The book is calle “Have Some Dim Sum” and was written by a good friend of mine, Evelyn Chau.

If you enjoy Dim Sum and always wanted to know more about it or even how to prepare some of these dishes yourself, this book is for you.

Or perhaps you are always a bit intimidated at a Dim Sum restaurant wondering what it is you are looking at?

After alll, there could be as many as 60 or 70 different items to choose from!

In Have Some Dim Sum, Evelyn Chau takes the mystery out of dim sum dining.

Not only does Chau explore the evolution of Dim Sum but also has some 20 clearly written recipes and the book is generously illustrated with gorgeous photographs by well known Toronto food photographer Vince Noguchi.

After reading the book you’ll know that when you are ordering Ha Guen you are getting those delicious shrimp balls you love so much  and that Chinese Tapioca Pudding is made with tapioca pearls and lotus paste.

Yum!

Check it out: Have Some Dim Sum

The lineup of wines consisted of a NCT (Niagara College Teaching Winery) 2005 Late Harvest Cabernet Franc, a McGuigan Black Label Shiraz and a W&J Graham 2003 LBV Port while the chocolate delicacies consisted of one of Anna’s famous brownies, a chocolate chip cookie and a white chocolate crusted artisanal brie. While Anna demonstrated some of her chocolate based recipes we also learned a lot about various characteristics of chocolate as well as some neat chocolate recipe tricks from her. Michael guided the group through the various possible combinations of the wines and chocolate treats presented and the attending crowd ended up leaving with an elevated understanding of what works and what doesn’t.Here is a quick Zen Gourmand summary of Wine and Chocolate pairing considerations:

• - The wine should be as sweet as or sweeter than the chocolate (fundamentally applies to pairing any dessert with a wine)
• - Heavier wines with heavier chocolate based desserts
• - Dark or Bittersweet Chocolate requires a wine that echoes roasted and bitter (tannic) flavors and possibly offer a hint of chocolate on the nose and palate (Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel make good candidates)
• - For Milk Chocolate look towards a lighter bodied wine such as Pinot Noirs, light bodied Merlots, Rieslings and Muscats.
• - For White Chocolate, steer towards Sherries, Moscato d’Asti, even an Orange Muscat in order to pick up the mellow and buttery flavors and possible fruit tones.
• - Rich and creamy Chocolate Desserts and Treats call for sweeter wines such as a Port, Late Harvest Vidal or Cabernet Franc, Ice Wine, perhaps even a Tokay Azu.

Don’t forget to check out some of Anna’s books. You will find some truly amazing and easy to do recipes.

Anna and Michael Olson Cook at HomeJoin premier chefs Anna and Michael Olson as they entertain at home Anna and Michael Olson Cook at Home invites readers into the home kitchen of Ontario’s premier chefs …

SugarOn her Food Network show Sugar, pastry chef Anna Olson shows viewers how to create simple, original desserts that they can create at home…

Another Cup Of SugarSatisfy that sweet tooth — some more! You can never have too much of a good thing. Anna Olson brings you more of her favorite dessert recipes in Another Cup of Sugar…

Yesterday, I was having lunch with a friend I haven’t seen in a while and when the waiter came around to inquire if we were ready to order or if, perhaps, we wanted to start with something to drink, my friend looked at the waiter and with a broad smile declared "I’ll have a glass of white Chardonnay". I looked over at my friend to see if she was trying to make a joke, but the expression on her face told me she meant exactly what she said. I then looked at the waiter to see if he was going to make any sort of snobbish comment, but while you could notice his eyes beginning to roll, but only ever so slightly before it stopped, and a well camouflaged "oh, man" expression being held back with some considerable effort, the waiter simply stated in a matter of fact voice "excellent choice, Ma’am; and what about the gentleman, a red Cabernet Sauvignon, perhaps?", to which I responded "Yes, please. Never did like the white one."
Once the waiter was out of earshot I turned to my friend and said "You know, when you order a Chardonnay, the assumption is that it will be white since Chardonnay is actually a white grape variety and ordering a ‘white’ Chardonnay could make you look a bit like, shall we say, a wine boob.
My friend answered "Oh, I know, I’m so bad with wines. I just don’t know anything about them except that I like white Chardonnay….oh, sorry, Chardonnay."

During lunch my friend asked my advice on how she could
learn more about wines. Specifically, she asked me what book I could recommend that would give her some basic and fundamental knowledge and advice about wines.

I didn’t hesitate for a second and immediately suggested she purchase the excellent book "Wine: An Introduction" by renowned wine writer and author Joanna Simon. This book covers wine fundamentals in a easy to read, easy to understand and approachable manner. It covers, among other things, wine styles, grape varieties, tasting wines, exploring wines, growing and making wines, buying them, storing them and pairing them with foods. The book is also nicely illustrated with high production values, great photography, graphics and charts. If this were not enough, this book is also on the required reading list of the International Sommelier Guild – Wine Fundamentals I course. You can order this book hassle free from Amazon by simply clicking one of the the links below.

One note on "red Chardonnay’s": There is at least one producer (Polk County’s Green Creek Winery) making a red Chardonnay by fermenting Chardonnay juice on Chambourcin skins, alas, I’ve not seen it anywhere yet.

This is an absolutely beautiful book in which Paolo Lazzarin takes you through the various regions of Italy and their notable towns.
The towns are described by what they are in fact know for, accompanied by gorgeous photography, well written sidebars and resource listings for such things a delicacies, wines and other specialities of the town or region including the names, addresses and phone numbers of the shops and/or suppliers.

If you have any interest in Italy, it’s wines, it’s foods or it’s towns and regions then you will be hard pressed to find a book more encompassing or more beatifully executed.

I give it my top “Bravo’s” rating of 5 Bravo’s!

My Canadian friends can get these books here:

1. One Hundred & One Beautiful Towns in Italy: Food and Wine
2. One Hundred & One Beautiful Towns in Italy: Shops and Crafts
3. One Hundred & One Beautiful Small Towns of Italy