Philadelphia, the city I now call home, had its first major restaurant renaissance back in the mid-seventies. Frog, a somewhat fancy restaurant tucked away in an old store front, and its sister eatery, The Commissary, were two of the trail blazers in this rebirth. Both restaurants closed some years ago, but they live on in a catering company as well as in this really terrific cookbook. I inherited my copy of The Frog Commissary Cookbook from my grandmother. She and her sister often had lunch at The Commissary and occasionally visited The Frog for special occasions. They were both partial to the chicken salad they served and my aunt loved their desserts (particularly the carrot cake). I imagine that they both bought copies as soon as they saw them on sale, even though my grandmother rarely cooked.
This is a great cookbook for if you're looking for creative recipes for soups and salads (there's other good stuff in there as well, but these are the sections to which I always tend to return). I learned to make vinaigrettes from this book and often pass their coleslaw off as my own. The best thing about it is that no recipe made it into this book without the exhaustive testing that results from being used regularly in a popular restaurant.
May is National BBQ Month and National Hamburger Month
Cupcakes, not for dessert (unless beef is your idea of a treat)
Because eating French Fries in the car is so tough
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-11-2008 @ 10:26AM
lemons said...
Well, here we are again, with another useful cookbook out of my bookcase, too. A particular plug for the excellent corn soup that's completely vegetarian. And it's fun to read.
http://www.stlouiseats.typepad.com
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1-11-2008 @ 10:26AM
Marisa McClellan said...
It is definitely a good cookbook. I haven't tried the corn soup, but I'll add it to my list!
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1-11-2008 @ 11:02AM
Fred said...
Wow, I got this book as a Christmas present when it first came out, way back when I was still in High School. I was planning a culinary education, and my family wanted to keep me close to home, showing me there was a cooking school about an hour away. I break this out every time I need to make the pasta, and spinach roll dish, just to refresh my memory.
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1-12-2008 @ 8:04PM
TonyG said...
I particularly enjoy making the Duck dishes. I've received wonderful feedback on every recipe I tried.
Vive Steve Poses!
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1-14-2008 @ 6:48AM
deadinsect said...
Frög was in a lovely townhouse on Locust Street, not a store front. The Commisarry was in a store front on Sansom Street. Their recipe for Chicken Satay is my all-time favorite satay recipe, the sauce is amazing. The mushroom barley soup is also terrific, as is the vegetarian chili. :)
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