The Cafe Brenda Cookbook: Seafood and Vegetarian Cuisine

by Brenda Langton

Book Overview

The twenty-fifth anniversary edition of delicious Cafe Brenda recipes

For more than twenty-five years, Brenda Langton has been serving her customers in the Twin Cities a delicious blend of American and international cuisines made from the finest ingredients. This book contains her most requested recipes, including Miso and Herb P?t?, Poached Rainbow Trout, and Burgundy Mushroom Stew. Desserts, like Almond-Hazelnut Tart and Chocolate...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 081664439X
• ISBN13: 9780816644391
• Release Date: August 2004
• Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
• Length: 269 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Tasty and healthy

In this fast-paced world of fast-food and pre-packaged convenience foods, Brenda Langton and Margaret Stuart show us recipes on how delicious healthy food is and how easy it is to prepare! Brenda Langton is the chef and owner to Cafe Brenda, one of Minneapolis's favorite restaurants and an innovator of gourmet vegetarian cuisine. She currently runs her restaurant and a natural foods business with her husband. Margaret Stuart is a pastry chef, natural foods expert, as well as a horticulturalist in the Twin Cities. Using whole foods and natural ingredients, this book is filled with delicious, nutritious recipes that have been adapted from international recipes to accomodate a more healthy lifestyle. This book has been marked as the "twenty-fifth anniversary edition". People who have not frequented the restaurant, Cafe Brenda, will not understand that this means that this is the 25th year that Cafe Brenda has been in business serving these exact recipes to her customers! There are no photographs in this book, yet the recipes are easy-to-read and understand. Chapters in this book include: Appetizers & Salads; Soups; Breads; Seafood & Fish Entrees; Vegetable Entrees; and Desserts. Some of the more delicious recipes in this book are: Japanese Soba Noodle Salad With Spicy Tahini-Ginger Dressing, Roasted Potato & Garlic Soup, Blueberry-Lemon Bread, Spiced Almond Tart and Basmati Rice, Red Bean & Vegetable with Roasted Onion-Miso Sauce. If you are looking for gourmet recipes that are healthier for you, then pick up this book. Brenda Langton and Margaret Stuart have released a classy book to enjoy.

Ambitious but delicious

I have been using this cookbook on a regular basis for over 3 years. The vegetarian entrees and hot soups are to die for. Some of them are rather elaborate, involving numerous sub-steps, but the results are well worth the effort. The authors have developed flavor combinations that work with a beautiful mix of color and texture. I've personnaly given this cookbook to all my best friends. If you don't mind a little work, you won't be disappointed.

A great all-purpose book for healthier eating

I spent a brief time working at Cafe Brenda, and I bought the cookbook while working there. I've worked my way through just about every recipe, and 90% of them were wonderful - the recipes are full of flavor, interesting, satisfying, and a great place to begin exploring a variety of international flavors. I particularly love the soup and dessert recipes. The almond cake with chocolate ganache makes a wonderful birthday cake, the maple pot de creme is a wonderful and easy way to end a dinner party with friends, and the variety of soup recipes make use of all the seasons with wonderful results. I do have to say that the fish recipes are generally a bit more creative than the vegetarian entrees, though I've made the vegetarian and vegan croquette recipes (Brenda's signature creations) many times and received enthusiastic feedback from my family and friends. I've given this book as a gift many times with a lot of good feedback. It's also a plus that not many people know about the book, so the recipes aren't dishes that are made over and over again by people who cook primarily vegetarian and have worn out the books by Deborah Madison and Molly Katzen, great though they may be. Hope you enjoy it.