A Passion for Ice Cream: 95 Recipes for Fabulous Desserts Review

Posted by Juanita Avenue on Sunday, October 24, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The book had so much promise, but I find it to be disappointing in several ways, alas.The recipes I've tried have been delicious, and the instructions accompanying those recipes are fairly clear and authoritative, although the discussions and instructions don't rise to the level of a cooking teaching tool, as would, for example, anything by Julia Child, Marcella Hazan, Jacques Pepin, or any of the King Arthur Flour baking cookbooks, all of which really teach one new skills while providing wonderful recipes.In this case, I was already pretty experienced at making ice cream before I bought the book.Were I a tyro, I don't think this book would be the best introduction, although of course there is nothing like plunging in and trying.

My biggest disappointment, though, is the organization of the book:ice cream recipes are "bundled" with their accompanying cookies, garnishes, and the like; instead of a group of recipes for chocolate ice cream, for example, we have a group of recipes for ice cream sandwiches, with ice cream of any of several different flavor families.One has to dig around in the index at the back of the book to find, say, recipes for chocolate ice cream.I would much prefer to have an index or table of ice cream recipes, by flavor and page number, right up front -- I don't want to spend so much time looking for the flavor I want.

My next disappointment is that the text is printed in a graphically attractive and most stylish but virtually illegible size and color.My middle-aged eyes struggle desperately to read the book, even with my reading glasses on, and I surely can't prop the book 18-20" back from my utensils, to read as I work without changing position, as I like to do with my cookbooks.This is a case in which the author and editorial team seemed to have chosen (admittedly very attractive) style over function.The book IS very attractive, and the photographs are lovely -- but I would gladly sacrifice some beauty in favor of being able to read the recipes and discussions more easily.

My final disappointment is in the complexity and elaborateness of most of the "dessert packages," for lack of a better word.Making the ice cream or sorbet and its accoutrements is, in most cases, a tremendously labor-intensive exercise.I have opted for using some of the creative and delicious ice cream recipes and figuring out my own much simpler and easier garnishes and accompaniments.I work a demanding job and have a house to run.I love to cook, but can't devote as much time to making an ice cream sandwich, for example, as these recipes require.So I use less of the book than I'd wish.

Over all, Ms. Luchetti's sense of style and taste are impressive, and she seems superbly knowledgeable about frozen desserts.And many of the ice cream recipes are lovely.But I had hoped that this would be a book I would pull from the shelf much more often than I will, in fact, because the book is so difficult to use.

Click Here to see more reviews about: A Passion for Ice Cream: 95 Recipes for Fabulous Desserts