The Herbal Kitchen: Cooking with Fragrance and Flavor

by Jerry Traunfeld, John Granen (Photographer)

The secret to transforming easy dishes into extraordinary meals? Fresh herbs. In The Herbal Kitchen , IACP award-winning cookbook author and acclaimed Herbfarm Restaurant chef Jerry Traunfeld presents simple dishes using herbs straight from the market, windowsill, or garden. Until recently, the fresh herbs available in supermarkets were limited to parsley and maybe dill. Today, thyme, rosemary, basil, cilantro, mint, and sage are among the many fresh herbs as close as the produce section or the farmer's market. Not to mention marjoram, lovage, tarragon, lavender, shiso, and so many others. Jerry shows you how to incorporate these fresh herbs into your everyday home meals. So whether preparing a workday supper for the family, a special dinner for two or four, or a feast for a table of guests, using fresh herbs in your cooking will result in fresh and vibrant food. The Herbal Kitchen includes some recipes that are home variations of the innovative dishes Jerry prepares at the Herbfarm, while others are fresh takes on familiar classics such as Herb Garden Lasagna or Shrimp in Garlic-Sage Butter. All are uncomplicated and prep time is minimal -- with the emphasis on spontaneity and the unmistakable flavors of fresh herbs. Start off with Asparagus and Lemon Thyme Soup, Spicy Verbena Meatballs, or Rye-Thyme Cheese Straws before moving on to Cinnamon Basil Chicken, Side of Salmon Slow-Roasted in Dill, and Root Ribbons with Sage. Delectable desserts include Warm Lavender Almond Cakes, Rhubarb Mint Cobbler, and a sinful Chocolate Peppermint Tart. Once you're hooked on cooking with fresh herbs, you'll want to grow them yourself. The Herbal Kitchen is filled with important tips for growing, harvesting, and handling each of the herbs used in the recipes. Valuable information on the varieties of each herb is also highlighted, such as how to tell the difference between Greek oregano and Italian oregano, why you always want to choose bay laurel over California bay, and what type of lavender is best for cooking. Filled with stunning photos of the herbs, the techniques for handling them, and the finished dishes, Jerry's definitive guide is sure to be a classic, reached for again and again.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Gardening, Food and Drink, Reference, Nonfiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2005

Reviews

[Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every page has something of value, wisdom, and beauty. Wherever herbs are in your life -- in jars in your cupboard, in your kitchen garden or allotment, or at your local farmer's market -- you will find recipes for every season and palate here. The full-page full-color photographs sprawl across this book, and pump up the price to 35 bucks. You will become lost in the fuzzy, herbal depth-of-field wonderlands of food in "The Herbal Kitchen". Still, besides these cosmetics, the author has all the courses, flavors, seasons, and intricacies of new food in here. Especially appreciated are sidebar articles that outline the various uses, treatments, and growing tips for the finest herbs, the newly noticed herbs, edible flowers, and other specialties that bridge between horticulture and cuisine. Concoctions include ingredients like chocolate mint, pineapple sage; recipes range from rosemary gin and tonics to lavender-rubbed duck breast with apricots and sweet onions; to mushroom marjoram bread pudding to blueberries and watermelon in cinnamon basil syrup. Looks like I'm gonna have to cough up 35 bucks to keep a copy in on the shelf by the kitchen. Excuse me, though. I'm going to finish my aromatic slices of heaven first.

[E G Melby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh- some good info/background on herbs and herb families - but not all of the recipes appeal to me. YMMV

[Wendy Church · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite and most-used cookbooks, along with Chef Traunfeld’s other one, The Herbfarm Cookbook. If you like to cook with herbs, or want to learn how, I’d get one or both of these. Traunfeld has real people with real kitchens recipe test his recipes before publishing the books, and it really shows. In addition to making sure the recipes work, he checks for availability of ingredients to the average cook, and clarity. If you only make one dish from this cookbook, make the corn soup. It’s simple (only three ingredients) but it will blow your mind. I also recommend his fresh pasta recipe; if you’ve been afraid to try making your own pasta this is a great place to start, with another recipe that is largely foolproof. The book is full of high-end recipes that are accessible, from someone who thinks in flavor. Other favorites are his orzo salad and spicy cilantro slaw.

[Cindy McVay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just what I was looking for.

The book explains differences in the variety of herbs, how to plant and growing seasons and examples of recipes in which to use them.

[El · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book delivers what it aims - it's packed full of herbal recipes (with many flavor combinations I'd never heard of and never would have imagined but which look good). The one drawback is that many of these recipes call for ingredients that are more expensive and may need to be purchased at a specialty store. Some call for more advanced tools that the average cook would have. And all (or almost all) were time intensive, but in a good way. The book definitely got better as it went on. While I was only inspired by one appetizer, I liked half the soups and almost all the main courses and desert ideas. These recipes don't call for ready-made ingredients or time-saving shortcuts. They're the kind of recipes you want to make when you have time to really enjoy cooking. I also appreciated the fact that every recipe was accompanied by a large, beautiful photo, and Traunfeld's directions were very clear. I've never made chocolate custard from scratch, but I've no doubt I could after reading his recipe for Chocolate Jasmine Pot de Creme. The biggest bonus, for me, is that Traunfeld (a chef) uses a lot of advanced cooking techniques. I know that working my way through the 27 recipes I've earmarked from this book will make me a much better cook. He takes a lot of standards (the souffle, custards, etc.), and adds his own personal touch (with herbs and flavors). The result is a recipe book where you're excited about making something new and different, but you're also learning an old technique at the same time. For me, this is the kind of thing that makes cooking fun! Traunfeld also offers substitutions for many of the recipes, giving the reader an even better idea of how they can play around with these and make them their own in the future. Overall, this is a great book.

[Gabrielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is full of creative, modern recipes with strong seasonal and Pacific Northwest flair. That said, like some other reviewers have noted it is somewhat meat-heavy in its offerings. As someone who owns entire books just about herbs and spices, I also thought the individual herb profiles were too limited to really pull me in. Overall, I appreciate Traunfeld's inventiveness and focus but "The Herbal Kitchen" isn't the type of cookbook for me.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous cookbook with wonderful inspiration and recipes for cooking from your herb garden. Sweet, savory, cocktails, etc.--it's all included with wonderful pictures. I made the Warm Lavender Almond Cakes which were delicious--like a French financier in texture with a solid but not overpowering lavender essence.

Here's a link to the recipe and pictures: http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a fairly big herb garden and have been searching for cookbooks that showcase herbs. This cookbook has some interesting recipes but also useful information about growing herbs and the best varieties for flavorful cooking. I checked it out of the library but I think I will buy the book.

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything I've tried is really easy (a handful of ingredients, not a lot of prep time) and really, really tasty. The recipes don't sound very exciting -- zucchini gratin, for one example, tomato bread for another -- but have ended up as immediate favorites once we've tasted them.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing herbs has been something that I've always done - I even had my own little herb garden growing up, thanks to the encouragement of my mom. These recipes are great!

[Stefan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some wonderful ideas in this book

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting recipes here. The recipe for refrigerator pickles with lemon verbena and mint is a definite keeper!

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite cookbooks - a number of my regular recipes come from this book.

[lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tomato bread, tarragon chicken breasts with buttered leeks, cinnamon basil chicken.