A Cook's Tour of Minnesota [Paperback]

Ann L. Burckhardt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2004

A portrait of the festivals, specialities, places, and people behind the state's great food traditions, featuring over 160 recipes. Organised into four sections: Celebrations and Festivals, Savoury Specialities, Memorable Places, and North Star Cooks -- these forty essays include interviews, historical background, food trivia, cook's tips, and kitchen-tested recipes that will appeal to food lovers of all backgrounds and interests. Adventurous cooks will delight in preparing a variety of Minnesota foods to be shared in many settings: soups for busy family dinners, quick breads for mornings up at the lake, prize-winning desserts for holiday potlucks. The book also includes an up-to-date appendix with tourist and Web site information.

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society Press; 1 edition (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873514688
• ISBN-13: 978-0873514682
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,961,624 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book has appeal that goes beyond state lines!, July 21, 2005

By 

Sarah Tieck, www.sarahtieck.com "Writer, Edit... (Minneapolis, Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Cook's Tour of Minnesota (Paperback)

Ann Burckhardt is a former reporter, columnist, and editor for the Taste (food) section of the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. Her fantastic credentials don't stop there, though. She's written and edited dozens of books on food, even the Betty Crocker Cooky Book.

This book brings together her years of knowledge and experience, and her love of the food world. It is full of pleasures--food, good writing, and a writer's passion for her topic. The subject is the food scene of Minnesota. But, this book has appeal far beyond state lines. This long-time journalist's skill at bringing people and places to life makes it a worthy read for any writer. There's nothing about it I didn't enjoy!

If that isn't enough to entice, the recipes surely will ... Lemon-Butter Bars, Créme Brulèe French Toast, and Magic Marshmallow Crescent Treats. Also, there's Marion Ross's Cheesy Macaroni Bake with Spam, or Endlessly Easy Chicken Breasts, among others.

--Review by Sarah Tieck excerpted from The Writer's Notebook, July 2005 issue

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovin' it., February 11, 2009

By 

M. Hansen (Minneapolis) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Cook's Tour of Minnesota (Paperback)

I am really enjoying this cookbook. It is a great mixture so history, culture, recipes, and food essays. It follows the people of Minnesota, Native to recent immigrants. I think it was published a little too soon for East African cuisine to be included, so I would recommend that if they reissue it.

Of course I am a native Minnesotan, so I am a little biased towards the concept. Even so, I would be interested in reading similar books about other states and the food they have there. It was a fun way to learn a lot about culture through food.

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read on Minnesota cooking, December 27, 2008

By 

Chicago Book Addict (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Cook's Tour of Minnesota (Paperback)

This book provides a look at the culinary traditions of Minnesota. Divided into four sections (celebrations and festivals, savory specialties, memorable places and North Star Cooks) the book covers a lot of ground. It is a marriage of historical background and interviews with over 160 recipes.
The strength of this book is in the storytelling. Burckhardt does a great job of bringing the places, festivals, and people behind Minnesota's rich culinary treasures to life. I spent the first 18 years of my life here and there was still plenty of historical background that was new to me. I love hearing the stories behind food so to me this was very interesting. I also think she did a good job of covering a diverse group of events, people, and places. One of the challenges in a book like this is inevitably an author will leave out something that to you is synonymous with Minnesota cooking. However, I think she did a pretty good job of covering enough ground that every Minnesotan can find something they relate to.
While I really liked the historical background, I was a little disapointed with the recipes. She does a good job of providing a range of recipes, but many were not what I expected. For the State Fair section, for example, I expected to see recipes for the foods most synonymous with the state fair like corn dogs, cheese curds, etc. While there was one recipe for a Sweet Martha's like cookie, the rest, for me were quite disappointing. One, for example, was a recipe for watermelon on a stick, which was quite literally a piece of watermelon shoved on a stick. I find recipes like that a bit insulting. I found the same to also true for the recipes by Leeann Chin. I would have expected the recipes to be for the most beloved dishes from her restaurant like the chinese chicken salad, orange chicken, or Oyster wings, but none of these were included. In fact, none of the recipes she included were from the Leeann Chin menu. This may not be a disappointment for some, however if you are getting it for a particular recipe you may want to take a look at the table of contents before you make the purchase.
From a skill level perspective, however, home cooks will likely appreciate how approachable these recipes are. Most are straight forward, well written, and do not require a lot of ingredients. Some even make use of pre-made ingredients like brownie or cake mix.
Overall I appreciated this cookbook most for the rich history and interesting interviews it provided, but found the recipes lacking.