YUM! Tasty Recipes from Culinary Greats

First of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of “YUM!” by Microplane®, a company that sells zesters, graters, and slicers, go to the National Kidney foundation.

The beginning of the recipe book explains the various graters that are available and the purpose of each one. It also includes a “special ingredients” list to assist the users with ingredients that they may not be familiar with. Looking at the list I learned that Benimousu is purple sweet potato vinegar and that there is such a thing as Pomegranate Molasses. Thinking it was the same as Grenadine, I found out that this is actually a brown, concentrated substance that is tart, rather than sweet and syrupy. There are also conversion tables to help those using the metric system.

There are recipes from over 60 renowned chefs varying from appetizers to soups and salads, to main courses, and, of course, desserts. There is even a section for vegetarians. Furthermore, the book has wonderfully-appetizing photos of the final product, and photos and biographies of the chefs.

I tried several of the recipes, and will certainly be using the recipes in “YUM!” for dinner parties. The “Roasted Balsamic Glazed Chicken” is wonderful! I’ve never brined a whole chicken before and was amazed how moist the end result was. Be careful with this one and make a tin foil tent early in the roasting otherwise the chicken has a tendency to burn. I served this with “Crunchy Salad with Toasted Hazelnuts.” The dressing was light, yet very flavorful. The “Olive Oil Cake” was very rich and had a fruity flavor. A note said it would be if using extra virgin olive oil. I felt the cake was a little too sweet and would attempt to cut back on the sugar next time I make it.

“YUM!” is a must-have recipe book for all culinary lovers and collectors. It’s not often we get a concise book with so many easy recipes from the greats. And, I have to stress the fact the recipes are “easy” and all the ingredients are available locally.

YUM! Tasty Recipes from Culinary Greats
Compiled by Jeffery Spear and Dara Bunjon
Cumberland House Publishing, Inc. (2007)
ISBN 9781581826166
Reviewed by Irene Watson for Reader Views (10/07)