New Book - What To Drink With What You Eat

EAU LA LA: A FITNESS TREND THAT TURNS WINE INTO WATER:
At first, I thought she was joking. A water sommelier? Choosing fine waters to go with fine foods from a Water List as big and wet as a wine list? Be still, my sparkling heart. It's true. According to Karen Page, food writer extraordinaire and co-author of WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT, to be published by Bulfinch in the fall of 2006, there is a growing interest in discovering which bottled waters work best with which foods.

Take Appollinaris, for instance. According to Michael Mascha, Karen Page's water pairing expert, it's a sparkling mineral water with 100-percent source carbonic acid (that means no artificial CO2 is added to the water), rich in minerals and 'with a robust TDS of 2,650, Appollinaris is a substantial water perfect with crispy-crunchy foods, meats and game.' But would you drink it with sushi? Or fish? Absolutely not! For those foods, Mascha advises, you want to order Spa. 'With a TDS of 33, it's a much more appropriate choice as it does not overpower the delicate flavors and matches the mouth feel much better.' A seasonal salad with fruit and shaved truffles? Choose Badoit, from France. Roast breast of squab with beets and long beans? Sanfasutino, from Italy. 'The size of the bubbles matter, too,' says Page, whose upcoming book will help guide you through these murky waters.

For more information, check out her very tasty website, BecomingAChef.com. And to dive further into the 2,800 different brands of waters in the world and what a TDS of 2,650 really means, log onto FineWaters.com. And I used to think San Pellegrino went with everything. Hah!

— Marilynn Preston, syndicated columnist, "Energy Express" (June 27, 2006)

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

by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page

Photography by Michael Sofronski

(Little, Brown / Bulfinch Press, Fall 2006)

At a great meal, what you drink is just as important as what you eat. This groundbreaking food and beverage pairing reference allows food lovers to learn to think like a sommelier, and to transform every meal — breakfast, lunch, and dinner — from ordinary to extraordinary.

Exceptional in its depth and scope — with over 1500 entries — WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT is based on the collective wisdom of experts at dozens of America's best restaurants, including Alinea, Babbo, Bern's, Blue Hill, Chanterelle, Daniel, Emeril's, The French Laundry, Frontera Grill, The Inn at Little Washington, Jean Georges, Masa's, The Modern, Per Se, Rubicon, Tru and Valentino.

You'll find authoritative recommendations for stocking your cellar and kitchen with must-have beverages, from wines to waters. You'll also learn what to drink with everything from French toast to Chinese food, and what to eat with everything from Pinot Noir to green tea, to create mouthwatering matches. Follow the authors' three simple "Rules to Remember" when making a match — or just dive into the wide-ranging listings in chapters 5 and 6.

This "incisive, hip writing team" (Publishers Weekly) distills history, geography, science, expert technique, and original insight to create a remarkably user-friendly and engaging reference sure to become an instant classic essential to every connoisseur's bookshelf.

Resources:
Andrew Dornenberg & Karen Page
Pre-order WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT from Amazon