Cooking with the Saints: An Illustrated Treasury of Authentic Recipes Old and Modern [Hardcover]

Ernst Schuegraf (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2001

Ernst Schuegraf combines his unusual combination of skills in cooking, photography, fine arts and knowledge of saints lives to present this unique cookbook that captures a wonderful variety of recipes and inspiring biographies of each saint. This richly illustrated treasure of ancient and modern recipes from 21 countries celebrates the Catholic tradition of honoring saints with special meals and recipes on their feast days. Some 73 saints are depicted here with over 170 recipes that cover a broad spectrum of dishes that includes main courses, side dishes, soups, snacks, breads and desserts. In addition to the wonderful recipes and stories of saints, this lavish cookbook is filled with color pictures of each dish, as well as each saint. It also offers a cooking glossary and four indices of recipes by name, saint, type and country. Author: Ernst SchuegrafFormat: 330 pages, HardcoverPublisher: Ignatius PressISBN: 089870779X

Product Details

• Hardcover: 330 pages
• Publisher: Ignatius Press (August 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089870779X
• ISBN-13: 978-0898707793
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #369,711 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Christian Cooking Inspiration!, February 7, 2003

By 

C. Bennett (New England) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cooking with the Saints: An Illustrated Treasury of Authentic Recipes Old and Modern (Hardcover)

Cooking with the Saints, by Ernst Schuegraf, is a magnificent volume of cooking inspiration for Catholics. This full-color hard-cover book is so elegant, I hated to drop batter on the beautifully designed pages! At 330 pages, this heavy volume covers recipes for saints from Agnes to Wilfrid. The recipes have been meticulously culled from many nations, traditions, and time periods, to arrive to us in one complete book.

The recipes have conversions for United States and European cooks. Each recipe features a short biography of it's namesake saint, as well as full-color photograph. The recipes are diverse and include: Stuffed Peppers in Walnut Sauce, Soup for Saint Francis Xavier's Day, Melachrino Cake, Saint Margaret's Lebkuchen, Saint Martin's Day Duck, Saint Roch's Fingers, and Saint Theresa's Bread.

The 3-page Introduction by Schuegraf tells us the story of his inspiration. He discusses some of the differences cooking and baking has undergone, and tells us that he has done his best to retain the recipes as they were found. Some of the recipes are pulled from antique cookbooks, and many others were carefully researched at St. Francis Xavier Library.

Saint Barbara, pages 33 - 36, is a prime example of the quality of work put into this book. The biography of Saint Barbara encompasses what is known of her life from the third century, a thirteenth-century book about her, and even legends about her father. Page 33 features a beautiful fifteenth century painting of her by Jan Van Eyck. The author attributes three recipes to Saint Barbara's name: Saint Barbara Cake, Pork Tenderloin Saint Barbara, and Dessert for Saint Barbara's Day.

I prepared the Saint Barbara Cake in my kitchen at home. The ingredients were readily on hand: butter, sugar, eggs, flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and a lemon. This cake has a silky texture, due to the large amount of cornstarch that goes into the recipe. The cake possesses a light, lemony flavor with a dense but silky texture. It is a perfect accompaniment to your morning ritual, substitute this lovely cake on December 4th (Saint Barbara's day) for your muffin or bagel.

Ernst Schuegraf has created a treasure for Christian bakers with Cooking With the Saints. Christians can enhance their experience of the holy days with their families by cooking from this volume. Enjoy!

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Catholic "Martha Stewart" Cookbook!, September 27, 2001

By 

Jennifer G. Miller "jennifergmiller" (Manassas, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cooking with the Saints: An Illustrated Treasury of Authentic Recipes Old and Modern (Hardcover)

This book by Ernst Scheugraf is such a fabulous presentation! The book is large and heavy -- the glossy pages are chock full of mouthwatering recipes with matching colorful photos of the dishes and beautiful graphics of the saints with small biographies of each saint. All the dishes are related to saints--with the criteria that each dish must contain the saint's name.

The presentation is just beautiful. The book rivals Martha Stewart's books!

All the recipes are written with regular and metric measurements, with easy to follow directions. The recipes range from appetizers to main dishes to dessert -- and all levels of experience can find useful recipes.

I study and probably own all the books on the Catholic liturgical year in the domestic church (home) and this book I can really say is unique and worthwhile addition to my collection.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspired to Cook!, August 15, 2001

By 

Karin Fleuren (Nova Scotia, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cooking with the Saints: An Illustrated Treasury of Authentic Recipes Old and Modern (Hardcover)

This is truly a most unique cookbook! For centuries -indeed throughout the millennium -saints have inspired our beliefs, nurtured our faith, and now in this book promise to nourish us as well. Journey with Ernst Schuegraf into the very heart and soul of an emerging western culture as he delivers the culmination of his research and travels in "far away places with strange-sounding names". Ernst masterfully leads you through historic archives, medieval cathedrals, ancient monasteries, rare private collections, news-clippings and books that were yellowed and brittle with age. Who was the saint who inspired Ernst to dedicate so much commitment and passion to seeking out the recipes that you will enjoy this tremendous book? Cooking With the Saints features over one hundred seventy recipes and seventy-three mini-biographies of the saints, and are accompanied by beautiful color photographs. Each recipe has been prepared by Ernst himself, then tested and tasted by family and appreciative friends. Whether you plan for a simple but delicious home meal, a tasty dessert, or an exotic banquet, this is the book that will truly bless your cooking experience! Consider a feast of delicious St. Fortunatus Suckling Pig while enjoying an evening with the camaraderie of good friends and fine wine. Or perhaps Hildegard von Bingen may beckon you to the dining table? Enjoy Cooking With the Saints!