Aquavit: And the New Scandinavian Cuisine

Ever since my husband found out he was part Danish, he's really embraced his Scandinavian background (case in point, we went to Denmark for our honeymoon). We're big fans of Chef Samuelsson and have dined at his meat/seafood restaurant in Chicago and made our first visit to Aquavit earlier this year.I've been hesitant to buy this book only b/c I expected the recipes to be way too complicated for home cooks. We love to cook, but I tend to stay away from overly fussy recipes. I finally bought it a couple months ago b/c Samuelsson was going to be at a food and wine event in Chicago and we wanted to have an autographed book, and I thought this would be the most appropriate one to have him sign.Well I'm happy to say that after trying a few recipes, this isn't just a pretty coffee table book, but an actual cookbook I can see us using fairly often with recipes that are actually quite easy to execute.So far we've tried the Swedish Roast Chicken w/ Spiced Apple Rice (loved the spice combination and even used it as inspiration for our Thanksgiving turkey), the Lamb Sausage Wraps w/ Spicy Sauerkraut and Garlic Mashed Potatoes, as well as the brine and Glogg Sauce from the Crispy Duck recipe (he just used the breasts, but we roasted a whole duck following methods from a combination of recipes).There are definitely a lot more recipes left to try, but so far we haven't been disappointed by these. I also like the additional suggestions and commentary that he includes with each recipe.Overall I'd say this is a great book if you want to explore a more modern style of Scandinavian cooking...and don't be intimidated by all the glossy pictures of fancy food! I'm not sure if I'd consider this a book for beginning cooks, but it does have a mix of easy-moderate-more advanced recipes that aren't as advanced as you might expect and turn out to be quite tasty.

Very Pleased. Beautiful cookbook.

I found the book had some creative dishes. When I make one of these recipes I feel like a Chef for a 5 start restaurant (well if it comes out alright that is). Some of the recipes are challenging and some ingredients are hard to find, but if you are a home cook and like a challenge this is a good cook book.

The real deal that has given me the best pick up lines for Swedish stewardess'. There was a cookbook published 80 years ago, "The Way to a Man's Heart" and do not forget, women eat too! What better ice breaker with a gorgeous woman who makes adolescents and grown men cry, than to offer her the culinary treats provided in this gastronomic climax!

A most beautiful cookbook with a sophisticated palate of delicious recipes that are manageable.

Perfect Christmas gift for my husband! Had the recipe I saw recently on the Food Network! Has amazing pictures! We love Aquavit!

Nice unusual culinary combinations and unique flavorings

Great recipes, mouthwatering pictures, beautiful layout. Makes me "homesick" for Stockholm. Wish Samuelsson would write another more focused on innovative Swedish cuisine.

Oh Yeah! Good book for the WOW cook. It has healthy and spectacular ideas - we have hundreds of cookbooks and this one is terrific and will be treasured. We have cooked several things and they are very unique. Nothing run of the mill here. when you get a book like this and you want to try everything then you have something very special.

There are some wonderful recipes, but I don't find the writing and the directions are clear as other cookbooks. Many of the recipes are restaurant rich--more delicious when you don't know what's in them. Beautiful layout.