Customer Reviews

The Herbal Kitchen: Cooking with Fragrance and Flavor

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have both of Traunfeld's cookbooks. I have had great success with the Herbfarm Cookbook, and did not think that there could be a better effort, but the Herbal Kitchen is even better. They are different books and I will use both, but the Herbal Kitchen includes more fabulous dishes that you can put together on a weeknight. The Herbfarm Cookbook is a much more thorough compendium of recipies and herb growing/properties information. Get them both.

I've never seen anything like this. This book makes me smarter. The recipes are much simpler than some other books I own, but the food comes out tasting -- amazing. And the recipe I just cooked (cinnamon chicken) ended up *looking* like it did in the book's photograph. Think about that for a while.

That's another great thing about this book -- it has a lot of photographs, and that helps me (a novice cook) a lot.

I think Mr. Traunfeld understands food in a way that other people don't. In simple things, like how to brown chicken pieces in olive oil, he's just practical and -- more correct than other books I have. Put it skin-side down in the oil and *leave it alone* for at least six minutes, then flip it over for two, then take it out. Yikes. It looked great.

But in his use of herbs and spices, he's some kind of saint. I think the Japanese have a phrase for it: "Living National Treasure." Who else would ever tell you to cook what amounts to Chicken Cacciatore with cinnamon sticks and star anise?

It scared me, but I did it, and oh my. It was one of the best three meals I've cooked in my life. (And it Looked Like The Picture.)

How about mushroom and nutmeg bread pudding for Thanksgiving? He said something like "It's like stuffing from Heaven." So I tried it, and I guess I'll be making it forever now. My wife was hiding packages of it in the refrigerator so she could eat it later. I'm not making this up. That recipe was simple, too.

What if all the most miraculous things are simple, after someone shows them to you?

I decided that a guy like that deserves more than the buck or two he got paid because I bought his book. :-)

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Eight Months Later
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It's August, 2008 now, and I have just finished my first attempt at Basil Lime Fizz from this book. I decided I would write this before I finished my first glass of it.

This is crazy. I want to give this guy another star, even if it breaks the Amazon Ranking Algorithm.

Since I wrote the first review, above, I have made this drink (He has several recipes for drinks, ice cream, and appetizers.) as well as the appetizers called Saltimbocca. Everything I have made from this book has turned out perfectly! I am cook of average ability -- an occasionally enthusiastic amateur who only knows how to do one meal by heart. I have never had *every* recipe from a book work out well before.

Not only work out well, but these things have each become instant-classic, top-ten-favorite things in my modest repertoire. And I have never looked at one of Mr. Traunfeld's recipes and thought "what the heck does *this* mean?" I think his are the only books where that doesn't happen.

Here's another detail about how practical he is. In another recipe, he said to carmelize onions in a sauce pan rather than a frying pan, because that will keep the juices from evaporating longer and help the process -- and you can stir the onions quickly without having them fly out of the pan. He has details like that all through his books. These are pointers to becoming a good craftsman with food, even while he's showing you how to do genius-level things with herbs.

I feel like a baseball talent scout who just watched a new kid hit five consecutive pitches out of the park. We -- really -- need to hire this guy.

...


Now I will finish my fizz.

I have a bookcase full of great cook books. This is one of the best I have ever used because the recipes are simple and so full of flavor and one is better the next. Most recipes have no more than seven or eight ingredients and the photos included really represent the final dish.

I have taken cooking classes from Jerry Traunfeld and walk away from each one with a renewed passion for cooking. This book only strengthens that feeling by providing the home cook with easy to follow recipes using herbs that kick up the flavor of every dish. Jerry offers alternates to each herb he has in his recipe which can be very helpful when faced with one not being available. I have never been a fan of duck, but after tasting the duck breast recipe at one of Jerry's recent classes I absolutely loved it.

The recipes in Jerry's new book are well-written, easy to follow, novel, and delicious. Every single recipe is worth serving to guests, yet simple enough to make for a weeknight meal. Anyone with access to fresh herbs - and who appreciates the creative spirit of cooking - should buy this book.

If you've always cooked with herbs, but always rushed off to the grocery store to get them fresh for your recipes, now is the time to stop and pick them fresh out of your own garden or pot! This book has a lot of great detailed information about how to grow, cut and cook with herbs. There are also a lot of pictures so you're not left wondering what something, you may never have seen before, should look like. The recipes are easy and tasty, the information is simple and this book makes a great gift or center piece on any coffee table. You'll be entertaining guests with your new recipes, indoor herb pots and wonderful cookbook, while explaining it all, in no time.

My wife and I have been fortunate enough to eat at The Herb Garden (located in the Pacific NW), but for those who can't make it up here, or can't afford the rather expensive experience of it, here is the answer! Head Chef Jerry Traunfeld's recipes are surprisingly easy, and every single one we've tried (we're working our way through the book) has been a hit. Not just okay. AWESOME. So go to your local market, or out into your garden, get the freshest produce and herbs available, and hit the kitchen. You'll be glad you did!

I hardly cook - the local takeout places know me all too well. But, occasionally, I'll bust something out for my book club or a potluck. I've been using the recipes in this book almost exclusively and they always turn out amazing, even the first time. They don't have a ton of ingredients and Jerry Traunfeld explains the steps remarkably well, so I'm not likely to get myself into a mess of trouble trying to cook. The Herbed Skillet Souffle was my first pass at folding egg whites and the results were delicious. I love the Cherry Tomato, Melon and Mint Salad - an unusual combination that makes me look like I know what I'm doing, but easy enough for a child to prepare. And, the Frothy Tarragon Sauce atop asparagus was incredible.

There is something about the way it's written, with careful descriptions of each dish and obvious love for food, that is truly inspiring.

The Herb Farm was awarded 29 out of 30 points in the newest Zagat's. So, there we go with incredible food to make at home.
The recipes from this book and the first that Jerry has written are incredible. The combined flavors, fairly easy unless a novice cook, and 'not the usual' recipes every cookbook has in it --are all found in this book and HerbFarm the first book. This is one of my favorite cookbooks [with my favorite recipes marked] to give to newleyweds.

We love this cook book! The difference between fresh herbs and the dried jarred variety is phenomenal. This book is allowing us to cook with a variety of herbs and spices that we would never have come up with on our own. The recipes are easy and the results are outstanding. I believe that our dining out days are all but over!