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Cooking with Amy, May 4, 2010

Wine Pairing Guides

Sometimes good things come in small packages and that is certainly the case with 100 Perfect Pairings by Jill Siverman Hough. Hough has worked with wineries for years, creating recipes. She approaches recipes like I do, from a food rather than a wine perspective. But she certainly knows her wine. What I love about this book is the recipes. They are not the tedious “steak and Cabernet” variety, but small plates. While she acknowledges that steak and Cab is a classic pairing, her recipes to go with Cab include things like Rosemary Walnuts, Charred Eggplant Spread with Whole Wheat Pita Toasts and Sharp Cheddar and Bresaola Melt. Even her steak and Cab recipe has a twist–it’s Steak, Porcini and Parmesan Risotto. The wines she chooses are the most common ones you are likely to drink, but her recipes are all fresh and exciting. It’s a skinny little volume, but the short and to-the-point tips and recipe headnotes do the explaining as to why the pairings work. Truthfully small plates can be appetizers but also light main dishes and sometimes salads or side dishes so the recipes are very flexible. Read an excerpt online.