3 comments about Durgin-Park Cookbook: Classic Yankee Cooking in the Shadow of Faneuil Hall (Roadfood Cookbook).

1. Chef Tommy Ryan has been referred by many friends, associates and competitors as truly "The Czar of Yankee Cooking." After reading the book and visiting Durgin Park (as I have many times in the last 20 years) the reader will clearly see Chef Tommy Ryan has a basic principle and that is you must start with quality ingredients. Everything from the meat, fish, poultry, vegetables and deserts comes from the purveyors who sell the very best. After the Chef and his team prepare your meal it's truly a culinary masterpiece and this book gives the reader the steps to success in his/her home kitchen.



2. I have been going to Durgin Park for the past 40 years and it is always the same. Real down home Yankee Cooking. The food is always great and very fresh. I was told that everything is bought daily and it is obvious by the quality of the food. If you are ever in Fanuiel Hall Market Place in Boston, this is a must to go too. Also, buy the book as there are real great recipes to try and there is also the history of Durgin Park in it. You won't be sorry you did............. Enjoy



3. Every now and then you run across an exceptional cookbook. The Durgin-Park Cookbook is one example. It is beautifully laid out with good photos and interesting sidebars full of extra tidbits of history and anecdotes about this Boston institution.
   
   Over the past weekend I made three recipes from this cookbook alone. The Corn Bread # 2 recipe was a real keeper. It had a light texture, was moist, and was crispy on the edges. I added my own twist by throwing in finely diced fresh chives and sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil (drained).
   
   The chicken wings, marinated and basted with a garlic and ginger sauce, were also quite easy and tasty. As with any cookbook, I always analyze the ingredients and decide if they will be to my taste. For example, if ginger powder is called for, as in the chicken wings recipe in this book, I almost always use fresh ginger. Why not? I keep one-inch length pieces of ginger in the freezer and just take them out whenever a recipe calls for powder or fresh. It's all personal preference of course. I just happen to think ground ginger powder tastes harsh.
   
   The Parmesan Potato Rounds recipe was also quite excellent. It is made much like a gratin, but without the heavy cream. Again, it was simple to make and tasted like it took much longer. If you like Parmigiano-Reggiano and potatoes, what's not to like about this recipe? It had a crispy crust on top and soft, perfectly cooked potatoes on the inside.
   
   The Sterns have put together some excellent cookbooks over the years and I'd have to say that this is one of my favorites in the Roadfood series. There are recipes for entertaining as well as daily fare. Most of the ingredient lists for the recipes are easily managed without a lot of complicated chopping, dicing, measuring, etc.
   
   Hmm, let's see, this weekend maybe I'll make the Stuffed Pork Chops and Onion Casserole or perhaps the Scalloped Tomatoes...

5 comments about In the Hands of A Chef: Cooking with Jody Adams of Rialto Restaurant.

1. I've now tried six of the recipes in this book--including my personal Last Meal Request, Jody Adams' soupe de poisson--and they've all turned out wonderfully. I mean they're among the very best things I've ever cooked.
   Adams' culinary gifts are channeled through Rivard's witty, clear and thoroughly entertaining writing and the results manage to be highly intelligent without being fussy, condescending or dry. To the contrary, the book is marked by an unusual warmth of spirit.
   The photographs are of real, excellent food, dishes that--unlike those in some cookbooks--won't be mistaken for baroque Easter bonnets or Post-Minimal artwork.
   Be aware: this isn't streamlined cooking for weeknight family dinners. You'll be spending a few hours in the kitchen, but if you genuinely enjoy food and cooking your time will be richly rewarded.
   A truly fabulous cookbook.



2. It's been a long time since I have gotten excited about a cook book but I am finally excited again. I have tried 3 recipes from this book and have deemed them all "company dishes" even though they were easy and economical to prepare. Very brilliant combinations of ingredients and I can't wait to work my way through this wonderful book



3. I bought this after reading the NYT book reviewer's
   praise for it, and I've made several of the recipes.
   The hands down winner is the Wild Mushroom Fricassee,
   which is that rare combo, exotic seeming but easy
   to make.

   My only criticism so far would be the production
   values -- it's not a visually appealing book.
   Otherwise, go for it.

   2002 12 31 Update: this continues to be a high favorite among my cook books. After dining at Rialto, my opinion of Adams has only risen. Really, buy it.




4. There are some real gems in this colleciton of recipes. They are unique, not that hard to duplicate and are outstanding.

   So far, one is truly a standout in my collection: Fresh Tomato Soup with Seared Eggplant Sandwiches. Other recipes that have caught my attention and palate are: Fingerling Potato, Fig and Tarragon Salad, Winter Vegetable Gratin wiht Cranberries and Chestnuts, Fazzoletti with Lemon Cream, Pistachios, Spinach, and Slow-Roasted Tomatoes, Seared Quail Stuffed with Mascarpone and Green Peppercorns, and Sweet and Sour Braised Rabbit with Chocolate.

   The instructions are thorough and easy to follow. As well, helpful sidebar discussions are provided on certain ingredients and preparation techniques.

   All in all, a unique, classy, flavorful cookbook to use and enjoy.




5. I've been a fan of this cookbook since I bought it 2 years ago. I've made several recipes and always enjoyed them. I got in a pinch this New Year's Eve when a low-key dinner with my husband turned into a dinner party for 6.

   I could only grab one cookbook on the way out the door for work on the 31st and I chose this one, as the recipes are straight forward, but still elegant. I chose to make:
   * Socca Crepes with Spinach and Herb Filling
   * Fazzoletti -- "Handkerchiefs" with Lemon Cream, Pistachios, Spinach, and Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
   * Tuscan-Style Sirloin with Parmesan, Lemon, and Truffle Oil
   * Grilled Pineapple with Rum, Lime-Ginger Syrup and Ice Cream

   They all got RAVES. And I could make them together "quickly" (for a gourmet dinner) after getting home after 6p with only a few modifications to shorten timelines, like a quick "slow-roast" for the tomatoes, skipping the spinach for the crepes as it needed to be cooked, etc. We had appetizers at 9p, then dinner at 10p, with dessert rounding out just at midnight. PERFECT... this meant we were all actually awake at midnight!

   To decrease trips to the store, I also grabbed the groceries for Oliver's Chicken Stew and Nidimi -- "Little Nests" Stuffed with Prosciutto, Fontina, and Spinach. My husband and I enjoyed both of these on New Year's Day and the day after.

   YAY, Jody!

3 comments about A Thyme to Entertain.

1. I love this book. Not only does it have great photos of all the food and wonderful descriptions of different Annapolis events throughout the year, it also has terrific recipes. The Sweet Vegetable Dip, White Corn Salad, Peppercorn Tenderloin and YumYum Bars are among my favorites!!



2. This Junior League cookbook is wonderful! I love that recipes are from real people like myself and not someone with years of culinary training. The book looks great on a coffee table or on the kitchen counter.



3. Junior League cookbooks are invariably good, and this is no exception. Chock-full of wonderful recipes, and none too complicated. I get overwhelmed when I look at a recipe with a long ingredient list and time consuming instructions, so this one is just my speed.

1 comments about Union Oyster House Cookbook: Recipes and History from America's Oldest Restaurant.

1. Now for the very first time, America's oldest restaurant offers its history and traditional Yankees recipes in the Union Oyster House Cookbook.
   
   Established in 1826, Boston's Union Oyster House is the country's oldest continuously operated restaurant. The building itself is so old that municipal records do not record its original function.
   
   From 1771 until the beginning of the Revolutionary War it was the home of "The Massachusetts Spy," long known as the oldest newspaper in the United States. During the war it the pay-station for early Federal troops. Louis Phillipe, later King of France, was a guest and taught French to prominent Bostonians. Daniel Webster was said to drink a tall tumbler of bandy and water with each half dozen oysters.
   
   Famous patrons of the Union Oyster House have included Paul Newman, Muhammad Ali, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Bill Clinton, Ozzie Osbourne and Edward Kennedy. John F. Kennedy preferred Booth 18 upstairs which now has a dedication plaque. In 2003, the Union Oyster House was named a National Historic Landmark.
   
   As well as recounting the 180-year history of the restaurant and its Boston environs, Union Oyster House Cookbook has sixty of the restaurant's most famous recipes adapted for home use, including:
   
   Oyster House Clam Chowder
   Lobster Scampi
   American Bouillabaisse
   Shellfish in many forms: raw oysters and clams, Oysters Rockefeller, Clams Casino, Baked Stuffed Cherrystones, boiled and broiled lobster
   Pan Seared Haddock
   Boston Baked Beans
   Hot Indian Pudding
   Boston Cream Pie
   
   Illustrated with historic photographs and artwork in color and black and white and including interviews with the owners Joe Milano and Mary Anne Milano Picardi, chef William Coyne and other long-time employees, this a both a practical cookbook and a testament to a restaurant that has been part of the fabric of Boston for 280 years.
   
   Foreword by Senaator Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy
   
   About the authors:
   
   Jean Kerr is author of Mystic Seafood: Great Recipes, History and Seafaring Lore from Mystic Seaport. She is Editor of Taste of the Seacoast, the Boston-Portland, Maine food and wine magazine.
   
   Spencer Smith is a publisher and writer based in Maine

5 comments about Giving Thanks: Thanksgiving Recipes and History, from Pilgrims to Pumpkin Pie.

1. This is a fun book. The book has great trivia and history, and a great variety of the old traditional recipes. But along with that, are the recipes created by the different cultures of our "Melting Pot", who adapted their own wonderful tastes and flavors to their Thanksgiving celebration. This year, my family is going use only recipes in this cookbook to make a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner.



2. A fantastic book to read! The recipes we tried were outstanding-easy to read directions & the history behind each dish was a treat to read. I am looking forward to using these recipes at our Thanksgiving this year.



3. Wonderful! Curtin and Oliver put together a unique collection of exquisite and easy to follow recipes. The history behind the national holiday is also explained with interesting details and complements nicely the culinary section. Whether the reader wants to learn more about the tradition or wants to impress friends and family at the dinner table, this is the book to read!
   Giving Thanks. A book to have and a book to give!
   



4. As someone who loves to cook and is fascinated by early american history, I was extremely pleased by the content of this book. It is not merely a cookbook but a history book as well. This book can be enjoyed by children and adults equally.



5. It's a history book and a cookbook all in one. The biggest selling point for me is the accuracy of the recipes. Can you believe it contains a mincemeat recipe that actually contains meat! That's a rare gem these days. If you love food history as much as you do a good dish you will want to own this book.

3 comments about Best of the Best from New Mexico Cookbook: Selected Recipes from New Mexico's Favorite Cookbooks (Best of the Best Cookbook).

1. Part of the simply outstanding "Best of the Best" state related cookbook series from Quail Ridge Press, Best Of The Best From New Mexico Cookbook is a compilation of recipes drawn from a variety different cookbooks showcasing New Mexico's culinary traditions and treasures of this southwestern state. From Gazpacho (Cooking at the Natural Cafe in Santa Fe); Zuni Succotash (Southwest Indian Cookbook); Burgundy Venison Steak Tips (Sassy Southwest Cooking); and Chicken Tacos with Avocado (Beyond Loaves and Fishes); to Ruidoso Winner (Savoring the Southwest); Bavarian Apple Torte (Recipes from the Cotton Patch); Applesauce Cake (Billy the Kid Cook Book); and Berry-Pecan Flan (The Santa Fe School of Cooking Cookbook), each easy-to-prepare recipes has a complete list of readily acquired ingredients and step-by-step preparatory instructions. A kind of "sampler" cookbook, one of the best features is the section devoted to listing each cookbook represented in this culinary collection, including their respective publisher's contact information for obtaining the originating cookbook for any particular recipe that has proven to be an especial family favorite. Indeed, all dedicated kitchen cooks and fans of regional cuisines should visit the Qual Ridge Press website for a complete state-by-state listing of their "Best of" cookbooks.



2. I actually own ALL of this pair's terrific 'best of' series (or, me and the bank anyway)....and they are great at culling out the really local flavor from zillions of local cookbooks, to truly include THE BEST in each of their books. Well done ladies - wish I had thought of it myself!! I hope you don't have to BUY the hundreds of cookbooks from each state- what a great job to have them SENT to you....but everything I really wanted in the New Mexico book- a near neighbor to me, and one I have visited a few times- but not often enough!



3. I had high hopes for this Southwestern/Meican recipe book when I bought it. What could go wrong when you get recipes of the best supposedly from all over in this case New Mexico? Lots. The book looks nice but its what's inside that counts. I have not found one that has "wowwed" me yet. I just made a cheese tuna mexican casserole recipe (where I added black beans). It came out hot, bubbly and bland. The recipe did not specify the type of green chiles and while I tried some Smoked Jalapeno sauce on it to make it better and it was , I was still disappointed. My wife, whom I did not think would like it all, liked it though. However a recipe that I never would make again never rates a 9/10 or higher and in this case it was 8.5/10.I might try more. Wish the authors could have broken these recipes to hot, spicy, texmex, etc.

1 comments about Best of the Best from New England: Selected Recipes from the Favorite Cookbooks of Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire,.

1. I give this cookbook as gifts all the time. I've had it myself for years and I enjoy cooking from it. It is truly "New England" cooking and the recipes are fantastic!

2 comments about Maple Syrup Cookbook: 100 Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

1. I bought this book as a 'gag gift' for my wife, a New England native who LOVES maple syrup. Turns out it is a really wonderful cookbook about "cooking" with maple syrup (anybody can pour it on stuff). If you use grade B maple syrup (much darker, with a very strong maple flavor) you don't even need to use much. This book made a maple syrup lover out of me!



2. This book changed my life, at least the breakfast part of my life. After trying a few recipes, I haven't used pancake/waffle mix since, nor have I bought boxed cereal. Now I make pancakes, waffles, granola and muffins from scratch. The desserts are great too. And I love reading his antedotes about each recipe, it is the first cookbook I read cover to cover.

5 comments about The Arrows Cookbook : Cooking and Gardening from Maine's Most Beautiful Farmhouse Restaurant.

1. Anyone who's ever visited Arrows Restaurant in Ogunquit, Maine, knows the owners are sticklers for exquisite detail. From the views of the lush and meticulous one-acre garden out the freshly painted farmhouse windows, to the seasonal food artfully arranged on the plate, the experience is a treat for the eye as well as the palate. With the garden full of flowers, herbs, vegetables and heirloom tomatoes for inspiration, the food is creative and bursting with bright and subtle flavors.

   The owners' first book reflects this with a balanced presentation of recipes, gardening advice and personal details. Organized seasonally, the authors showcase Maine staples such as lobster, Maine shrimp and cod and halibut, fiddleheads and blueberries. But the fiddleheads come served in brown butter with Bundnerfleisch, a German cured beef (you could also substitute prosciutto or smoked salmon); the lobster comes in an Asparagus Soup with Lobster, Morels and Chervil, and the lobster salad is served, not with mayonnaise, but with Tomato-Tarragon Vinaigrette.

   The authors cross cultures freely and do not mind a little extra effort for a spectacular result. The skewers for the Chinese-inspired Grilled Lamb Brochettes on Basil Skewers with Spicy Basil-Cilantro Marinade, for instance, are basil stems left to dry over the winter.

   Each chapter opens with a short essay on the season and state of the garden (which provides 90 percent of the restaurant's produce) and business, then moves on to feature appetizers, main and side dishes, sauces and desserts. Recipes are prefaced with short, useful notes on growing (even in Maine, "tomatillos grow like weeds"), selecting (the best piece of bluefin tuna, for instance), variations, accompaniments, and cooking tips.

   Interspersed with the recipes are short gardening pieces - how to grow tomatoes or peppers, growing and using herbs, watering with soaker hoses, using up zucchini, making the most of a small space, edible flowers, saving seeds and lots more.

   But the food is what Arrows veterans are looking for here. For a tantalizing taste of summer, try a Sweet and Sour Fennel Salad or a simple plate of Marinated Tomatoes or a Sugar Snap Pea and Rock Shrimp Salad. Then maybe some Maine Sweet Clams with Risotto and Arugula, or Grilled Rib-Eye Steak with Herbs and Caramelized Onions. Accompanied perhaps by some Thai-Style Corn-on-the-Cob (soaked in coconut milk, grilled), or Yam and Leek Gratin, and your own Onion and Rosemary Focaccia. Topped off with Cinnamon Basil Shortcakes with Peaches or Blueberry Ice Cream or Steamed Raspberry Pudding.

   This is an attractive, personable, conversational book, as much fun to cook from as to browse. The recipes are not difficult, though some are time consuming and many feature ingredients you can find, but not necessarily at the local supermarket (but isn't a new discovery half the fun?). A delightful book and a kitchen inspiration.




2. This book is a must have. The recipes are fun and easy to prepare. When my family goes to their restaurant we are always treated as family. So many of the recipes are great that I can't even pick a single one as my favorite. What really puts this book into the next level is the way that they use seasonal ingredients. A must have.



3. As both a cook and a gardener, this cookbook is a treat. Oganized by season, the recipes use fresh fruits, herbs, and vegetables found in the garden and at the farmer's market. There are ambitious recipes that call for a lot of time and preparation, as well as extremely simple fare. The book also gives hints and instructions for everything from freezing berries and shucking oysters to building raised beds; even providing advice on whether or not to buy a greenhouse! You can plant the authors' "10 veggies that let you have a life," and then use their recipes to create such dishes as Red and Golden Beet Salad or the very simple Ginger-Roasted Parsnips. Armed with my seed catalogs and Frasier and Gaier's cookbook for inspiration and ideas (not to mention a slice of Super-Moist Apple Cake and a cup of coffee), I am looking forward to planning my garden for 2004. I can hardly wait until next year's harvest!



4. `The Arrows Cookbook' combines 156 recipes from the four seasons of the highly regarded coastal Maine restaurant with a experienced amateur gardener's recommendations on planting and running a large southern Maine vegetable garden for the restaurant. The book embodies the familiar mantra of using fresh, seasonal, local ingredients fortified by giving you the information you need to grow fresh, local ingredients. This is the special slant the book offers, as no publisher has yet gotten the chutzpah to charge $40 for a book without trying to give the reader something extra.

   The tone of the book is heavily oriented to their rural Maine terroir in style and content. In Maine, the seasons play a much greater role in daily life than they do in California or even in Manhattan. Therefore, the book's attitude toward its product has neither the mystical reverence of Paul Bertolli or Alice Waters nor the high maintenance, high craftsmanship of Daniel Boulud or Eric Rippert. Even though there is considerable respect for ingredients and home brewed food making here in both the gardening in the Spring and Summer and ham curing done in the Winter. There is also no evidence of high tech houte cuisine (there are no prep or cook times or difficulties ascribed to the recipes) or of Napa Valley chic wine recommendations. This is Maine! This is boiled lobsters, boiled meat, and wild apple country.

   The asking price of $0.26 a recipe is a relatively high price for the average cookbook. Many very good books average out at $0.10 to $0.20 a recipe, list. What would make you willing to pay the extra toll for this book aside from the celebrity status of the venue?

   1. The recipes are good, simple preparations. Of the 156, there are:
   Appetizers 27
   Salads 22
   Main Courses 26 11 of which are for seafood
   Sauces 21
   Side Dishes 36
   Desserts 24

   The relatively high proportion of appetizers, salads, and side dishes to main courses is explained by the fact that the menu is different for each of the four seasons, based on what produce is available in that season. There are few or no tomato dishes in Spring and few strawberry dishes in Winter. The up side to this picture is that this book is a very good source for seasonal salads, appetizers, and side dishes. If one's limited cookbook budget was aimed at either seasonally or vegetarianism, this is a very good book. The attention to edible flowers is especially noteworthy.

   2. The gardening information is fairly complete for the straightforward vegetable garden. Its primary value is inspirational and getting one started in the right directions. A good bibliography of gardening texts is included. The supplementary books are needed, because these authors are amateurs. I found at least one botanical mistake, but it wasn't serious. The book's value drops off the further you live from the Southern Maine growing zone and the less space you have available to grow stuff. The greatest value of this part of the book is the inspiration it can give to save money by growing your own. I believe the frugality of restaurant operations and the way they treat their prima materia is one of the most useful inspirations for home chefs. The growing of herbs alone in a Manhattan apartment can probably save someone over $100 a year with a commensurate improvement in their cuisine. Check out the price of fresh basil the next time you are in the tomato aisle of your megamart.

   The photographs in this book are very gratefully limited to special sections and are of a reasonable quality. I have given up assigning demerits for photos, which have the center of a plate in focus and the front and back out of focus. All are about the food. No sous chefs hamming it up for the camera. Very commendable. One regret I have about the photography is that the book gives special attention to a very large arrangement at the restaurant entrance which changes at least seasonally, yet they give not a single photo of this great work, even after giving a detailed description of how to construct one. There are also many small black and white photos related to the text, but with no caption. Occasionally disorienting. Lastly, I miss a few more photos of their extensive garden and greenhouse(s). I start to get the sense that, like Emeril's recent cookbook, this book is aimed at being an elaborate advertisement for the restaurant.

   This is good and more than commonly useful book. At a discounted price of $30 or less, I recommend it.




5. When I need to plan a dinner for friends that are not foodies this is the first cookbook I choose. The recipes are delicious, easy to prepare and are not over the top. Every recipe has been meticulously checked and all have proven to be delicious. The book helps capture the feel of eating at the restaurant. The seasonality of the book's organization helps us northern new englanders plan an appropriate meal.

5 comments about Cooking Down East.

1. Though Ms. Standish's emphasis is on the great state of Maine, cooks from all over New England will recognize the regional recipes in this book as their own. To me, "Cooking Down East" is more than just a cookbook; it is, in written form, how I learned to cook from my mother and grandmother.



2. My first edition of this book was given to me by my husband 26 years ago. I have many fond memories of family dinners, deserts and favourite recipes from this book. To me it is a touch of home. Gloria Legere Mainiac in Exile in Washington State.



3. When my grandmother died, I was the lucky recipient of "her "secret recipes."(Cooking Down East : Favorite Maine Recipes and Keep Cooking the Maine Way).

   Everytime I make the Melt in Your Mouth Blueberry Cake, the Fish Chowder or the Lobster Newburg (the fancy one--of course!), I am momentarily returned to my childhood.

   The Red Flannel Hash is pretty terrific, too.

   At last count, I had 273 cookbooks in my private collection, but these two are the ones I most often return to when I wish a taste of home. Unlike many others, they seem to spend a majority of the time on my kitchen counter, permanently dusted with flour, stained forever with tiny Maine blueberries.

   If you are looking for nothing fancy-schmancy, only exemplary "home-style cooking," then these are the best you will ever find.

   Thanks Nanny (and thanks Ms. Standish)




4. I'm a native Mainer, and these recipes result in the delicious dinner standards I grew up with. Every time I want to serve a great meal, I turn to this book first. The recipes are well-explained, the ingredients are easy to find, and the anecdotes are great- be sure to read the funny forward to the excellent Anadama Bread.



5. This cookbook is a classic in Maine. This is the fourth edition that I have owned. I keep giving my copies away because this is a must have cookbook. I have cooked almost every recipe in the book and love them all. These are good basics cooked everywhere in Maine and New England. The ingredients are simple and easy to find. I learned to cook as a teenager from this book.