Carlyn Berghoff - The Berghoff Family Cookbook: From Our Table to Yours, Celebrating a Century of Entertaining

The
Berghoff
Family

C o o k B o o k

On February 28, 2006, the Berghoff Restaurant closed its doors after 107 years of serving satisfying family-style meals in its historic downtown Chicago location. With The Berghoff Family Cookbook, fans of the beloved restaurant can now make Berghoff classics at home, including the famous Berghoff Creamed Spinach, German Potato Salad, Wiener Schnitzel, Sauerbraten, Apple Strudel, Black Forest Cake, and many more treasured anduntil nowsecret recipes from the Berghoffs celebrated kitchens.

More than a collection of wonderful recipes, The Berghoff Family Cookbook is a piece of Chicago history and an essential guide for cooking and party planning. What started as a small saloon in 1898 quickly became a Chicago dining institution when Prohibition prompted founder Herman Joseph Berghoff to start serving meals to stay in business. When Prohibition ended in 1933, the Berghoff Restaurant was the first Chicago establishment to receive a liquor license, and it soon became famous for both its traditional German food and its Dortmunder beer. The Berghoff Family Cookbook offers a rare and personal glimpse into the history of this Chicago landmark, complete with full-color photographs of Berghoffs no-nonsense waitstaff and legendary chefs, its iconic stained-glass windows and murals, the famous mahogany bar, and the chandeliers, as well as old menus and historical items never before seen by the public.

Jan and Carlyn Berghoff not only provide treasured memories about the restaurant, but they also offer their wealth of knowledge and experience on beer and food pairings, how to host a bourbon tasting, party planning, and tips for memorable and hassle-free gatherings. In addition, Carlyn Berghoff shares many of her favorite recipes from her successful catering company, including Shrimp Martinis, Pesto Cheesecake, Grilled Vegetable Wraps, Pan-Seared Tilapia with Tabasco Broth, and Almond-Pear Tartlets. The Berghoff Family Cookbook helps cooks everywhere create delicious food, special celebrations, and lasting traditions.

The Berghoff Family Cookbook copyright 2007 by Carlyn A. Berghoff and Janice C. Berghoff. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews. For information, write Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC, an Andrews McMeel Universal company, 1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

www.andrewsmcmeel.com

Berghoff, Carlyn.

The Berghoff family cookbook: from our table to yours, celebrating a century of entertaining / Carlyn and Jan Berghoff with Nancy Ross Ryan.

p. cm.

E-ISBN: 978-0-7407-9321-9

1. Entertaining. 2. Cookery. I. Berghoff, Jan. II. Ryan, Nancy Ross. III. Title.

TX731.B4185 2007
641.50977311dc22

2006043037

Photo credits
The Berghoff Restaurant: v, ix, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 (bottom), 8, 9, 10, 11 (top), 13, 14, 15, 25, 26, 29, 55, 71, 75, 116, 135, 155, 175, 193, 195, 196, 213, 219, 229
Eric Craig: vi, xii, 11 (bottom), 17, 19, 20-21, 27, 28, 33, 35, 37, 41, 42, 47, 48, 51, 57, 63, 69, 77, 83, 85, 87, 97, 98, 101, 103, 107, 109, 111, 113, 115, 119, 129, 131, 133, 141, 145, 149, 151, 159, 162, 165, 169, 171, 173, 177, 181, 183, 199, 201, 203, 205, 211, 216, 221, 223, 225, 231, 233, 241, 245, 249, 258, 261, 266, 267, 272
Susan Berghoff Prowant: 117
Gary Sigman: 16
Oil painting by Mark Melnick: ii, 7

Design by Catherine Jacobes

Jacket photography by Eric Craig.

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We dedicate this book first to our founder, Herman Berghoff (1852-1934), whose vision, optimism, and hard work made our family and our restaurant possible. Second, we dedicate this book to our family, past and present, who made the restaurants growth and prosperity possible: third-generation Herman Berghoff, Peter, Tim, and Julie Berghoff; Jim McClure, Lindsey, Sarah, and Todd McClure. Above all, we dedicate this book to our customers, who have supported us for the past 107 years and made it all possible.

I never met my grandfather, Herman Joseph Berghoff, who passed away on December 31, 1934, a few months before I was born. But he left me his name and a gift beyond my wildest dreams: his legacy.

His legacy includes founding the Berghoff Restaurant, to which my wife, Jan, and my sons, Peter and Timothy, and I dedicated ourselves heart and soul to continue running. His legacy also includes bringing three of his brothers to America. At this writing, the living descendants of those four Berghoff brothersHerman, Henry, Hubert, and Gustavaccount for more than one thousand U.S. citizens. Without my grandfather Herman, the restaurant and the family would not exist.

Every generation faces its own set of challenges. My grandfathers was to move to a new land with no money worth counting, to put down roots, to establish a family, and to create a family business using his wits, character, and honor. The second Berghoff generationmy father, Lewis, and my uncle Clementwere challenged to expand their fathers caf into a full-fledged restaurant that became an institution in their lifetime. These two were responsible for enlarging the menu and the business, and for creating the oak-paneled west dining room, with its stained-glass windows, murals, and chandeliers. They gave our customers a piece of Old World Europe in the heart of Chicagos Loop.

The challenge of my third generation was keeping pace with the publics changing tastes, and balancing the old with the new. During my time food trends changed rapidly, not just from decade to decade, but often from year to year. It was a fine line to walk between introducing new menu items and keeping customers interested in the old classic dishes on which the restaurant was founded. I was aided by the fourth Berghoff generation, Peter and Timothy, to manage this balancing act. And it was the fourth generationPeter and Carlynwho joined with Jan and me to open the Berghoff Caf at OHare International Airport, one hundred years after Grandfather Herman opened the first Berghoff Caf.

On a very basic level, running Berghoffs meant maintaining every inch of the 45,000-square-foot building that dates from 1872, built right after the Chicago Fire.