Rating: 
Summary: A Favorite Cookbook
Review: After hearing about the Herbfarm Restaurant for years, I finally had dinner there last fall. Jerry Traunfeld's genius for combining flavors, and use of the freshest ingredients, impressed me so much that I briefly considered giving up my present career and begging for a job--any job--on the Herbfarm Restaurant's kitchen or wait staff so that I could absorb as much of his knowledge as possible. But instead I brought his cookbook home with me.The book is a delight. It has helped re-create some of the things I enjoyed at the restaurant. Our dessert included a caramelized pear souffle, and the book has a recipe for caramelized apple souffle. Whenever I open the book, I am inspired to make something, and I've never been disappointed. Whether it's the green gazpacho, the apple souffle, or the roasted ratatouille, they've all been brilliant. I can't wait to try some of the sorbets, and I'm going to go make one of the egg dishes right now.
Rating:
Summary: Prose as delicious as the recipes!
Review: After visiting the Herb Farm quite a few times, I was very excited to hear that Jerry Traunfeld was writing an Herbfarm Cookbook. I waited patiently for what seemed like years, and finally the wait paid off. Jerry Traunfeld is the Executive Chef at the Herbfarm Restaurant, which has actually changed locations since the publication of this book. Jerry still relies on herb-inspired menus and has penned one of the most useful books about cooking with culinary herbs. This is the book you will turn to for inspiration and for a whole new world of fresh herb flavors. Most of us are content to use dried herbs until we discover fresh herbs. The bonus in Jerry's new book is that he also explains the growing process. You will love the charts of Latin herb names, real-life herb names, family life cycles, heights, pruning requirements and special growing requirements. I loved the in-depth information on angelica, anise, hyssop, basil, bay, chervil, cilantro, dill, fennel, lavender, lemon balm, lemon verbena, lovage, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, savory, scented geraniums, sorrel, sweet cicely, tarragon and thyme. To find these wonderful plants, all you have to do is order seeds or plants from the sources on page 434. You will also see an address for the Herb Farm which was founded by Lola and Bill Zimmerman. Their son Ron Zimmerman and his wife Carrie first had the idea to start a world-class restaurant. Jerry Traunfeld helped to make their dream a reality. If you do start to grow your own herbs, you might be wondering what to do with so many fresh herbs when you take them into the kitchen. With The Herbfarm Cookbook, you will find yourself enchanted by recipes for soups, salads, pastas, vegetables, poultry, fish, meats, breads, desserts, sauces, chutneys and vinegars. Information on how to make candied flowers adds a fun creative touch to an already extraordinary compilation. The first recipe I tried was the Lavender Shortbread on page 288. The recipe is simply butter, lavender, sugar and flour. The taste...much more complex. If you love lavender half as much as I do, you will love Jerry Traunfeld's new cookbook. He makes the best lavender cookies and is also under lavender's spell as he includes many recipes using the intoxicating purple flowers. I made the dough simply by grinding the lavender into the sugar and then creamed it with the butter. I used a wooden spoon to stir in the flour. The whole experience of grinding lavender into sugar with a mortar and pestle is seductively primal. The scent of the lavender is almost intoxicating even when using dried lavender. A heady scent of warm lavender will fill your whole kitchen as the cookies are baking. Sometimes cooking is more fun if you use just a wooden spoon and a bowl to make cookies. Making lavender cookies should be more romantic and old fashioned. "I'm addicted to it." --Jerry Traunfeld, admitting his addiction to Lavender. He continues by saying: "I find it nearly impossible to walk by a lavender plant in full bloom without bending over to pick a stem, roll it around in my fingers, and inhale the heady scent." The cookies may also be packaged and given as gifts. I use a round biscuit cutter with a curly edge. It gives the cookies a nice shortbread look. The dough seems suited for a cookie mold, which would be very pretty. I found the recipe is also good with chopped pecans pressed into the top of the cookies before baking them. Now, dipping them in chocolate makes them even better! You can also use the recipe without the lavender or substitute anise seeds or lemon thyme for the lavender buds. Lavender seems to almost have a savory flavor which was in a way quite surprising, given you would expect a flower to have a more sweet flavor. I was pleased to find a recipe for "Potatoes with Lavender and Rosemary." Page 396-398 also contains information on how to grow and cook with lavender. This cookbook is filled with 200 herb-inspired recipes. You could serve the "Coriander-Orange Scones" for breakfast. "Tomato and Fennel Soup," Pumpkin and Shrimp Bisque" and "Herbed Clam Chowder" are delicious examples of the soups in the first chapter. Green Goddess Grilled Chicken salad contains creamy avocados, garlic and a mesclun mix (young salad mix). If you are looking for a great basic "Fresh Egg Pasta" recipe, Jerry supplies one on page 99. You can then toss your freshly made pasta in the "Classic Basil Pesto." Say goodbye to boring vegetable side dishes and say Hello! to "Snap Peas with Mint and Chervil" or "Grilled Marjoram-Scented Corn." For a taste of the Northwest, there are recipes for Salmon Fillets. The one with tarragon looks especially tempting. For dinner, you might want to try the "Rosemary Gilled Chicken." Rosemary is a classic herb to pair with roast chicken. Just when you think you have made pork every way you can imagine, you will find a "Maple-and-Herb brined Pork Roast." The "Lemon Verbena Ice Cream" looks just yummy. As I sip a cup of peppermint tea, I salute you Jerry Traunfeld. Thank you for the gift of your knowledge. I hope your cookbook will be the most sought after cookbook in the year 2001. Your book had found a permanent place of honor in my kitchen! It is not often that you find a chef whose writing is as delicious as their cooking! There are 11 beautiful color pictures in this book, but the true beauty of this cookbook is in the writing. Jerry has translated his excitement for life and cooking into delicious prose. This is a true book collectors dream cookbook. If you love to cook with fresh herbs, you will love it even more! I can't wait to try more of the tempting recipes.
Rating: 
Summary: The best reference for herbs
Review: Despite the fact that this is, first, a cookbook, I found that it also offers the most comprehensive information regarding the growing and harvesting of herbs, including herbs in containers. For the first time, with Jerry's instructions, I am cutting my herbs in the right places (Italian parsley from the outside leaves in, cutting right at the bottom) so that they grow fuller and remain healthy. The best reference I've found.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite cookbook--Easy Elegance!
Review: Growing up in the Seattle area, the Herbfarm Restaurant was our local version of Napa's French Laundry: very difficult to get into, very expensive, but a 'must-do' culinary experience where you'd likely be served the meal of your life. In the late 90s, I worked with a guy who held another job as a part-time prep cook at the Herbfarm. After the restaurant burned down and chef Jerry Traunfeld was finishing up this cookbook during the re-build, that prep-cook brought in a few of the recipes for me to preview before the book went to press. After trying the pork with sage, onions and prosciutto served over toasted coriander mashed potatoes and runner beans with summer savory, I was hooked! I had to go out and buy the cookbook, and I still use it more than any other. Most of the recipes in this book contain only a few ingredients and are quick and easy to prepare (I'd say most can be put together on a busy weeknight), but you've never know it based on the flavor and presentation of the each dish. Other easy, elegant favorites of mine include: dilled chicken piccata, rosemary grilled chicken, the delicata squash with sage, the trout with rosemary and thyme...every recipe is delicious. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: My favorite cookbook--Easy Elegance!
Review: Growing up in the Seattle area, the Herbfarm Restaurant was our local version of Napa's French Laundry: very difficult to get into, very expensive, but a 'must-do' culinary experience where you'd likely be served the meal of your life. In the late 90s, I worked with a guy who held another job as a part-time prep cook at the Herbfarm. After the restaurant burned down and chef Jerry Traunfeld was finishing up this cookbook during the re-build, that prep-cook brought in a few of the recipes for me to preview before the book went to press. After trying the pork with sage, onions and prosciutto served over toasted coriander mashed potatoes and runner beans with summer savory, I was hooked! I had to go out and buy the cookbook, and I still use it more than any other. Most of the recipes in this book contain only a few ingredients and are quick and easy to prepare (I'd say most can be put together on a busy weeknight), but you've never know it based on the flavor and presentation of the each dish. Other easy, elegant favorites of mine include: dilled chicken piccata, rosemary grilled chicken, the delicata squash with sage, the trout with rosemary and thyme...every recipe is delicious. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: Having grown up in Washington and hearing about the Herbfarm for years, I finally had the pleasure of dining there last month. After the first of nine different courses, I decided to purchase the book and it has rapidly become a favorite. The information contained within is invaluable for anyone looking to expand their technique through the incorporation of more herbs other than just parsley. From the section on pairing herbs with different foods to cultivating your own, each section contains a wealth of information one will find informative and helpful.
Rating:
Summary: Such a Pleasant Book
Review: Having visited the Herb Farm, but not having the time to book a reservation for dinner, I was very pleased to see that they had published a cookbook. Great recepies. The book has a wonderful ambiance.
Rating:
Summary: I just wish it were even MORE
Review: I bought this book as a present last Christmas and I've mostly done the simpler recipes like Rosemary Chicken, Tomatoes with Herbs and the food processor version of the pesto sauce which I've sometimes used with chicken that I've sautéed in herbs and olive oil (I'd have liked to see some suggestions for this but I have to usually guess what might work) but they've all become foods I now make as regularly as possible. The hardest part about this book is picking what to try the next time you want to add something to your selection of dishes to make. There's something for just about every level of intricacy in this book. You have the 3-5 minute pesto and you have dishes that take a few days. After reading one of the other reviews I think I'll try one of the deserts next. Also, this book is a perfect gift for ANYONE who bothers to grow their own herbs since it also has a few useful chapters on the subject later in the book as well as the recipes for them to put them to use in the first several chapters. I would have liked to see more dishes with suggestions for dishes the involve fishes (or the above mentioned chicken quandary) like Salmon so I guess I might have to look at getting Tom Douglas's book to supplement this one. Yet, what it does have are all real good.
Rating:
Summary: Can you believe eating roses?
Review: I had been to the Herbfarm during the offseason and right after they'd had the restaurant fire. Nonetheless, it was clear these folks knew herbs and had humor and whimsy (herbs growing out of old sneakers, etc.). When I ordered the cookbook, I wasn't expecting to also get an herb gardening book, too. But, to the point. I had a dinner party the other night and decided to take a big risk. I made the "Old Rose and Champagne Sorbet." When picking the rose petals I was thinking, oh boy, this smells so ROSY! All of my guests, without exception, and including my 19 year old son LOVED it. In fact, several of them can't stop talking about it. Makes you want old rose season to last longer. If you can, try this. It's unbelievable. PS. Herb rubbed duck is great, chicken breasts in tarragon cream - yum, and the bay laurel roasted chicken - great.
Rating:
Summary: The best cookbook on the market
Review: I have made almost every recipe in this book, and there has not been one that was not AMAZING. The instructions are very clear and make it easy to prepare his fabulous recipes in your own kitchen. Any time I serve something from this book people always go crazy over it. You really can't believe that food can taste so good! There are lots of recipes for vegetarian dishes, and a lot of them can be made vegetarian if needed. I really cannot say enough good things about this book-- I always give it as a gift to people because it is a treasure to have in your kitchen!
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