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

1 comments about What's Cooking at Moody's Diner.

1. This cookbook has a variety of recipes that I haven't seen served at Moody's, however, they are wonderful. I especially like the Sweet and Sour Chicken and Enchiladas Supreme. It is a great buy and offers a variety of recipes which allow you to cook from scratch while living on a budget.

5 comments about The Way We Cook: Recipes from the New American Kitchen.

1. I bought this book after reading a review of it. The recipes are simple and easy to follow. They do not use any ingredients that you cannot get at a regular supermarket. No recipe requires the cook to stand over the stove stirring or watching it cook. I highlighted all the recipes I want to try and easily have a month's worth of dinners. I'm so glad there's finally a cookbook for cooks who don't have time to cook!



2. The first cool crispness of fall sends many home cooks back to the kitchen, eager to cook something new and different. Julian and Riven, who write a weekly column for the Boston Globe's food section, understand this seasonal urge for something new to cook. Their first book is designed for "accomplished" and busy home cooks and features straightforward, unfussy recipes with plenty of room for variation and timing options.

   After "Salads" and "Appetizers" the book is organized around occasion. "When You're in a Rush" features weeknight meals like Ten-minute Bolognese Sauce, Pork Chops with Apples and Onion, and the five-ingredient Shrimp in Coconut Milk with Red Curry Paste, which takes longer to say than to cook. Not all of the dishes are so quick - Eggplant Lasagna requires assembly and baking - but they share a simplifying "one-pot meal" approach.

   "Dishes We Make All The Time" includes homey fare like Baked Meatballs and Tomato Sauce, Yankee Pot Roast with Caramelized Vegetables and Bow Ties with Pot Cheese and Peas. There's also a French Onion Soup made with roasted onions and Mussels in Spicy Tomato Sauce that can be served in bowls or over pasta.

   "New Classics" offers tweaks to the tried and true to reflect the modern tastes for leaner, more highly seasoned food, like Oven Fried Fish and Chips and Roasted Coq Au Vin with Sugar Snap Peas. "Good Enough for Company" features Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce, Chicken breasts stuffed under the skin with Ricotta and herbs, Roast Side of Salmon, Salmon and Mushroom Pot Pie.

   There's a chapter of stews and braises - Spring Garden Stew, Braised Beef in Balsamic Vinegar and another of side dishes like Harvard Beets, Sautéed Apples, and Noodle Pudding. "Rise and Dine" features Salmon Kedgeree, Warm Cheese Pie and Blueberry Muffins; a baking chapter focuses on cakes, cookies and pies and the book ends with Simple Fruit Deserts from Apple Crisp to Baked Peaches in Brown Sugar.

   Attractively designed, the book is a comfortable combination of the familiar and the new, with simple, practical advice for serving combinations, do ahead tips and variations. A book for cooks who like a relaxed feel in the kitchen, and who doesn't?




3. I don't even cook, but the photography motivates me to give it a try. These are fantastic looking dishes! I want to find more of this photographer's work.



4. `the way we cook, Recipes from the New American Kitchen' is written by two food writers / journalists in the Boston area, which gives this somewhat pregnant title the expectation that it is nothing more than a collection of `Boston Globe' food columns. If it were, I would dismiss it with three stars and little comment. The first clue that more is afoot here than culls from the Wednesday food section are the blurbs on the back of the dust jacket from Christopher Kimball, Anne Willan, and Steven Raichlen. Kimball I could expect, being a good old boy Yankee New Englander from way back, but Anne Willan is serious stuff.

   The chapter titles are a bit unusual, but they are exactly the range of topics you would expect to find in newspaper food columns. They are:

   Appetizers such as deviled eggs, liver pate, ceviche, crab cakes, eggplant caponata, toasts, crackers, etc.
   Salads such as Eggless Caesar, French Market Salad, Creamy Potatoe Salad, Fattoush, Greek Cypriot, etc.
   When You're in a Rush with Soups, Chicken, Tuna, Salmon, Bass, and Scallops, quick Bolognese, etc.
   Dishes We Make All the Time such as Vege Soup, Chili, Yankee Pot Roast, Meatball, Lamb Stew, etc.
   New Classics such as Corn Chowder, Oyster Stew, Boulangere, Baked Beans, Salmon Cakes, etc.
   Good Enough For Company with Rack of Pork, Leg of Lamb, Ossobuco, Duck Breasts, Roast Salmon, etc.
   Simmering Pots with lots of soups and stews such as Cuban Stewed Chicken and Beef Daube, etc.
   Sides such as Fresh Corn Risotto, Scalloped Tomatoes, Quick Couscous, Blue Cheese Popovers, etc.
   Rise and Dine with Frittatas, Muffins, Soda Bread, Quesadillas, Banana Bread, Blueberry Loaf Cake, etc.
   If You Love to Bake with Strawberry Shorkcakes, Carrot Cake, Pies, Tarts, Cookies, Gingerbread, etc.
   Simple Fruit Desserts with five recipes for apples, oranges, and peaches.

   The first thing which bumped my opinion up from three stars to four was with the description of how to cook hardboiled eggs. For starters, they recommended my preferred method of pricking a hole in the shell and dropping the eggs into just boiling water. Then, they gave the additional tip of rolling the just dropped eggs around a bit in order to center the yolk in the cooked egg. To cap things off, they gave a recommendation on how to crack the hot eggs to make them easier to peel when they cool.

   The next thing which warmed my opinion of the book was that I could not find any steps in any recipes which I would do differently. There are few fancy techniques called for in the recipes and almost all of them take no more than a page, but there were also no short cuts.

   The last thing which appealed to me was the lack of processed ingredients. All pie crusts are made from scratch and I detected no cans of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup. I did find the directions for the pie crusts to be less than perfect, as it was lax in calling for very cold ingredients, combined in such a way to keep them cold and to leave bits of butter to fluff up the crust. But then, this is not a book on pie baking and I'm sure the technuque they give works well enough. Another less than ideal baking recipe was the carrot cake, which called for but a single layer. If I am going to the trouble to make a carrot cake with butter cream icing, I will make three layers for sure.

   This is not a book for died in the wool foodies. Were I not reviewing it, I would not buy it myself, but for that very large number of people who need to make good meals at least three times a week and don't have time to wade through 800 pages of `The Joy of Cooking' or `James Beard's American Cookery', this book is just the thing.

   I think Steve Raichlen's comparison to Julia Child and Simone Beck is misplaced because the latter duo was doing an in depth survey of a very specific local cuisine while the current authors are collecting recipes originating from all over the world and presenting them for a particular audience. So, their emphasis is on a specific audience rather than a specific cuisine. Sorry Steve.

   This is an excellent book which accomplishes it's mission at a reasonable price. Just be warned that this is NOT low carb or low fat cooking, just very tasty cooking.




5. I love to cook.
   I like to try different books and see how their recipes are.
   
   This one is great, and the recipes are easy to follow and the
   ingredients are ones that you would have on "hand" in your home.
   
   I loved how their catgorized it-"meals for when you are in a rush" excellent idea.
   
   I would recommend this to someone who likes to cook but doesn't want to spend the day or the time looking for ingredients that are hard to find.

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.

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...

1 comments about Cooking in the Shaker Spirit, Second Edition.

1. This is a beautiful book which captures both the spirit and essence of Shaker Cooking. Too bad it is no longer in print. I cannot wait for James Haller's second edition.

5 comments about Cooking With a Private Chef.

1. Michael Saxer has got it going on! His recipes have fresh ingredients we can all find, and he combines them in ways that are delicious, and gorgeous on the plate. I can do this!



2. Seriously. This is one of best New Orleans cookbooks I have found. It's such a nice change from the typical "Creole" & "Cajun" hype. THIS IS REALLY HOW WE COOK AND WHAT WE EAT IN NEW ORLEANS! The Newport recipes, for me, are a great added bonus. Just amazing. I have this book in my own kitchen and have given it as a wedding present....its always very well received! Thank you to Chef Saxer for getting it right! FINALLY!



3. What a lovely book! The photography is stunning, the writing clear and entertaining, and the recipes are great! Chef Saxer has taken the voluptuous tastes of New Orleans and married them with the crisp, light flavors of New England, and the results are magical. Whether you're cooking a quiet dinner at home or entertaining in high style, this book will inspire and delight you. Bravo!



4. Chef Saxer's book is not only beautiful but instructive and easy to use. He does a wonderful job of representing the different cuisines from the East Coast as well as New Orleans. Every time I read through it, I want to throw a party! It also inspires me to be on the lookout for more interesting and fresh seafood (which is not the easiest thing to find in Nashville). Bravo!



5. As a catering chef, I help brides create custom menus for their one perfect day. Chef Saxer's book keeps things seasonal, simple and elegant. The seasonal availability charts and interchangeable pairings are invaluable tools and help make that one perfect day into a "Big Sexy Reception"

3 comments about Carbone's Cookbook: Old-World Elegance and the Best Italian Food in the Northeast (Roadfood, 6).

1. Hartford's family-run, Italian restaurant celebrates its third generation with a compilation of favorites, from Fried Eggplant, Cheese Fondue, Pepper Steak, and Green Noodles with Hog Jowls, to Fettuccini Alfredo, Duck Orzo, Pear and Gorgonzola Salad, and Conch and Squid Stew.

   There's a chapter on "Stone Pies" (pizza), which includes Clam and Pancetta, and Grilled Pear with Stilton Cheese and Foie Gras, but for the most part, the food is solid and traditional and mouth watering. The sauce chapter includes an Anchovy and Caper Sauce, several wine sauces and a Gorgonzola sauce as well as pesto and tomato sauces. A must-try is a sauce no longer offered at the restaurant - a pesto made with salted peanuts.

   There's cannelloni (made with real crepes), risotto and ravioli, Veal Marsala, Piedmont Beef and Chicken Cacciatore. There are also lots of family specialties and dishes inspired by customers and friends over the years. A fine addition to the series of restaurant cookbooks put together by regional food experts Jane and Michael Stern.




2. Collaboratively presented by Jane and Michael Stern (with recipes by Gaetano Carbone and Vincent Carbone) Carbone's Cookbook: Old-World Elegance And The Best Italian Food In The Northeast is an impressive cookbook collection celebrating popular favorites of Carbone's restaurant with utterly delectable Italian old-world culinary creations. Taste and customer-tested dishes include Gorgonzola Salad, Spinach Pie Nicola, Chicken Diavola, Salmon in Phyllo, Pumpkin Cake and more. An informative introduction offers a fascinating glimpse into the colorful history of Carbone's, and the recipes themselves each have a brief overview of the dish and its highlights in addition to extensive, easy-to-follow instructions. Carbone's Cookbook is a simply superb guide for cooks of all skill and experience levels seeking to create true restaurant-quality Italian food.



3. Another cookbook with print that one can't read. This print is in a light brown and extremely hard to read.

No comments about The Boston Globe Illustrated New England Seafood Cookbook.

No comments about Wine Mondays: Simple Wine Pairings with Seasonal Menus.