The PlumpJack Cookbook: Great Meals for Good Living [Hardcover]

Jeff Morgan (Author), Gavin Newsom (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 2006

A beautiful cookbook sure to appeal to anyone who relishes the good things in life--full of the elegantly earthy fare that has made PlumpJack's restaurants some of the most popular and highly acclaimed in Northern California

The PlumpJack name is synonymous with great wine, delicious food, and fine living. Its Napa Valley winery produces top-rated Cabernet. Its eight restaurants--including Balboa Cafe, PlumpJack Cafe, and Jack Falstaff--have won renown in the great dining capital of San Francisco, as well as in the Napa Valley wine country and the world class ski destination of Squaw Valley. Its resorts in Napa and Squaw Valley are ranked among the most luxurious in the country.

Now The PlumpJack Cookbook brings together the most coveted recipes from all eight restaurants in a book that captures the allure and down-to-earth sophistication of everything PlumpJack and features:

• 75 favorite recipes, including the famous Balboa Burger, as well as Roasted Squash Soup with Sage, Crab Cakes with Avocado Salsa, Goose Breast with Red Wine Gravy and Wild Rice, and Bananas Foster Brioche Pudding

• stunning color photographs that spotlight the alluring dishes and the restaurants' beautiful Northern California locations

• wine recommendations as well as wine-buying tips and a guide to wine-and-food pairing

• a foreword by PlumpJack founder Gavin Newsom, now mayor of San Francisco and, according to Newsweek, one of the five rising stars of the Democratic Party

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Inspired by a popular collection of Northern California restaurants, a wine shop, two hotels and a winery (all under the umbrella of PlumpJack—a name taken from Queen Elizabeth nickname for Jack Falstaff, a Shakespearean character), this extremely eclectic cookbook features 75 recipes for the PlumpJack group's greatest hits. This book by Morgan, a Napa-based food and wine writer, also includes a discussion of wine and unpretentious suggestions for wine pairings with most dishes. The recipes range from Boon Fly Donuts to Chicken Liver Flan Crème Caramel with Apple "Caviar." A recipe for an elaborate appetizer of Beef Carpaccio with Lemon Aioli, Truffle Oil, and Asparagus Salad is just a few pages away from a recipe for a simple tortilla soup. The seafood chapter has a recipe for fish tacos as well as one for Grilled Halibut with Orange Fennel Puree, Asparagus, and Warm Quinoa Salad. Balboa Cafe regulars will be pleased to have instructions for preparing the famed Balboa Burger, while ambitious dinner party hosts might want to take on Lamb Shanks in Red Wine with Pomegranate/Mint Gremolata, Green Beans, and Chickpeas. There are a few desserts, too, including Chocolate Cognac Truffles and Balboa Cafe's Peanut Butter Cookies. (Nov.)
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Review

The PlumpJack Cookbook is one I know I'll turn to often. I can imagine an
occasion for which I'd want to cook or consume just about every single one
of these recipes. They exude stylish good taste while managing never to
lose their solid grounding in delicious, down-to-earth comfort. Sounds a
lot like the restaurants in which they're served!  --Danny Meyer -- author, Setting the Table, co-author, The Union Square Cafe Cookbook

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (October 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594863210
• ISBN-13: 978-1594863219
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,311,711 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A collection which will especially appeal to California cooks, February 2, 2007

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The PlumpJack Cookbook: Great Meals for Good Living (Hardcover)

"The Plumpjack Cookbook: Great Meals for Good Living" gathers dishes from the Plumpjack Winery's café, renowned in San Francisco and in California's wine country areas - and provides specialties home cooks can easily duplicate. An opening history of PlumpJack covers its origins and development and moves quickly to some 80 recipes ranging from Gnocci with Fresh Basil Pesto to Rosemary Roast Chicken with New Potatoes and Carrots. Color photos pair well with these dishes in a collection which will especially appeal to California cooks in general and fans of PlumpJack in particular.