The Berghoff Family Cookbook: From Our Table to Yours, Celebrating a Century of Entertaining [Hardcover]

Carlyn Berghoff (Author), Nancy Ross Ryan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2007

Where schnitzel meets ahi tuna for a beer." --New York Times

In The Berghoff Family Cookbook, the fourth generation of Chicago's Berghoff clan presents traditional favorites from the city's famed Berghoff Restaurant alongside contemporary culinary creations.

The history of Chicago's Berghoff Restaurant spanned three generations and 107 years. It was one of America's oldest family-owned restaurants. To commemorate such a rich culinary history, Carlyn Berghoff and her mother, Jan Berghoff, collected 150 of the restaurant's most popular recipes, including classics such as Creamed Spinach, Berghoff Rye Bread, and Wiener Schnitzel. They paired them up with more contemporary offerings such as the Shrimp Martini, Grilled Vegetables with Red Pepper Aoli, and Brie and Raspberry Grilled Cheese Sandwiches to create The Berghoff Family Cookbook: From Our Table to Yours, Celebrating a Century of Entertaining.

* Recipes are presented alongside tempting four-color photographs and informative sidebars that offer tips on dressing salads, serving soups, pairing culinary flavors, and more.

* The book's introductory narrative tells the Berghoff family's story and introduces the next generation of the Berghoff legacy.

Fourth-generation entrepreneur Carlyn Berghoff operates her own catering company, Artistic Events, out of the famous Chicago building at 17 West Adams. She has also opened 17/West at the Berghoff, more casual fare is still offered at the downstairs Cafe, and the Berghoff Cafe still operates out of locations at O'Hare International and Midway airports.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Carlyn Berghoff graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and is the founder of Artistic Events, Chicago's premier event-planning company. Jan Berghoff is the wife and business partner of third-generation proprietor Herman Berghoff. The Berghoffs live in Chicago, Illinois. Writer Nancy Ross Ryan was the founding culinary editor of Plate magazine and operates a consulting company, Fresh Food Writing, in Chicago.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing; First edition. edition (August 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740763628
• ISBN-13: 978-0740763625
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #278,590 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Carlyn Berghoff, CEO of the Berghoff Catering & Restaurant Group, is the fourth generation to continue the Berghoff legacy of serving great food and entertaining guests. She is an author, a chef and restaurateur, a caterer, and a wife and mother.

She graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and now operates out of Chicago's century-old Berghoff building, her base for off-premise catering. She also runs the restaurant, bar, and the historic cafe. She lives in Chicago with her husband and three children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An old Chicago landmark, November 5, 2007

By 

Steven A. Peterson (Hershey, PA (Born in Kewanee, IL)) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Berghoff Family Cookbook: From Our Table to Yours, Celebrating a Century of Entertaining (Hardcover)

It was hard to read the news that The Berghoff was shutting its doors in 2006. Whenever I would attend a meeting in Chicago, especially at the Palmer House, one stop was always right around the corner at The Berghoff on Adams. A group of us would normally go over for at least one dinner or a lunch (and what an atmosphere for lunch; it was worth the price of admission just to be there and experience the crowding and so on).

This book is more than a cookbook. It also provides a family history of the founder and the four generations of the Berghoff family who ran this family business over a 100 plus years.

But it is also a fine cookbook, showcasing some of the best recipes from the Berghoff. As an appetizer, there is the grilled Portobello mushrooms marinated in balsamic vinaigrette. The marinade is pretty straightforward. Let the mushrooms sit in the marinade for a couple hours; then grill the mushrooms.

Lunch, as noted, was an adventure at Berghoff. Once, I couldn't quite make up my mind and was rewarded with the servers telling me to hurry up and make my choice as I was in line! One of the lunches that I recall having was the Berghoff roasted turkey breast sandwich. Instructions for making it are pretty clear, and I look forward to reprising one of these fine lunches in the near future in my own kitchen.

And one of my favorite dinners was Sauerbraten. Another dish with its own marinade to provide the rich flavor. Again, the recipe is clearly presented and the step by step approach makes this quite doable.

Finally, a side dish--red cabbage. Again, I always enjoyed this. One nice thing about the recipe here--options are available, whether going with onion or apple or bacon.

This is a neat reminder of the old restaurant and what made it fun to visit. The recipes are a legacy that will keep the memory of The Berghoff going. A nice book to pick up!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Well, one recipe wasn't quite the same..., December 31, 2007

By 

o-namae desu (From: the other side of forty) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Berghoff Family Cookbook: From Our Table to Yours, Celebrating a Century of Entertaining (Hardcover)

The book rates 3 stars because it's a decent, but not spectacular, cookbook. If you're a fan of the restaurant, you'll buy it anyway; in addition to 20 pages of history, there are old photos and restaurant anecdotes sprinkled throughout. But if you're one of those people who won't shop at Marshall Field's anymore, then maybe you'll prefer NOT to enrich the 4th-generation author, who closed the restaurant! (Chances are, you only really want one or two of the recipes, right? So go to the library.) Of 140 recipes, 79 are from the restaurant; the remainder are from Jan's personal collection and Carlyn's catering menu. (And it's stretching a bit to call a Root Beer Float a recipe.) Speaking of the restaurant recipes, rahm schnitzel & creamed spinach both turned out exactly as expected. But I think the red cabbage is off: If you follow it (shred 1 head cabbage, cook low uncovered 1hr with 1.5cup sugar, 1.5cup vinegar, 1stick butter) you get an EXTREMELY sweet side dish -- after an hour, you have candied cabbage! Fun, but not what The Berghoff actually served. (Maybe... Covered? Two heads? Water? Anybody know if there is an errata sheet published?)

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Chicago Classic -- Creamed Spinach anyone?, September 7, 2007

By 

ilovebooks "Kris" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Berghoff Family Cookbook: From Our Table to Yours, Celebrating a Century of Entertaining (Hardcover)

Berghoff's was a Chicago landmark for over 100 years until it closed in 2006. Some of their menu items (like the creamed spinach and the rye bread) were legendary; it's worth the price of the book just to get those! The book is an interesting compendium of recipes and history. Whether you're a Chicago history buff, a cook, or just one of the many people who has fond memories of meals at Berghoff's, this volume will be a welcome additon to your library.