of my favourite recipes include the Braised Short Ribs with Horseradish Gremolata served with Pumpkin Orzo (fabulous AND easy), the Fig and Walnut biscotti, and the Basic Pasta sauce and Pasta recipe. There is also an excellent selection of fish and seafood recipes, which I regret to say I have not yet sampled. If you are passionate about Italian food, this is the cookbook for you.

And remember, al tavolo non s'invecchia mai.

For years I have watched him on the Food Channel and I have tried a few of his recipes from the show. He makes wonderful dishes. This was my first purchase of one of his cookbooks. I really enjoyed the way the book was laid out. Easy to read recipes, clear and concise directions, and lovely pictures to view. I am amazed at the variety of ingredients that he uses in his dishes. Its not that they are typically hard to find or anything, I simply didn't realize the variety of food in Italian cooking. Now if you are simply looking for pasta and sauces this isn't the book for you. This book does cover pasta, some delightful desserts, but there is a large variety in meats that this book uses. Like variety ? Then this cookbook is for you if you want to cook something a bit out of the ordinary.

The Babbo cookbook is nicely done, not in a class of it's own...but solid nonetheless. These recipes rely overwhelmingly on the quality of each and every ingredient in each dish and if unwilling to hunt for (and invest in) this caliber of ingredient, best look elsewhere. The pictures are superb and the sprinkling of culinary philosophy is good. I would purchase the book again just for the veal shank recipe!

Of such an extraordinary character that this cookbook will be placed in the category of the other greats of our time, i.e. Trotter, Waters, etc.

To get into such rarified air of the cookbook world requires inventive, scrumputuous cooking but also printed with style and class. This effort saluting Batali's restaurant of the same name easily qualifies.

The recipes exhibit his approach to cuisine, hospitality. His comments on such are a treat and pleasure to read, e.g. total care and attention to every detail, Italian cooking with American injections of local products to "express the flavor of our dirt, our wind, our rain."

Passion for his craft his exhibited throughout this gorgeous book of color photos and well laid out text and type. How about such fare as: Autumn Vegetables with Goat Ricotta and Pumpkinseek Oil; Cripspy Bream in Zupetta Pugliese (a fish soup/stew; and my favorite---Braised Short Ribs with Horseradish Gremolata served with Pumpkin Orzo.

For dessert, what a great offering: Espresso Torrone with Drunken Cherries (ice cream type offering) or Meyer Lemon Semifredddo;

Think I forgot the pasta? Section on this is exquisite: only tried so far was unbelievably good! Pumpkin Lune with Butter and Sage. Amazing dish of little moons (luna) stuffed with amaretti cookies, in rich sage/butter sauce with more amarettti cookies grated over the top!

There's ample help about substitute ingredients or how totone down the effort without sacrificing everything, as well as help for Sources.

Will become one of my favorites to use and read. Savor this one, it's upscale and unique and fun!

If you like watching Mario on his TV programs, you'll be dissapointed in some aspects of this book. The cuisine is as presented in his restaurant, where he has staff to do all kinds of additional prep for him. Consequently, the dishes are way overwrought for the home kitchen. Braised short ribs? Great! With roasted beets and roasted radishes? Why? And by the way, the recommended plating is still all that vertical, "Let's see how high we can pile THIS stuff up," kind of thing. And a lot of the book is frank promotion for Babbo and his ideas on how to run a restaurant. But nevertheless, it's fun stuff to read and, if you ignore the absurd sides, there's good stuff to be made.