The Girl & the Fig Cookbook: More Than 100 Recipes from the Acclaimed California Wine Country Restaurant

By Sondra Bernstein

Book Overview

In 1997, Sondra Bernstein opened the doors to the first girl & the fig restaurant, showcasing her love of locally grown ingredients and her passion for French food. She named her restaurant for the fruit that symbolizes passion: the fig. Now with three restaurants in Sonoma County and with chef John Toulze at the helm, the girl & the fig restaurants are not only local favorites but also captivate thousands of visitors every year. In the girl & the fig Cookbook: More than 100 Recipes from the Acclaimed California Wine Country Restaurant, Bernstein offers an inspired collection of simple, yet sophisticated recipes from the restaurant, featuring the finest, freshest ingredients. These are restaurant-quality recipes adapted for the home kitchen, with dishes for beginners as well as experienced cooks. Bernstein brings the culinary traditions of France to the California wine country. The author's devotion to seasonal ingredients is wonderfully apparent in every recipe--from the savory appetizers, soups, salads, and large plates to the innovative desserts. Starters such as Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho, Cauliflower Gruy re Soup, Shrimp and Salmon Cakes, and Grilled Asparagus Salad with Lemon-Thyme Vinaigrette make the most of the region's bounty. Large plates such as Grilled Salmon with Lavender Beurre Rouge, Pan-Seared Scallops with Orange-Tarragon Beurre Blanc, Wild Mushroom Risotto, and Grilled Pork Chops with Apple Cider Sauce make wonderful main courses, while French classics like Coq au Vin and Duck Confit with Lentils, Applewood Smoked Bacon, and Cabbage will comfort you on a cold winter's night. Side dishes that can complement a large plate or be eaten alone include Braised Fennel, Citrus Pearl Couscous, Apple-Yam Gratin, and buttery Basil-Scented Potato Cakes. Bernstein's desserts range from the sinfully scrumptious (Chocolate Pots de Cr me and Lavender and Wildflower Honey Cr me Br l e) to the unique (Roasted Figs with Honey and Vanilla Ice Cream and Warm Fig and Thyme Crisp with Fig Syrup). With gorgeous photographs throughout, the girl & the fig Cookbook also offers tips on wine pairings, highlighting California wines inspired by the Rh ne Valley; imaginative ideas for aperitifs, charcuterie platters, and cheese plates; detailed sidebars on ingredients (including Bernstein's favorite food--the fig ); and brief glimpses of the author's favorite artisan food purveyors. This is country food with a French passion, perfect for a casual dinner or a formal dinner party. Let the girl & the fig Cookbook bring a taste of California to your kitchen.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743255216
• ISBN13: 9780743255219
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.6" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Full of unique and impressive recipes.

I own and have cooked from countless cookbooks so my expectations are very high and this book delivered on them in spades. It includes more than 100 recipes from The Girl & the Fig restaurant and all strike a perfect balance of being refined and elegant with being appropriate for preparing in the home. You also don't have to visit The Girl & the Fig to appreciate it. I've never been and I still love these recipes. What makes this book a five star cookbook for me is that all of the recipes are very unique. I didn't feel like I was reading a collection of recipes I've seen elsewhere. Best of all, they turn out flawlessly. Of everything I have made so far my favorites are The Chicken Liver Mousse and Biscones. The latter has become my go-to recipe whenever I want to serve something like a berry shortcake. It was also the first recipe for a scone/biscuit recipe I've made that called for chopped hardboiled egg. I was also impressed with the mousse because although it was time consuming it wasn't challenging to make. It didn't really require any specialized skills. I think this book would be most appreciated by someone who likes refined flavors, isn't afraid to try more unusual or less mainstream ingredients (i.e. chicken livers), and who doesn't mind spending a little time in the kitchen. Most of the recipes have taken me well over 30 minutes and often have long ingredient lists. However, if neither of these things bother you the results are worth it. All the dishes are restaurant quality so you feel like you're getting a classy meal in the comfort of your home. Highly recommended.

Sonoma meets the Rhone

For me, this book was a fun and very usable introduction to a new world of foods...and the Rhone-style wines that go with them. I admit it: I'd rather go to Sonoma than to Napa. And when I do go to Sonoma, I always try to visit the author's restaurant, The Girl and The Fig, located on the corner of the Town Square. When I can't be there, I love using the book at home to remind me of being there. I like this book a lot and use it about once a month.

My Favorite Sonoma County Restaurant

My first experience with Girl and the Fig was it's first home in Glenn Ellen, CA. which is still there. The restaurant quickly became a favorite. The newer restaurant in the town of Sonoma, also excellent, has a wonderful bar. Great place to join friends for a glass of wine from their excellent wine list or enjoy one of the best martinis. They have also opened a restaurant in Petaluma, CA. I am delighted that they have finally come out with this wonderful cook book. It represents the best of the Girl and the Fig's cuisine. I love to cook and I am thrilled to have this cook book in my collection.

Not a chain restaurant cookbook!

As a local who lives and works within two blocks of the girl & the fig restaurant, I admit to being biased, but I just have to correct the previous reviewer: the girl & the fig restaurant is not and has never been a chain! There's only one restaurant, and it's my favorite place to take visitors who want to experience authentic Sonoma Valley cuisine at its very yummiest and most inspiring. The cookbook is a delicious introduction to the area for foodies who are still planning their first visit ... and a great way to keep the experience alive for those who can't wait to come back. I highly recommend it.

Another Star Practicioner of California Cuisine sans Pizzas

This book by restaurant owner Sondra Bernstein, with recipes by executive chef John Toulze represents the cuisine served at a chain of Sonoma County based restaurants after which the book is titled. Based on the passions of Ms. Bernstein and her staff, the book and the restaurants focus on figs; dishes based on figs; the produce of Sonoma County; the cuisine of Provence, France; and the similarity of the terroir of Sonoma with Provence.One object of the book is to publicize the chain of restaurants and the line of products based on the owner's love of figs. This is not too unusual, as I am certain this is one of the motives behind every celebrity chef / restaurant owner's cookbook. Some, like Tom Colicchio are less obvious about this interest. Others, like Emeril Lagasse, are pretty out front about this objective. All restaurant based cookbooks aim at providing the reader with some twist to their cuisine or it's presentation which adds sugar to the bait to create an interest in the restaurant(s).One special feature of this book is borrowed from Ms. Bernstein's distinguished California culinary neighbor, Thomas Keller of the French Laundry. This is the addition of sidebars on some of the restaurants' more important, or, at least, more interesting suppliers. This includes fig, mushroom, and cheese vendors, past and present. This highlights one weakness to the book, in that it is so thoroughly based on what is available from the gardens and vineyards of Sonoma County. Not everyone in the United States is blessed with access to wild mushrooms and the talented foragers who supply them, or to cheeses from artisinal cheese makers. Happily, the chef / recipe writer has supplied generally available products to substitute for his Sonoma pantry.The cornerstone of the book's cuisine is the parallel between the Sonoma and Provence produce and the cuisine which can be based on that similarity. Therefore, it should be no surprise to see most recipes appear to be straight out of the pages of books by Patricia Wells and Lydie Marshall. One of the most pleasant parallels is that the Bernstein / Toulze cuisine is based on fairly simple recipes, often with the kind of recipe modularity of sauces and pantry preparations common to an influence from Julia Child. The recipes for stocks, for example are about as simple as they come. There is no Thomas Keller / Judy Rodgers obsessiveness about technique here. Most recipes follow a recent quote I heard from Wolfgang Puck who said that the trick was to start with great ingredients and try not to mess them up. There are some unusual twists, such as the cooking oil of choice, a `blended oil' of one part olive oil and three parts canola oil. I am totally baffled that disciples of Provencal cuisine should eschew pure olive oil.The recipes are organized by size and role of the dish rather than by main ingredient. Recipe chapters are:`a small bite' hors d'ourves with figs, radishes, mushrooms, olives, shellfish, charcuterie, and