Judie Geise's New Northwest Kitchen [signed]

This second edition of Geise's 1978 The Northwest Kitchen: A Seasonal Cookbook disappoints because it doesn't offer distinctive Northwestern cookery. There are occasional but dubious exceptions, such as a blueberry upside-down cake "made with fresh blueberries, incidentally a fruit that is indigenous to the Northwest." However, as blueberries are not indigenous only to the Northwest, this doesn't qualify as a strictly regional recipe. That and a surprisingly light selection of fresh fish dishes aside, the volume provides a respectably varied collection of recipes. Risotto, moussaka and Florentine braised beef demonstrate an international influence. Other entrees include veal and artichokes in lemon-and-cream sauce and roast chicken stuffed with chanterelle mushrooms. Pasta carbonara and leek-and-sausage tart are among the less formal items. Salads of watercress and snow peas and of dandelion leaves and bacon, vegetable dishes like potatoes in pesto and whipped yams with cognac, and such desserts as apple and custard tart and watermelon sherbet can round out the meal. Illustrations. Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book Club alternate. Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.