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(More customer reviews)If you live in the Northwest and love food and wine, you will certainly want "Pacific Northwest Wining & Dining" to be part of your cookbook collection. Most of us probably know Braiden Rex-Johnson from the Pike Place Market cookbooks, but with this book she branches out into the wineries of not only Washington, but also Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia. For anyone who has visited these wineries the book will bring back fond memories. For those who haven't, it will probably have you longing for a road trip. The photography is gorgeous and the recipes are simple yet elegant, and clearly written. The "Cook's Hints" accompanying most recipes will be most welcome to less experienced cooks.
I love reading cookbooks, so I really appreciated the stories that accompany the recipes. They are brief yet reveal a keen ear for listening to the winemakers and chefs whose recipes are featured, and taken together they provide a kind of snapshot of wine and food in our region.
I gave this book as a gift to a friend who lives in Ardsley, New York -- a long way from the Pacific Northwest. She has the Italian holiday tradition of making a seafood dinner for Christmas Eve, and is always looking for new and wonderful dishes to add to the feast. "Pacific Northwest Wining & Dining" abounds in glorious seafood recipes such as Smoked Salmon Tartare, Sea Scallops with Spiced Carrot-Dill Sauce and Miso-Crusted Sablefish with Soba Noodles and Lemongrass Broth.
Other standouts range from starters such as Blue Cheesecake and Spicy Salmon Cakes with Ginger Aioli, to main courses like Tagliatelle with Balsamic Cream (!) and Cherry-Marinated Game Hens. And, dessert fiend that I am, I was pleased to find some superb desserts in a wine book, enticingly paired. I am working my way through desserts that include a perfect and elegant Dark Chocolate-Walnut Torte, a Chipotle Chocolate Cake, Citrus Yogurt Cake with Baked D'Anjou Pears and Meyer Lemon Marmalade (fabulous!), and Tarte Tatin with Cider Cream.
If you have family and friends whom you have been trying to entice to come visit you, send them this book! (The list of Northwest Wine and Food Festivals at the back of the book will also help lure them.) And in the meantime, "Pacific Northwest Wining & Dining" arrives just in time for dreaming up holiday meals. What better way to celebrate the holidays with friends and family?
Click Here to see more reviews about: Pacific Northwest Wining and Dining: The People, Places, Food, and Drink of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia
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