In this age of celebrity chefs and rarefied ingredients, it is a great pleasure to publish this creative and wholesome collection of recipes, The Vineyard Kitchen, by Maria Helm Sinskey. In her debut book, Maria shares the homey yet sophisticated recipes that have made her one of America’s most celebrated chefs and a culinary star. Though Maria lives in the Napa Valley, she was born and raised in the Northeast, and her recipes capture seasonal availability and flavors, no matter where you are cooking.
Maria offers 40 menus, 10 per season, with more than 180 recipes to enjoy all year round. From her kitchen in Napa, where she runs a vineyard with her husband and raises her two young daughters, Maria looks out onto a landscape whose seasonal bounty is reflected in each recipe. Emphasizing quality ingredients, her dishes are simple and pure, focusing on the freshness and flavor of each element, rather than on fussy or complicated preparations. These are dishes that celebrate the unique offerings of each season and that perfectly suit our shifting appetites as the days go from short to long and as our dining table moves from fireside to patio.
Sometimes it’s a relief to take a respite from veggie side dishes that are overcomplicated to put together or overwrought with additional ingredients. Sometimes it’s nice to simply revel in the innate goodness of the simplest incarnation of something.
A most gratifying use for a gangly gourd, this silken butternut squash soup all but defines autumn.
Game hens are brushed with a peppery pomegranate glaze and stuffed with a savory pine-nut-currant bread stuffing. The game hens are a great holiday meal.
There’s nothing like fresh spicy gingerbread. This gingerbread cake is made with grated and ground ginger, cloves, and cinnamon for a rounded taste.
Easy enough for everyday yet sufficiently elegant for anytime you need a little oomph, this honey-inflected walnut cake never disappoints. Ever.