Not long ago, I noticed that a new restaurant had opened in the area and it was a pleasant surprise considering the economy and some of the challenges future employers will have with employee benefits such as healthcare. Costs have skyrocketed and it makes it very difficult to run a business, especially a labor-intensive business like a restaurant. However, these young entrepreneurs decided to do it. In this new restaurant there is a window that overlooks the Chef’s area where you can watch them make everything from scratch, even the desserts and appetizers.
In fact, I was amazed by the brilliant appetizers the chef was preparing for the guests, and he was making a fresh dessert, “wow”, I thought, “I want one of those.” Yes, I know you can go to the frozen food section and buy processed food desserts and appetizers that look great and quite tasty. But there is nothing like a dessert or an appetizer made from scratch. Apparently this chef had gone to culinary school and was an expert in the culinary arts. What also surprised me is that the price on the restaurant menu was quite nominal and very fair.
Now, wouldn’t it be great if you could make that quality appetizers and desserts? of a four or five star restaurant? Well maybe you can, maybe you just need some tips and a decent instruction manual; an instruction book. If you’re looking for such a book, I happen to have one, and while it may not be as good as that chef’s creations, I can make some pretty good appetizers and desserts for my guests. The book that I would like to recommend is titled;
“Best Recipes for Appetizers”, a book by Betty Crocker, published by Macmillan General Reference – a Simon and Schuster Macmillan Company, New York, NY, 1989, 93 pages, ISBN: 0-02-861530-1.
In this book, you will learn how to make the best cheese sauces, spreads, and appetizers. How about seafood appetizers? There is also a chapter on “snacks and treats”. Sometimes appetizers become the first course of a large meal, in this book you will find which ones go with what types of meals and will prepare your taste buds for the next course. There is also a chapter on sweet sandwiches and the types of desserts I saw the chef make.
You know what, now that I think about it, I could do the same here at home, not because I’m a great chef, but because I own this book, the one I just recommended to you. There are pictures, an ingredient list, and helpful little tips to get you right and display it like a perfect appetizer from a top-notch restaurant. Consider all of this and think about it.