Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
 Mes confitures April 7, 2008
Very nice and interesting book, really a "must have" for people who love home cooking. To me there are few pictures, but the recipes are good!
Easy and quick to buy on amazon. Thank you!
 seriously great February 16, 2008
Yes, this is not for beginners and I am grateful it doesn't take up valuable pages with the basics. As a person who makes 20 to 30 cases of jam a year, this book has affected the scope and quality of my finished product more than any other. Some of her flavor combinations have found their way into my homemade liqueurs with great success.
Best Jams - No Added Pectin September 11, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have been borrowing this book for over a year and finally bought my own copy. It's worth the price just for the overall technique, even without all of the individual recipes. I have made A LOT of jam out of this book and it always comes out great. Of course, in case you prefer it, this is not the tight hard type of jam - it's luscious and a bit runny. The flavors are delicious!
I don't like using pectin and I don't like paying for pectin. These recipes contain only fruits, sugar, and flavorings. You'll be proud of your product.
Wonderful, exotic jams November 3, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
This book is one of the most exciting cookbooks that I have used recently. Besides containing standard flavors such as strawberries and peach, it also has the more interesting combinations of Pear with a Balsalmic Vinegar and Spices, Carrot with Cardamom, Strawberry and Balck Pepper, and so forth. Every combination I have tried has been incredibly good, especially the Raspberry with Star Anise. Most of the recipes seem to make about 5-6 half-pint jars, but as it's not stated anywhere in the book, make sure to sterilize a few extra. These jams always come out fresh-tasting and with a slightly soft set, the benefit of using natural pectin in fruit and not adding one. However, since some of the low pectin fruits still require pectin, there is a recipe for green apple pectin stock to provide the needed pectin, great if you have access to underripe apples.
This is a great book, especially for those wanting to take preserve making one step further and try interesting combinations. In fact, trying those interesting combinations certainly got my creative juices flowing and inspired me to make some fun mixes of my own.
However, this is not a book that goes over the particulars involved in preserving foods and canning, and the necessary sanitation and precautions it entails, so any first-time canners need to pick up another book or do some research online for these techniques.
All in all, I would definetly buy this book again if it was ever lost or stolen by the many admiring friends who have borrowed it so far.
for a cook with experience August 28, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Because the recipes do not go into great detail regarding process, it is best if you know something about making jams and jellies. That said, if you've ever had a Christine Ferber jam or jelly (and my favorite is her Isfahan--a beautiful concoction of rose water, raspberries and lychees), and live neither in Paris nor Tokyo (where her products are available) then you just may be forced to making them yourself. It is worth it!
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