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Dinah is actually a childhood friend of mine-she cooked me my first artichoke when we were still in high school in Oklahoma, and
I haven't had a better one since. She was spectacular person then and has become ever more so as the years have gone by. I haven't seen her since her father passed many years ago, but I love her book-it is so well written, I can absolutely hear her voice. The recipes are great. Her instructions are very precise and easily followed. I recommend the black and white olives-they were a hit at my house!

Does the printed version contain any images of any food of any sort? Because the kindle edition is virtually stripped of food porn or visual instructions. Is it just me or does that render this book kind of useless? I mean, great that you took the time to write meticulous two-page instructions, but for me that is just too boring. I want to know how the finished product will look without having to make it first. Apart fram that it seems like good ideas and good recipies, though admittedly most of them are pretty much baked goods in an original can.

I like this book because; each page with the recipe it has how to wrap up the package to give to some. It gives you suggested supplies; it is very detail information.

Recipes that didn't appeal to me. Enjoyed Gifts Cooks Love much better. Oh, well! C'est la vie! That's all I have to say!

Many interesting recipes with advice on how to package them for gifting. A very helpful part is the section in back that gives numerous sources for ingredients and for containers.

Wonderful recipes for entertaining or gift-giving. Wide selection, plus excellent wrappng ideas! Thorough compilation of online resources for supplies and materials.

I truly enjoy giving gifts, especially baked ones. Not many people bake nowadays or make special dishes because they are so busy with work and family activities. This is one of the reasons I was so interested in this book. I must admit the “gourmet” was a little intimidating at first. I imagined 10 step recipes with uncommon ingredients and odd combinations. Boy was I wrong and pleasantly surprised!
While the recipes require a little extra effort to make them special, nothing was labor intensive. Ingredients were common and easy to find. Nothing is “strange” or bizarre. I found the recipes to be easy to make and tasty, with an extra attention to detail.
It is a beautiful cookbook! It did not have a lot of pictures of the finished product which I would have liked, but the author more than made up for it in her attention to detail and bonus ideas not usually seen in cookbooks. The cookbook is divided into 6 sections: small tokens, big batches, pennywise, pound foolish (special recipes for the person who has everything), feel better (gifts to nurture and comfort), and special delivery (gifts to mail). The latter
As you can see the chapters are creative, but wait till you see the recipes! I especially liked the section at the end of each recipe named “wrap it up.” Here the author not only gives you a clever, imaginative idea to package and present your gift. This includes instructions and a list of supplies you will need. Every recipe tells you the preparation time, degree of difficulty, cost range, if it can be frozen or shipped, if the recipe can be tripled or doubled and the shelf life. I really appreciated the last detail. I hate to bake gifts and not know how far ahead I can make them or how soon the recipient needs to eat them.
This is an exceptional cookbook! A treasure to own!
I received this book free from HARVARD COMMON PRESS which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive, review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Making a gift of food to others is nothing new. But, if you want to show you really care, you need to give the gift with style. That is where Gourmet Gifts: 100 Delicious Recipes For Every Occasion To Make Yourself & Wrap With Style comes in allowing you to make great food gifts and give them with style.

The book opens with an introduction section that among other information, lists the items that should be in "A Gourmet Gifts Pantry," what you should have equipment wise in your kitchen, "Wrapping It Up The Right Way" among other topics. The 11 pages introduction gives you a good foundation to the book as well as getting you set up at home with what you need.

Everyone loves that small surprise gift that is totally unexpected and tied to nothing other than one person caring about another. "small tokens" begins on page 14 and features those kind of items whether it is the "simply marvelous macaroons" (pages 21-22) and "cool cucumber vodka" (pages 30-31) or the "mango and tomatillo salsa" (page 34-35) among many other choices. Each idea has the recipe for the items, tips on preparation and storage of the item and a detailed way of wrapping it up for a gift. Occasionally included is a picture of the finished item in terms of the food as well as how it would be presented to another.

This same format continues in the next section titled "big batches" and throughout the book. "big batches" starts on page 62 and is geared to mass producing the identical gift for large numbers of people as suggested by the title. Organization is vital here if you are making "100 cookies to pinch and press or sliced and bake" (pages 64-67). If that does not appeal, you could try "ten country pates" (page 74-76) or the ultimate simple to make gift "vanilla sugar tubes" (pages 122-123) among other gifts. Quantities of what the recipe can make very tremendously with many recipes open to multiplication.

Saving money is also important and the chapter "pennywise" is designed to help the reader take a modestly priced gift and make it very special. Starting on page 124 the projects detailed should cost less than $15 when are finished. Whether it is the "amaretti cookie clone" (pages 126-128) or the "faux escargot pastry swirls in a garden trowel" (pages 143-145) or the "black and white olives" (pages 160-161) something here should work with nearly anyone.

Of course, maybe you need and want to go the other way on the financial scale. You can do that so easily in the section title "pound foolish" that starts on page 184. These gifts require considerable investment in time, money, and effort whether you can create the "caviar sampler with crème fraiche crumpets" (205-207) or the extravagant "the sweet life: three tiers of crème fraiche fudge" (pages 228-230). If there are no budget constraints there are plenty of recipes and ideas in this section.

As we all know from direct personal experience sometimes things become overwhelming---whether it is a medical issue or something else. In "feel better" starting on page 236 the idea is to make things as simply as possible for the recipient who already has enough on his or her mind to deal with. Whether it is the "herbal tea sachets" on pages 238-240 or the "life should be a bowl of cherries" on pages 256-257 or the other choices, the idea is to bring a moment or two of happiness to a person during troubled times.

Sending a care package from home to a loved one is the idea of "special delivery." Starting on page 268 this final section in the book is geared towards that idea. "blond biscotti" (pages 270-271), "baharat caravan bells" (pages 276-277) or "big and soft rum raisins cookies" (pages 278-279) are just some of the choices.

The book closes with seven pages of resources, a page of acknowledgements, a page of measurement equivalents and a seven page index. While servings are indicated there is no nutritional information with these recipes.

Gourmet Gifts: 100 Delicious Recipes For Every Occasion To Make Yourself & Wrap With Style by Dinah Corley is a well done book that gives you lots of ideas to make that food gift all the more special. The projects in here vary tremendously in terms of amounts, complexity, and other factors so this book is not geared to any one particular group. Novice and advanced cooks will both find plenty to consider in this recently released book.

Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano Texas Public Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2012