The Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook [Hardcover]

Mary Corpening Barber (Author), Sara Corpening Whiteford (Author), Rebecca Chastenet de Gery (Author), Susie Cushner (photographer) (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2003

Here is the perfect gift for the happy couple--the first and only cookbook they will ever need. Best-selling authors Sara Corpening Whiteford and Mary Corpening Barber start the bride and groom off right with essential information on the equipment they'll need to begin cooking in their new home, as well as invaluable tips on getting the pantry stocked. Then they offer 125 recipes--those special dishes to turn to again and again. Ready to entertain the new in-laws? A weekend brunch featuring Sausage and Cheddar Cheese Strata comes together in a snap and is certain to impress. If something a little more romantic is in order, Brie and Champagne Fondue for Two shared in front of a roaring fire is as cozy as it gets. Everyday favorites like Classic Lasagna, Grilled Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Salsa, and the impossible-to-resist Silken Chocolate Tart will have even inexperienced cooks looking like pros in the kitchen. Whether cooking on the fly with Dinners in a Dash-a meal on the table in 30 minutes or less: perfect for the working couple!--or hosting that first-ever holiday dinner, this is the cookbook newlyweds need to chop, peel, saut, and roast in harmony in the kitchen. Complete with beautiful photographs and menu ideas for special occasions (including the first anniversary), the Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook will have the happy couple-and their family and friends--eating well from this day forward.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Just in time for the June wedding season, Barber and Whiteford have collected 125 elegant recipes especially for newlyweds. These twin sisters, authors of Cocktail Food and Wraps, have good ideas for everyday meals and, as former owners of Thymes Two catering in San Francisco, they also have infectious enthusiasm for entertaining. Their book starts with chapters on assembling kitchen equipment and pantry staples, and moves on through "basic" recipes (such as stock and pie pastry) to appetizers, soups and salads, entrees, side dishes, sweets and drinks. Additional sections cover breakfast and brunch, quick dinners and desserts, holiday menu planning (with useful do-ahead timetables) and spouse-friendly selections for cooking "side by side." Their recipes can be complicated, however, posing difficulties for harried, first-time cooks. From Warm Artichoke and Green Onion Dip, Caesar Salad with Lemon-Pepper Shrimp, and Beef Burgundy, to Grilled Tuna with Soy Ginger Glaze and Pickled Cucumbers, Wild Mushroom Risotto, and Silken Chocolate Tart, the dishes blend classic with contemporary, formal with informal and cozy American with stylish International. The authors imbue their book with a friendly, Southern tone, which at times can feel old-fashioned.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford are identical twin sisters and the acclaimed owners of Thymes Two Catering in San Francisco.

Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford are identical twin sisters and the acclaimed owners of Thymes Two Catering in San Francisco.

Susie Cushner is a Boston-based photographer whose work can be found in Viva la Vida (0-8118-3184-1), as well as Gourmet and Saveur magazines.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; First edition. edition (June 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081183493X
• ISBN-13: 978-0811834933
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (72 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #167,494 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deserves To Become a Classic Wedding Present!, May 6, 2003

By 

Light through Leaves (Melrose, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook (Hardcover)

A useful cooking manual and a feel-good read!

I ran across this cookbook one rainy Saturday, and newlywed nostalgia and the beautiful format drew me in. After buying the book and reading it in two sittings, I've begun to cook my way through it. The recipes are considered and fresh, not complex or pretentious. I like the emphasis on seasonal ingredients, especially since this book provides a table of when various fruits and veggies can be expected to be at their peak.

Rather than overwhelming you with recipes, the book offers a small, balanced selection to take you from appetizers to dessert. The culinary authors were caterers and their recipes seem likely to appeal to a wide range of palates. The overall message is that cooking isn't mysterious: with a little preparation it can be done well. For example, you're encouraged to caramelize a large batch of onions and then keep them on hand in the fridge--an easy but pleasingly sophisticated addition to weeknight dishes.

Another thing I found to like about this book came unexpectedly. Less tangible than all the cooking help but equally gratifying is the revelation of the amazing bond between the book's twin sister authors, who have apparently been cooking together since they were kids. Their views on how food helps shape and define our relationships (fortunately, nothing preachy or pseudo-psychoanalytic) are a simple acknowldegement that food can be a chance to do something nice for other people.

The book's modernity is really refreshing. There are sections on cooking with your mate and how to stock a pantry so that you can still eat in when you don't really feel like cooking. There's an overall sense of realism; the bride isn't cast as a Good Housekeeping-style kitchen slave, but the book is subtly geared toward the one partner with a greater interest in cooking, with hints about involving and empowering the less interested partner so that he or she can help with preparations or stocking the fridge and pantry.

Other sections have been useful in surprising ways. Ironically, the tutorial on necessary kitchenware for the new kitchen gave me some insight on simplifying my existing, overstocked one.

Most of the recipes can be described as new American classics and all have been good so far. I look forward to trying more recipes and am frighteningly addicted to the slightly decadent, easy-to-make herbed popcorn. I would recommend this book as a great gift for couples or singles, or for anyone willing to make a moderate time commitment for simple, stylish food.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Classy and Classic Cookbook, September 16, 2003

By 

K. Hemmer "kathehemmer2" (Syracuse, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook (Hardcover)

This is such a welcome cookbook.It includes both partner's
in the act of learning to cook together.Most are for the
bride only,and given at a shower, if you are given the
standard book.(It is an excellent,but very basic book.)
The twins who wrote this book want to bring the couple into
the kitchen.Here they learn how to stock the room with the
most fundamental tools,pots and pans and spices and
necessities to start their adventure.
It shows how to prepare for a dinner party with modern
appetizers of the new generation.
It also shows the ordinary problems of how to carve the
turkey.There are recipes for all seasons and holidays.
All time nutricious meals take a big space.Some of them
are enlivened with newer ways of decorating your table.
Everything is a feast for the senses.
When the bride returned from her honeymoon,she told me
she and her husband were about to tackle a veggie
lasagna to have during the football game.
A bridesmaid in their wedding joking said,"Why didn't
you choose this for me."She was married last year and might
get a surprise this year under her tree.
The book ends with to love and cherish,a good reminder
when you are cooking or anytime of the day.

One Comment:Everyone remarked on the elegant wrapping paper
and printed note to the Bride and Groom.I had selected
from Amazon.com, gift wrapping,and an engraved note.I then
added a white bow to the silver paper.I don't know if this is
your standard gift wrap for weddings,but it was beautiful.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I LOVE THIS COOKBOOK, April 26, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook (Hardcover)

I am what is known as a "cookbook junkie". I buy them to try the recipes, but mostly just to read. Let me tell you, I have tried almost every recipe in this book. They are easy to follow with good pictures and good suggestions for making it a meal. I turn to it on a harried evening when I don't feel like cooking and whenever I am going to have a dinner party. I am searching for more books by these ladies. Awesome.