The Fiddlehead Cookbook: Recipes from Alaska's Most Celebrated Restaurant and Bakery [Paperback]

Nancy DeCherney (Author), John DeCherney (Author), Deborah Marshall (Author), Susan Brook (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 1993

The Fiddlehead Restaurant and Bakery has bee a Juneau tradition since 1978, when its founded established a menu that celebrated Alaska's bounty of fresh, delicious ingredients and its jubilant spirit of adventure. In this lively and eclectic cookbook, the Fiddlehead Restaurant teams presents 150 of its most acclaimed, sought-after recipes. the colorful collection ranges from fresh Alaskan salmon and halibut to robust soups and sandwiches, light and healthy pasta dishes, grilled meats and stir fried, authentic sourdough breads, edible greens, wild berries, and extraordinarily delicious desserts--all prepared with creative flair and old-fashioned neighborliness that have made the Fiddlehead famous. Interspersed throughout are fascinating sidebars on such Alaskan passions as berry picking and glacier picnics, the fine art of smoking fish or preparing a while poaching salmon for holiday entertaining, and the spring-time search for wild edibles like fiddlehead ferns, fireweed, beach asparagus, and morel mushrooms.

Brimming with Alaskan freshman and pride, The Fiddlehead Cookbook will delight everyone who longs to shares in this generous coastal cuisine.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At first glance, Fiddlehead smacks of political correctness: readers are informed by its founders that the Fiddlehead restaurant, located in Juneau, Alaska, uses only organic ingredients and purchases products from socially responsible companies. But, setting propriety aside, we find food for vegetarians and carnivores. And those in the Lower 48 who think Alaskans dine on whale blubber and raw fish are in for a pleasant surprise. The Fiddlehead cooks don't confine themselves to things Alaskan; standards--shrimp scampi, eggplant parmesan--put in an appearance. The regional recipes, however, are the most intriguing. Yes, fiddlehead ferns are edible, and fiddlehead pesto sounds delicious. So does Alaskan salmon, variously prepared. Snippets of information concern everything from nagoon berries to beach asparagus. Advice and alternatives abound; directions are almost too explicit. (Even the inexperienced will know that zest is the shiny part of the peel.) A mail-order list is provided, along with a selection of the authors' favorite cookbooks. All in all, a diverting, if occasionally overwhelming, addition.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The Fiddlehead is a popular restaurant/bakery in Juneau, Alaska. Included here are recipes for the casual meals served at the restaurant, along with breads and desserts from the bakery--and an eclectic collection it is. Some of the recipes seem left over from hippie days--Bean Burgers, Healthy French Fries; others are the authors' renditions of dishes as familiar as Chicken Teriyaki. Other than an emphasis on fish, there is little here with regional identification. An optional purchase.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (August 15, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312098065
• ISBN-13: 978-0312098063
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #802,718 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy breads for new bakers, great seafood recipes, July 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Fiddlehead Cookbook: Recipes from Alaska's Most Celebrated Restaurant and Bakery (Paperback)

I live a block away from the restaurant, but find myself turning to the book to cook one of their specialities at home, especially Halibut Caddy Ganty, Pasta Greta Garbo, or some of their hearty soups.

This book finally inspired me to start baking my own bread again, too. Their basic whole wheat bread recipe is great for a single person since it's for one loaf.

This is a wonderful book for seafood lovers, especially if you want to impress your friends with some inspired fish recipes. It's obvious that the cooks who wrote this book love cooking, and want readers to enjoy it too!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, but some recipes may have errors, July 18, 2010

By 

Anonymous (Alaska) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fiddlehead Cookbook: Recipes from Alaska's Most Celebrated Restaurant and Bakery (Paperback)

This cookbook includes some fantastic recipes, including our family's faves Halibut Bisque, Brown Rice Salad (try it with the Fiddlehead House Dressing instead of Vinaigrette - yum), and Peach Crunch Pie.

The Marinara Sauce, however, specifies 1 tablespoon of pepper for a relatively small amount of sauce. It was practically inedible. I should have used common sense and adjusted it beforehand, but I must have been on auto-pilot that night.

Have read elsewhere that folks have had problems with several other recipes. I own the earlier (1991) edition, so hopefully these have been corrected in the present one. The marinara sauce in this 1993 edition calls for the same amount of pepper as the 1991 version.

Still worth the money, in my opinion. One of my most well-thumbed cookbooks, aside from America's Test Kitchens'!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Alaskan cookbook ever written, January 22, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Gustavus, Alaska) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fiddlehead Cookbook: Recipes from Alaska's Most Celebrated Restaurant and Bakery (Paperback)

This book is wonderfully put together and very practical for all Alaskans. Highly reccommended for anyone that has access to fresh seafood, Alaskan produce or wild foods, or wants a recipe from our favorite Alaskan restaurant.