Terrines and Verrines

ok

great book- very creative. Love the garnishes.

Stuck? Have writes block and can't decide what amuse to do tonight? This picture heavy book is the source of some good inspiration.

This book is awesome. Old school rules!

I have made two recipes from this book with very mixed results. I do wonder if some of the problems I encountered might have been the result of a poor translation.I think an experienced cook could have some fun with this book, but even experienced cooks would need to approach these recipes pretty cautiously. More than most cookbooks, I'd recommend reading the recipes pretty carefully in advance and deciding if the steps/process/techniques used seem likely to give a good result. On the other hand, I think a lot of the recipes here might inspire some really creative dishes.

It is not often that I cannot wait for the next available day on which I can indulge in cooking when my amazon book parcel arrives, but with this book, I just could not wait - putting my own variation on a theme to Pontais' smoked chicken and asparagus verrine, substituting the bacon with chantarelles that were in season, it just looked beautiful and tasted fab. I like anything that looks like one slaved over it for hours on end whereas it's 20min prep, 15min cook-and-assembly. This book is not for beginners in my opinion, only because it is not as descriptive and "dumbed down" as a lot of cook books out there. For instance, most recepies in this book would just have "Seasoning" in the list of recepies without specifying what may go with those ingridients, which makes it exciting for those with an innate or learnt sense of what herbs and spices may go with what ingredient but may leave behind those who are used to slavishly following the recepies. Similarly, a lot of the terrines that look a little more complex do not have a step by step, and I can imagine would be a challenge for those who do not at least have one book that does do that, or have otherwise seen a terrine made. The book does contain some fantastic suggestions for accompaniments, sauces, garnishes and so on, very thoughtful and imaginative and exciting. What is also splendid about this book is that for those of us who are not huge on dessert or can frankly think of better things to do than slave over the oven baking, this book contains some fabulous dessert terrines and verrines that look amazing in no time. A fabulous treat of a book that is a must for any food enthusiast and would make a great gift for your gourmand friends.

I ordered this book because I love to cook for dinner parties and Franck Pontais combines great techniques and flavours with beautiful presentation - I have already bought several sets of coloured and oddly shaped glasses to showcase some of the verrines. Dinner guests adore the verrines and terrines, however, you do need to be organised because many of these require time and attention and cannot be thrown together at the last minute. I love this book but I would not use it for a casual meal/supper. It's ideal for that showstopper as one of a multi-course dinner party!

I was hoping for some new recipes to add to my appetisers/ starters list. Unfortunately, I haven't found a single recipe that makes me want to try it. If you like vegetable based starters, you might appreciate it more, but I'm sure there are similar recipes available elsewhere. Very expensive for what it is.

Really great book and beautiful pictures

Thoroughly recommend this for presentation, inspiration and a wide range of ideas, tips and recipes with taste and style. On a par with Gordon Ramsay books.