THE CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY COOKBOOK - Edited by Robert and Virginia Hoffman
This cookbook has a copyright of 1991. I got this book at a winery. I have never cooked from this before.
I believe I bought this book at some winery where I went wine tasting many years ago. I know that I bought it specifically because my Grandma W owned the cookbook and because of a specific dish that seemed similar to something she makes. The book says the recipes come from 58 chefs, winemakers and wineries. Several pages are devoted to listing those chefs and wineries that participated. Some have well known names...Charles Krug, Clos du Val, Korbell, Rodney Strong, Stag's Leap, Sutter Home. Some wineries I'd never heard of. Some, like Adler Fels I know only because of wines they have recently started producing (Adler Fels makes Leaping Lizard which I know of).
The book starts with a brief history of California Wine County which, in this 1991 edition, is already pretty dated (the last revision I found online was 1995). The index lists by name of recipe only. I wish there had been an index for wineries and by type of wine.
There is a nice little guideline which tells you approximately how much wine you might add to a dish as you are cooking. For example if you are broiling fish, they recommend about a 1/4 cup of white wine to go with your ingredients.
Standard chapters. No photos. Sometimes two recipes to a page. Each recipe lists either the chef and/or the winery the recipe comes from. The recipes seem pretty straight forward though the directions can be a little lacking which I think can happen when you have so many different folks offering recipes. I did find a few recipes that called for things like "Tiger Lily Blossoms" or "Fresh Golden Caviar" but most of the ingredients are things you can find in a regular grocery store.
I've bought some wine cooking books before that always seem to scare me. They don't call for "a cup of merlot wine" in the ingredients, they'll list "a 2001, special reserve bottle of "insert winery" wine where the grapes were picked at midnight by virgin males under the age of twenty who have iPhones and dogs named Pete". I then spend my time trying to find a wine that is similar to the one that is requested and always end up asking questions like "okay, the dog's name is "Peter" is that the same thing???" Luckily most of the recipes here call for " 1/4 cup of champagne" or "one cup Cabernet Sauvignon". I like that though they suggest you use their wines, they allow you to make the dish with whatever is on hand.
There are several recipes in this book that do not include wine in the ingredients (Pork with Apples and Ginger, Tomato Basil Pasta, Sonoma Goat Cheese Torta) but which do suggest a good wine to go with the meal.
Some of the dishes I've bookmarked to try: Mushrooms a la Gloria from Gloria Ferrer Champagne Caves; Spirited Ragout from the Louis Martini Winery; Medallions of Pork with Champagne Mustard Sauce from Korbel; Country Cactus Meatloaf from Timbercrest Farms; Chardonnay Shrimp from Charles Krug Winery; Port Torte from the Ficklin Vineyards. I definitely think this is a book I could make more than one recipe from.
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