Rating: 
Summary: Excellent photos,but...
Review: ...Charlie Trotter's dessert is of limited to no use for a Continental/European Chef/Cook. Weights and measures are all in cups and ounces.Still maybe undestandable for a European Chef but impossible to work for instance a Russian Chef (These are the people who buy these books because they want to learn.They have little chance to travel yet,so have to rely on books to improve their skills) I have checked ,quickly only, through the recipes and gave up,there are also certain facts not right (Original Linzer cake you don't make with raspberries but with 'red currants'.Also recipes are using to many US specific names and terms,i.e. what is a Meyer lemon? And for the poor amateur cook?Well,look at the pictures and go have dinner where Trotter is cooking! Had I known before,I would not have purchased the book. Benedikt Morak, Executive Chef (from Austria,35 years i nthe business)
Rating: 
Summary: excellent ideas and photos, but not for the practical chef
Review: charlie trotter creates some of the finest courses i've ever seen. the only problem with this is, nothing contained within this series of books is even remotely practical or feasible from the home kitchen. the ingredients he uses are sometimes impossible to find (even when ordering through a professional kitchen), and the equiptment required for them aren't usually owned by the common cook. so, if you're serious about trying to create an award winning entree or desert, and have the time, patience, equiptment, and endless exotic produce, this book is perfect for you. the rest of us will just have to admire the pictures.
Rating:
Summary: Really, what is the point here?
Review: Get serious people, there is no way in a million years that most of us would ever successfully assemble one of these over-the-top recipes presented in this book. The extravagence displayed here is totally off the deep end, and is beyond the means or talents of most cooks, so why market this cookbook in the first place? Only other professional chefs would be capable of pulling it off, but they are also capable of making up their own fabulous recipes without Charlie Trotter's help.Supposedly, we are to "draw inspiration" from these recipes. What a load of crap. I could take a second-year violin student, throw the sheet music for Paganini's 24 Caprices at him, and tell him to draw inspiration from the music, even if he couldn't hope ever to play it. What is the point of that, other than to frustrate a person? This is nothing more than ridiculous self-indulgence on the part of another celebrity chef who apparently doesn't give a damn about we lesser beings who are simply trying to put a nice meal on the table.
Rating:
Summary: Really, what is the point here?
Review: Get serious people, there is no way in a million years that most of us would ever successfully assemble one of these over-the-top recipes presented in this book. The extravagence displayed here is totally off the deep end, and is beyond the means or talents of most cooks, so why market this cookbook in the first place? Only other professional chefs would be capable of pulling it off, but they are also capable of making up their own fabulous recipes without Charlie Trotter's help. Supposedly, we are to "draw inspiration" from these recipes. What a load of crap. I could take a second-year violin student, throw the sheet music for Paganini's 24 Caprices at him, and tell him to draw inspiration from the music, even if he couldn't hope ever to play it. What is the point of that, other than to frustrate a person? This is nothing more than ridiculous self-indulgence on the part of another celebrity chef who apparently doesn't give a damn about we lesser beings who are simply trying to put a nice meal on the table.
Rating:
Summary: excellent ideas and photos, but not for the practical chef
Review: Have you ever traveled cross-country to Chicago just to dine at Charlie Trotter's? I have, and it was one of the best meals of my life. This book and the others in the series are great at giving you a feel of what the real thing is like. The pictures are outstanding and the combinations just wow you. But if you think for a moment that any cookbook would allow you to duplicate what Charlie does, you are mistaken. Some cookbooks are for those who want to follow a recipe and duplicate it. This is not one of those. This is for people who want to understand the Chef's unique cuisine and appreciate it for the art that it is.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't try this at home...
Review: Have you ever traveled cross-country to Chicago just to dine at Charlie Trotter's? I have, and it was one of the best meals of my life. This book and the others in the series are great at giving you a feel of what the real thing is like. The pictures are outstanding and the combinations just wow you. But if you think for a moment that any cookbook would allow you to duplicate what Charlie does, you are mistaken. Some cookbooks are for those who want to follow a recipe and duplicate it. This is not one of those. This is for people who want to understand the Chef's unique cuisine and appreciate it for the art that it is.
Rating:
Summary: Useful only for photos & inspiration
Review: I can say that I am a reasonably competent home chef with an above-average knowledge of technique and most necessary equipment to get the job done. Having said that, I was impressed with the photos of nearly every featured recipe in this book and find the recipes to be admirably aggressive in their taste and texture contrasts. The recipes, however, are nearly all flawed in some significant manner in that following them verbatim will result in poor results. Even when this is not the case, I find these recipes to be "out of whack" from a taste perspective by any gastronome's standards and in need of serious tweaking. If you have good kitchen skills and seek to be inspired by the ideas in this book, then I would suggest it (USED!!) ... otherwise, there are much better cookbooks that will yield far superior results.
Rating: 
Summary: FORGET IT!
Review: I was so excited about this book, and I ended up returning it. I think there was only one recipe that I wanted to make. This book is way too complicated - and I use Pro Pastry Chef all the time! The ingredients alone... sheesh! Buy a Rose Levy Berenbaum book instead.
Rating:
Summary: FORGET IT!
Review: I was so excited about this book, and I ended up returning it. I think there was only one recipe that I wanted to make. This book is way too complicated - and I use Pro Pastry Chef all the time! The ingredients alone... sheesh! Buy a Rose Levy Berenbaum book instead.
Rating:
Summary: Flavor over Flash is the name of the game at Trotter's
Review: Once again returning to the glory of his first book, not only Trotter, but also Michelle Gayer and the noticeable influence of Andrew MacLauchlan show what desserts are made of. Showcasing skill and flavor over towering masterpieces is what this book is all about, and for those that are looking to make their own creations there are many excellent building block recipes scattered throughout the book. An excellent buy if your serious about pastry.
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