The Cafe Paradiso Cookbook (Atrium Press) (Hardcover)

by Denis Cotter (Author), Denis Cottev (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Considered one of the best restaurants in Ireland, and one of the best vegetarian restaurants in Europe, Café Paradiso is known for serving dishes that are designed to highlight the fresh, delicious flavors of seasonal produce. "I get more of kick from people saying that they just ate the best beets … than to be told that the cooking is smart," declares chef Cotter. Yet the 40 fruits and vegetables that bask in the sunlight of this book’s recipes clearly have been the subject of some serious thinking: each one is presented in way that emphasizes the variety of its flavors. Artichokes, for example, are braised and served with a white asparagus mousse, grilled with roasted peppers and basil aioli, and roasted and topped with sheep’s cheese and pinenuts. Arugula is tossed in a simple salad with olive oil, avocado and pecorino cheese, mixed into a warm pasta dish with cherry tomatoes and broad beans, and paired with grilled figs, mascarpone and pecans for dessert. Cotter’s near-obsessive attention to detail pays off in assembly-complex recipes like Savoy Cabbage Dolmas of Wild Rice, Leek and Eggs in Truffle Oil. But the simpler recipes shine the most: Brussels Spouts with Tomato, Ginger and Coriander; Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar and Thai Basil. (One difficulty is that most of the recipes are written in weight measurements rather than volume; better include a kitchen scale if this book is a gift.) Cotter is the kind of chef who loves the nutty flavor of fresh kale, the shape of a pumpkin and the sweetness of a ripe tomato: gourmet vegetarians will reveal in his inventions.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
<div>The best vegetarian cookbook, from the greatest vegetarian chef .

"This is not only the best vegetarian restaurant in Ireland, but one of the best restaurants of any kind." So states Frommers in their 2003 Guide to Ireland. Café Paradiso is an unassuming little restaurant in the heart of Cork City in Ireland yet it has been hailed far and wide as "the best vegetarian restaurant in Europe" and so is a contender for best vegetarian restaurant in the world. Fodors claims it "serves Mediterranean-style food, which is so tasty that even dedicated meat-eaters forget it's vegetarian". The reason for all this praise is the owner and chef, Denis Cotter, a quiet unassuming man, not unlike his restaurant, who, like all great chefs, is an obsessive. His obsession is to create the most exciting vegetarian dishes possible with the freshest possible produce, an ambition he has realized with remarkable success. In this book he serves up 140 recipes that make the very best of whatever vegetables are freshest at any given time of the year. Cotter's The Café Paradiso Cookbook has been hailed, in the Bridgestone Guide to Ireland, as "the best cookbook ever written by a working chef."

Winner of the Gourmand World Cookbooks Award for Best Vegetarian Cookbook
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 167 pages
• Publisher: Attic Press (April 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0953535304
• ISBN-13: 978-0953535309
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #480,488 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular Vegetarian Creations, May 19, 2004

By	Rosemary Ann Ogilvie "RAOWriter" (Launceston, Tasmania Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Cafe Paradiso Cookbook: Vegetarian Cooking Season-by-Season (Hardcover)

This vegetarian cookbook is for those who've gone as far as they can with basic, everyday, fast-and-easy, minimal-ingredient vego cooking and now want new, exciting, taste challenges.
The recipes are ideal for entertaining, perfect for special family occasions or romantic dinners, and great for those days when you feel like pushing the envelope and creating something a little more complicated than normal. Having said that, I should stress that none of the recipes are beyond the scope of those who have mastered the basics of cooking.
Author Denis Cotter, who owns Cafe Paradiso, an internationally renowned restaurantin Cork City, Ireland, leads readers on a culinary adventure through the seasons. In spring, you can enjoy dishes such as Roast Globe Artichoke With Sheep's Cheese and Pinenuts, Wilted Greens and Tomato Pesto (well worth the effort), or a simple Broad (Fava) Bean, Feta and Basil Mash. During summer, use the abundance of squash (zucchini, patty pan, butternut etc) to create Summer Squash Salad With Cashews, Coconut, Yoghurt, Lime, Ginger and Coriander, and the tomato harvest to make Tomato Saffron Ricotta and Olive Tart. For a dessert-to-die-for,try Oven-Roasted Peaches With Lavender and Honey Ice Cream And Pistachio Biscotti. When the weather cools and the leaves turn, make Pan-Fried Mushrooms in Sage and Cider Cream With a Potato, Parsnip and Wild Rice Cake And Beetroot Relish; Honey-Roasted Butternut With Avocado-Lime Salsa and Green Curry of Cauliflower and Beans; or Gratin of Roast Pumpkin, Leeks, Sweetcorn and Hazelnuts. For winter, boring old Brussels sprouts are transformed into gourmet status in Brussels Sprouts With Tomato, Ginger and Coriander. Or rev up the tastebuds with Carrot and Cabbage Spring Rolls With a Pomegranate, Mint and Yoghurt Sauce.
This is just a tiny sampling of the many recipes, all of which include detailed instructions. Beautiful photographs of the produce and the recipes illustrate the book, and Mr Cotter interweaves stories about the restaurant, his life and his culinary discoveries throughout.
This book surely ranks as one of the greatest celebrations of seasonal produce ever.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Food for thought, June 8, 2006

By	Kristen A. Spangler "lazuliangel" (Cork, Ireland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Cafe Paradiso Cookbook: Vegetarian Cooking Season-by-Season (Hardcover)

Cafe Paradiso is unquestionably one of the best restaurants in the whole of Ireland; it should be a priority on the itinerary of anyone planning a visit. Even diehard carnivores have loved this place: I've taken many of them there when they've visited me in Cork, and they always come away from the table singing its praises!

As a result, I can't recommend this cookbook enough for anyone interested in doing more with their veg than just a slab of butter and some garlic. This book is just a preview of what is by far a culinary trip through the best vegetable, fruit and dairy produce in all of the island. Of course, being that the restaurant is a Cork-based institution, some of the ingredients Denis specifies in the book (Gabriel cheese, for example) will only be available locally; however, there is always room for experimentation in the recipes and often times, Denis himself will do so, changing one or two ingredients of what we locals feel is a staple dish to try something new. Denis Cotter uses some interesting combinations (lemon and liquorice with basil, to name one) in his cooking, which is one of the main reasons that the restaurant has become the talk of the vegetarian world. The marriage of flavours found his recipes are so vivid and palatable that it's like eating a rainbow. Of course, the restaurant's wine list is a particular complement to the food! (All the more reason to book those tickets to Cork...)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Truly Inspring Coookbook, March 21, 2005

By	Marybeth Gregg "cookbook lover" (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Cafe Paradiso Cookbook: Vegetarian Cooking Season-by-Season (Hardcover)

While perusing cookbooks recently in the bookstore, I was intrigued by the description on the inside cover of this book and decided to keep reading. I was thrilled by the scrumptious and healthy recipes - just wait until you see the luscious food photography! The food photography is incredibly beautiful- it makes your mouth water just to look at this book! The recipes are arranged by the seasons, which I find very useful. This book was the winner of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards for the Best Vegetarian Cookbook in the World in 2003.

This is an exquisite book- I could tell from the first pages on that it was a labor of love. Chef Cotter owns the Café Paradiso which is describes as an "unassuming little restaurant in the heart of Cork City in Ireland and has been called the "best vegetarian restaurant in Europe"...." and one of the best restaurants of any kind" by Frommer. I recently corresponded with Denis by email to tell him hos much I enjoyed his book and I must say that he sent me one of the nicest notes in return. I was delighted to receive his kind reply.

So, Denis utilized the best fresh vegetables, cheeses and nuts, just to name a few ingredients, in such inventive ways that most of us would never even imagine. His gratin of roast pumpkin, leeks, corn and hazelnuts in a Gabriel cream cheese is heaven on earth! There are influences from the Far East, from the Mediterranean and from Middle Eastern cuisines. There is truly something for everyone's palate.

Desserts know no limits - try the Chocolate pecan pie with whiskey ice cream and darling clementines. Denis recommends using "Irish whiskey" to poach the clementines since the "Irish whiskey is very smooth and clean."

You can tell that he has spent many, many hours developing and testing these recipes so that the end results are masterful. And they are really worth for you to try something so extra-ordinary. He spells out each step for you - the instructions are very well written and easy to understand and make.

This book is also a great incentive for you to expand your culinary skills- without being overly difficult.

I have to say this is the best cookbook I have bought in a very long time and recommend that you buy it right away. You'll be very pleased that you did.