The Zuni Cafe Cookbook: A Compendium of Recipes and Cooking Lessons from San Francisco's Beloved Restaurant by Judy Rodgers

by Gerald Asher

In The Zuni Café Cookbook, a book customers have been anticipating for years, chef and owner Judy Rodgers provides recipes for Zuni's most well-known dishes, ranging from the Zuni Roast Chicken to the Espresso Granita. But Zuni's appeal goes beyond recipes. Harold McGee concludes, "What makes The Zuni Café Cookbook a real treasure is the voice of Zuni's Judy Rodgers," whose book "repeatedly sheds a fresh and revealing light on ingredients and dishes, and even on the nature of cooking itself." Deborah Madison (Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone) says the introduction alone "should be required reading for every person who might cook something someday."

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Culinary, Cuisine

Hardcover

First published September 17, 2002

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I were traveling and could take only one book with me, I would have to choose between Don Quixote, The Gourmet Cookbook, and The Zuni Cafe Cookbook. Zuni Cafe strikes a balance between storytelling and instruction- gorgeous recipes, each worth lingering over in the text and over the stove (or chop block). Ms. Rodgers sometimes makes recipes more complicated than they might be, but the improvement in taste and texture validate her suggestions and make the extra time

[Mairzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written and beautifully illustrated but some recipes come across as a little dated and most call for incredibly expensive ingredients

[Cissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have only made a couple of recipes from this cookbook, but have read most of it and am interested in trying more! I am especially intrigued by their renowned recipe for roasted chicken.

But- one of the recipes I've used a number of times now is the one for "seafood essence", and that alone is worth the whole book. We occasionally have a lobster feast, and this is a BRILLIANT and efficient way of utilizing the lobster shells and carapaces that would otherwise be discarded. Also, one can save up shrimp shells, frozen, to add to the essence (if one does not use them to make shrimp butter, of course!). The "essence" is a lobster stock- a quick one to make, needing cooking for only an hour or so- then strained and cooked down until one has a tiny amount of pure lobster flavor. (At some point, it is helpful to strain any sludge out of it.) Then put it in a small jar and freeze it. One teaspoon of it can give a lovely lobster taste to almost anything!

I am also eager to try her approach to perfect chicken stock.

Very recommended! The recipes look amazing in general, and invite explorations. I'm 3000 miles away from the restaurant, and sure wish I were not!

[Dora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zuni Cafe Cookbook

This book was exactly as described a compendium of recipes and cooking lessons. There was also a fair amount of the author's history with food and the history of the Zuni Cafe. The only thing that I think that could have improved this book would have been more and larger photographs. I love to see photos of the food and there weren't any at least not in the Kindle edition.

[Meryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I enjoyed the writing, I would have rather had a quarter of the recipes, with pictures of each one. Just can't do the cookbooks with no pictures!

[Lumindanu · Rating 2 out of 5]

only a couple of good recipes that I have found.

[Tamsen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the descriptions for prepping food for cooking, and the types of pots and pans to use, and how to brine roasts, but most of the actual recipes were way too complicated for this novice (and perhaps slightly lazy) cook. I am just not going to take an hour to cook polenta to then have to simmer for up to two more hours in a double-boiler. I am just not going to make homemade chicken stock for all these recipes (wasting a perfectly good chicken), no matter that Judy tells me anything else will simply "taste tired." And I am definitely not going to make foie gras or rabbit or run around the farmer's market trying to find rare seasonable vegetables that may or may not exist, or cook a side bean dish for 2 hours. The book is probably amazing, but other than a few dishes, it's not for me.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a disappointment! I have been wanting to try this highly lauded cookbook for years. But it turns out the recipes are incredibly inaccessible. I searched a gourmet store and specialty butcher for some of these ingredients and just gave up. And maybe that's the point of this book - one recipe actually lists garden seeds as an ingredient because that's the only way to find this particular vegetable: grow it yourself. All I can say is that I'm not at a point in my life where I have time for this.

[Lily · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was on a list of good reads from Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany. I scanned some of the recipes and cooking hints, but I pretty much know all of the hints after years of cooking. Some of the ideas are out-of-date or not using new technologies. Not many of the recipes appealed to me, so I left the well-used and stained book at the library where I picked it up to browse.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I came across a reference to a recipe from this book in another cookbook, but now that I've got it in my hands, I can't recall the recipe. A little daunted by the size, scope and detail of this book. Also, photos in a separate spot make reading it a bit of a slog.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Years ago, when I went to San Francisco, I ate at Zuni Cafe twice. I remember the roast chicken. This cook book is a little too advanced for me, and I prefer ones with more pictures to accompany the recipes.

[Cheryl Schibley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read. I'm not a great cook but I can follow a recipe and this book has some good ones.

[Ryan Juno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible and dense

[Isaac Lambert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish there was more pictures! But this does feel like the cookbook where you can really learn a cuisine (as much as you can learn cooking by reading)

[Shane C · Rating 5 out of 5]

these book is so very good!!

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Swoon* If I were traveling and could take only one book with me, I would have to choose between Don Quixote, The Gourmet Cookbook, and The Zuni Cafe Cookbook. Zuni Cafe strikes a balance between storytelling and instruction- gorgeous recipes, each worth lingering over in the text and over the stove (or chop block). Ms. Rodgers sometimes makes recipes more complicated than they might be, but the improvement in taste and texture validate her suggestions and make the extra time and effort completely worth it. When my brothers visit in a few days, they're going to enjoy her Mixed Lettuces with Roasted Cherries, Hazelnuts, and Warm Saint-Marcellin alongside Zuni Roast Chicken and Peach Crostata. Julia Carey, if you haven't been to the Zuni Cafe yet, please go quickly, and tell me all about it!

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

In May 2010 I had the pleasure of eating at Zuni Cafe in San Francisco. Our meal was truly memorable for several reasons. The food was delicious, visually lovely & Impeccably served. One homeless person stood starring in at the diners, another homeless person received money from a diner who had chosen to sit outside to enjoy her meal. Eating such lovely food felt like a guilty pleasure. As for the cookbook, it is not one I would choose to own. The recipes such as Roasted Guinea Hen with Bay Leaves, Madeira, & Dates would require an extensive investment of time & are out of my reach except perhaps for special occasions. In my humble opinion this book is for the connoisseur cook with plenty of time & money.

[Daisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This morning I made the Roasted Polenta, a 7-line recipe of what to do with leftover polenta. Simple and delicious, with poached eggs.
After reading about the death of Judy Rodgers last year and how beloved her restaurant is, I decided to check this out from the library (again--I'd forgotten I'd already given it a half-hearted try). Now I think I need to own it.
I'm just browsing through it but I think her tips are valuable. There's stuff I never knew (and stuff I did know) but it looks like she makes a potentially intimidating recipe accessible.

Now I've bought it and I'm glad.
______________________
(from my 2011 review)
Not enough pictures.

Great pie crust instructions X 3.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is quite the tome, both in size and quality of content. A veritable bible of cooking, this is the long-anticipated accumulation of years of cooking knowledge, beginning in France and extending to years working as a chef in the Bay area, including time spent at Chez Panisse and then of course, in developing the menu at the Zuni Cafe to reflect Judy Rodgers' own personality.

We made the Roast Chicken with Bread Salad for Valentine's Day. The recipe was several pages long, took 3 days to make, and it was absolutely perfect. The recipes shared here are definitive, exacting, often laborious, and totally flawless. If you want to learn how to cook like a chef at home, read this book.

[Nick Klagge · Rating 2 out of 5]

My review is based not on the recipes in this book (I've only tried a couple of them so far), but just on its quality as a "reading cookbook". The beginning gave me high hopes that it would be a great cover-to-cover read like Shizuo Tsuji. But aside from a couple of short sections, it's basically just recipes--decidedly not my favorite part of a cookbook.

Elise and I have made the fried eggs with breadcrumbs a couple of times and really like them. They are about twice as fun as normal fried eggs and barely any harder as long as you have breadcrumbs around.

[Gretchen Angela Boyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from the library because I had heard good reviews about it and was considering purchasing it, but after spending some time with it I have decided not to add it to my personal library. The author does offer some good insight into cooking technique and sizing up ingredients, but the recipes themselves are just not practical (nor economical) for everyday use, by calling for things such as white truffle oil, duck eggs, and fresh sardines. Great for planning a special meal, not for fixing a simple dinner.

[Evelyn Dickinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the fortunate opportunity to dine at the Zuni many moons ago and was, of course, stuck dumb by the utter deliciousness of the food and also thrilled by how simple/brilliant the preparations were. Now after reading the not quite cookbook I understand why.

I read that Judy Rodgers has died recently. The Zuni Cafe Cookbook certainly passes on her culinary legacy.

The three axioms of cooking... 1) Use the best ingredients possible, 2) Treat them with respect and 3) There are no shortcuts!

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

By now, we've all had some variation of most of the recipes in this book. Along with Chez Panisse and Oliveto, Zuni Cafe helped bring rustic Mediterranean cuisine into the forefront of American consciousness. Some of the recipes are amazing, but it's the basic stuff that I found most useful and applicable--and that is the stuff that will change your cooking . . . it's all about technique, people, not recipes.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am only giving this 4 stars because I haven't the wherewithal to know if this should get 5 stars. Of course, I think it should have five stars. I got this after years of hearing about the restaurant and going to SF last year. It was a dream come true in some respects. I ate my last supper there before travelling home the next day. You can get lost in this book. Actual recipes I will make are not numerous but this is an education, like college is an education.

[Eva Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another library read, I ended up copying half the book to my online recipe archive. Zuni Cafe is a San Fransisco hot spot. The first recipe I tried was shrimp romanesco, which is an Provencal Italian dish. You make a paste of crusty bread, toasted ancho chiles and a plethora of spices. After baking this paste,you toss in the shrimp and saute. Scrumptious. The seafood and vegetable dishes sound divine.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

more narrative than recipe, the author is deft at combining a wholesome american sentiment into pretty upscale food. every recipe is replicable, which is why i would give this 4 stars, but none are terribly necessary...though i'm sure they're all delicious. who has pickled zante grapes on hand? ever? (though the recipe is in there so you can). but very well written and if you don't already own 40 cookbooks, or just like reading cookbooks, this is definitely worthwhile.

[Anders · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO GOOD. We've made a bunch of stuff out of this and it's great. The roast chicken with bread salad recipe is transcendent. Her philosophy, which I thought I would hate but which I actually love, is "how can I make this more complicated?" So, you soak the currants in a mixture of warm water and red wine vinegar, for example. Which makes a subtle but stunning difference! Anyway, it's a great cookbook, check it out. Kasia got it really cheap on amazon ($7! new!)

[Png · Rating 4 out of 5]

A GR recommendation.
A comprehensive guide for serious cooks. Instructions on tool selections, helpful tips and food guides are meticulously thought out (it even suggests wine for each dish - how superb!). The recipes "represents [The Zuni Cafe's] entire repertory" so if you love the restaurant...The recipes sounds delicious; however, one small criticism: being a dessert-lover, I was also hoping for better and unique recipes.
Overall, worth a look!

[erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is more than a cookbook. It's a compendium of philosophies with contextual stories and recipes to back them up. I don't even know if there's a single reciple in the first 50 pages. Judy Rodgers is so opinionated and so passionate about her subject that every time I get near this book, it's hard not to cancel all my plans for the night, grab a box of salt, and cook all night long.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting cookbook, but there is almost nothing in here that I want to cook. It would be a fun cookbook for someone without kids and with a large budget and ample free time to prepare the time-intensive recipes, most of which require speciality ingredients. That said, I have made the roast chicken several times, and it is amazing (Google "Zuni roast chicken").