Black Forest Cuisine [Hardcover]

Walter Staib (Author), Jennifer Linder (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 24, 2006

If the only thing that comes to mind when you think of Black Forest cuisine is the infamous cream-slathered, cherry-studded Black Forest Cake, then Chef Walter Staib has a thing or two to show you! Nestled in Southwestern Germany, the region surrounding the Black Forest, or Schwarzwald, is known throughout Europe and beyond for its rich and internationally influenced cuisine, making it a top destination for gourmands from around the world. In Black Forest Cuisine, renowned chef and cookbook author Walter Staib takes home chefs on a mouth-watering tour of the culinary treasures found in his homeland. Each chapter introduces dishes as they are served in a variety of Black Forest environs-from the comfort food of a Home Kitchen to the more portable meals of the Café, from the complicated banquets of a Gasthaus to the grand menus featured in fashionable Hotels. In this compendium of local yet worldly cuisine, Chef Staib shows that the cuisine of the Black Forest inspires much more than just a cake. Recipes include: Hungarian Goulasch Spätzle & Potato Stew Bienenstich Sauerbraten More than just a cookbook, Black Forest Cuisine is a photographic and culinary exploration of the famous region, lovingly presented by one of its own sons. Fully illustrated with 4-color photographs of the enchanting Black Forest and its mouth-watering food, this cookbook will transport readers to the warm and magical land that many Europeans already know and love.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For the uninitiated, this collection of recipes makes an apt introduction to the cuisine of southwest Germany. Inflected with French, Swiss and Italian traditions, Black Forest cookery goes beyond the sauerkrauts, wursts and späetzles we associate with German food—though there's plenty of that here, too. In his introduction, the chef/owner of Philadelphia's historic City Tavern reveals that there are many similarities between the postwar eating habits of his native Black Forest and the 18th-century American dishes he now serves on a nightly basis (Germans began settling Pennsylvania around that time, Staib explains). Both emphasize fresh, local ingredients and hand-butchered meats. The book is divided not by courses but by styles of cooking associated with specific dining locations, be it a cafe, a gasthaus (a guesthouse that serves tavernlike food), a fashionable hotel or at your own table. Throughout, Staib shows equal affection for humble fare like Stuffed Tomatoes (filled with bologna and Swiss cheese) and his more sophisticated dishes, like Paupiettes of Brook Trout topped with salmon roe. Readers will come away with a taste of the indigenous foodstuffs of the region, from the asparagus in Smoked Trout Salad to the mirabelle plums in the Clafouti Tart. (Nov.)
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About the Author

Jennifer Lindner McGlinn is a trained pastry chef, food writer, and historian. She has worked as executive editor of Art Culinaire, a professional chefs’ magazine, as well as in the curatorial departments at Winterthur Museum, the Rosenbach Museum and Library, and Valley Forge National Park/National Center for the American Revolution. Ms. McGlinn is the co-author, along with Chef/Proprietor Walter Staib, of The City Tavern Baking & Dessert Cookbook, and worked as recipe editor, contributor, and consultant on Dining at Monticello. She contributes food and culture articles to Signature Brandywine Magazine, and prepares specialty desserts for her business, Goodwife Confections. Chef Walter Staib is the highly acclaimed chef and proprietor of Philadelphia’s celebrated City Tavern restaurant. He is the author of two other cookbooks: City Tavern Cookbook, and City Tavern Baking & Dessert Cookbook. He has been named the “Culinary Ambassador to the City of Philadelphia,” and has received numerous awards and recognition for his outstanding cuisine.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 328 pages
• Publisher: Running Press (October 24, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762421355
• ISBN-13: 978-0762421350
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #308,709 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best German Cookbook EVER !, November 18, 2006

By 

Isa Post "Isa" (AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Forest Cuisine (Hardcover)

This is the German-Cookbook I am looking for - for Years. Not even find this kind of Book in Germany. It has all the Recipes my Mother and Grandmother used to cook. The only (great) Difference: It is more "modern", with all the Spices you can buy today. In the Fifties and Sixties my Mother had only Pepper, Salt, Bayleaves and Maggi in her Kitchen. Never heard of Garlic, Basil, Rosmaryn etc. . I will cook ALL the Recipes in this Book. The Desserts and Cakes are wonderful, too. The Recipes are EASY to follow and the Photos are gorgeous. Because I lived only 50 miles away from the Black Forest, the Book is double special. I only wished THIS Book came out earlier !!!!! THANK YOU Walter Staib.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars cook beware!, April 15, 2010

By 

C. Kruse - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Black Forest Cuisine (Hardcover)

Please notice that most of the positive reviews talk about the great pictures, stories, and how appetizing the recipes LOOK. Those people obviously did not make the recipes. The spaetzle recipe comes out like soup, the maultaschen dough recipe was clearly missing some sort of liquid, and the german potato salad is really disappointing as well- I was not impressed with the seasoning. I was so excited when I got this book, I read it from cover to cover. I will say I learned a lot about the black forest, it's just unfortunate that the recipes were obviously not proofed. Please do yourself a favor and only get this book for coffee table decoration.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars European Cuisine Blending German Style, December 13, 2006

By 

rodboomboom (Dearborn, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Black Forest Cuisine (Hardcover)

Neat that this renown chef famous due to 18th Century American cuisine completes dream to produce Black Forest cookbook.

This is fine effort of such, with wonderful prose by McGlinn and exceptional color photography by Deering.

Where Staib grew up in Black Forest into cusine family there was a blending of French, Italian and German cusine. He experienced it from different levels of the home table, cafe, gasthaus, and finer restaurants as diner and chef. The recipie collection is thus organized uniquely around these levels, flowing from appetizers, salads, soups, entrees, side dishes and desserts.

Fine collection with wide range of dishes, from home table comfort food to elaborate technique/ingredient recipes which will test the home gourmet. Of course there are those that would quickly come to mind, the Black Forest Cake (here very welcome step-by-step photos and descriptions of technique, which also accompany other recipes as well) and Spaetzle, and Cabbage Rolls. Also enjoy all the game dishes, particularly the Pheasant a la Souvarov; Vension Medallions with Cognac Cream Sauce.

Other recipes which caught my eye and graced the table: Stuffed Veal Breast Grandmother Style; Bee Sting Cake; Vols-au-Vent with Veal Ragout in the Queen's Style; Black Forest Home Fries; Poached Salmon with Tomatoes and Dill Cream Sauce; Smoked Trout and Asparagus Salad; Smoked Salmon Frittata.

Added nice feature is menu for special Black Forest celebrations such as Carnival, Asparagus Festival, Christmas and Saint Sylvester Night (NYears). Recipes from the collection are utilized here, as well as some new specific celebrative ones, e.g. Christmas Goose with Herbed Stuffing and Wassail and Stolen.

Exceptionally well done and fun to explore at various levels of this unique, and blended cuisine. Might also want to check out "Rockenwagner" and "New German Cookbook" for other excellent cookbooks in this cuisine vector.