Sacramental Magic In A Small-town Cafe: Recipes And Stories From Brother Juniper's Cafe Reinhart, Br. Peter

From Kirkus Reviews Reinhart (Brother Juniper's Bread Book, not reviewed) is back with philosophical musings and recipes from the California restaurant he and his wife began as members of a Christian order. (He has since sold his interest in Brother Juniper's Caf?, named after a hapless but generous monk.) His writing is cheerily helpful, and he exhibits a quirky sense of humor in relating episodes like the time he visited Israel with his Jewish father and was expelled from the Mosque of Omar for engaging in prayer. (``Only Muslims may pray here...It is the rules of the management,'' a guard insisted.) Recipes are straight out of the Chez Panisse school--the black-bean chili was inspired by a very similar dish served at San Francisco's top-flight vegetarian restaurant Greens--but Reinhart gives preparations an original spin. A simple mesclun salad is enhanced by fresh herbs and a lemony caper dressing, and hummus gets a lift from freshly toasted sesame seeds pureed with olive oil in place of the usual pre-fab tahini. On the other hand, a heavy dose of buttermilk intended to moisten oversize lemon muffins instead gives them an unbearably acidic taste. Reinhart apparently has the heart of an entrepreneur: He has marketed a bottled barbecue sauce called Holy Smoke and admits to fantasies about ``putting Coke and Pepsi out of business'' with natural brews like root beer made with sarsaparilla and wild cherry bark. Spiritual (not preachy) and sweet (not saccharine). -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. Product Description A collection of recipes for salads, pastas, and regional specialties accompanies the story of a small cafe+a7 in a community united by a desire to do good through fine cooking. By the author of Brother Juniper's Bread Book. From Library Journal Reinhart and his wife, Susan, are the founders of the acclaimed Brother Juniper's Bakery in Santa Rosa, California. His Brother Juniper's Bread Book (Addison-Wesley, 1991) told the story, with recipes, of the bakery; this new book is actually a prelude to that one, as it describes the evolution of the cafe that grew into the bakery, with recipes for the dishes the tiny restaurant served. Reinhart's writing is completely absorbing, reminiscent of John Thorne, with dashes of Calvin Trillin and even M.F.K. Fisher; he is passionate about good food, but far from strident, and has a wry sense of humor. And the recipes are good too. "Holy Smoke" is the story of his search for the perfect barbecue sauce, with three recipes (though not for the "secret" sauce); "Man Can Live by Caesar Salad Alone" is about the cafe's famous version of that salad; "The Chocolate Queen Reigneth" presents Susan's rich desserts. Unique and captivating, this is highly recommended. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. About the Author Peter Reinhart is a lay brother in the Christ the Savior Brotherhood, an eastern orthodox service order. He is the author of the James Beard Award-winning cookbook Crust & Crumb and the editor of the chapter on bread in the revised edition of Joy of Cooking. After teaching breads for four years at the California Culinary Academy, he is now a faculty member at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.