I first met Molly in 2002 while writing for Fine Cooking Magazine. She contacted me the following summer about doing wine pairings for her book about braising. I accepted immediately. Within days, a FedEx box showed up at my door with several hundred pages of text. I took my time reading through the draft, making notes about potential pairings in the page columns. What quickly came to mind, was that there are lots of people who write about food and cooking, but precious few who can write as well as Molly. Her writing voice is clear and concise, and her passion and dedication to the craft come through loud and clear. I have rarely come across anyone else who can so deftly and easily explain the do’s and don’ts of technique, the various cuts of beef, or how to shop for poultry and meat. Needless to say, writing the pairings for her book was a dream assignment and all too quickly completed. The finished book, All About Braising, came out in 2004. No surprise that it won a James Beard Award. It’s also easily one of the best winter cookbooks ever written. Carla and I have worked our way through more than a few of the recipes. My favorite among many was for Straccoto, an Italian pot roast that we enjoyed for Christmas dinner two years in a row.
http://www.mollystevenscooks.com/