The Vegetarian Epicure

The folksy drawings are not present in the hardback addition and is difficult to keep open while you are using the recipes so I would go for the paperback in this instance.

This was the very first vegetarian cookbook I bought, and is still my all-time favorite. I have made many (if not most) of the recipes, and they've been unfailingly delectable WITH THE NOTABLE EXCEPTION OF THE DESSERTS. I'm an excellent dessert cook, and people always beg for my recipes -- but every sweet I tried from this book was LOUSY, so I gave up. But the other recipes are awesome

I'm working on my second copy of this book. Somebody gave it to me when I was first learning to cook, and I ususally had to bungle a recipe once or twice before I got it right. I was frustrated to begin with because so many of the recipes do not list exact times and temperatures, or sometimes even amounts (how much is "a little" anyway?). But now I know what I'm doing around a stove (mostly), the book has grown on me. I love re-reading the gently humorous between-chapters advice. And now that I have enough confidence not to worry about exactly what temperature is a "medium oven" I'm completely in love with the recipes. I especially like the Indian foods she introduces, like the potato curry and spiced dal. And this is not just for vegetarians, either. It's great for anybody who wants to make their cuisine more interesting than your standard chicken-and-mashed-potatoes fare. I can't recommend this cookbook enough. --and now I have to go check on the asparagus pastry in the oven...

I love this cookbook! The recipes remind me ofthings that may have been popular in the 60s (I was born in 1969 so this is just my impression). But it has all sorts of comfort type foods that I grew up with like newburgs, soufles. casseroles, omelets. Lots of great salads too as well as different pasta dishes. Ithink this is a must have for any vegetarian. High;y recommmend and I'd buy itagain in a heartbeat.

Has something for everyone, you don't have to be a vegetarian to enjoy it.Some of my favorite recipes are : Challah (Jewish egg bread) Milk and Honey Bread,Sauce Veloute, Oriental Citrus Squash,Cheese Souffle, Blini, German Apple Pancake (mmmm!)and Leniwe Pierogi.Contains an interesting assortment covering different nationalities: Indian, Italian, Slavic, German, French, Jewish......Chapters Include: Breads, Soups, Sauces, Salads and Dressings, Vegetables, Eggs, Omelets and Souffles, Crepes and Pancakes, Cheese, Rice and other grains, Pasta, Curries and Indian Preparations, Sweets and contains a nice chapter on recipes for the holidays. Also an index.All presented very nicely on parchment-like paper. Very nice.

I love both of these books. These are not cookbooks for anyone who has never cooked or baked before, but for those of us who have, I find both of them to be invaluable.I've had both of them for close to 20 years, and I finally had to replace both! From the first book, I adore the whole wheat bread with the optional onion. And, the herb bread makes *fabulous* stuffing for Thanksgiving if you cube it and dry it out a bit in a low oven. I love the "Dutch Cheese and Potato" soup and the recipe for Tomato Rabbit. From the second book, my all time favorite is "Menestra de Veduras", or Spanish-style stewed vegetables. It's a *lot* of work, but so worth it. Do try it, especially in the spring when asparagus, peas and artichokes are fresh.Another favorite of mine is the "melanzana al forno", aka "baked stuffed eggplant. Cook this in the summer when you can get tiny eggplants.Both of these books are based on one concept - freshness. If you can't buy the best and the finest, change your menu. That's always a good philosophy to cook by, and Anna Thomas consistently emphasizes that concept throughout both of these books.Just remember, this is *not* low-cal, low-salt, low-fat, no-flavor vegetarian cooking! It's almost vegetarian cooking with a bit of "Julia" tossed in for flavor. The dessert recipes are *to die for*.