The Herbfarm Cookbook

by Jerry Traunfeld

Book Overview

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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0684839768
• ISBN13: 9780684839769
• Release Date: March 2000
• Publisher: Scribner Book Company
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 2.29 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 7.4" x 10.3"

Customer Reviews

Cookbook for Chef's on Herbs

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.

I grew all these herbs. Now what?

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.

Nicknamed "how to make a salad in 4 months"

Salad in 4 months? First, you use the addresses given to order seed ... select from nearly 60 items. Grow. Hand select leaves to construct salad. Wash. Dress. Build salad a leaf at a time.Seriously, that is the strength of this cookbook. If you chose, you may start with the information on how to grow herbs - from the basics to those requiring very special care. Then in using the herbs, the recipies give a wide variety of options allowing you to adjust the recipes to ingredients available to you. At the same time, you are shown new uses for herbs or new herbs to substitute for your old standbys. An example of the approach is the salad - the leaves are served whole, in cutting and gathering the ingredients onto the fork, the diner is allowed to choose what flavors he or she wishes to mix together - a subtlety of approach that was new to me.The recipes are in general very practical - some clearly "company" dishes , other appropriate for every day. The recipes often include background on the cooking practices that lead to the recipe. For example whole fish grilled on fennel stalks describes how fennel grows, its uses in the Mediterranean as a grilling bed, and then slide into the recipe.This book should be considered high on the required cookbooks list for those who enjoy cooking with fresh herbs - and for those who don't to show them why they should.

Best of the Genre A Classic

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.

An essential reference

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.