This substantial volume of recipes gathered by the Junior League of Pasadena offers up a feast of flavors taken from different regions of the Golden State. Selected to serve as representatives of their respective area’s culture and history, the dishes are further categorized to take in the entirety of a meal. They begin with the hors d’oeuvres course in The Monterey Peninsula and tour the state through a San Joaquin vegetables and salad course with stops at a Wine Valley drink course. It’s a refreshing way to deliver the content. Seafood and fish recipes are the domain of San Francisco, beef belongs to Los Angeles, poultry and game to the Sierra Nevada area, and eggs, cheese, rice, and pasta go to the Redwood Empire. As for sweets and desserts, the good folks at the Junior League of Pasadena do not disappoint. The Missions section lays out a spread of breads, cakes, and cookies recipes, while fruits, pies, and other desserts are in Chapter VIII, the Desert Valleys. All in all, the cookbook has eleven chapters. The final two, Chapters X and XI, offer sauces & accompaniments, and menus & hints. They have no designation other than “California” - and appropriately so, given how a good sauce complements the entire plate and the best menus pull from all influences. Good on the Junior League for a well-presented cookbook that pays delicious homage to the food of their home state’s varied heritages. [Condition: Used Good. Dust jacket has tears, and spine has some wear, but interior pages are like new.]
Condition: Used Good. Cookbook. The Junior League of Pasadena. Doubleday & Company, Inc. 1976. Hardcover, 424 pgs, 10” wide x 13” high x 2” deep / 2 lbs 8 oz
