Something to Talk About or Dishing Up Maine

Something to Talk About: Occasions We Celebrate in South Louisiana

Author: Junior League of Lafayette staff

The flavorful Cajun cuisine and celebratory lifestyle of South Louisiana are legendary. Something to Talk About draws upon this well-deserved reputation, offering an abundance of recipes from Louisiana's Cajun Country. Occasional menus, entertaining tips, and vibrant color photography enable readers to re-create the regions bon temps lifestyle in any locale.

New interesting textbook: Cold Mountain or The Little Book of Quitting

Dishing Up Maine: 165 Recipes That Capture Authentic Down East Flavors

Author: Brooke Dojny

From the Atlantic Ocean to well-tended organic farms, Maine’s landscape offers some of the country’s best raw materials for rustic, hearty cuisine. To the natural bounty, add the independent spirit and quiet humor of the people, and it’s apparent why chefs, farmers, fishermen, and artisans are drawn to the state. Their fierce pride, respect for the land, and lack of pretension are recognizable ingredients in all the food they produce.

Food writer Brooke Dojny counts herself among those who love the cooking of Maine — the flavors, the oddities, the quirks, the people, the lore, and the language. Join her on a delicious journey through the foodways of one of our most diverse culinary regions, where tried and-true flavors and innovative creations live comfortably together on home dinner plates and restaurant menus.

In Maine, where the craggy coastline is so much a part of the state’s image, there’s no getting away from seafood. Both shellfish and fin-fish are enjoyed year-round. Lobster stews, salads, and pies; steamed mussels and fried clams; oven-roasted cod and seared halibut are just a few of the traditional fish dishes, so simple to make at home, that are represented here.

Dojny’s love for the local produce finds its way into warming soups, bright side dishes, and entrées that pair native produce with fish and meats. And yes, Maine’s growing season is short, but the people are resourceful. Pickled and preserved vegetables, along with salted and smoked fish and dried beans nourish throughout the winter months.

Dojny’s tribute to the food of her adopted home boasts 165 recipesin all, including a few dozen from some of Maine’s most accomplished chefs, and a sweet nod to those famous wild blueberries, in pancakes, muffins, pies, scones, and other baked goods. Local stories and food lore, historical facts and literary quotes, and a traveler’s guide to hidden road food gems makethis the ultimate food-lover’s guide to the salty personality of Maine cuisine.

Publishers Weekly

Dojny (The New England Clam Shack Cookbook) "moved to Maine for the food"; indeed, the former Connecticut resident has an expansive knowledge of 21st-century (mostly coastal) culinary Maine. Traditional Maine fare such as Classic Down East Haddock Chowder and Molasses-Baked Maine Yellow-Eyes (baked beans), and Maine fast-food specialties like the Clam Shack Fried Clam Rolls (fried clams in a hot-dog bun) sit side-by-side Smoked Salmon and Scallion Triangles, and Chase's Daily Chipotle-Roasted Winter Squash Tacos, inspired by a new generation of organic farmers, artisan food producers and sophisticated restaurateurs. Although clearly inspired by artisanal and fresh food, Dojny doesn't hesitate to make her recipes accessible to the inexperienced cook (e.g., if you suffer from "Fear of Piecrust syndrome," use supermarket piecrusts; they "taste fine"). In addition to recipes, Dojny gives helpful Maine-oriented hints, on, for instance, eating lobster and choosing the best apples for pie. The book's prolific photos of scenic locales may inspire a Maine vacation, and Dojny also provides readers with information on where to find farmer's markets, gourmet food shops and notable eateries. Many of the folks behind these establishments contribute recipes to the book, from gourmet restaurant chefs to clam shack cooks. (June) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Dojny is a former Bon App tit columnist and the author of many other cookbooks, including The New England Cookbook. Here, she focuses on her favorite part of New England-Maine, where after spending many vacations, she moved several years ago, in large part, she says, "for the food." Culinary traditions are still important there, but the state is also a center of the artisan food movement, with a growing community of cheese makers, bakers, and farmers (of both seafood and meat and poultry) and an increasing number of sophisticated restaurants gaining national recognition. So these recipes for "Down East Flavors" include both classics such as Portland Quahog Chowder and contemporary dishes like Pan-Seared Scallops with Dill Citronette. Numerous sidebars and boxes feature favorite restaurants and other eateries, the chefs and artisans Dojny encountered along the way and ingredients and culinary history. Highly recommended. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.