Soupy Sales

When does a book signing become Tidbits fodder? When it involves food, of course. In this case, soup.

Local author Bob Carter will be on hand beginning at 2 p.m. today at Barnes & Noble in Ventura to discuss “Soup’s On! Hot Recipes From Cool Chefs.”

Carter and coauthor Gail Hobbs feature about 125 soup recipes from more than 100 chefs in the book, which also includes travel tips from bed and breakfasts, historic hotels, restaurants and lush resorts.

Participants will have a chance to sample a couple of recipes from the book, including an Ojai Valley Inn recipe for white bean soup with vegetables and basil and a roasted garlic potato soup from chef Kevin Koss of Kohler, Wis.

Carter, an Oxnard resident, and Hobbs, a former Ventura resident now living in Florida, contacted move than 400 chefs before narrowing down the recipe list.

The book offers categories for bean, meat, poultry, seafood, chilies and gumbos, “international favorites” and chilled soups.

“Gail tested all of the recipes and together we tasted them,” Carter said. In some instances, there was considerable time spent testing a given recipe.

“We found that chefs often have trouble translating their creation into a standard recipe form for everyone else to use,” Carter said. “They use ‘a pinch of this’ or a ‘dash of that,’ but that doesn’t mean anything to me or you.”

Hobbs was left to find out what exactly a “pinch” or a “dash” meant.

“I learned a lot about cooking,” said Carter, a travel writer by trade.

“One thing I didn’t know is [that] a well-written recipe ingredients list is drafted in the order in which the recipe is cooked. We had to rewrite and reorganize many of the recipes we received,” said Carter.

The book signing and soup tasting are free. Barnes & Noble is at 4360 E. Main St., Ventura. Call 339-9170 for more information.

Landmark No. 78 in Ventura will institute a hoped-to-be monthly wine-tasting dinner event Wednesday.

A five-course meal prepared by proprietor Jorge Ramirez will be accompanied by selections from Brander Winery of Santa Ynez Valley and Domaine Santa Barbara.

The dinner will open with an appetizer of polenta and grilled shrimp topped with a wine sauce. A salad of spring mixed vegetables will follow.

Two entrees will be served: poached salmon in a white wine sauce and beef Wellington with a bordelaise sauce.

A trio of sorbets will conclude the meal.

The dinner will also feature informative chats with winemakers Fred Brander of Brander Winery and Steve Clifton of Domaine.

Six wines will be poured. From Brander: Sauvignon Blanc Cuvee Natalie (1997); Cabernet Sauvignon Bouchet (1997); and Sauvignon Blanc au Naturel (1997). From Domaine: Pinot Gris (1995); Pinot Noir (1997); and Chardonnay, Careaga Vineyard (1996).

The cost of $50 per person includes dinner, six wines, tax and gratuity. The restaurant is at 211 E. Santa Clara St. For reservations or more information, call 643-3264.

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Jean-Claude Guerin, owner of At-Your-Service Catering, will prepare gourmet fare for the Greater Oxnard Chamber of Commerce’s annual installation ball.

The black-tie-optional affair, which will include a silent auction and live entertainment, will be held Friday at Residence Inn by Marriott at River Ridge.

The menu will include winter greens with an herbed raspberry vinaigrette, and a choice of two entrees: chicken Evangeline with a mild-orange pink peppercorn sauce along with garlic gulf prawns; or filet mignon with a cabernet mushroom sauce, plus red roasted rosemary potatoes and seasonal vegetable medley. On the sweet side, there will be Tahitian vanilla creme with a duet of coulis and chocolate truffles.

The event will begin at 6 p.m. with the auction and a no-host cocktail hour. Dinner and awards will follow at 7 p.m., and entertainment begins at 8:30 p.m.

The cost is $65. The inn is at 2101 W. Vineyard Ave., Oxnard. For reservations or more information, call 385-8860.

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Didier Poirier at 71 Palm restaurant in Ventura is cooking up something special this month to augment his regular French country menu.

Poirier’s special dishes include choucroute--sauerkraut garnished with all manner of meats and sausages--from the Alsace-

Lorraine region of France. This dish will be offered through today.

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Cassoulet, a classic dish from the Languedoc region, will be prepared Monday through Jan. 23. This dish features white beans and various meats.

And bouillabaisse, that celebrated seafood stew from Provence, will be featured from Jan. 25 through Feb. 6.

All of the dishes are $21.95 for dinner and $15.95 for lunch, excluding tax. The restaurant is at 71 Palm St.

Rodney Bosch writes about the restaurant scene in Ventura County and outlying points. He can be reached at 653-7572, fax 653-7576 or by e-mail at: rodney.bosch@latimes.com