Anything but Chardonnay or Jewish Cooking For All Seasons

Anything But Chardonnay: A Guide to the Other Grapes

Author: Laura Holmes Haddad

Do you love wine but not know much about it? Do wine lists (and wine snobs) make you nervous? Is your default order at a bar or restaurant, "Gee, I guess I'll have a glass of Chardonnay"? Well then, it's time you learn your ABC--"Anything but Chardonnay!"--and join the other budding oenophiles who are discovering that there's a whole wide wonderful world of wine beyond that mundane old standby.

Wine and food journalist Laura Holmes Haddad guides your exploration of scores of other well-known and not-so-well-known varieties of wine grapes: albariсo and falanghina, riesling and tempranillo, carbernet franc and malbec (and many, many more). Haddad recognizes that gaining knowledge about wine can be an intimidating prospect, and so she's written her timely new guide in a style that's smart, lively, and very accessible to the non-expert reader.

Anything But Chardonnay is organized by the basic types of wine: red, white, bubbly, and dessert. In addition to her clear descriptions of each grape and the typical characteristics of the wines made from it, Haddad provides valuable information on wine regions, producers, prices, and pairing wines with food--all enlivened with splashes of fascinating wine trivia and lovely illustrations.

Interesting book: Food Wine Annual Cookbook 2007 or Lebanese Cooking

Jewish Cooking For All Seasons: Fresh, Flavorful Kosher Recipes for Holidays and Every Day

Author: Laura Frankel

"The recipes in this book are mouthwateringlydelicious—I know because I've prepared most of them.This exciting book thoroughly demonstrates thatkosher food can be as refined as the most exquisitegourmet cuisine. This is a real winner."
—Charlie Trotter


Laura Frankel, full-time chef and full-time mother, celebrates and enlivens Jewish cooking for the holidays and meals throughout the year with this book of seasonal specialties from Shallots restaurant, adapted for home cooks. In autumn, wow the family at Rosh Hashanah with Quince-Stuffed Veal Breast with Roasted Fennel and Apples and a knockout Chocolate Opera Torte with Chocolate Ganache, and in spring, serve an unforgettable Passover meal of Leek-Spinach Soup and Standing Rib Roast with Porcini Mushroom Crust and Mushroom-Onion Ragout. Jewish Cooking for All Seasons features 150 tempting recipes for soups, salads, starters, main dishes, and desserts—grouped by season so you can use fresh produce to its best advantage and serve unique dishes for the holidays.

Frankel's passion for the best, freshest ingredients is inspiring. Even when she writes about heirloom tomatoes at the peak of flavor or rhapsodizes about the fragrance packed into a tiny vanilla bean, she helps you genuinely appreciate the difference top-quality ingredients make in everything you prepare.

Publishers Weekly

You can say one thing for this collection of modern kosher recipes-it ain't chopped liver. That fatty, flavorful favorite is replaced with fancy-schmancy fare like Artichoke Confit and Fava Bean Salad. Frankel, owner of Shallots restaurant in Chicago, deserves credit for widening the horizons of kosher cooking, as she incorporates novelties such as venison (Ginger-Marinated Venison Loin with Purple Sticky Rice and Spring Pea Salad) and bison (Bison, Lettuce and Tomato sandwiches). Dishes are grouped by season, but despite the promising subtitle, there are no holiday menus included. Chatty prose abounds in sidebars ("It may sound a little silly to say that I am passionate about salmon. Nevertheless... I am!"). There's nothing especially Jewish about Grilled Marinated Short Ribs with Spicy Fruit Barbecue Sauce or Herbed Roasted Chicken with Quinoa-Mushroom Pilaf except that they can be prepared to meet the laws of kashrut. Even without a strong hook, though, bubbe would approve, and the two million kosher households in the U.S., as the publisher figures, will likely be grateful for these new recipes. (Aug.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Frankel is chef/owner of Shallots, an upscale kosher restaurant in Chicago. In her first cookbook, she presents sophisticated recipes organized by season, from Artichoke Confit and Fava Bean Salad to Sumac-Dusted Beef Skewers to Cocoa Nib Biscotti. The headnotes offer serving suggestions and helpful tips, and there are detailed boxes on the author's favorite ingredients. With imaginative recipes inspired by a variety of cuisines, this kosher cookbook is recommended for all subject collections. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Table of Contents:

Introduction.

Kitchen equipment.

Holiday and Seasonal Meal Ideas.

Basic recipes.

SPRING.

Soups, starters, and salads.

Main dishes.

Desserts.

SUMMER.

Soups, starters, and salads.

Main dishes.

Desserts.

FALL.

Soups, starters, and salads.

Main dishes.

Desserts.

WINTER.

Soups and starters.

Main dishes.

Desserts.

Recipes by Category.

Sources.

Index.