I received this book as a gift, and read it quickly, almost as a travelogue, wondering what it would be like to live in this vividly described area. Later, I visited Sonoma County and used the book as a guide. I visited a cheese factory, two farmers' markets, a small winery and an artisanal herb garden, led to each location by the informative guide with which I had been gifted. I used several of the clear, easy to follow-and execute-recipes with food bought from the sources suggested in The Cook's Tour. After returning home, I contine to read the book to remind myself of the glorious visit to Sonoma County, and as an inspiration for food purchases and discoveries I would normally have never attempted.

I had my eyes opened when I purchased the original Cook's Tour many years ago. Being a native of Sonoma County, I was fascinated by all the things I didn't know about my home county. Michele gave a face to things I had passed by blindly for years...farms, cheesemakers, gourmet stores, festivals. In the new edition of Cook's Tour she presents us with an ever richer trip through the wonders of Sonoma. She teaches us about the wine appellations and what crops thrive right along with the grapes of that region. She includes political information that supports the farmer and sustainable agriculture. She updates us on new cheesemakers, new purveyors and celebrates the staying power of the old. Once again Michele gives a face to Sonoma County, but this time she introduces us by name and helps us start a conversation. Her recipes are wonderful, making use of all the bounty that is available locally. I feel the circle of belonging to a place close as I drive through the country she writes of with such affection and then buy produce and ingredients, ultimately cooking dishes that are truly local in origin and taste. "The New Cook's Tour of Sonoma" makes me grateful that I live in this magic place. Thanks to Ms Jordan for opening my eyes even wider.

Sonoma County, California is a very special place. From the Pacific ocean on the west to the ridgeline east of the Valley of the Moon, Sonoma County almost has it all.

Michele Anna Jordan helps bring this special place alive with this book. She's an extraordinary writer who infuses her stories and recipes with great commentary.

This particular cookbook is among my favorites -- because it's so much more than just a cookbook. The sidebar commentaries about places in Sonoma County help bring the area to life in my mind's eye.

Highly recommended!

If we don't eat Tomato Polenta Tart several times during the summer, life is just not right. But there was a time when I wondered what was so special about this gluey mass of flavorless stuff. Here in the Wine Country of No. CA it seemed to pop up on plates frequently...a sort of thoughtless addendum to an otherwise great dinner. But then Michele Anna Jordan and her book on the subject came my way and my eyes were opened to all sorts of possibilities. As in all her books, Michele delves into a wonderful overview of the subject, including basic history as well as little known facts. In this particular book, we are blessed with 21 pages of her exquisite prose. And then the recipes..... Orange Scented Duck with Olives and Polenta, Italian Shepherds Pie, Baked Summer Tomatoes filled with Polenta, even four variations of Polenta Poundcake. Need I say more? Now if I don't have polenta in my pantry and Michele on my bookshelf, something is wrong!!

Having lived in Northern Italy for several years I had tried what I thought was every possible way that polenta could be prepared and in every possible dish. I returned to the States thinking I was addicted to polenta. It was and is for me what rice is to the Chinese. I cook and enjoy polenta a couple of times each week. I thought I knew all there was to know about polenta until I discovered Michelle Jordan's book. I'm now enjoying polenta in ways I was not aware of despite considering myself an aficionado. The narratives that accompany her recipes are informative and interesting. A great addition to my cook book collection. Makes me want to go back to Italy and have polenta on location again. Mille grazie.

By just thumbing through this book for a few minutes, I realized that writing this book was a labor of love for the author. The recipes are magnificent and often unusual, showcasing the complexities of these two spices, ubiquitous to all our kitchens in the US. In addition, in true Jordan style, she researches her subject diligently and with passion. I felt almost ashamed for taking these two ingredients for granted. I have been a fan of Michele's cooking and writing for some time now, but in this book, she let's us see a little more of the person she is. In one of the most poignant vignettes I have ever read anywhere, she wrote about a recipe for Asian Limeade. "The first time I tried the real thing was ...in Borneo....geckos, the same green color as my limeade, scurried across the walls; I don't think I have ever felt so far from home." This is one great book, for the vignettes and for the recipes.

Michele Anna Jordan is a food writer for the reader. Her books are a road to travel in and around the subject, enticing one to rummage into spice cabinets, and through specialty stores and farmer's markets. If we can't hop on a plane to Malaysia, Michele will do her best to help us taste it. With Salt and Pepper, I found a welcoming mat for my pleasure of salt. There are no sneers across her pages as I reach for my sea salt to sprinkle more on my Edamame, or the Kosher flakes for my fresh summer tomatoes. "I love you more than salt" - that alone will be reason enough for me to bless each new wedding in my circle of friends with this book and a sampling of salt and spicy pepper!

Michelle Anna Jordan fans will like knowing that the New Cook's Tour of Sonoma will be released next year by Sasquatch Books.

if you want to stay young and have lots of recipes to cook with inegar this book is definetely for you.

Michele Anna Jordan has the ability to cover a single ingredient in depth and create recipes, a lot of recipes that celebrate the foodstuff without making a cliche out of it. In "Tomatoes" she presents us with exquisite recipes that celebrate the old time, comfort foods in a solid and secure way. She also gives us some new and adventurous dishes to try, ones that no doubt will become favored summer classics as time goes by. A great little book for tomato junkies, young and old.

Michele Anna Jordan is a gem. She leads us through a collection of recipes gleaned from the cream of the San Francisco restaurant world, giving histories and interesting vignettes of the owners and chefs of each. This is, however, not why I think she is a gem. In addition to the wonderful recipes, she writes about the history and committment of the fishermen who struggle to provide us with pristine fish and seafood. A section entitled "About the Recipes" is brilliant. She sincerely encourages home cooks to leave their intimidation behind. She speaks of enjoying not only the sensual experience of cooking
but the learning process as well. "Unless you have a skilled staff at your disposal, some of the recipes in this book likely
will seem overwhelming. If they do, it's not because you lack skills but because these recipes have been developed by executive chefs who rely on several people to execute a complex dish." Ms. Jordan is like a kind and loving kitchen muse, standing over our shoulders, encouraging us to try what sounds good and to also enjoy the process.

The book is very inspiring and well written. The most important thing, being the recipies, are a must have! I bought it for my mom for her birthday (and my mom has every cook book in the world). I am constantly finding the perfect course or side dish to add for just the right touch. If you like being creative and trying your own hand at modifying recipies you'll be pleasantly surprised. Try adding Lemon to the Artichoke, Chicken and Chive soup - it's SO good.

I picked up this cookbook as I left California. It has become my favorite with each recipe a winner with cook and guest. I especially enjoy the emphasis on fresh ingredients and the ethnic food selections that we were accustomed to in the restaurants in the San Francisco North Bay area. Highly recommend.

I have been a fan of Michele Anna Jordan's writing for a long, long time. Her recipes resonate with me as we have similar tastes and cooking styles, but I love this book for much more than the recipes. All throughout the book are little sidebars filled with delicious little tidbits of information about California, both past and present. One may read about the first canned chile produced in Ventura or mid-1800's recipes from Senora Benecia Vallejo, the wife of General Mariano Vallejo. Ms. Jordan has produced a book that is filled with good things to eat, but is also filled with a wealth of information that makes ourcooking and dining experiences even richer.

For those who adore pasta, this book is a bonus. For those new to the pleasure, this book will hasten the love affair. Straight forward text presentation, plus informative images, insure a number of memorable dining experiences.

I was so pleased when I received this cookbook. For the price it's just a great book. I have a cookbook collection and this is one of my all-time favorites. It is full of delicious , easy recepies and the photos are just beautiful. I would highly reccomend this to anyone looking for a pasta book. You wont be dissapointed.

I tend to associate Williams-Sonoma with snobbery, and was tentative about this book. However, the recipes are darn good and easy, nothing fru-fru. Making homemade is truly a snap, and now our family loves to make and eat it all the time. This book shows how to make all pasta shapes as well as pasta sauces, with every day ingredients.

Highly recommend to anyone who loves pasta!

I bought this book as a present for my mom. I was under the assumption it was some form of cookbook. It was anything but. There is one recipe in this book. The rest of it is pictures of flowers and other decorations. My mom's spiral notebook serves the same function. Why was this listed as a cookbook?

I received this book recently as a gift from a fine cook I have had the pleasure of working with on several occasions. I had always wanted a place to write down food related experiences, not necessarily recipes (I have other journals for those) but points in time that deserve to be recorded. I have a memory of sharing an ambrosial banana four ways in the Coba archealogical site in the Yucatan. Another of my son and husband catching tree frogs outside a nice Sonoma Valley restaurant for an elderly friend to put in her pond. Or the night this same woman flirted audaciously with a waiter in another restaurant. Or of buying a sack of pristine Seattle foodstuffs from Pike Place Market and tucking into them with utter joy along the Oregon Coast. Where can you write about these things? In Michele Anna Jordan's book, of course.

I first found this cookbook in a bookstore while browsing for a gift. It was mostly blank, and if I had read the entire title, I would have expected this - it's a food journal, which means you put all the recipes in it. What a wonderful place to put special family recipes, favorite finds, and fabulous dishes. No more searching through an assortment of books from a shelf or trying to flip through a recipe box.I have taken all of my best recipes and put them in this book.
It is a beautifully done book. It's a red cloth hardcover with lots of extras like notes on wines,tables of equivalents, places to note guest preferences/allergies, so that you know what to cook when someone comes over. There are so many little extras in this book, I am still discovering them.
I was so excited when I found this book that I bought two and gave one to a friend. I have used it so much since I can't imagine my kitchen without it. Recently, a friend came over and so admired the book that I ordered one from Amazon.com for her. They are hard to find now, but worth the search!