Customer Reviews

The Vegetarian Bistro: 250 Authentic French Regional Recipes

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Having grown up in France, I have yearned for authentic vegetarian recipes. This brings France home. The recipes are easy, full of flavor, worth sharing with non vegetarians proudly. Even my kids ate the recipes. Some are higher in fat than I like, but I found them easy to adapt successfully (and I would not consider myself a cook). Worth every penny and a fun read.

This cookbook offers a great selection of dishes that taste like authentic French fare. The author provides short vignettes with each recipe, sort of travelogue pieces that set the stage for the dish. There are charming illustrations peppered throughout the book. The writing is straight-forward and the author's zest is apparent. She is more liberal with the fats than I would be, but this is easily adjusted. She also admits to a fondness for lots of garlic-- here too the recipes can use one clove instead of her preferred five cloves, or the garlic can be roasted to provide a mellow rather than biting flavor.

There are a variety of satisfying dishes that are quite true to their origins. The author provides some filling entrees, such as Puree Of Beans And Potatoes Over Roasted Red Peppers; Stuffed Savoy Cabbage; Pasta With Pistou And Goat Cheese; and Potato Cheese Cakes. She also presents a number of stews and souffles. Among the soups are great recipes for Fennel, Zucchini And Leek; Asparagus And Tomato; Celery And Celeriac; and Carrot And Tomato With Cumin. The salad section does not rely on greens: recommended are the Fennel And Red Pepper; the White Beans With Black Olive Dressing; and the Belgian Endives Baked With Roquefort. There are also good cheese and dessert sections in this wonderful cookbook.

Delicious food and easy to prepare- all of the recipes we have tried from this book were winners. I have lots of vegetarian cookbooks, but this one has plenty of recipes and combinations that are missing in the others. There are also wine and side dish serving suggestions. However, I just can't stand the deckeled edges of the book. Sure- it gives a quaint, rustic appeal to the book, but it makes flipping through the pages impossible. The lack of photos and the layout of the pages takes away from an otherwise great cookbook. If it were redesigned, I'd buy another copy in a heartbeat.

I am buying a second copy for myself as I have no idea where the first one is. I loved the recipes. Loving all things french, these recipes make me think I am right there in France. I have a lot of cookbooks and this is still one I want on my shelf.

Everything I've tried in this book has been delicious. The ingredients are easy to find and the instructions are simple to follow. You have to try the Garlic Soup!

Living in France myself, I know how little the french know about vegetarian cuisine and how poorly they serve it in the restaurants. This book gives you all the typical bistro dishes translated into "vegetarian". I am having so much fun making them and they all taste great. There are little to no french (good) vegetarian cook books, Thank you Marlena for having made one... May be one day it will be translated into french... But that still may take a long, long while...

I'm not a vegetarian and I LOVE this cookbook! I try new receipes all the time and go back to my favorites over and over. Clearly Marlena Spieler is in love with France, its people and most certainly its food! The author has a playful writing style introducing each regional receipe with a story of where she collected the receipe while bistro hopping through out her travels in France. The individual receipes have just a few ingredients and are easy to follow and execute. This being a French cookbook, butter and cream are often called on, but in my opinion they are not abused, so not to worry over hardening arteries too much. Many dishes use a lot of garlic and that is just fine with me, but you can just tone it down some if not a garlic fan.

I've prepared appetizers, first courses, & main courses and have never once been disapointed with the outcome. I'm not a dessert maker and rarely make soups so I can't speak to those receipes, but if the other delectable dishes I've made are a hint, then the soups and desserts should be very tasty indeed.

Enjoy & Bon appetite !