Hosted by amiable restaurateur couple Bob and Melinda Blanchard (married 30-years-plus), the two-part Family Cooking (“Dinner is Served” and “Sunday Brunch with Friends”) finds the Blanchards in their Vermont home preparing meals with family and friends. Although initially looking a little intimidated by Melinda's talents (she's the executive chef for the pair's Anguilla, West Indies eatery), the guests make the same gaffes and ask the same dumdum questions that viewers might. And talk about scrumptious dishes: grilled bread with sweet and sour peppers, white chocolate and apricot bread pudding (made with croissants--yum!), quick chicken breasts (with bacon, Marsala wine, peas, and cream), Vermont picnic ham in dark beer, baked onions with rye and cheddar cheese, and Clinton's peach coffee cake. Although a list of ingredients upfront would have been nice, the program does superimpose specific measurements of items onscreen as they're being used. DVD extras include a pantry list, cooking tips, and bonus interview footage. Highly recommended. Aud: P. (J. Williams-Wood)
Family Cooking: From the Blanchard's Kitchen
(2004) 70 min. VHS or DVD: $19.95. WGBH Boston Video. PPR. Color cover. Closed captioned. ISBN: 1-59375-105-2 (dvd). Volume 19, Issue 5
Family Cooking: From the Blanchard's Kitchen
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.