Wine Mondays: Simple Wine Pairings and Seasonal Menus

The premise of this book came from the author and L'Espalier's wine director conducting Wine Monday's at their restaurant. They would have a 4 course meal centered around a theme with accompanying wines for each course. So all these recipes are 4 courses with 4 suggested wines. So don't consider this everyday dining, this is special occasion dining. Also, the author suggests specific wines with specific vintages, they would be impossible to find at your local wine store. It would have been more helpful to have had a generalized suggestion so you can create the same affect in your own home. The mushroom riscotto was delicious. The suggested wine is Beaumont des Crayeres, Grand Prestige, Champagne...at $50.00 a bottle this is not something I'm serving on a casual dinner at home. This is a special occasion event, anniversary, 50th birthday party, etc. You'd go broke doing this every Monday. This book would be great if you had a wine tasting club and you had each couple bring the suggested wine and you prepared all the food. They are all 4 course meals so the time required and cost is up there. These are not Monday meals, they're Sunday evening meals. If you want a book for everyday meals and wines I would suggest Everyday Dining with Wine by Andrea Immer. Wine Monday's is excellent for the special occasion meals when you want to impress your guests. This is in the same category as Wine Food & Friends, top dollar meals with top dollar wines. This book has few pictures, the print is light green on white paper so it's really hard to read. Some of the recipes are Grilled Quail, Civet of Rabbit with Chanterelles and Spaetzle, Truffled Leek Mousse with Cepe Vinaigrette, Roasted Peppered Venison with Red Currant-Zinfandel Sauce and Celery Root and Parsnips, Blueberries with Mascarpone Sabayon, and the list goes on. I hope this helps you decide.

A good wine can make a meal. Conversely, an inappropriate wine can detract from one. That's why "Winde Mondays: Simple Wine Pairings With Seasonal Menus" is so important for any menu planning from ordinary family meals to special celebratory dinners. With the assistance of food writer Christie Matheson, the award-winning proprietor of L'Espalier and Sel de La Terre restaurants, Frank McClelland showcases sixteen of his favorite menus (one for each of the four seasons of the year) with recommended wine pairings for each dish. "Wine Mondays) is enhanced with wine pairing notes, helpful tips and information about wine varieties and regions, and advice for shopping at local markets using fresh, in-season ingredients for best result. "Wine Mondays" is an elegant, practical, 'user friendly' addition to any family or community library cookbook collection.