Direct from the vineyards, special preparations and pairings

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Barbara Scott-Goodman has one of those big, hearty laughs that is contagious even over the phone.

For some reason, it was the suggestion that she might have learned how to cook in her grandmother’s kitchen that set her off at the start of a conversation last summer about her latest cookbook out from Welcome Books ($24.95), “The Vineyard Cookbook: Seasonal Recipes and Wine Pairings Inspired by America’s Vineyards.”

It seemed a reasonable speculation given the number of celebrity chefs who cite Granny’s kitchen as their launching pad to culinary stardom. But Ms. Scott-Goodman’s grandmother could have been a raw-foods aficionado, or perhaps a pampered socialite who never so much as boiled an egg. Whatever she was, she was not Ms. Scott-Goodman’s culinary mentor.

“God, no,” laughed the author, who confessed to having come to cooking “in a roundabout way.”

Her art school skills were first put to use as a designer of cookbooks, she said. The next step was to work with a book packager developing cookbooks, and then there didn’t seem any reason why she couldn’t just write the cookbooks herself.

“I decided to do some books on my own,” she said. “I got an agent and did it.”

The publication of “The Beach House Cookbook” set her on course. A labor of love, it reflected the joy she took as a summer resident of Montauk for 11 years, reveling in the abundance of fresh produce and fish and indulging her passion for cooking for her husband and two daughters in a kitchen designed to her specs. Since then, the daughters have left the nest, the Montauk house was sold in 1997, and Ms. Scott-Goodman now lives full-time in Westchester, though she still makes frequent forays to the East End.

“We still visit,” she said. “We rent. We have a lot of friends and go out, even all year. We love it.”

Though wines from California, which remains the biggest wine producer in the country, are most often paired with the book’s 60 recipes, wineries from other regions of the U.S., including the East End of Long Island, get their due. At Bedell Cellars in Cutchogue, a Cabernet Franc 2006 was selected to complement Ms. Scott-Goodman’s autumn dinner featuring pan-seared duck breasts with red wine sauce. From Channing Daughters in Bridgehampton, the winery’s Meditazione was chosen to partner with the author’s pork loin with orange marmalade glaze and accompaniments.

Ms. Scott-Goodman, who does not claim to be a wine expert herself, said she was delighted to leave the task of selecting the wine pairings to the real experts at the wineries. She offered this account of how she proceeded: “I developed the recipes and the menus, then sent them to the different wineries all over the country. The wineries did the pairing at three price points.”

Every recipe has been tested and retested, she said, stressing that she is a “stickler” for making sure that they are as tasty as the gorgeous photographs by Colin Cooke promise, and that they work!

“That is my problem with recipes on the internet,” she remarked. “So many are not well written, not tested, not thought out—they’re just not good.”

Other than that, her guiding principles have clearly been to use the freshest ingredients and to keep things simple so that “the essence of the food and wine come through.”

With four sections, each devoted to one of the seasons, the book can be used all year, she advised. It also covers a wide range of occasions, including menus for parties, dinners, luncheons, even brunch.

Adding to its utility are the simple profiles Ms. Scott-Goodman has included on different types of wines, along with general guidelines for pairing. Also informative are the 32 vignettes on distinctive wineries across the country, with highlights on their most popular wines.

But Ms. Scott-Goodman, who began her career as a book designer, after all, is also justifiably proud of her book’s handsome appearance. There are enchanting views of vineyards in all seasons and, in the field of food photography, Colin Cooke has few rivals.

Of the four seasons, Ms. Scott Goodman admits to being partial to summer. Asked for a favorite recipe from her favorite season, she was ready with this one, paired with a Gloria Ferrer Royal Cuvee 2001:

Lobster, Corn & Tomato Salad

6 cups cooked lobster meat4 cups cooked corn kernels (from 4 ears fresh corn)3 ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped3 ribs celery, diced½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives4 cups mixed salad greensFor the vinaigrette:2 tablespoons white wine vinegar5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oilPinch of cayenne pepperKosher salt and freshly ground black pepperTo prepare:

Put the lobster, corn, tomatoes, celery, parsley, and chives in a large bowl and gently toss together.