A Cook's Initiation into the Gorgeous World of Mushrooms is a stunningly beautiful cookbook feast for the eyes. Philippe Emanuelli's recipes take a Eurocentric approach to using a variety of fungi in dishes both basic and complex. The recipes, which assume a basic familiarity with cooking techniques, are organized by way of mushroom type, beginning with wild varieties like the crenellated morel, the wispy yet delicious Fairy Ring and the venerated porcini (or King Bolete), to name a few.
Each recipe is paired with a delicious photograph of the results, seemingly close enough to touch. The typeset design of the book is as impressive as the images and the meals, creating a solid book that will be equally at home on a coffee table as in a well-appointed kitchen. --Rob LeFebvre, freelance writer and editor