Cookbook Review of the Month - November 2006
This month's selection is a little different than our ordinary choices in that, it isn't a cookbook. This fablous book is written by well known sommelier Natalie MacLean. Ms. MacLean has won numerous awards for her writing including the James Beard Journalism Award, the IACP Bert Greene Awards, The Association of Food Journalists Award among many others.
You may be asking why a girl who drinks nothing stronger than unsweetened iced tea selected this book for our cookbook of the month. I figured it was time to diversify, and that maybe I would learn something along the way.
Natalie's journey into the world of wine began when she met her husband Andrew , I'm a lot further behind. As she states in the beginning of the book, "Language and wine are two of the most pleasing things we consume:they animate us and become part of us." I figure I'm okay on the language part, but I need a lot of help with the wine!
I wasn't really a fan of Sideways even though I love Paul Giametti, and I wouldn't know a Merlot from a Pinot Noir. They might think about doing a sequel to Sideways using Natalie's book. It would be a lot more interesting, and she's a heck of a lot better looking!
I thought that perhaps being a cookbook author, I should know a little more about wine, as I probably would have been very happy using Holland House Cooking Wines if I hadn't heard over and over, if you won't drink it, don't cook with it. In addition to the fact that my daughter Lauren, a senior at the Cornell University School of Hotel Management is taking the wine tasting course this semester and regaling us with the tales of what she has tasted and learned...I am embarrassed by my ignorance.
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From the Burgandy regions of France to the hills of the Sonoma Valley in California, to the Champagne Region of Renoir, through Natalie's brilliant descriptions, you can feel the wine, as though you were the one tasting it..."another exhuberant premier cru chardonnay with aroma of nutmeg, creme brulee, and toast. It rolls to the back of my mouth like an incoming tide of pleasure, growing and growing until I'm flooded with its scent." Interestingly, the book is an much about the wine as it is the soil in which it grows, or the glass from which it's sipped...who would have thought that dirt or glass could have so much character or impact??? I think my favorite chapter is The Merry Widows of Mousse, a chapter filled with not only the intricacies of Champagne production, but with a history lesson included as a bonus. We women know what we have known all along that it is the women who are the ones who, when the going gets tough, the tough get going! The chapter regaling a dinner party in Natalie and Andrew's home leaves your mouth watering. My only tiny criticism of the book is that there isn't one of Andrew's marvelous recipes included. I'd love to be a guest at their dinner table. Chapter after chapter draws you in and quenches your thirst for more. From the soil where the grapes are grown, to the fine nuances of the wine industry, this book will entertain you, educate you, and liberate you pursue the road to becoming a wine-lover. I couldn't put the book down. The holidays are coming and I can't think of a better gift for all of those on your gift list whether they be a wine novice, an aficionado, or a connoisseur, they will enjoy this book. In fact, I am going to buy another copy for Lauren because I won't part with mine...in fact, I am going to suggest that she purchase one for her professor at the end of her wine tasting course at Cornell. The book is available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and directly from Nalatie's web site which you should definately check out: Natalie Maclean and sign up for her newsletter, Nat Decants. Natalie, you'd be very proud of me, I actually learned something, a pinot noir is a type of grape and I promise, I will never use Holland House cooking wines again! |
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Sample Recipe from the book:
Since the book does not include any recipes and we are a cookbook site, I have taken the liberty of including one of my son Jeffrey's recipes, a recipe for steamed clams cooked in wine.
Steamed Clams
Ingredients:
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4-6 pounds steamer or littleneck clams
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3 cups dry white wine (I use Inglenook® Chablis)
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1 onion, diced
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8-10 cloves garlic; crushed
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12 black peppercorns
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1 (13 ¾ or 14.5 ounce) can College Inn ® Chicken Broth
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Good handful of fresh parsley, chopped
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4-5 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
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3 cups water
Place clams in cold water to which you have added 1-3 tablespoons of cornmeal. Let the clams sit about ½ hour. Rinse well in cold water. Discard any clams with broken shells or those that are open before cooking or closed after cooking. Wrap the clams by dozen - dozen and a half in cheesecloth before putting them in the pot (cut pieces of cheesecloth in large rectangles, place the clams in the middle and tie with kitchen twine). This makes it easier to serve later on. Place the wine, onions, garlic, peppercorns, parsley, basil, and water in a large steamer or pot. Add the clams. Bring to a boil, keep covered. Stir or mix by shaking the pot for about 6 to 8 minutes or until clams are opened. Serve with melted butter. Serves 8.
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