New 'Taste of Excellence' Cookbook Showcases Holland America Line Fine Dining

SEATTLE, July 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Holland America Line guests can now enjoy A Taste of Excellence long after their cruise has ended. Holland America Line's Master Chef Rudi Sodamin has written a new cookbook featuring nearly a hundred favorite recipes, complete with full-color photographs that instantly bring back memories of the wonderful on-board dining experience.

"A Taste of Excellence is a wonderful complement to the exquisite culinary experience on our ships," said Stein Kruse, Holland America Line president and chief executive officer. "The stunning photography replicates our innovative presentation of the dishes. With this book, our guests will be able to re- create their favorite ship-board dishes and share them with families and friends as they relive the marvelous dining experiences on their cruise."

Recipes, which have been modified for home preparation, cover everything from breakfast to late-night snacks. The 14 chapters include: Morning Meals, Breads & Quick Breads; Appetizers; Soup; Salads & Dressings; Pasta & Risotto; Fish & Shellfish; Poultry; Beef, Lamb, Veal, & Venison; Vegetarian Fare; Side Dishes; Desserts & Other Sweet Treats; Pantry Staples; and Sandwiches and Late-Night Snacks. To name but a few of the superb recipes included in this 208-page, hardcover keepsake cookbook:

* Dutch Apple Pancakes with Maple-Flavored Honey * Apricot Glazed Salmon with Soy, Garlic and Ginger and Baby Vegetables * Dungeness Crab Cakes with Lime Ginger Sauce * Rack of Veal with Roasted Vegetables and Thyme Glaze * Parmesan-Crusted Turkey Tenderloin with Honey Mustard Sauce * Wild Mushroom, Spinach, and Feta Cheese Strudel with Thai Red Curry Sauce * Chef Rudi's Famous White Chocolate Toque, Filled with Silky Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse. Expert Tips

In addition to the superb recipes in A Taste of Excellence, the book features culinary tips from Holland America Line's own executive chefs -- everything from how to garnish an appetizer, to how to tell when fish is cooked, to how to easily skin and seed tomatoes.

Executive Chef Thomas Krieger, for example, explains: "Fish is cooked when the flesh has turned from translucent to opaque and springs back lightly when touched. The flesh should still be juicy. If you wait until the 'fish flakes easily with a fork,' as some recipes mistakenly suggest, your fish will be overcooked."

Galley Brigade

The cookbook also provides a look behind the scenes at the galleys on Holland America Line vessels. "Most of our guests suspect that there must be an army of chefs behind the bounty of extraordinary cuisine we offer during a cruise," Sodamin says in a section of the book called A View from the Galley. "In fact, there is a veritable army chopping, stewing, and firing up the sauté pans; on a ship the military term 'brigade' is used to describe the working culinary team."

"At Holland America Line," Sodamin continued, "being a member of the culinary team is especially rewarding because as a company with such a long history, our foundation is in classical cooking technique; however, we have a profound respect for inventiveness. We continually encourage members of our culinary team to experiment, expand their training and horizons, and create an effective interchange of old and new culinary ideas to bring our guests unforgettable dishes that they could experience nowhere else but aboard our ships."

Culinary Innovations

This book is just the latest culinary innovation created by Holland America Line. Guests are filling the Culinary Arts Center to learn new cooking skills; every cruise offers guests the opportunity for small-group cooking lessons and a variety of food and wine demonstrations. The alternative dining venue, the Pinnacle Grill, provides a gracious and memorable culinary experience. Holland America Line also has introduced a clever and entertaining Signature Master Chef's Dinner, a new concept in dinner theater, featuring singing, dancing, juggling and more.

The list of culinary delights goes on. New wine lists, with an international selection of wines, have been introduced throughout the fleet. Gold Rush Baked Alaska is the star of the desert menu on Alaska cruises this season, with the traditional desert served with different toppings each of the seven nights of a cruise. And, "Going Wild for Salmon," introduced on Alaska cruises in 2005 and featuring salmon fixed 50 different ways, has been expanded this year to include Baltic cruises.

"A key element in our success in bringing our guests the finest cuisine the maritime world has to offer is our partnership with Rudi Sodamin -- the most highly decorated and celebrated master chef on the seven seas," Kruse said. "He is widely known for revolutionizing cuisine on cruise lines; his innovation and creativity have set the standard for our entire industry."

Sodamin notes that with the new cookbook and the demonstrations and classes offered in the Culinary Arts Center "guests leave our cruises not only with a memory of great meals, but equipped with the knowledge of how to re- create them at home." The cookbook also will introduce cruisers-to-be to the delights of fine dining at sea.

A Taste of Excellence Cookbook is available for $29.95 (US) or $39.95 (Canadian) on all Holland America Line ships. It also may be purchased at major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders, and on line through Amazon.com.

For more information on Holland America Line consult a professional travel agent, call 1-877-SAIL-HAL (877-724-5425) or visit http://www.hollandamerica.com/.

- http://www.hollandamerica.com/ -

About Holland America Line [a division of Carnival Corporation and plc ]

With the introduction of the 1,918-passenger ms Noordam in early 2006, Holland America Line's fleet grows to 13 ships, offering nearly 500 cruises from more than 25 home ports. Itineraries range from two to 108 days and visit all seven continents, including new Australia/New Zealand and Asia sailings, a world cruise and popular sailings to several ports in the Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico and Europe. The ms Noordam also will offer Caribbean sailings in the winter from new homeport New York City, followed by a full summer season sailing the Mediterranean round trip from Rome.

Holland America Line's $225 million, fleetwide Signature of Excellence enhancements feature new programs and amenities including the Culinary Arts Center presented by Food & Wine magazine -- a state-of-the-art onboard show kitchen where more than 60 celebrated guest chefs and culinary experts will provide cooking demonstrations and classes -- Explorations Café powered by the New York Times, teens-only activity areas and all new cabin amenities highlighted by flat-panel TVs and plush-top Mariner's Dream Beds. For more information, consult a travel agent, call 1-877-SAIL-HAL (877-724-5425) or visit http://www.hollandamerica.com/.

World's Leading Cruise Lines

The highest-rated premium cruise line in the world, Holland America Line is a member of the exclusive World's Leading Cruise Lines alliance, which also includes Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Cunard Line, Seabourn Cruise Line, Costa Cruises and Windstar Cruises. Sharing a passion to please each guest and a commitment to quality and value, these lines appeal to a wide range of lifestyles and budgets. The World's Leading Cruise Lines offer exciting and enriching cruise vacations to the world's most desirable destinations.

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Contact: Mary Schimmelman; Rose Abello Phone: 206-301-5318; 206-313-7673 cell phone Fax: 206-262-5934 E-mail: pr@hollandamerica.com