Cooking In the Beautiful Northwest

Somewhat misleadingly titled, Cooking in the Beautiful Northwest is not a guide to preparing Pacific Northwest cuisine per se, but more of a culinary documentary. Chef Kathy Casey is the amiable host for a tour that visits a winery in Eastern Washington, two different salmon bakes on islands off Canada's shores (I myself don't like salmon but wouldn't dare say so around my Puget Sound homeland for fear of being tarred and feathered--not liking salmon is as close to secular heresy as you can get in these parts), a duck hunt in British Columbia with a member of Ducks Unlimited (a private organization which "protects wetlands, releases ducks, and hunts them for sport," which would seem to somewhat invalidate the "Unlimited" part of the organization's name), stops at a brewery-bakery near Mt. Hood in Oregon, samples some Potato Ice Cream in Shelley, Idaho, and shops at Seattle's famous Pike Place Market. Some of the people and conversation are quite interesting, and the tape overall, is often enjoyable. However, the back of the video jacket directs viewers to Casey's book Pacific Northwest: The Beautiful Cookbook for "more of Kathy Casey's Northwest recipes." Unfortunately, the video--though it watches many people preparing interesting looking dishes--doesn't really provide recipes. Still, if bundled with the book, libraries in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia might want to consider this; for others, it's not a necessary purchase. (R. Pitman)