Monday, January 12, 2009

Beef Veal or Bordeaux and Its Wines

Beef & Veal

Author: Williams Sonoma

Beautifully prepared beef -- elegant Bacon-Wrapped Filets Mignons, tender Herb-Rubbed Veal Loin, old-fashioned Pot-Roast -- can be the showpiece of any meal. The idea of making such well-known dishes intimidates many cooks, however. But you will soon master these classic beef and veal recipes and many more with this book.

Williams-Sonoma Mastering Beef & Veal is a complete cooking course in single volume. The opening describes the different cuts of beef and veal, how to buy them, and how to trim them. You will also learn how to cook, season, and serve beef and veal, from readying your mise en place to expertly carving a bone-in roast.

Basic recipes and key techniques then illustrate dozens of indispensable culinary building blocks, such as how to prepare a stock or how to chop fresh herbs. Troubleshooting tips show you what can go wrong and how to fix it without having to start all over again. Next the master recipes lead you step-by-step, with friendly text and instructive photographs, through every step of preparation. These recipes include helpful advice other cookbooks assume you already know, and explain how to test beef and veal for doneness -- one of the most valuable kitchen skills any cook can master. The shorter recipes and variations in each chapter encourage you to continue practicing your newfound skills, building your repertory and confidence at the same time. Finally, a guide to equipment and a glossary of ingredients will help you stock your kitchen with all the essentials.

In these pages, you will find more than fifty classic recipes that tell you, in both pictures and words, how every dish you make should look and taste from beginning toend. Whether you are an aspiring novice or an experienced home cook, Mastering Beef & Veal will teach you all you need to know to prepare any beef or veal recipe with ease.



See also: Welcome to the Table or Gourmet Herbs

Bordeaux and Its Wines

Author: Robert Joseph

Travel with Robert Joseph, best-selling and award-winning wine author as he recounts the history and ambience of a place where wine has been produced for more than 1,000 years. This personal tour through varied regions of Bordeaux describes the individual characters of the wines and wine-making hotspots (such as Margaux and St. Émilion), as well as the role played by the region’s climate, soil, and landscape. More than 100 evocative, specially commissioned photographs convey the region’s flavor and diversity. Visit the châteaux, villages, and vineyards, and meet the men and women who, every year, turn baskets of grapes into the bottles of wine that are sought after and savored throughout the world.

Table of Contents:
Foreword6
Author's introduction8
About Bordeaux12
Chapter 1The City of Bordeaux18
Chapter 2The Medoc30
Chapter 3Graves and Pessac-Leognan52
Chapter 4Sauternes and Barsac74
Chapter 5Entre-Deux-Mers82
Chapter 6Libourne, St Emilion and Pomerol96
Chapter 7Northward from Pomerol118
Practical Reference
Choosing wine in Bordeaux130
Le terroir133
Directory of recommended chateaux136
Acknowledgments144

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