The Best of Gourmet: Featuring the Flavors of Thailand

I love this book for several reasons.First, the menu suggestions are great. They range from two servings to around fifty, there are meals suitable for each season (some are grill-oriented, some are Thanksgiving feasts, etc.), and you can choose from light and healthy to downright sinful meals.Second, the recipes require a great variety of skill levels. A novice can start with the easier recipes and work up to the more difficult ones without needing to buy a new book! This is also great because even those who are experienced and passionate cooks (who, like myself, would usually revel in the four-hour mushroom lasagne prep time) have days when they want a simple, toned-down meal. It's all here.The recipes are also very easy to follow. They list at the outset any special equipment you will need, and the preparation instructions are clear and concise.Those without access to specialty grocery stores might have trouble coming up with some ingredients (creme fraiche, figs, radish sprouts, or Israeli couscous come to mind), but there are many recipes whose ingredients are easily found at the most common of groceries. I have to say that I dislike the way the "Unusual Pastas and Grains" section is separated from the "Pastas and Grains" section. It's also disappointing that Thai recipes are stuck in their own "Cuisines of the World" section without references in other more specific sections (for example, Ai-Teem Ga-Ti, aka Coconut Ice Cream, is not mentioned in the "Desserts" section earlier - so if you choose to page through the desserts section, you will not be aware that there are other dessert recipes elsewhere in the book).All in all, I'd say that this book offers great recipes and menu suggestions for cooks at all levels, but it could be organized more efficiently.

I loved the look of the food in this book. I really felt inspired. The freshness of the menus appealed to me, also. The photography was wonderful! It made you want to pick up a fork and begin to do a taste test on every page. The grilled pineapple with vanilla ice cream was simple to make and a treat for unexpected guests on Sunday afternoon. It is good of Gourmet to study so closly the food culture of another country. It really gave the reader a good sense of what Thai cooking is all about. It is a good addition to the other Gourmet books and something to look forward to every year. A GREAT GIFT for cooks of all levels.