Holiday gifts—The Club Menu.

By Kim McHugh, Associate Editor

The Club Menu Recipe Book

If you think cooking isn’t popular, drop this stat in your Cuisinart: To date, Julie & Julia, a flick about a woman who aspires to prepare all 524 recipes from Julia Child's cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking within the same year, has garnered more than $100 million worldwide.

A far more attainable goal would be to prepare the recipes found in The Club Menu: Signature Dishes from America’s Premier Golf Clubs. Authored by Scott Savlov and Jon Rizzi, the book takes readers on a culinary cart ride through the kitchens of America’s most prestigious country clubs.

Fifty notable golf clubs.

Savlov and Rizzi selected the clubs showcased in the 128-page hardcover book using a cup and a half of acclaim, two tablespoons of historical cache and a pinch of “that just sounds darned tasty”.

“We aspired to include the most exclusive and fabled courses and resorts in the U.S.,” said Rizzi. “Name recognition was key, Merion, Pebble Beach, Muirfield, Scioto, Bandon Dunes, Oakmont, Baltusrol, Castle Pines, Cherry Hills. There were some clubs that politely declined and others that had unbelievable golf but mediocre food.”

Savory photography.

Produced by Rich Clarkson & Associates, and published by Pindar Press, the book features photography that is as mouthwatering as the recipes. Both the featured dish and a hole from the golf course captivate the attention of readers. Of equal interest are the sidebars. On the left is a comment from the chef, summarizing the historical relevance of the dish or what inspired him or her to create the new fare. On the right is a first-person quote relating to the cuisine from people including Jack Nicklaus, Gary McCord, Tom Lehman and Scott Simpson.

Easy to p

repare.

In watching Julie & Julia, I saw Julie Powell (played by actress Amy Adams) struggle mightily with several dishes, which made me wonder just how difficult—or easy—these recipes were to make at home.

“I’ve prepared most of them and had friends and relatives test others,” explained Rizzi. “Between Scott and I, we tried about 90 percent of them, relying on trusted advisors for the remaining 10%. None are really hard to make but some require more time than others.”

Holiday entertaining.

With the holidays coming The Club Menu may be just the ticket for impressing guests.

“What I think we achieved with the book is a great cross-section of simpler finger-food recipes,” Rizzi added. “Crab Clusters from Columbia Club in Maryland, Buffalo Shrimp Sautee from Whisper Rock in Arizona, Pebble Beach’s Artichoke Soup, Southwestern Chicken Ceasar from Shadow Hawk in Houston. The recipes are all there, tested and tasty.”

To get your copies, which retail for $50 each, log on to Amazon.com.

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