The Herbfarm Cookbook [Hardcover]

Jerry Traunfeld (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 1, 2000

Not so long ago, parsley was the only fresh herb available to most American cooks. Today, bunches of fresh oregano and rosemary can be found in nearly every supermarket, basil and mint grow abundantly in backyards from coast to coast, and garden centers offer pots of edible geraniums and lemon thyme. But once these herbs reach the kitchen, the inevitable question arises: Now what do I do with them? Here, at last, is the first truly comprehensive cookbook to cover all aspects of growing, handling, and cooking with fresh herbs.

Jerry Traunfeld grew up cooking and gardening in Maryland, but it wasn't until the 1980s, after he had graduated from the California Culinary Academy and was working at Jeremiah Tower's Stars restaurant in San Francisco, that he began testing the amazing potential of herb cuisine. For the past decade, Jerry Traunfeld has been chef at The Herbfarm, an enchanted restaurant surrounded by kitchen gardens and tucked into the rainy foothills of the Cascade Mountains, east of Seattle. His brilliant nine-course herb-inspired menus have made reservations at the Herbfarm among the most coveted in the country.

Eager to reveal his magic to home cooks, Jerry Traunfeld shares 200 of his best recipes in The Herbfarm Cookbook. Written with passion, humor, and a caring for detail that makes this book quite special, The Herbfarm Cookbook explains everything from how to recognize the herbs in your supermarket to how to infuse a jar of honey with the flavor of fresh lavender. Recipes include a full range of dishes from soups, salads, eggs, pasta and risotto, vegetables, poultry, fish, meats, breads, and desserts to sauces, ice creams, sorbets, chutneys, vinegars, and candied flowers. On the familiar side are recipes for Bay Laurel Roasted Chicken and Roasted Asparagus Salad with Fried Sage explained with the type of detail that insures the chicken will be moist and suffused with the flavor of bay and the asparagus complemented with the delicate crunch of sage. On the novel side you will find such unusual dishes as Oysters on the Half Shell with Lemon Varbana Ice and Rhubarb and Angelica Pie.

A treasure trove of information, The Herbfarm Cookbook contains a glossary of 27 of the most common culinary herbs and edible flowers; a definitive guide to growing herbs in a garden, a city lot, or on a windowsill; a listing of the USDA has hardiness zones; how to harvest, clean, and store fresh herbs; a Growing Requirements Chart, including each herb's life cycle, height, pruning and growing needs, and number of plants to grow for an average kitchen; and a Cooking with Fresh Herbs Chart, with parts of the herb used, flavor characteristics, amount of chopped herb for six servings, and best herbal partners.

The Herbfarm Cookbook is the most complete, inspired, and useful book about cooking with herbs ever written.

* 8 pages of finished dishes in full color

* 16 full-page botanical watercolors in full color

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Since 1990, Jerry Traunfeld has been the chef at the Herbfarm, a restaurant-nursery nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains in Washington State devoted to propagating an exceptional variety of culinary herbs, edible flowers, and greens. People wait months for a table at this restaurant, where Traunfeld's unaffected yet sophisticated cooking unfolds in a nine-course dinner. Reading his recipes, you understand why. It is hard to get through even the first chapter, on soups, without starting a shopping list for making Green Gazpacho, a cooling blend of cucumbers and green pepper with spearmint, parsley, and cilantro, or Herbal Chicken Noodle Soup, lavish with fresh basil, chives, tarragon, and marjoram.

After enticing you with the story of his signature dish, a green salad made with up to 30 ingredients, each literally harvested and assembled on the plate one leaf and blossom at a time, Traunfeld shows how, using more typical resources, you can construct a salad friends will declare a delicious work of art. To make it really simple, he provides a chart listing 50 possible choices that helps you balance the flavors, including hot, sweet, bitter, and aromatic, and the colors and textures that make a salad more than a plate of lovely greens.

However, if you don't live in a culinary paradise like the Seattle area, only have access to a typical supermarket, and you don't want to grow your own herbs, you can still infuse your cooking with the same enticing magic Traunfeld creates at the Herbfarm. Just tuck sprigs of thyme, rosemary, or oregano between the slices of a loaf of country bread spread with butter or olive oil and roasted garlic, wrap it in foil, and pop it in the oven for a quick 12 minutes. Or try Mashed Potatoes with Toasted Coriander, the seeds adding earthy flavor to a perennial favorite, and serve with chicken piccata enlivened with fresh dill.

Traunfeld is such a good teacher and clear writer that you follow with confidence when he guides you through Herb-Smoked Salmon--first dry-rubbed, then smoked over dried stems from basil, thyme, or fennel and finally baked until the fish is just gently set. You also get an introduction to the Japanese concept of umami, a state of food perfection that Traunfeld achieves in his Umami Carrot Soup with Mint.

Following the 200 recipes and alluring photos of some prepared dishes, you learn about growing herbs, both in the garden and in containers. A section describing herbs and edible flowers, from angelica to violets, is ample and articulate enough to stand on its own as a book, and those interested in gardening will appreciate the list of nurseries here. Finally, this section includes a table covering 29 herbs that will help you transform your own favorite dishes simply by adding fresh herbs. --Dana Jacobi

From Publishers Weekly

In his debut cookbook, Traunfeld elevates herbs to celebrity status. Chef at the Herbfarm restaurant near Seattle, he marries friendly flavors (Tomato and Fennel Soup, which includes French tarragon, and Pork Chops with Sage, Onion and Prosciutto). He also employs unusual and bold strokes to create such tantalizing dishes as Oysters on the Half-Shell with Lemon Verbena Ice, Potatoes with Lavender and Rosemary, Grilled Marjoram-Scented Corn, Saut?ed Duck Breasts with Mint, Coriander, and Olives and Halibut Baked with Leeks, Apple and Lovage. Pointing out that herbs and flowers are nothing new in dessert-making, Traunfeld is particularly successful with sweets; he combines flavors with a masterful touch, exemplified by Pear, Maple and Rosemary Clafouti, Pumpkin-Bay Tart and Raspberry and Rose Geranium Sorbet. A summer's abundance of herbs can be persuaded to satisfy well after autumn's frosts with such fare as Apple-Thyme Jelly, Plum and Lavender Chutney and Candied Angelica. Several herb-based drinks are also provided, including the Herbfarm Champagne Cocktail, wherein a single herb leaf or sprig is crushed between the fingers, dropped into an empty champagne flute, then filled with the proper potable. Concluding the book is an extensive chapter outlining individual herbs and their cultivars as well as advice on growing and harvesting them. With herbs increasingly common in supermarkets, this compendium of recipes and useful facts is ideal for cooks eager for new taste temptations. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684839768
• ISBN-13: 978-0684839769
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 1.2 x 10.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #74,777 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #48 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Cooking by Ingredient > Herbs, Spices & Condiments
  • #49 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > Herbs

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 62 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I grew all these herbs. Now what? September 24, 2000

By Namir Gharaibeh

Format:Hardcover

So when I moved into my new house, I started an herb garden thinking it would be cool to incorporate them into my meals. When they all finally matured, I was so happy, but didn't know what to do with them, so I set out looking for a cookbook that centered around herbs.

This was the best I found, and after trying out a few, it has very, very well written recipies. Everyone I tried came out perfect, and tasted scrumptious! Honestly. The recipies have are as descriptive as the rest of the book. "The mixture will be satiny & sticky and have a consistancy between soft dough & thick batter."

Additionally, there is detailed explinations on how to start, care for, cook, store, dry, and love your herbs. Albiet a tad pricy, definately worth every penny in it's depth, honesty, detail, and quality.

54 of 57 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of the Genre A Classic June 19, 2000

By scottsharot

Format:Hardcover

I teach classes in growing and cooking with herbs. I have never found a more infomative, beautifully laid out and designed book on herbs.Like "Herbs and Spices" by Waverly Root It is chocked full of information and recipes. But somehow Jerry Trauneld's experience and passion for herbs shines through in a delightful user friendly way. This book is bound to become a classic.

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Cookbook for Chef's on Herbs July 29, 2004

By rodboomboom HALL OF FAMEVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've been gourmet cooking and growing most of my own herbs now for years, some successfully, and others not so. In looking for some aid with what ails my herb garden, sought this one out as possibility.

It provided what I needed and more. What I needed was some specific help with cultivation and amount of each herb for the kitchen. Exactly one of the main portions of this book. The bonus is the exciting recipe collection that composes this award winning cookbook.

Feast your eyes and tastebuds on: Roasted Asparagus Salad with Fried Sage; Smoked Trout and Corn Pudding; Individual Crab and Lemon Thyme Souffles with Chervil Sauce; Shrimp and Tarragon Risotto; Poached Salmon Fillets with Tarragon Sauce; Grilled Flank Steak with Oregano Marinade; Apple-Rosemary Souffle; Red Pepper and Hazlenut Sauce.

If you're serious about cooking, this is must have on your shelves. Herbs and fresh ones are a must, and this provides advice from a pro oriented towards whatever size garden one can have.

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An essential reference June 1, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

Jerry Traunfeld has given us an excellent guide to growing, handling, and cooking with fresh herbs and edible flowers. He offers familiar as well as novel recipes that are simple yet far from boring. He also includes attractive full-color photos of finished dishes, botanical watercolors of herbs, and a helpful glossary. In sum, this is a valuable and well-researched book from an enthusiastic chef who shares his knowledge and expertise in a sincere and straightforward manner. "The Herbfarm Cookbook" sits alongside another great favorite of mine, Sonia Uvezian's "Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen," a brilliant and highly original volume featuring fascinating text and exceptional recipes that make imaginative use of herbs (and spices). Both Traunfeld and Uvezian write remarkably clear recipes that even beginners can follow without difficulty. Every lover of good food should acquire these two books, which are certain to become classics.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The best reference for herbs June 5, 2003

By Anne

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Despite the fact that this is, first, a cookbook, I found that it also offers the most comprehensive information regarding the growing and harvesting of herbs, including herbs in containers. For the first time, with Jerry's instructions, I am cutting my herbs in the right places (Italian parsley from the outside leaves in, cutting right at the bottom) so that they grow fuller and remain healthy. The best reference I've found.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The best cookbook out there June 26, 2001

By Brooke

Format:Hardcover

If I could give this more than 5 stars, I would. My friends and I get together about twice a month for "herbfarm dinners" where we plan a menu from the book and then cook what have been the BEST meals we have ever had. We rate each dish when we are finished, and we haven't come across anything we dislike (and we have made about 3/4 of the recipes in there!). The fresh herbs and combinations that Traunfeld uses are simply amazing. It's great that we have been able to cook for ourselves some of the best food we have ever had. If you live someplace where fresh herbs are hard to come by (and a variety of them as well-- there are some used in here that you probably havent heard of before) then you may want to do some research beforehand to see if you can find the ingredients through mail order herb suppliers or something. Luckily we live in Seattle where there is a public market with lots of fresh herbs, though this book has also inspired us to start our own herb gardens! We hardly ever have to buy them anymore. You will not be disappointed with the recipes in this book-- they are FABULOUS. It also has all kinds of information regarding how to pair herbs, how to buy, store and prepare them. It's a good buy.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The most used cookbook in my collection January 31, 2001

By "rsgrin"

Format:Hardcover

My wife and I love this book. Out of all the cookbooks I have, this is the one I visit most frequently. The herb combinations are wonderful. The writing style is comfortable and entertaining. I write comments to every recipe I try and this book has more ink marks than any other I own. Jerry's suggestions for alternatives to herbs are very helpful when I find I don't have the main ingredients.

His recipes pack a wallop of flavor that intrigue the palate. Try the Green-Roasted Fish Fillets (my wife's favorite), the Almond-and-Herb-Breaded Chicken (try it on a picnic....wow! what a flavor) or the Dilled Chicken Piccata (delicious). Another favorite of ours, Potatoes with Rosemary and Lavender.

Jerry does wonders with herbs, try it and enjoy..I don't think you will be disappointed.