Panini, Bruschetta, Crostini: Sandwiches, Italian Style
by Viana La Place,Average Rating: 
List Price: $18.95 / Sale Price: $12.89
From the Editors
<P>Move over pasta and pizza, here come panini, bruschetta, and crostini! The world of sandwiches, Italian style. These heavenly bread-based creations include recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, antipasti, party foods, and delicious desserts and indulgences for any time of the day.</P>
Product Description
Customer Response
Pretentious
I was so disappointed in this book because there were very few recipes that called for a panini maker. In addition, most of the recipes consisted of specialty foods that you wouldn't normally have in your pantry or fridge. For example some of the ingredients needed were: Greek oregano, white bread made with unbleached flour, cornichons (aka pickled gherkin cucumbers), imported canned tuna, etc. The author recommended only "high end", imported/gourmet foods that were organic. She even noted that although expensive, it's worth spending the extra money. I personally can't see putting all that effort into finding gourmet ingredients for a sandwich.
I'd like to counteract the unfair criteria of some of the other reviews.
Many reviews of this book complain that it was recommended as a companion to a purchases of a panini press or sandwich maker, and I can see why they are disappointed. Amazon has many strengths, but the quality of its recommendations is not one of them. These reviews are helpful in letting purchasers of sandwich makers know that this book doesn't have many of the grilled meat and cheese sandwich recipes that many people are looking for.
I wish, however, that so many of these reviews didn't give the book one star and lower its rating, because it's a lovely book with ideas for simple, delicious toppings and fillings for grilled bread. These are recipes that would be appropriate for a light lunch or supper, for appetizers, or for cocktail parties. Many of the recipes feature lemon, capers, olives, oregano, hot pepper flakes, and garlic, adding flavor to vegetable fillings or small amounts of fish, chicken, or cheese. The recommendations that ingredients be organic, cage-free, etc., are not nearly as frequent as some disgruntled reviewers would have you believe, and of course you are always free to use ordinary grocery store fruit, vegetables and eggs.
There are also some sweet recipes. I love the recipe for Baked Fresh Fruit Bruschetta: sliced nectarines baked on bread with a little butter and sugar, served for breakfast with caffe latte.
Disappointed would be generous
To say I was disappointed in this book would be a generous statement. The author(s) apparently wanted an elitest book geared towards the "natural is good" movement, i.e free range chicken eggs, etc. Also, they seemed to try and hide a crosteni/bruschetta book in the garb of a panni book; very few grilled panini recipes. It is a diservice to recommend this book with a panini press.
Awesome appliance
I love this product and use it several times a week. Whoever suggested getting a paninni machine with flat cooking surfaces was right. You can do so many more things. Imagine french toast done perfectly with no flipping. Reheats pizza, rolls etc perfectally - and makes awesome sandwiches. No fat necessary for use.
Simply put: I'm returning it
This book was incredibly disappointing. Not ONE recipe in it looked worth-while. After reading the reviews of all the books, this one seemed to have the most positive response. But I wasn't impressed at all. In fact, I think I realized that the trick to a good panini is simply coming up with your own creations. You don't really need recipes to tell you how to make a good panini. Don't waste your time with this one.
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