The Villa Table: 300 Classic Italian Recipes - Hardcover

The Villa Table, the school offering classes in cookery by de' Medici at the author's Tuscany estate, now yields a cookbook. And it begins with a disclaimer. "I am not a professional cook," announces the author, who has been publishing cookbooks for the last 20 years. Hoping to reassure readers whose ways in the kitchen may be casual, she explains that she herself never had all the time in the world to spare for cookery, and that personal taste, not merely that of the experts, should be one's principle arbiter. The advice is ingratiating, though some of the recipes outstrip it in fineness of goal; a few others (e.g., spaghetti frittata) may be almost too simple. But the general standard is rich, taking in antipasti, first and second courses, vegetables, breads and sweets (an apricot caramel custard and a peach meringue are especially tempting), sauces and cheeses. The look of the book, too, is delicately ornate, with photographs that aspire to the aesthetic. It's difficult not to respond, not to glide toward the kitchen.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

De'Medici, author of several other Italian cookbooks, including The Renaissance of Italian Cooking ( LJ 12/89), also runs a cooking school called The Villa Table at her estate in Tuscany. In contrast to Renaissance , which celebrated cucina alto-borghese , the elaborate cuisine of the upper classes, this is a collection of simple, traditional, but still fresh and appealing dishes. Some are recipes the author teaches in her classes, while others are old family favorites. Most require little preparation time, and many can be made in advance. A good companion to the plethora of quick and easy "new Italian" cookbooks that have appeared in recent years; recommended for most collections. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/93.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.