Culinary Herb Book Review
Herbs - The Cook's Guide to Flavorful and Aromatic Ingredients
An in-depth review of a culinary cookbook which features herbs and spices.
Book Review
Herbs; The Cook’s Guide to Flavorful and Aromatic Ingredients [Joanna Farrow, Hermes House, 2001]. This large, hardcover book is 256 pages long and contains many full color photographs throughout the pages.
This is a fantastic book that should be in the library of anyone that has an interest in cooking with herbs and spices. Although this book was originally published in Great Britain, all the recipes contain both metric and common US measurements. The Convert-Me.Com website contains conversion charts for a variety of measurements including metric, Avoirdupois (US common), British Imperial, Apothecaries and more.
In-Depth Herb Coverage
More than just a collection of recipes, this book also offers tips on growing and harvesting herbs along with basic preparation tips for using them in a variety of culinary creations. Anyone with an interest in cooking with fresh herbs will eventually want to start growing a few of their own. Even if you don’t have the space for a large garden, you can still grow a few of the basic kitchen herbs. This book includes seven pages of basic herb gardening information such as how to design and plan your space. The section containing information for growing herbs in containers is helpful for anyone with limited growing space.
The Herb Pantry
Recipes for basic herbal pantry items include formulas for a variety of oils, butters, vinegars, syrups, chutneys, relishes and jellies. Dry herb and spice mixtures are also covered including recipes for herb flavored salts, sugars and dry rubs. An 8 page directory, with over 40 photographs of herbs as they would be found growing in the garden, helps you properly identify each plant.
Light or Hearty Meals
For the vegetarian, there is an entire 20 page chapter which contains over 15 meat-free recipes. Photographs of the more difficult recipe preparation steps are included in this chapter and throughout the rest of the book. There are many recipes included for more hearty fare such as fish, seafood, poultry and meat dishes.
Some of the more interesting and out-of-the-ordinary herbs that are covered in this publication include turmeric, cardamom and lemon grass. There are even recipes using edible flowers such as roses, pansy, nasturtium and lavender.
Desserts and More
Dessert and sweet enthusiasts have many delicious recipes to choose from. Forty-six pages containing over 30 recipes are devoted to herb-laced treats including an entire section on ices and sorbets. Bread lovers will appreciate the many recipes for making pizza dough, focaccia and breadsticks flavored with ingredients such as caraway seeds, saffron, poppy seeds and rosemary.
Recipes Featuring Herbs
Here are links to a few articles on Suite101 which feature herbs and spices.
- Shrimp in Garlic Butter Sauce
- Lemon Basil French Toast
- Sage, Lavender and Mint Desserts
- Elegant Dinner Recipes
- Traditional Italian Meal
- Quick Bread Recipes
- Elegant Appetizers
