Day Five - The Verdict

I started the day with the Spinach with Eggs (spinaci con uovi).  Maybe I was still half asleep, but I have to say that the instructions were a bit tricky, which isn't the first time nor would it be the last time with this book.  The wording is very subtle when your asked to change directions in the recipe. You never get a clear indication that a sauce is to be separated from the main ingredients  to be reduced.

The Spinach and Eggs had flavor and would probably do okay on a brunch buffet table once you figured out the recipe.

I skipped lunch of course after eating such a rich breakfast.  In the afternoon I prepared the Grilled and Sauteed Mushrooms, Quick Shrimp Stock, Shrimp in Tomato Sauce with Chickpea Pasta, Focaccia with Rosemary and the Zabaglione.
I wish I could say that these dishes left me wanting more, but I can't say that they did.

Maxine Clark is clearly a food stylist and indicates this in her book.  This is probably why none of the foods I made looked quite like the pictures.  The recipe, Shrimp in Tomato Sauce called for the shrimp to be peeled and deveined, but the picture shows the shells still on the shrimp.  For the Focaccia recipe, there wasn't even an oven temperature provided. The Rosemary Focaccia needed more flavor. 

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VERDICT -  Maxine Clark's Italian Kitchen Flunked the Test!

The pictures are great, but the food was so so. This book didn't bring Italy to my kitchen.  The flavors where a miss, and the directions leave you lost. 

The Cookbook Addict