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Summary: A book for wine-loving cooks and food-loving wine drinkers.
Review: If you are a wine-loving cook or a food-loving wine drinker, read on. With The Wine Lover's Cookbook, I've attempted to de-mystify the world of food and wine pairing with some helpful tips on creating wonderful matches at your table. I also hope you'll find delicious recipes that showcase wine and make you the most popular cook in your neighborhood.As an avid home cook and wine lover (I work in Marketing Communications for Fetzer Vineyards), I begin my sessions in the kitchen by determining what type of wine I want to drink first. Sometimes, I start thinking about this early in the morning on Saturdays when I know I'll have time to cook. The fact that I do this either makes me an alcoholic or just a serious food and wine lover. I prefer the latter notion. This "wine first" idea, a somewhat different approach to creating great food and wine pairings, is what drives my book. All of the recipes center on how they will best showcase specific varietals (wine type) and why. The chapters are laid out, not by course as is traditional, but by varietal (i.e. there is a Chardonnay, Merlot, Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, etc. chapter). For each of the 100 recipes, there is a recommended varietal and an alternative one, to allow for some experimentation if you desire. In writing this book I've had fun busting up some of the traditional myths about food and wine pairing. I don't mean just the ones about only pairing red wine with meat and white wine with fish. Our current palette of global ingredients allows us to make some exciting combinations come to life that wouldn't be recognized in the European world (where there is much less concern about food and wine pairing). How about Grilled Flank Steak with Roasted Corn-Pancetta Salsa matched with a juicy, berry-driven Zinfandel, or a Grilled Swordfish with Tomatillo-Cilantro Salsa Verde matched with a crisp, clean, slightly herbal Sauvignon Blanc? These pairings aren't in the Food & Wine Pairing Bible, Part 1 (wherever that may be). These are new flavor combinations to explore and enjoy with wine! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. I'd love to receive your comments about either the information or recipes in my book. If you decide to purchase, I wish you nothing but great food, tasty wines, and amiable companions at your table. And, even if you don't buy the book, I wish you the same because you've read this far and deserve it. In vino veritas - Sid Goldstein
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Summary: Find out what the hype is all about.
Review: If you are like me and have struggled with the idea that wine and food can make great partners(not just good but great), then you must buy this book. Not only are the recipes top-notch but the wine pairings and explanations are outstanding. I own many cookbooks but this one gets used the most by far. I now can convincingly say that wine and food can make majestic partners, so much so that one without the other most of the time seems one dimensional and lacking. Enjoying home cooked meals like these with a glass of the appropriate wine is truly a gift.
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Summary: Complex Recipes Requiring Too Many, Specialty Ingredients
Review: The recipes require too many ingredients (over 40 per recipe in some cases; average > 20) and ingredients that are difficult to find in typical stores (such as achiote paste, preserved lemons, etc). The recipes take a long time to prepare and have not once been worth the effort to shop for or to prepare.
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Summary: Excellent Reference Book
Review: This book has changed the way I cook! I own over 80 cookbooks but this one is one of my most used. I am a grape illiterate. I don't care much for drinking wine but I love to cook with wine and I love to entertain for friends who like wine. This book saves me tons of research. Not only does it feature great recipes to go with each type of wine but it also gives you foods to match with the wine in case you want to cook from another cookbook. So now I know that if I want to serve or cook seafood with wine a dry Pinot Gris would probably go great. It also tells you a bridge item (side dish) that helps to bridge the wine with the food. My only complaint is that the book isnt larger. The author should definitely come up with a part 2 to go over all the types of wines he did not cover in this book. Excellent basic reference book.
Despite what the author below says about the recipes being too complex...the information this book provides in such a concise, organized manner is too valuable to pass up. The ingredients in the recipes are easy to find but most of the recipes do have a lot of ingredients. I just try to serve them on a day when I have nothing better to do. The recipes are not difficult but they do involve a lot of steps. The salmon/crab cakes with remoulade sauce recipe is worth the price of the book alone!
If this is the only cookbook you will own..then no... I would not buy it...but if you are looking for a great resource on how to cook and pair wine (which is what the title implies) then this is an excellent book to add to your cookbook collection and the information it provides will stay with you long after you finish it! Recipes or not...I would buy it for the reference material.
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Summary: My favorite cookbook ever!
Review: This cookbook is absolutely fabulous. I've owned the book a year; I bought it last Christmas for my sister who raved about it so much I bought it for myself. Everything I've cooked from this cookbook has been really good! I've learned alot in this book, not only about the wines themselves but why certain wines pair well with certain foods, tastes to look for when pairing wines and foods, and wines to use as a substitute if you don't have a recommended bottle on hand. The recipes are relatively simple, some more complex than others. But each is very distinctive in flavors and instructions are clear and easy to follow. Also included are recipes for salads, appetizers and desserts which makes it a well rounded book! I highly recommend it. I wish they had another book out! I'd buy it in a second.
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Summary: Pefect... absolutely perfect
Review: What a remarkable discovery! It's one thing to find a book on wine, another to find a book on food, and something unheard of to find one book on both that so perfectly expresses the joys of marriage between food and beverage. This was a truly ingenious tome that belongs in every kitchen. For those of you who are visually inclined, you might be a tad disappointed. Only some of the recipes include pictures. Still, considering the subject matter and the great plethora of facts, tidbits, and ideas, you are not missing out. Each type of wine (most if not all) is given a treatment, from a brief background, to what to expect in regards to flavors and aromas. From there, you are guided to the perfect food matches that complement and heighten those aspects of the wine (and vice versa). Wine and food have long been enjoyed together. Sometimes, we miss out by not having the right wine with the right course. This is your guide, your Magellan for sailing the culinary world. I am so glad that I own this wonderful book. It made a great gift to me from a dear friend, I'm sure your friends would love a copy of it as well! A must-own!
Rating:
Summary: Pefect... absolutely perfect
Review: What a remarkable discovery! It's one thing to find a book on wine, another to find a book on food, and something unheard of to find one book on both that so perfectly expresses the joys of marriage between food and beverage. This was a truly ingenious tome that belongs in every kitchen. For those of you who are visually inclined, you might be a tad disappointed. Only some of the recipes include pictures. Still, considering the subject matter and the great plethora of facts, tidbits, and ideas, you are not missing out. Each type of wine (most if not all) is given a treatment, from a brief background, to what to expect in regards to flavors and aromas. From there, you are guided to the perfect food matches that complement and heighten those aspects of the wine (and vice versa). Wine and food have long been enjoyed together. Sometimes, we miss out by not having the right wine with the right course. This is your guide, your Magellan for sailing the culinary world. I am so glad that I own this wonderful book. It made a great gift to me from a dear friend, I'm sure your friends would love a copy of it as well! A must-own!
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Summary: THE most important cookbook for anyone who likes wine
Review: What an awesome addition to any kitchen that has moved beyond boxed wine. The recipes are a totally worth the effort and easily adaptable to what you actually have in your kitchen. Mr. Goldstein is a little timid in his use of herbs and none of the sauces that are just supposed to magically thicken through "reduction" actually do. But these shortcomings are nothing that a little sloppy herb measuring or light addition of cornstarch can't overcome. It's worth twice the price just for the Lavender/Honey Duck recipe. EASILY, my favorite cookbook.
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