Customer Reviews

The Millennium Cookbook: Extraordinary Vegetarian Cuisine

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Overall, this is one of the best cookbooks I own, and I make that claim as a former meat-eater and a recent most-of-the-time vegan. I have been using "The Millennium Cookbook" since February and have made roughly half of the recipes in the book, including nearly all of those for pasta and pizza. I use this book all the time. My husband--a sometimes meat-eater with an open mind and palate--says nearly always that our Millennium meals are "exquisite." I certainly concur. Here are some stand-outs, in our view:

Appetizers: Roasted Tomato and White Bean Galettes; Plantain Torte; Grilled Portobellos with Herb-Tofu Aioli and Red Onion Marmalade

Salads: Oil-Free Caesar Dressing; Millennium Warm Spinach Salad; Curried Almond Dressing; Ruby Grapefruit, Avocado, and Pickled Red Onions with Baby Spinach and Grapefruit Mojo Dressing; Moroccan Eggplant Salad

Soups: Yellow Split Pea Soup with Sage and Smoked Dulse Gremolata; Brazilian Black Bean Soup with Coffee and Orange

Pasta and Pizza: Pasta with White Wine-Marinated Tomatoes and Basil; Mushroom, Fennel, and Dill Cream Penne; Marinated Fig, Onion, and Black Olive Pizzas with Herb-Tofu Aioli; Caramelized Garlic and Smoked Portobello Pizzas; Tempeh Pizzas with Puttanesca Sauce

Sides: Millennium Fat-Free Mashed Potatoes

Entrees: Baked Madras-Glazed Tofu with Saffron Basmati Pilaf, Sauteed Vegetables, and Peach-Lime Chutney; Rosa Bianca Eggplant Torte with Smoked Onion Ratatouille and Flageolet-Sage Sauce; Seitan Piccata; Grilled Jerked Seitan with Coconut Mashed Yams; Spring Onion, Morel, Fresh Pea, and Lemon Thyme Risotto

Brunch: Smoked Tempeh and Potato Sausages; Flaxseed-Apple-Battered French Toast with Warm Apple Compote; Millennium Oat and Walnut Pancakes with Blueberry-Orange Sauce

Desserts: Mocha Mud Slide; Mad Good Chocolate Cake; Pine Nut and Anise Cake; Brownies a la Mode; Chocolate-Almond Midnight; Meyer Lemon Bundt Cakes with Blackberry Sorbet and Meyer Lemon Sauce; Fig and Almond Tart with Red Wine and Pear Cream

The desserts are "to die for," especially the fat-free version of their brownies. Overall, the meals are delicious, filling, and very satisfying. We don't hesitate to accompany them with a good bottle of wine.

Another plus is that with time, you get a feel for using fat substitutes (e.g., braised garlic, stewed prunes, and the amazing silken tofu) and can soon come up with your own novel creations.

Readers should be aware that this book does have its drawbacks. While many of the recipes can be made easily and quickly (pasta and pizza, mostly), many others require considerable time and effort. Close inspection reveals that there are a certain number of errors (sometimes of omission, e.g., saffron-cream sauce that leaves out the saffron ..., or even lack of directions). It should be noted that these can be attributed ultimately to the editors and not to the authors. I'm sure the second edition will clear these up. I've also found that many of the recipes work better with a little less liquid than called for (I don't know if this is a question of personal preference, altitude, or something else). For the above reasons, the "Millennium" is not for beginning cooks, in my view. But if you know how to cook, want to be a vegan, and are tired of searching "Gourmet" for the odd recipe that doesn't contain animal ingredients, this book is for you as much as it is for me--an inveterate "food snob" of the first order.

Given rising rates of population and chronic disease, along with diminishing resources, vegan cooking is inevitably the culinary wave of the future. Compared to the other vegan cookbooks out there (even "The Vegan Gourmet"), the "Millennium" is the best. It's certainly worthwhile to join its celebration of great plant-based food. This is the best investment I've made in a cookbook in many years.

The layout of the book was lovely and crisp -- nice photos,roomy margins for notes.

The recipes are delicious and since there are few fancy vegan cookbook collections out there, vegans will LOVE it! For entertaining or more elaborate menus it's a real treat!

For the average cook or the average palate -- it's going to be hit or miss. I would not suggest this book to a new vegetarian or a non-vegetarian trying to incoporate a few vegetarian meals a week into their diet. For them I'd point to 1,001 Low-Fat Vegetarian Recipes by Sue Spitler or The McDougall Quick & Easy Cookbook by Mary McDougall, John A., M.D. McDougall

Most of the recipes in Millenium rely heavily on fresh, quality ingredients and herbs and spices that will be difficult to find in a "regular" grocery. If they are there, they might not be fresh, because they don't sell as often in a regular store and this will affect the resulting dish. Ingredients that sit on the shelf gathering dust and losing flavor, particularly herbs and spices that these recipes rely on, are NOT going to yield tasty results.

While vegans/vegetarians with experience shopping at other places will have no problem, the average person will be a little puzzled as to where to find shiitake, miso, tofu, anise, fennel, nutritional yeast, Rice Dream, etc.

The busy person will also not have time to deal with making these recipes -- they require more effort, skill, time. Those with more experience will find the recipes easy to follow, those who work primarly from cans, pre-made mixes, and 5 or less ingredients might find the recipes daunting and they might find cooking gourmet fare from scratch a challenge.

While the rewards are delicious, this isn't the cookbook I'd head to on a tiring Monday night after work!

The recipes are also generous with 6-8 servings -- in my 2 person family, it's too much food for us. You can expect to have to adjust the numbers if you are a small family.

Overall I think it was a wonderful book, and a welcome addition to my collection. I'd still put it towards the "advanced" end of the spectrum though.

Vegan or carnivore, people are impressed with and love food prepared from these recipes. Sophisticated and complex, the dishes cover the globe in style. When I first bought this book I became frustrated, being unused to saucing my dishes and not having both blender and food processor. The time consuming procedures and multiplicity of steps were daunting and it sat on my shelf for a year. I went back to it when I started entertaining and, renovation of my kitchen complete, found that I could indeed handle the recipes. Some of the dishes are out of my range either because I don't have the means for smoking food or because in my rural Mid-Atlantic community there is not a farmer's market with the types of produce that San Francisco enjoys. I am, however, all about the culinary philosophy that undergirds this book, and many of the recipes have been fantastic. It is apparent that it was written in a restaurant kitchen but nevertheless it makes for superb holiday or entertaining meals. Big hits have been the Latin-style Torte with Plantains and Tofu, the Filo-Wrapped Spring Rolls, the Hot and Sour Soup (which is Vietnamese in style), and the Pureed Root Vegetables.

I am amazed by this book. My wife raved about the restaurant, and brought back the book for me when she returned from vacation. You never miss the dairy. You never miss the meat. And the recipes are constructed so that even a borderline-feeb like myself can come off looking like the Royal Chef. Favorites are the Vegan Paella with Garlic Tofu Aeoli, and the carrot/parsnip soups -- you make carrot soup and parsnip soup separately, pour them in the bowl simulatanously with two ladles. The soups don't mix, they look like an orange and white yin/yang. Then you drizzle the cashew cream sauce on top and it looks like you're the guy who invented the onion. Wonderful.

I happened upon this book during one of my cookbook browsing moments. I was immediately struck by the visual beauty of the dishes presented in the photos. I read on only to be surprised by the recipes themselves--their lavish blend of flavors and textures. All that being said, I purchased the book as a gift for a vegetarian friend of mine (since I have purchased it for my collection). Though my friend is a serious home cook, her initial reaction to the complexity of the recipe--taking multiple steps with references to other recipes to complete one dish--caused her to initially shelf the book. It was upon my prodding--and a promise we would cook together--that she finally began to use it. Between us we have made many of the recipes in the book MOST of which we have liked very much. My advise to someone purchasing this book: Have time set aside to enjoy the process as well as the product and use your own creativity to substitute. I confess to substituting commercial plum sauce for one recipe rather than make the one from the book. Though less than authentic, the dish was delicious and completed in half the time! This book would attract serious cooks who have a working knowledge of food and a love for combining things--that being the case use this book as a solid base and spring board for creative food preparation.

I first heard that the folks at Millennium were working on a cookbook over a year and a half ago, and I've waited impatiently until now. The results fully exceeded my (high) expectations -- the layout and photography are beautiful and all of the recipes I desire are there, including the divine (and surprisingly easy) plantain-cilantro torte. This should completely dispel the myth that vegetarianism necessitates asceticism and the corollary that animal products are necessary to create tasty food or even a decadent dining experience (ask my friends who've tasted the pumpkin cake with chocolate-hazelnut ganache). A good set of cookware and a craving for challenge are indispensable, however.

Some of the recipes are indeed quite complex -- even daunting in the sheer number of cross-references -- but making and serving them is pure joy, and the intermediary steps can be extracted for use in simpler dishes. The range of dishes is good, and the "Basics" section is very cool. Altogether, a nice counterpoint to the Green's style of egg & cheese laden vegetarian cooking.

Buy this book and throw a dinner party for a group of omnivorous foodies- then tell them no animals were abused in the process - they will be amazed. I'm devoting the year before the calendar millennium to mastering the entire collection of recipes - one Sunday dinner at a time.

I am always hesitant to rate anything a perfect score. With this book, I am tempted. This book transforms me into a vegan gourmet chef. With each recipe I make , my wife tells me it is the best she's ever had. One word of warning - the cost of some of the ingredients is not for the budget conscious... Enjoy.

Review of The Millennium Cookbook by Dr. Neal Pinckney

The typical vegetarian cookbook presents a healthful and appetizing array of recipes, but most ofthem are the standard fare we all know and love. The Millennium Cookbook by Eric Tucker andJohn Westerdahl is a rare and very welcome exception. Here is a visually pleasing and well- organized collection of over 250 original and imaginative delights, worthy in every respect of theMillennium name.

If you've never had the adventure of eating in San Francisco's Millennium restaurant, you'll haveto look at the excellent color photographs in the book to get an idea of how exciting this can be. Each dish is a visual work of art and the flavors, textures and aromas tend to be both subtle and exotic, but always pleasing to the most finicky palate.

The Millennium Cookbook's recipes are all vegan (no animal products, no eggs, no dairy), some simple and relatively quick to prepare, others requiring the preparation that must be given to a culinary masterpiece. Each recipe has an analysis of calories, fat percentage and grams, carbohydrates, protein, cholesterol, sodium and fiber. Many recipes have low fat directions and analysis for those who choose to omit oil. In addition to devoting a section on each course of a meal (with decadently delicious desserts by Sacha Weiss), there's a how-to section called "basics" that explains how to cook grains, make seitan, smoke tofu, prepare stock and much more. This section alone is worth the $19.95 price.

The book is a faithful representation of a Millennium experience. Having met Chef Eric and delighted my taste buds there a number of times, I look forward to making almost all the treats presented. While my efforts may lack the unique atmosphere of that restaurant, I'll have the pleasure of an eating adventure worthy of any special occasion. And when I want to give anyone who loves food, vegetarian or omnivore, a special present - the Millennium Cookbook will be my choice.

The Millennium Cookbook, available early November, 1998, is published by Ten Speed Press, P.O. Box 7123, Berkeley, CA. 94707. Paperback, 10.25 x 8.25, 258 pp. ISBN: 0-89815-899-0.

----------------- Neal Pinckney is a retired psychotherapist and analyst who was told five years ago that he would soon die if he didn't have heart by-pass surgery. He didn't do either. Following the Ornish program, he is well and active, helping others with support groups fostering low fat vegetarian lifestyle changes. He is the author of the Healthy Heart Handbook, including 76 low fat vegan recipes.

Bought the book a couple of years ago by chance and have so far tried more than 20 recipes, every one of them was a hit. I got a lot of new cooking ideas from the book. For any tofu-haters, they would never guess the Chocolate-Almond midnight you made was mostly tofu! Some of the recipes are indeed quite complex, it took me two days to prepare the Indonesian Rice Tamales with Carrot-Lemongrass Sauce for a gathering but it was quite worthy. Now I have a number of dishes made regularly from these recipes, in my own simplifed version.

The best cookbook in a very long time. If you REALLY like to cook, have a well stocked spice cupboard and don't mind orchestrating recipies with several parts, the results are stunning. If you are used to Julia Child's style, this is a whole new language of flavors. Have faith, make the Oat Walnut Pnacakes with Blueberry-Orange Sauce or the Plantain Torte and amaze yourself. The index is terrible, the measuremen

ts include "a bunch" and there are careless errors but this is original art--when is the last time you found a cookbook filled with original masterpieces? No need to be vegetarian. This is no cholesterol cooking and these are gourmet recipies!