Cory Schrieber, Richard Jung (Photographer), Jerome Hart (Photographer)
Hardcover, 256 pages
The cooking of America's Pacific Northwest takes advantage of the foodstuffs abounding in its cool, moist, coastal climate. The region's restaurants have gone from obscurity to a hard-earned reputation for some of the country's best and most innovative cuisines. Wildwood, Schreiber's successful eatery on a narrow peninsula along Washington State's coast, serves the region's best foods. Most famous of these is the Pacific salmon, and roasting it on a cedar plank as he does, has been duplicated in restaurants across the country. Washington's succulent oysters also rank high, and for those who are squeamish about eating them raw, Schreiber suggests them fried in salad or stewed. Schreiber waxes equally enthusiastic for the forest mushrooms that abound seasonally. He pairs rare morels with their spring contemporary, asparagus, and he also folds these fungi into a rich, savory bread pudding. Desserts take advantage of fresh area fruits, the peach baked in phyllo being especially tempting. Regional collections especially will appreciate this cookbook.