New York, NY (PRWEB) October 26, 2006 -- Not one but two of the bestselling culinary books in America today come from the pens of the James Beard Award-winning author team of Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page.
One is the brand-new WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT: The Definitive Guide to Pairing Food with Wine, Beer, Spirits, Coffee, Tea – Even Water – Based on Expert Advice from America's Best Sommeliers (Little, Brown; Oct. 2006).
The other is CULINARY ARTISTRY (Wiley; Nov. 1996) a largely unknown "sleeper" of a cookbook published exactly 10 years ago whose avid fans' word-of-mouth have kept sales brisk, passing the 50,000-copy benchmark years ago and now inching toward the 100,000-copy milestone.
One such avid fan is chef Grant Achatz of Chicago's Alinea restaurant, named the #1 restaurant in the October 2006 issue of Gourmet magazine, who in the November 2006 issue of Chicago magazine cites CULINARY ARTISTRY as his single "most-used cookbook."
Leading culinarians around the globe have noted the unusual following behind this little-known culinary book. Barbara-jo McIntosh, owner of Vancouver's Barbara-Jo's Books to Cooks, has described CULINARY ARTISTRY as having "a cult following."
Chef Rocco DiSpirito paid tribute to CULINARY ARTISTRY in his own award-winning book Flavor, writing: "Which flavors go best together? CULINARY ARTISTRY by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page is full of valuable advice for cooking professionals, and I highly recommend it. Food pairings are and have always been the most elusive culinary information I know of...I remember begging my CIA instructors for published resources. Unfortunately, CULINARY ARTISTRY didn't exist at the time."
A handful of the countless other global chefs who have cited CULINARY ARTISTRY as their single favorite and/or most-used cookbook include John Campbell of the Michelin-starred Vineyard at Stockcross in Berkshire, England (in a 2002 interview); Kelvin Gurr, chef instructor, Western Culinary Institute's restaurant Bleu in Portland, Oregon (in 2006); Chris Maher of Momentitas de la Vida in New Mexico (in 2002); Will Packwood of Emilia's in Austin, Texas (in being named one of Food & Wine magazine's "Top 10 Chefs" in 2001); Stephen Rouelle, The Orchid at Mauna Lani (in 2002); and Jason Travi of La Terza in Los Angeles (in 2006).
Even readers outside the culinary world have found inspiration in its pages. Stephen Baldwin, pastor of the Providence Presbyterian Church in Concord, North Carolina, quoted CULINARY ARTISTRY in a November 15, 2004, op-ed piece he wrote for The Charlotte Observer.
CULINARY ARTISTRY has been described as the first known reference on culinary composition and flavor compatibility. It has served as an inspiration for the creative efforts of not only professional chefs and home cooks, but also of dieticians -- who use the listings of compatible flavors in recipe development to avoid overreliance on sugar, salt and fat – as well as mixologists, who channel them into new cocktails.
Manhattan-based co-authors Dornenburg and Page, who have collaborated on seven books since their 1990 marriage, describe their latest book WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT as "CULINARY ARTISTRY for food and beverage pairing." The "highly recommended" (Publishers Weekly) book has been described by David Leite on the 2006 James Beard Award-winning food Web site LeitesCulinaria.com as "a book destined to become a classic."
A sampling of classic Fall/Winter flavor pairings, as excerpted from CULINARY ARTISTRY and WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT:
- Bananas
Culinary Artistry: almonds, chocolate, coconut, cream, maple syrup, rum, vanilla
What to Drink with What You Eat: Malmsey Madeira, Muscat, tawny port, rum
- Beef Short Ribs
Culinary Artistry: ginger, horseradish, mustard, potatoes, tomatoes
What to Drink with What You Eat: Petite Sirah, Shiraz / Syrah, Zinfandel
- Chestnuts
Culinary Artistry: apples, Brussels sprouts, celery, mushrooms, onions, vinegar
What to Drink with What You Eat: Asti, port, Shiraz / Syrah
- Grapefruit
Culinary Artistry: citrus fruits, Grand Marnier, honey, mint, rum, sugar, vodka
What to Drink with What You Eat: Champagne, Muscat, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc
- Mussels
Culinary Artistry: , garlic, lemon, mushrooms, parsley, saffron, thyme, tomatoes, white wine
What to Drink with What You Eat: beer (esp. Belgian), Muscadet, Sauvignon Blanc
- Oysters
Culinary Artistry: bacon, caviar, leeks, lemon, parsley, pepper, shallots, vinegar
What to Drink with What You Eat: Chablis, Champagne, Muscadet, Sauvignon Blanc
- Pears
Culinary Artistry: brandy, caramel, cheese (esp. blue), chocolate, cinnamon, ginger
What to Drink with What You Eat: Banyuls, Late Harvest wines, Riesling
- Pineapple
Culinary Artistry: coconut, Kirsch, raspberries, rum, strawberries
What to Drink with What You Eat: Late Harvest wines, sweet Muscat, rum
- Pork
Culinary Artistry: apples, fennel, fruit, garlic, ginger, honey, orange, pepper, rosemary
What to Drink with What You Eat: Beaujolais, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling
- Pumpkin
Culinary Artistry: cinnamon, cloves, cream, ginger, molasses, nutmeg, onions, pepper
What to Drink with What You Eat: Malmsey Madeira, tawny port, sweet sherry
About the Authors:
Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page are the authors of Becoming a Chef, Dining Out, and The New American Chef -- all of which have been winners of or finalists for the James Beard and/or IACP Book Awards. Dornenburg and Page have been featured extensively in the media, from the "Today" show to National Public Radio, the Food Network to CNN, as well as other TV and radio shows nationwide. The New York Times Company's GourmetFood.About.com named their Blog at www.BecomingAChef.com one of America's "Top 10 Food Blogs," and their popular e-newsletter goes out to more than 20,000 readers. Paired personally as well as professionally, the couple has been married since 1990 and lives in New York City.
Contact:
Julia Shannon at CookbookRave @ aol.com or Aimee Bianca at aimee @ ycmedia.com to request a review copy of WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT and/or an interview with the authors.
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