Customer Reviews

The New Vegetarian Epicure: Menus--with 325 all-new recipes--for family and friends

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I was in college almost 30 years ago, "vegetarian cooking" was an oxymoron. Cooking and eating vegetarian was attractive from an ecological point of view (see Diet for a Small Planet), and sometimes as part of a hippie rebellion stance, but, as the daughter of a Frenchwoman, I felt that one could only go so far. Like, I drew the line at those ghastly soyburgers. And what on earth could you serve guests out of those earnest, dietarily correct tomes? And if one needed to conduct a seduction? Honey, it was lamb chops or nothing.

Well, Anna Thomas was the answer. Rich, sophisticated (to us, anyway), delicious, impressive, yet charming and lighthearted recipes from cover to cover.

My copy of The Vegetarian Epicure grew tattered, and I became a better cook, and acquired a family, and the good sense to realize that you just can't cook with that amount of butter, cheese, cream and eggs and hope to maintain a figure of any sort. So I lost touch with Anna. And, though I never committed to whole-hog vegetarianism, I bought many excellent vegetarian cookbooks over the years, and put together a fair repertoire in the genre.

And then a few years ago, I ran into Anna Thomas in the bookstore, in the form of her New Vegetarian Epicure. It was like running into a friend from college you had always liked and admired, and been a little afraid to find out what had happened to. The good news was that she is as charming and resourceful as ever, and has grown up along with us, only, perhaps, with more grace.

The recipes are arranged in menus, which puts some people off, but I have cooked many of the entire menus, as well as individual recipes, and THEY NEVER FAIL! They are much lighter than the recipes in her first two books, but just as imaginative, delicious, and deeply impressive to a crowd. (Most of these recipes feed 8-12 people, which makes me imagine that Anna has many friends and loves them very much). She has a chapter on what kids like. She knows what it's like to feed a family, and to feed a mixed crowd of herbivores, carnivores and omnivores. She is un-doctrinaire. When you cook and consume this food, it is good food, pure and simple. I fed a large, motley, shifting population of friends and in-laws from this book for three solid weeks, because one person staying with us is vegetarian, and no one was even aware they weren't eating red meat, chicken or fish.

Not for the stodgy and not for beginners, but hey, we're not kids anymore. We don't need to be talked down to. Favorites: Corn Crepes with Goat Cheese Stuffing, with an excellent Mole Poblano. And a really brilliant Grapefruit Sorbet with Pernod.

It's....good food. It's tasty. I can't really fault the flavor of the recipes in this book.

I've got a major quibble, however. Where the original Vegetarian Epicure had a cozy down-homeness, this new version is like reading a cooking magazine. The amount of cream and eggs overall has been reduced, the cooking times have been cut down, and we see no more of the odd potato peel broth she loved so much twenty years ago. These are good things. But somewhere along the line it's as though most of the soul has been taken out.

I stress again that the thing reads like a cooking magazine. There's hardly another way to describe it. The emphasis on absolutely fresh produce, on unusual ingredients, and on clever presentation--these are the hallmarks of food that is just a little too fancy for the home cook to bother with on a busy Tuesday night. And there's no hope for you if you don't have access to a farmer's market.

Newer isn't always better. There's a reason people have been using their copies of the first Vegetarian Epicure for twenty years. It's accessible. It's adaptable. This one? Not so much. Try feeding eight of your friends Raspberry Borscht, and I'll bet that six of them will wish you'd made Mushrooms Berkeley again.

This is the cookbook I go to for recipes that always work. I am not a vegetarian, although I was for years and I worshiped her other two books when they came out. Now, even though I do eat meat and have a lot of fancier cookbooks by professional chefs, I find that I go back to this book again and again because everything is delicious and easy and healthy. Also, you can tell that she has really developed and perfected these recipes because they always turn out well and there are no surprises.

There are a couple of fancier recipes in the book but for the most part the recipes are pretty simple everyday stuff (depending on your taste-- her taste is very fresh food/California/flavorful). If you are looking for a cookbook to actually cook out of, this is the one-- I think I have made over half of the dishes in the book and they were all great.

I discovered this book in the library in the middle of one hot summer. After trying a few of the recipies and being inticed by many others, I purchased it and added it to my cookbook collection. It has gone with me everywhere since from France to Greece to Japan and back home again. I am not a vegetarian, but this book has opened my eyes to some of the amazing ways that vegetables and grains can be prepared. Additionally, the book has inspired me to pursue a culinary career. There are many cultural influences present in this book, and while some ingredients may be difficult to find, she often suggests substitutions. (Butternut squash for kabocha, for example). And quite honestly, we are seeing a wider array of ingredients available to us with each season in our local supermarkets. (If you are fortunate enough to have a garden or farmer's market, you can REALLY profit from this book!) When I want to find an interesting way to prepare the fresh asparagus in the spring or red ripe tomatoes in the summer, I consult this book.

This book is for people who like to cook, not as much for people who want to create quick meals. That said, I didn't find the recipies or menus overly-fussy, but rather enjoy the time it takes to create truly great, delicious food.

Anna Thomas offers beautifully written instructions for her recipes. It makes cooking her dishes exciting and happy. With her reputation as author of cookbooks, it is no surprise to me that whatever I prepare from her book turns out fantastic. I'm very glad I bought The New Vegetarian Epicure.

I have owned this book for years and have found it to be inspirational and accessible. The recipes are very good - some are easy for either weeknights or a casual weekend and others are more time-consuming for either a special dinner or when you just feel inspired. I like that she broke the book into menus - it's nice to see how a full course meal will go together. Of course, if you don't have the time you can always cherry pick what you do want to make.

She does have one small section on how to roast a turkey but I don't see it as an issue. She, and we, live in a diverse world. She happens to have some meat eaters in her family and she accommodates them. Vegetarianism is great but it is still important to be understanding of other peoples' life choices. In this situation, I think it is thoughtful that she gave her husband the opportunity to contribute his prized turkey recipe. It's what makes this book a little more genuine.

These recipes are not indicative of how we eat today -- unless you are from Provence. Also, the book should warn serious vegetarians about a section devoted to SPIT ROASTING A TURKEY! The book's format is busy and cumbersome.

received my book promptly & it was in the condition advertised - very good condition! Would DEFINITELY buy from this seller again.

This is a great cookbook full of flavorful dishes, arranged by season. Visit your local farmer's market then treat yourself to some "fancy" dishes.