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Bluestem: The Cookbook
"James Beard-nominated chef Colby Garrelts and his wife, pastry chef Megan Garrelts, worked in notable restaurants in Chicago, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles before opening Bluestem in Kansas City, Missouri. Written with lawyer-turned-food writer/photographer Lee (the formerly anonymous gourmand behind the Ulterior Epicure blog, ulteriorepicure.com), the Garreltses' debut is a beautiful restaurant cookbook that makes it easy for advanced home cooks to construct an upscale, multicourse menu with wine pairings. Each seasonal section is divided into eight courses featuring elegant, contemporary dishes like Nettle Soup, Whipped Lemon Ricotta; Rack of Venison, Pickled Lady Apples; and White Coffee, Passion Fruit Parfait." --Library Journal
A repeated nominee for the James Beard Award for "Best Chef Midwest," chef Colby Garrelts and highly respected pastry chef Megan Garrelts offer their culinary techniques inside The Cookbook. From Warm Eggplant Salad and Potato-Crusted Halibut with Herb Cream to delectable desserts such as Honey Custard and Peanut Butter Beignets with Concord Grape Sauce, the Garreltses showcase local, Midwestern ingredients and artisanal producers through 100 seasonally driven recipes.
Including a full-meal lineup of recipes, from amuse-bouche to dessert, Bluestem offers helpful tips from a professional kitchen alongside seasonal wine notes and 100 full-color photographs that capture the simple beauty of Bluestem's composed dishes. Guided by their childhood memories and inspired by the world around them, the Garreltses offer a Midwestern sensibility inside The Cookbook, while enabling cooks of all experience levels the opportunity of replicating Bluestem's contemporary taste and signature dishes at home.
A repeated nominee for the James Beard Award for "Best Chef Midwest," chef Colby Garrelts and highly respected pastry chef Megan Garrelts offer their culinary techniques inside The Cookbook. From Warm Eggplant Salad and Potato-Crusted Halibut with Herb Cream to delectable desserts such as Honey Custard and Peanut Butter Beignets with Concord Grape Sauce, the Garreltses showcase local, Midwestern ingredients and artisanal producers through 100 seasonally driven recipes.
Including a full-meal lineup of recipes, from amuse-bouche to dessert, Bluestem offers helpful tips from a professional kitchen alongside seasonal wine notes and 100 full-color photographs that capture the simple beauty of Bluestem's composed dishes. Guided by their childhood memories and inspired by the world around them, the Garreltses offer a Midwestern sensibility inside The Cookbook, while enabling cooks of all experience levels the opportunity of replicating Bluestem's contemporary taste and signature dishes at home.
- GenresCookbooks
314 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 8, 2011
About the author
Colby Garrelts
4 booksColby and Megan Garrelts met in the kitchen of Chicago's TRU, where they worked for chefs Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand. After working in kitchens in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, the couple returned to Colby's hometown of Kansas City to open Bluestem, a fine dining restaurant. Bluestem has garnered both local and national acclaim with multiple James Beard nominations. The Garreltses live in Leawood, Kansas, with their children and furry dependents.
Bonjwing Lee is a freelance food writer and photographer. He holds a degree in radio, television, and film from Northwestern University and a juris doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School. He lives in Kansas City."
Bonjwing Lee is a freelance food writer and photographer. He holds a degree in radio, television, and film from Northwestern University and a juris doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School. He lives in Kansas City."
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 18, 2011
Bluestem is a cookbook from a restaurant by the same name that is in Kansas City. I have never had the pleasure of visiting Kansas City, but if I ever find myself there I think that I would go out of my way to try them out.
The photos are of course lovely and make the food pop. I love that they lay the book out seasonally, since that is what truly makes the most sense when approaching cooking.
They even include a little wine section at the beginning of each season. Unfortunately, I really think that it would have worked better to have a little wine blurb at the bottom of each recipe instead of using it as the introduction to each section. I don't want to have to flip back for a reminder of what wine was suggested.
The recipes themselves are amazing, and some of them I would maybe attempt at home. The biggest problem with this cookbook is that the recipes weren't ones that I would whip up after a long day at work or even on a lazy Sunday. They are recipes that are meant for restaurant cooking or for caterers or maybe if you really wanted to impress a new boy/girl friend.
I think it's a very pretty book and I'm glad that I read it cover to cover, but in the end it wouldn't find a home on my cookbook shelf.
***1/2 = glad I read it, I enjoyed it
ARC provided by NetGalley
The photos are of course lovely and make the food pop. I love that they lay the book out seasonally, since that is what truly makes the most sense when approaching cooking.
They even include a little wine section at the beginning of each season. Unfortunately, I really think that it would have worked better to have a little wine blurb at the bottom of each recipe instead of using it as the introduction to each section. I don't want to have to flip back for a reminder of what wine was suggested.
The recipes themselves are amazing, and some of them I would maybe attempt at home. The biggest problem with this cookbook is that the recipes weren't ones that I would whip up after a long day at work or even on a lazy Sunday. They are recipes that are meant for restaurant cooking or for caterers or maybe if you really wanted to impress a new boy/girl friend.
I think it's a very pretty book and I'm glad that I read it cover to cover, but in the end it wouldn't find a home on my cookbook shelf.
***1/2 = glad I read it, I enjoyed it
ARC provided by NetGalley
August 23, 2011
Seasonal, fresh and original. Beautiful and unique dishes using the best ingredients possible. Simply presented. The conversational, personal style is engaging and helps diffuse any confusion that might accompany the unfamiliar ingredients or combination.
Besides wanting to get going in my own kitchen I now want to make a side trip to Kansas City next time I am in the midwest!
Inspiring fresh fare that sends me to the kitchen.
Besides wanting to get going in my own kitchen I now want to make a side trip to Kansas City next time I am in the midwest!
Inspiring fresh fare that sends me to the kitchen.
June 5, 2014
Beautiful book with beautiful pictures. They make me drool.
However - this is not a book for the home cook. The recipes are written in an understandable way, but the ingredients are atypical of what you would have in your home pantry: orange powder, blis elixir, speck, and lots of creme fraiche.
I wish I could eat the food, but I can't go buy ingredients like that just to try this cookbook!
However - this is not a book for the home cook. The recipes are written in an understandable way, but the ingredients are atypical of what you would have in your home pantry: orange powder, blis elixir, speck, and lots of creme fraiche.
I wish I could eat the food, but I can't go buy ingredients like that just to try this cookbook!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews