Customer Reviews

Brennans of Houston in Your Kitchen

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What a wonderful collection of delicious recipes. Chef Walker has shared his magical culinary secrets and has delivered them in a beautifully illustrated and well written book. "In Your Kitchen" tells us how to prepare some of Brennan's famous treats such as: Brandy Milk Punch, Turtle Soup and Bananas Foster. Carl Walker also shares his life experiences with his readers. After reading through the book, I feel that I know Chef Walker and his family personally. NOTE: The Texas Cornbread Pudding will become a must for your family gatherings.

This is by far the best cookbook I have ever used. The recipes are well written, easy to understand, and they actually work in my kitchen. The chef's tips are great for varying a recipe to work with the ingredients I have on hand. I have used it to cook for a dinner party (my friends were amazed), and I have used it to cook for my family during the week. It has made this home cook truly feel like a chef! The pictures and added history make it a great read, too! You have to have this cookbook!

Having had the pleasure of eating at Brennans of Houston many times over the past decade I have to say the
atmosphere at the restaurant is wonderful, however the food is what makes the experience outstanding. Carl Walker
and his knowledgeable staff have combined their talents to bring an easy to use guide into to your kitchen. It's rare
to find a cook book from an award winning chef that doesn't intimidate the casual, cooking enthusiast - this isn't a
cook book for the bookcase, it's for the kitchen. I recommend the book and the Cajun Enchiladas with Roasted
Tomatillos Salsa, on page 26.

This beautiful 192-page book is a triumph for Chef Carl Walker. This eclectic and inventive collection of recipes has been carefully accented with full-color photographs and personal anecdotes. It is a wonderful gift for fans of Brennan's, and even for home cooks who have never made their way to Houston.

The book is organized by course: Beginnings (Lagniappes, Drinks, and Appetizers), Garden and Beyond (Salads and Soups), Breakfast, Meats and Poulty, Seafood, Accompaniments (Sides, Sauces and Seasonings), and Fantastic Desserts.

Each recipe features an expected yield, list of ingredients, paragraph-style instructions on how to prepare the ingredients, and a Chef's Tip. The Chef's Tips include technique suggestions, ingredient substitutions, and reminders on how to prepare the raw ingredients.

The desserts section is especially decadent. For example, the Chocolate Praline Cheesecake is a masterpiece by Pastry Chef Melissa Piper Reilly. This luscious dessert uses a chocolate crumb crust filled with caramels, pecans, and chocolate-laced cheesecake filling.

This beautiful cookbook will be a delight for chefs and bakers alike. Enjoy!

Brennan's is a famous New Orleans restaurant started up in the 1940s. The family opened up a sister restaurant in Houston in 1967. The cuisine served in the Houston branch has become well known in its own right, and is affectionately known as "Texas Creole"

When a cookbook comes from a restaurant, its important to know if the restaurant is any good. Brennan's is one of the best restaurants in Houston. The food, ambience, service and live music are all excellent and although there is a dress code and the waiters wear suits, it isn't pretentious or snobby. I liked the food there so much that I bought this cookbook so that I could make some of the dishes at home! By the way, it is not diet cuisine - most of the dishes are rich and well seasoned, with lots of nuts, butter, cream and oil. Totally fattening, extremely filling and very satisfying.

The book has a good number of color photos, mostly of the food but also some of the interior. It also includes some information about the history of the restaurant. Some restaurants keep their signature dishes secret, but not Brennan's - in this cookbook you will find the recipes for many well-known specialities such as Creole Bread Pudding Souffle and Bananas Foster. There are chef's tips included with the recipes, and overall the book is very user friendly.

This book is highly recommended, both for its faithful recreation of the restaurant's dishes, and for the overall excellence and originality of its recipes.

LIST OF CHAPTERS:

Introductions
Best of Beginnings - Lagniappes, Drinks& Appetizers
From the Garden and Beyond - Salads & Soups
Breakfast at Brennan's - Creole Jazz Brunch
Chef Carl Recommends - Meats & Poultry
Brennan's Favorites - Seafood
Accompaniments - Sides, Sauces & Seasonings
Grand FInales - Fantastic Desserts
Our Texas Creole Story
Source Guide & Index

SAMPLE RECIPES to tempt your palate and give you an idea of the style of cuisine:

Salmon & Smoked Corn Salsa
Grilled Yellowfin Tuna with Crabmeant Mango-Papaya Relish
Gulf Seafood Pontchartrain
Texas Bobwhite Quail
Jicama Slaw
Southern Pecan Crusted Catfish
Smoked Salmon Cheesecake
Texas Cornbread Pudding
Cajun Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Ancho Pepper and Cumin Sweet Potato Smashers
Spiced Pumpkin Seed Chicken
Bayou Gumbo
Roasted Peanut Soup with Honey-Cajun Shrimp
Risotta Jambalaya
Creole Bread Pudding Souffle (this is to die for!)

I was a tester for Chef Carl Walker. His objective was to make sure anyone could pick up his cookbook and could cook from it. He brought an old stove into Brennan's Kitchen and three of us started to test recipe's. His idea was a success. Everyone that I have been in touch with that has the cookbook cannot get over how easy the recipe's are to follow. It was more than a pleasure working with him. He is one of the most creative people I have ever known.

This book is more than it has to be to be successful.A collection of sumptuous recipes, history of a culinary dynasty, introduction to a remarkable chef, presentation of tantalizing photographs.But more than that, the book's a sensory experience. An "environment" that reveals something new to me each time I dip into it. A rare combination of haute cuisine and folksiness. Comfortable, with illustrations, quotes, faces, music. EVEN I am preparing a dish with Chef Walker all but standing over my shoulder coaxing me. Whether on the coffee table or on a kitchen cabinet splattered with wine and fishy fingerprints, this book is an absolute classic. I love it for me - and giving it as the gift that it is.

This book is so well balanced with recipes, photos, history of the place and it feels like you know the author when you read it. I've tried some of the recipes and they are user friendly, which isn't always the case for a chef written book. I've given this book to my friends for Christmas and they have loved it. The photos are exceptional and they are not intimating to me, like so many other books. If you want a touch of Creole and some just good cookbook reading it is my new favorite.
ps. I forgot almost every recipe has Chef tips and notes so you can substitute ingredients that may be hard to find and make your own creation.

Brennan's of Houston in Your Kitchen is as approachable as Chef Carl Walker himself. This cookbook guides the reader through the best Creole recipes from the restaurant in a straightforward, informative manner. Recipes are not overly simplified for the home cook, but instead are presented in an enticing and easy to follow step by step process, with lovely pictures of the final products. Each dish we have prepared tastes exactly like the food available at the restaurant. We recently visited Brennan's of Houston and were again pleased with how well the recipes translated for the home cook. What a delightful addition to any "chef's" library.

I received Brennan's of Houston In Your Kitchen as a gift from a friend, and I love it! The recipes are easy to follow, with great tips from the chef. I especially like the fact that he makes suggestions for side dishes to go with main entrees. Having eaten at Brennan's many times, I'm excited to be able to "cook like Chef Carl" in my own kitchen, and my dishes really do taste just like "the real thing." I sit down to choose a new recipe, and an hour later, I'm still enjoying the side stories, quotes, history, etc. I didn't know a cookbook could be so fun!