5 comments about the girl & the fig cookbook: More than 100 Recipes from the Acclaimed California Wine Country Restaurant.

1. This book by restaurant owner Sondra Bernstein, with recipes by executive chef John Toulze represents the cuisine served at a chain of Sonoma County based restaurants after which the book is titled. Based on the passions of Ms. Bernstein and her staff, the book and the restaurants focus on figs; dishes based on figs; the produce of Sonoma County; the cuisine of Provence, France; and the similarity of the terroir of Sonoma with Provence.

   One object of the book is to publicize the chain of restaurants and the line of products based on the owner's love of figs. This is not too unusual, as I am certain this is one of the motives behind every celebrity chef / restaurant owner's cookbook. Some, like Tom Colicchio are less obvious about this interest. Others, like Emeril Lagasse, are pretty out front about this objective. All restaurant based cookbooks aim at providing the reader with some twist to their cuisine or it's presentation which adds sugar to the bait to create an interest in the restaurant(s).

   One special feature of this book is borrowed from Ms. Bernstein's distinguished California culinary neighbor, Thomas Keller of the French Laundry. This is the addition of sidebars on some of the restaurants' more important, or, at least, more interesting suppliers. This includes fig, mushroom, and cheese vendors, past and present. This highlights one weakness to the book, in that it is so thoroughly based on what is available from the gardens and vineyards of Sonoma County. Not everyone in the United States is blessed with access to wild mushrooms and the talented foragers who supply them, or to cheeses from artisinal cheese makers. Happily, the chef / recipe writer has supplied generally available products to substitute for his Sonoma pantry.

   The cornerstone of the book's cuisine is the parallel between the Sonoma and Provence produce and the cuisine which can be based on that similarity. Therefore, it should be no surprise to see most recipes appear to be straight out of the pages of books by Patricia Wells and Lydie Marshall. One of the most pleasant parallels is that the Bernstein / Toulze cuisine is based on fairly simple recipes, often with the kind of recipe modularity of sauces and pantry preparations common to an influence from Julia Child. The recipes for stocks, for example are about as simple as they come. There is no Thomas Keller / Judy Rodgers obsessiveness about technique here. Most recipes follow a recent quote I heard from Wolfgang Puck who said that the trick was to start with great ingredients and try not to mess them up. There are some unusual twists, such as the cooking oil of choice, a `blended oil' of one part olive oil and three parts canola oil. I am totally baffled that disciples of Provencal cuisine should eschew pure olive oil.

   The recipes are organized by size and role of the dish rather than by main ingredient. Recipe chapters are:

   `a small bite' hors d'ourves with figs, radishes, mushrooms, olives, shellfish, charcuterie, and crackers
   `from the garden to the stockpot' soups, including many Provencal classics
   `in the salad bowl' with lots of vinaigrettes, figs, asparagus, beans, endive, beets, walnuts, and cheese
   `large plates' 25 familiar dishs such as pastas, coq au vin, duck cassoulet, and lamb shanks
   `sauce over and under' with lots of butter, aioli, pistou, rouille, citrus, shallots, remoulade, and figs
   `on the side' with lots of balsamic reductions, familiar vegetable, polenta, couscous, olives, mushrooms...
   `sweets' with lots of figs, apples, pears, nuts, lavender, cheese, and cream

   The cuisine owes a fair amount to the exchange of cuisine between Provence and northern Italy, with a fairly substantial contingent of recipes involving pasta, risotto, polenta, cipollini onions and balsamic vinegar. This makes the abandoning pure olive oil in favor of the blended oil even more puzzling. In spite of this mystery, I am certain that these recipes, especially those based on figs, are superior to many and worthy of the authors' dedication to Provence.

   One very serious aspect of the restaurants' connection to Provence is Ms. Bernstein's commitment to wines based on varietals originating in the Rhone valley rather than the wines which made Napa and Sonoma wines famous. These are the Carignane, cinsault, Grenache, Roussanne, Syrah and Vognier grapes. All but the Syrah are unfamiliar to me, but that's just a symptom of my ignorance of wine. Each recipe gives a very simple recommendation of wine selected from this list. The emphasis on simple is important to contrast it to the elaborate, sometimes arcane recommendations given by Patricia Wells and others.

   The authors' dedication to their chosen cuisine and their featured product is genuine and fruitful, producing many simultaneously simple and worthy recipes. There are occasionally long recipes for standards such as cassoulet and coq au vin, but that should be no surprise. They have convinced me to look forward to a visit to their restaurants if I ever get to northern California.

   Recommended recipes for even novice cooks. A good read at a fairly reasonable list price. If you already own 10 books on Provence cuisine, you may want to take a pass.




2. As a local who lives and works within two blocks of the girl & the fig restaurant, I admit to being biased, but I just have to correct the previous reviewer: the girl & the fig restaurant is not and has never been a chain! There's only one restaurant, and it's my favorite place to take visitors who want to experience authentic Sonoma Valley cuisine at its very yummiest and most inspiring. The cookbook is a delicious introduction to the area for foodies who are still planning their first visit ... and a great way to keep the experience alive for those who can't wait to come back. I highly recommend it.



3. My first experience with Girl and the Fig was it's first home in Glenn Ellen, CA. which is still there. The restaurant quickly became a favorite. The newer restaurant in the town of Sonoma, also excellent, has a wonderful bar. Great place to join friends for a glass of wine from their excellent wine list or enjoy one of the best martinis. They have also opened a restaurant in Petaluma, CA.
   I am delighted that they have finally come out with this wonderful cook book. It represents the best of the Girl and the Fig's cuisine. I love to cook and I am thrilled to have this cook book in my collection.



4. I purchased this for a Christmas present and she loved it! There are some recipes that are a little too fancy for my taste, but otherwise this book includes great recipes to serve with individual wines.



5. For me, this book was a fun and very usable introduction to a new world of foods...and the Rhone-style wines that go with them.
   
   I admit it: I'd rather go to Sonoma than to Napa. And when I do go to Sonoma, I always try to visit the author's restaurant, The Girl and The Fig, located on the corner of the Town Square. When I can't be there, I love using the book at home to remind me of being there.
   
   I like this book a lot and use it about once a month.

3 comments about Medieval Cuisine of the Islamic World: A Concise History with 174 Recipes (California Studies in Food and Culture).

1. "Bang the casserole against the ground," an instruction from one of the recipes in Medieval Cuisine of the Islamic World (p.135). (Kids, do not do this at home!)
   
   The book was written in French, translated to Italian, and from the Italian into English, that is a long journey to take for a text dealing with medieval Islamic cookery written originally in Arabic. The book, nevertheless, generally makes a smooth read, with the exception of some instances where the reader is left puzzled whether the translation, the writer or the original Arabic texts and recipes are indeed to blame. Some things did get lost in translation, all right.
   
   There are places where ingredients are wrongly identified and sentences not accurately construed. For instance, according to a recipe, the dish is presented by stacking chicken pieces on top of each other (p.64), whereas in reality, the recipe asks the cook to arrange the pieces (tunadhdhad) on the platter. A medieval pot called dast is inaccurately translated as a `jar.' Jam, once again, is rendered as a jar (196), whereas, in the medieval culinary lingo it is actually a platter. Pickled lemons kept in brine (musayyar), the signature condiment of the North African cuisine then and now, is erroneously rendered as `candied lemon' (p.67), or `lemon coated with salt' (p. 138). The flavor of one of the dishes in a recipe is described as "sweet and sour flavor that influences the mood of the person who eats it (p. 81)," whereas the original recipe simply suggests that the sweetness and sourness of the dish is to be determined by the eater's mizaj temperament, in modern terms, "adjust to taste." The green seeds in one of the recipes are not cardamom as rendered (p. 130), but terebinth berries. The quince and onions that have been "chopped but not cut up into pieces," (p. 139) - does not make sense at all, are in fact to be "slashed into sections, but not all the way down" as the original Arabic recipe instructs. Some of the statements sound rather funny, a condiment recipe, for instance calls for "locusts that have returned from hunting" (p. 140), which should be "locusts that have just been caught," 140). Or, the recipe instructs the cook to "bang the casserole against the ground" (135)- sounds like the medieval cook was under a lot of stress! In fact, the cook is asked to put the pot on the ground away from the fire, and beat the cooking dessert vigorously. There are also some inaccurate generalizations, such as fish was mostly consumed dried in the eastern medieval Islamic world.
   
   The best part in the book is the first, dealing with background of the medieval Arab cuisine. It is well researched, although I find it strange that there is no bibliography. It would have been nice to see the sources that contributed to the research put together at one place, as I do not think the inclusion of a bibliography would have made the book less appetizing to the `general reader.' In the third part, which entirely focuses on modern North African dishes, the writer's own cuisine, I felt the need, especially when in a lazy mood, for a brief note telling me where in the second part (dealing with the original medieval recipes) a given modern recipe has its counterpart. Besides, medieval weights are not explained, neither are we given the modern equivalents, except for the pound, which is mentioned alongside the dirham and uqiyya, which does not help much.
   
   I also find it odd that the back flap of the dust jacket, while it includes a brief description of the writer and the forwarder, the translator, who, besides working on the text and has, in his own words, "made a great many changes to the organization of the Italian edition while also adding a good deal of material to the text, glossary and notes" was left out. As a reader, I am entitled to know something about him, as well.
   
   All things considered, the book after all is what it claims to be, a concise history. It is smartly packaged and priced, visually appealing with some color medieval illustrations. So, all in all, it can be a fair deal.



2. As an amateur student of culinary history, in particular medieval Arabic recipes, this book is an excellently done translation of recipes and culture that has not been readily available in English. While Charles Perry (who wrote the Foreward) is noted for his translations of some medieval Arabic recipes, for the most part the rich tradition of this culture has been largely unknown in the West. Hopefully, this book, and some of the others available on Amazon now about the culture and times, will make a difference. Culinary history as a topic is something that has fallen on hard times, when in the past, a cultured person of any nationality prided themselves on knowing something about cooking from around the world, even if they didn't cook themselves.
   
   I'm looking forward to making many of the dishes described, and finding my own way of incorporating them into the modern world!



3. Useful as a sort of summary of the subject. The Foreword, by Charles Perry, a well known scholar, recapitulates the subject but says nothing about the book in hand. The same contents can be found in so many other books that cover this same subject. For general information may be adequate, not so for study. It is very rare to find a source being given; the lack of bibliography only makes things worse.

5 comments about The Cheese Board: Collective Works: Bread, Pastry, Cheese, Pizza.

1. I spent 6 years in Berkeley and I still go back occasionally. The one stop I always make is the Cheeseboard. Not only are they famous for wide cheese and olive selection, but their bakery is out of this world. I remember the days where I would get Brioche and munch on it on the way to class. Or getting the fresh baked sourdough baguettes on the way home from the market. This cookbook describes in detail how to work with the dough, measure out ingredients, and how to bake bread properly. I learned a great deal about baking from this book. I have made a few things (such as the shortbread, sourdough baguette, brioche, muffins, etc) from the book and was very satisfied. Now, this is not for the beginner bakers, I don't think. Also, this is not a speed baking book. I would rate this book as a medium skill book, but with a help of Kitchen Aid mixer and patience, you will be able to get the same great products you find at the Cheeseboard Collective. Definitely recommended for anybody and everybody.



2. I love this book. I have been searching for the perfect scones for 25 years. I have found them in the Cheese Board's new book, along with myriad other phenomenal recipes (brioche, shortbread, pizza, etc.). The humor and affection of the bakers/writers for each other and the subject matter are also infectious.



3. As someone who grew up in Berkeley and now only gets to visit a few times a year, I use this book whenever I get homesick for Cheeseboard goodness. Not only do I get raves for every single recipe from non-Berkeley-ites, but the recipes are dead-on in replicating the scones and breads I grew up with.



4. I bought this book at the original Cheeseboard while on vacation. It was an impulse purchase, but I one I'm glad I made. I've had a lot of failures with bread, but the directions and observations in this book have vastly improved my baking skills. The recipes seem to be fool-proof, and the results are excellent. Bread making is now a relaxing and enjoyable hobby.
   
   This is an excellent source for beginning bakers. Making stellar bread isn't that difficult, and is actually a lot of fun. No more bread machine for me.



5. While I was lucky enough to live in Berkeley, the Cheeseboard was a legend in every sense of the word. The Cheeseboard is THE place by which I judge all other breads and baked goods. I made the scones and they were declared "f@%*ing amazing" by people who normally eschew "dry, brittle" scones. Next, I made my own sourdough starter and it's awesome. Afraid I'd screw it up, I emailed the coop to see if I could buy some of the Cheeseboard starter the next time I was in town. Their reply: "We offer starter as a neighbor would offer a cup of sugar." This is more than a business, it's a community project. These people are Berkeley at it's best. I never made it back to the Bay Area, but I did start my own as per their directions and it's really, really, really good. This book is awesome and everything I've made (scones, sourdough, focaccia) has exceeded expectations. It's well-written and contains excellent instructions for fool-proof bread. The only time my bread failed is when I struck out on my own. I make the City Bread on weekends and enjoy a slice every morning with some butter and jam. It is moist and lasts about 5 days without losing too much texture. The older it gets, the longer I toast it. I actually get cranky when I miss out on it. My thanks to Cheeseboard for writing this great book for those of us who are no longer able to walk to the "Gourmet Ghetto" but keep a place for it in our hearts.. and stomachs!

5 comments about Côte D'Or: A Celebration of the Great Wines of Burgundy.

1. Clive Coates has written a scholarly yet lively and entertaining book. A confusing array of locations, producers and other vital information for the serious collector or the serious appreciator of Burgundy wines is clarified and successfully elucidated. Coates tackles the subject with finesse and a refreshingly unbiased viewpoint. A masterwork.



2. This book is an excellent reference work for the serious amateur of Burgundy. The focus is very much on the top estates and domains of the Côte d'Or (Côte de Nuits & Côte de Beaune, as opposed to the Maconnais, Beaujolais, or Chablis -- all technically part of Burgundy in the French appellation system); while well organized and refreshingly jargon-free, debutants looking to ease themselves in to the most complicated wine region in the world might want to look elsewhere.

   After living in Burgundy for six months, visiting almost 100 domains, and looking at just about every reviewer's notes, I trust Coates above anyone when it comes to Burgundy. He is a believer in terroir, and cares deeply about balance and finesse; those whose tastes track Parker's, who care most about extract, color, and power are probably looking at the wrong book. (They're looking in the wrong region, too -- and at the wrong varietal for that matter.)

   This book is an absolutely essential part of every oenophile's library. Why only 4 stars? The reviews are somewhat out of date -- a problem for anyone with a relatively new wine drinking/collecting habit (latest vintage reviewed is 1996, I believe, and that one only briefly). Also, the tasting notes are not as comprehensive as one might wish -- Coates sometimes limits himself to notes from a single vertical tasting in a given vigneron's cellar.




3. ...this is it. Along with Remington Norman's Great Domaines of Burgundy, this is a must have reference book if you're serious about Burgundy. Coates understands Burgundy and covers it in considerable depth. No, you won't find tasting notes on every wine you look for, but you'll find quite a few. I find myself going back to this book regularly both for specific references and to refresh my knowledge.



4. Burgundy is one of the most difficult-to-grasp wine regions in the world. Many studies have been done on the soil, climate, wind direction, sun exposure, rainfall, etc., yet nobody really knows, yet, why one acre of Burgundy produces a certain kind of wine and the acre right next to it something different. Clive Coates book comes as close as humanly possible to explain it. He begins his sections with a "History" of the region, then continues with "Location", "Vineyard", and then defines and describes the wines made from the Grand Crus and the Premier Crus, recommending sources and also providing the size of each vineyard. Also, he covers vintages.
   
   It's amazing how Coates takes such a difficult region and maps it out so succinctly for us. Far better effort than Parker's "Burgundy".



5. Overall, the text is easy to read and it is educational. However, the individual wines reviewed are not even close to being up to date. Because this was written years ago, it doesn't cover many of the new up and coming wines and vintners.

3 comments about Matt Kramer's New California Wine.

1. Matt Kramer's New California Wine starts with a section that describes the thinking and mentalities behind the California wine industry (he named this part "Thinking California"). He then goes on to describe California's American Viticultural Areas (AVA) and different activities going on in each in a part named "Drinking California". He mentions quite a number of wineries - in ways that offer details that go beyond the usual, dry descriptions often found elsewhere. The "Thinking California" part of the book provides the reader with an excellent overview of the state of California wines - the thinking that has evolved the European wine mentality/tradition as opposed to the California approach to the crafting of fine wines. Kramer's writing style is quite entertaining - he's descriptive with word choices that vividly portray California. At the start of key parts of the book he sets the scene with a quote and then moves into descriptions that inform and entertain. In "Thinking California" his insights into changes and evolutions that have transpired in California wines through descriptions of the history, the wine plant, the climate, and the soil provide an overview helpful when thinking about California wines. In "Drinking California" he gives descriptions of areas (AVA) and different wine operations. Quite a lot of detail that I'll use when planning my next visit to California - the kind of detail one might want when doing advance planning - necessary when visiting wineries. As a native Californian who now lives in Europe I've tried to answer questions about California wines - what I've learned from Mr. Kramer gives an understanding of and a perspective about California wines that I'll find helpful. I'm glad I bought the book and consider its price to be a good investment.



2. I have already nipped into this book several times, especially before trips to nearby Santa Barbara wine country, and Kramer has never steered me wrong yet. Based on his recommendations, I experienced some great wines at Foley and Longoria - not really a GUIDE BOOK per se, no fancy graphics or easy to turn to index pages, but Kramer does have his own wine guide for this. I highly recommend for wino-folks living right here on the left coast.



3. By far, the most complete and easily read book of its type. It puts all of the recent changes in the California AVA's in perspective.

4 comments about Safe Food: Bacteria, Biotechnology, and Bioterrorism (California Studies in Food and Culture, 5).

1. I just heard Marion Nestle on the Mike McConnell raido show. All I could ask myself during the interview was, "What are her intentions in writing this book." All I could think of during the interview was she was another Rachel Carson writing her "Silent Spring".
   My general impression was that she wrote this book to create fear in the food consumer, but never really offered any solutions except more government intrusion. She never presented, in the interview, the fault of the consumer in poor preparation practices or lack of control when eating out.
   In Nestle's view its either "big" business' fault by being cheapskates or the government's failure by not legislating.
   Yes I believe that there needs to be safeguards, but I also believe that regulations can become so excessive that it could become not profitable to produce food products. That is why there should be a certain amount of responsibility by the consumer (i.e. don't eat tuna fish that's been sitting out in the sun for a few hours).
   In the interview of besides presenting herself as a prophet of doom, I also found her to be very condescending to people who challenged her opinions.
   If you want to read her work, I can only recommend reading this with a very critical eye.



2. "Safe Food" is a terrific look at the issues involved in keeping our food supply uncontaminated. It is also a look behind the scenes at how our democracy really works, and it's not a pretty sight. Corporations choosing profits over public health, government representatives more often than not siding with industry rather than consumers, corruption, greed, and ineptitude are all part of this fascinating story. Highly recommended!



3. This is a well-written book by an author with experience in both the scientific and public affairs aspects of food quality and safety. Marion Nestle makes an effort to describe the complex scientific procedures associated with foodborne disease investigation, and the creation of bioengineered foodstuffs, reasonably clear to the layman / woman. Her message is simple and direct: as far as US government regulatory agencies, and the food industry itself, are concerned, food safety and wholesomeness is regarded as a secondary consideration to corporate profit. Her thesis is supported by a wide and varied list of references, including the scientific literature, print media, and quotes from participants involved in the struggle to make food safety one of the more urgent issues in contemporary public health. "Safe Food" covers such important topics as the outbreaks of E. coli caused by feces-contaminated ground beef; the ineptly regulated release of genetically engineered crops into farm systems and the spread of transgenes into native species; and the farcical (but ultimately tragic) mishandling of the "mad cow" epidemic by a British government blindly devoted to promotion of the beef industry. In each instance, Nestle documents how the food and agrochemical industries conspired to weaken federal oversight of food safety and quality by manipulating politicians and government officials, all in order to maximize profits.
   The book is not perfect; some of the sections describing various scientific procedures may have benefited from the inclusion of explanatory diagrams, rather than somewhat belabored text descriptions. But overall, "Safe Food" is an important and timely book, and one well worth reading by anyone concerned about the quality of the food we eat.



4. As a food safety trainer I did not realise the rest of what has and is going on to deliberatly sell us food that is not fit for the purpose all in the interest in profit.
   
   One could have doubted what was written but we have just had the blatent disregard for food safety by 'CADBURY' the famous chocolate people claiming that only minute traces of bacteria may be present.
   
   You either have bacteria or no bacteria there is no halfway house, this book will open everyone's eyes.

1 comments about Artichoke to Za'atar: Modern Middle Eastern Food.

1. In an era in which we associate the Arab world with closed-mindedness and self-isolation a cookbook like this must come as a shock. These eclectic recipes remind one of the tales one often reads of banquets in the glory days of Al Andalus, where Jewish advisors counseled Syrian kings who ruled over a Christian population, and where the threads of so many different cultures intermingled freely to produce the greatest cultural flowering in the history of humanity.
   That claim may seem a bit overblown, but just try the dried apricot and sherry cardamom ice cream, and you'll quickly realize that this is not a compendium of one's grandmother's old village recipes. This is a book that shows how cuisine is born in the mixing of the old and he new, the traditional and the foriegn. How refreshing to find a bood of middle-eastern cooking that isn't afraid to deploy pork or rabbit! Shukran!
   Preserved lemon guacamole with smoked eel, salmon kibeh, watercress tabouleh, barbequed squid in a hot Yemeni relish, grilled haloumi endive salad, etc. etc. etc. What makes the recipes work is the way in which each extends the core idea of traditional recipe by borrowing from something outside of any traditional Arab cuisine. For example, by taking simple tabouleh and adapting it for watercress you come to realize just how parsley works in the original in a way that you never would by just making up a batch of the traditional fare.
   In addition to the recipes the book features a number of descriptions of the place of various key ingredients in arab cuisines: their history, their raison d'etre, and their most commmon uses. Having a chapter on rosewater is really very helpful when you find yourself with a bottle of it and would like to put it so some use beyond scenting baklawa.
   The one downside to the book is that it doesn't categorize recipes by type (e.g. desserts, appetizers, etc.). It's more a book meant for reading cover to cover than for picking out a dessert for tomorrows bridge party. Does anybody have those anymore?
   Any serious cook is likely to count this among his or her top 5 cookbooks for a very long time. It really is that good. Now to try some of the turkish coffee ice-cream that has just finished churning.

5 comments about Michael Chiarello's Casual Cooking.

1. We are serious foodies and particularly love all regional Italian cooking. Admit we are bit skeptical of Italian American recipes but after watching MC on TV (finally got a Food Channel on satellite here in Australia) decided to invest in the book. It is brilliant - every recipes tried has scored a "do again" and the pantry items are great. Even a beginner can follow the recipes and experienced cooks will appreciate the layers of flavour that MC is always talking about. Buy this book - you won't be sorry! Off to buy his latest now....



2. I've grown to love Michael Chiarello's recipes. In the Goldilocks challenge between making a dish "too simple" or "too much work," time after time Chiarello manages to find the spot that's exactly right. His recipes don't promise instant gratification, in the semi-homemade 30-minute style that's become popular recently. But he's also aware that you have something else to do with your day besides cooking dinner.
   
   Chiarello's background is Italian, so a lot of recipes in this book display that influence -- quite a bit of pasta, for example, and a tendency to use olive oil where others might choose butter. But you'd do better to think of it as Napa-meets-Italian, as his recipes aren't the sort of food that you'll find at the traditional restaurant with a red-checked tablecloth and a candle stuck in a bottle of Chianti. The book lives up to its promise of "casual cooking."
   
   Chiarello encourages you to create a pantry of ingredients that you can call upon whenever needed, and I completely agree with that "good cooking in not much time" philosophy. At first, it might sound as though you need to cook three things just to have the ingredients for a single dish, but the pantry section helps you create items that, later, you'll be able to grab out of the freezer or your spice shelf and put into an "instant" meal. For example, we first made his awesome winter panzanella, which uses homemade croutons in addition to butternut squash and brussels sprouts. The croutons are easy enough -- assuming that you already made his bagna cauda butter. (It's basically anchovies, parsley, and garlic mixed with two sticks of softened butter.) But two days after the salad, we made clams and linguine with more of the bagna cauda butter, and *that* came together in less time than it took to boil the noodles. I still have a half cup of the bagna cauda butter in the freezer, just waiting for a day when I feel like more than a slab-of-steak.
   
   The pantry chapter is 30 pages long (including lots of beautiful photos; this is a great eye-candy cookbook), which includes everything from spiced walnuts to a fennel spice mix. The other chapters are appetizers; eggs & sandwiches; soups & salads; pasta; rice, beans & polenta; fish & shellfish; meat & poultry; vegetables; and sweet things. If you want a collection of fine Italian baking, you'll have to buy another book in addition to this one (you notice I'm assuming you'll buy this in any case), as his dessert choices are on the no-big-deal side of Thursday dinner rather than a big blowout feast. Panna cotta, perhaps, or dried fruit compote with Sambuca.
   
   Many of the recipes are extremely simple, in that "perfect roast chicken" way (his uses rosemary and lemon -- and it came out great) but he isn't afraid to provide a recipes for a sauce that needs to cook for hours. He usually includes menu advice (i.e. serve this with roast pork), and some kind of cook's notes, such as the tip that soaking red onion briefly in sherry vinegar will mellow the raw onion taste.
   
   A fine cookbook. Recommended.



3. I bought this book because I saw it at my daughter-in-laws and the recipes looked interesting. I have not been disappointed. Just made the zablione with fruit the other night and got raves.



4. One killer recipe after another in this book. Outstanding suggestions and photos, remarkable results. Not always very simple cooking, but simple directions made easy to understand. Wine recommendations come with recipe selections too, very complete and tasty!



5. Always enjoy his show that is shot somewhere in wine country in northern CA. I wish I had a kitchen like that and or a house and land but always enjoy his food and show and the book has many of those recipes and many are not hard just comes down to prepping as he does and making it easier to have great food without going crazy!

5 comments about General Viticulture.

1. I agree that this text could use an update, especially on the newer varieties of grapes which have been developed in the past decade, however this text will make you a vintner if you read it in depth and acquire some "hands on" experience to go with it. The text is high quality print, and mine is covered with plastic and accompanies me often in the vineyards. It's focus is on the California industry but it is also a good guide for the northeastern USA and rest of the world.



2. I got the book "General Viticulture" originally back in 1977. I've looked at it recently at some better book stores. It is a powerhouse of information, there is no doubt, but unfortunately, it has not been updated in some time. Another drawback to the book is it's lack of grape culture outside the "California" scene. There are some new strides in viticulture going on in the midwest, and north east that are not even remotely covererd. The training systems and specifics of the NEWER American hybrids, with works from Elmer Swenson, David MacGregor, Dr. Tony Bell, Dr. Peter Hemstad of the University of Minnesota, to name a few is not even mentioned. I rated it 4 stars for it's excellent overview of just about every Vinifera, it's characteristic and management, especially related to California and similar climates around the world. It is still a great refernece book, just needs to be revised sometime.



3. I have no regrets buying General Viticulture. It is, after all, a standard reference. But in many ways it is now a lttle outdated and modern experience and advice is lacking. It should therefore be considered a important part, but only a part, of the basic library of anyone doing or contemplating viticulture.

   The academic style of writing does not lend itself to the "do-it-yourself" approach. The section on laying out a vineyard, for example, is more academic than practical, at least in my opinion. A more modern book would, of course, have better photographs and graphics, and this is what I miss most.




4. My copy arrived with the text bound upside-down in relation to the cover. However, this is by far the best study on viticulture around. Dated but still the best.



5. This is the standard textbook for viticulture in the country and was outdated when I took the class in 1987. Unfortunately Mr. Winkler and other were in their eighties and nineties at that time so the chances of an updated edition were none (Mr. Winkler died before I graduated in 1992.) Yet, even now, I still refer to it for grafting, training and pest and diseases. Hey, just because it's old doesn't mean it's dated. There are some things in grape growing that never change.

5 comments about The Tra Vigne Cookbook: Seasons in the California Wine Country.

1. I have had this book for over a year and have tried several of his recipes which all comes out great. It is one of the few cookboos that I have which I use often. The recipes are easy to follow, simple, and most important of all, delicious. I espcially like the stuffed pepper recipe. It is also a book one can sit down to read for leisure. Plus there are lots of tips, not just recipes.



2. This is a wonderful culinary book. It's more than a cookbook, as it focuses on various vegetables, etc. of the season, then uses those featured ingredients in several great recipes. If you've ever eaten at Tra Vigne in the Napa Valley town of St. Helena, you can even picture in your mind Michael in the kitchen, and almost taste the restaurant's just-pressed olive oil. If you know anyone who likes to read culinary books (like my mom, who literally reads cookbooks cover to cover, then goes back to earmark certain recipes), you should give them this book for the holidays. It is a beautiful, coffee table-quality, glossy work.



3. As an individual who is dedicated to eating local, healthy, and tasty food, Michael Chiarello once again creates supreme recipes with delicious flavor and divides the cookbook by season. Each of the recipes has a bit of flare and contain simple and fresh ingredients that should be easily found in any local grocery store, farmers market, or organic store such as Whole Foods, Wild Oats, or Fresh Market. My cooking style is still developing, but all of these recipes are always winners even for the novice cook. The recipes are easy to make and always satisfy. This is a definite recommend for anyone looking for tasty, seasonal cooking.



4. I collect cookbooks. I like this book because the recipes are original and the ingredients aren't too esoteric. I don't like the coffee table size, it's too hard to browse through. I recommend if you are an experienced cook and always searching for new, interesting recipes.



5. We bought this on Amazon after eating in Napa, and are very pleased with the recipes. The recipes are not overly intimidating for a casual weekday meal. In contrast, the Mustards' Grill cookbook gives a number of more advanced recipes, with complex ingredients. This cookbook avoids the need for ingredients from a high, high end grocery store. We were so pleased with this cookbook we checked out another from the same chef (casual cooking), and ended up purchasing this book as well. If you have fresh ingredients available, this is a nice cookbook for a dinner party or a weekday meal. Overall, very pleased with this cookbook.