Amazon.com In 1916， Joe Czarnecki opened a workingman's bar in Reading， Pennsylvania， named， aptly， Joe's. The specialty was mushroom soup made from the wild mushrooms gathered in nearby pine forests. Joe's became famous for the mushroom dishes and survived through two more generations of Czarneckis， including his grandson Jack. A former proprietor of Joe's Restaurant， Jack Czarnecki has put together one of the most complete mushroom cookbooks ever assembled. Joe's Book of Mushroom Cookery is the New Basics of fungus. With more than 300 recipes， the selection ranges from the elegantly simple to the ultimately sophisticated. The book is also an excellent guide to demystifying cooking with both commercial and wild mushrooms. Czarnecki immediately cautions of the inherent dangers in collecting wild mushrooms， and advises that caution and education are the best way to avoid pitfalls. Since this is a cookbook， not a field guide， a chapter is included on how and where to learn about collecting wild mushrooms. Also helpful is an extensive section on the culinary characteristics and preparation and storage of selected mushrooms. But where Czarnecki ultimately shines is in the recipe section of the book. Joe's Book of Mushroom Cookery is perhaps the most comprehensive collection of mushroom recipes available. The spectrum is broad， covering classic French approaches such as Filet Mignon en Croûte， to lighter nouvelle dishes such as Fresh Trout with Mushroom Stuffing. There are also excellent sections on mushroom soups， appetizers， sauces， and desserts. Several lifetimes of experience in Joe's Book of Mushroom Cookery and the passion can't help but be contagious. --Mark O. Howerton --This text refers to the Paperback edition. From Publishers Weekly In 1916 Czarnecki's grandfather opened Joe's Restaurant in Reading， Pa.， which is presently run by the author. From the beginning， the menu has featured dishes made with wild mushrooms， gathered from the forests in the area. After a warm， personal introduction， Czarnecki offers a rundown of species of edible mushrooms and instructions for purchasing， picking and preserving them. The recipes are varied and imaginative， and will send mushroom lovers to specialty stores (or into the forest) in search of the different species. Among the cookbook's offerings: morel soup covered with puff pastry， salmon in lobster sauce with cepes， filet mignon with wild mushrooms and Szechuan pepper， ziti with mushroom butter and， for the adventurous， wild boar with shiitake， apples and strawberry liqueur. There are also a number of rich "mushroomless" desserts. Photos not seen by PW. First serial to Harrowsmith magazine; BOMC/Cooking & Crafts Club alternate. Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information， Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. See all Editorial Reviews