It is the wine that can make you forget yesterday, defy tomorrow and live only in the joy and charm of the present. (Chapter Two - Champagne on the Table)

{HISTORY}

In the world of gastronomy, there's an authoritarian voice that stands out during the 20th century when it comes to cooking with wine and pleasure. Her name was Jeanne Owen, a California native of French Basque heritage, who openly discussed and educated American home cooks on the joys of cooking with wine. This was not long after Prohibition ended and the idea of cooking with wine for Americans was a  somewhat intimidating undertaking. Jeanne stepped onto the scene in the 1930s as a liaison between wine companies, home cooks, and the hospitality industry when she became affiliated with the Wine and Food Society in New York. There, she organized wine tastings and in doing so met many chefs and hoteliers throughout the city with whom she could discuss good food and good cooking. 

In 1940, she published A Wine Lover's Cook Book chock-full of recipes that featured wine as a key ingredient. A runaway hit, the book went into numerous printings and inspired a host of cooks both professional and amateur across the country. Her book is now considered a classic. This edition was published in 1962, the eighth printing, and includes the original 1940 forward by Richardson Wright, then President of the Wine and Food Society of New York. 

Many of the recipes are inspired by classic French cuisine and run the gamut from simple to lavish, exotic to every day. All types of wine are discussed here including champagne, sherry, vermouth, and specific liqueurs along with their abilities to act as flavor enhancers to dinners and desserts. This is a wonderful cookbook not only for its tantalizing recipes but also for the stories Jeanne shares in each chapter regarding her adventures and experience in the industry. 

{SPECIAL FEATURES} 

- 1962 edition, 8th Printing

- 197 pages

- Contains original dust jacket

- Interesting recipes include Squab Cinzano, Potato Salad Dumas, Poulket a La Mere Filloux, Duck Casserole, Frogs Legs Saute with Snails, Filet of Sole Normandy, Soft Shell Crabs Brazilienne, Christmas Goose, Brazil Nut Turkey Stuffing, Peches au Champagne, Souffle Grand Marnier, Apples In Kirsch Cream, Frozen Apricot Mousse (and so many more!) 

{CONDITION}

 In wonderful vintage condition. Interior pages are clean and bright and free of cooking stains and splatters. The dust jacket is completely intact. It bears just a few random splatters on the front cover. The purple coverboards are bright and clean and the spine is tight with all pages intact.

{SIZE}

Measures 8.25" inches (length) x 5.75" inches (width) x .75" inches (thickness) and weighs 11 oz.

{FOR THE LOVE OF GRAPES}

Pair this cookbook with this painting and enjoy your love of wine on your wall and in your belly! 

Photo credit of Jeanne Owen courtesy of the New York Post, 1945.