Description:
Visitors to Nantucket usually return home with glowing food memories. Maybe the sea air livens appetites, but more likely it's the good Yankee cooking. Susan Simon's The Nantucket Holiday Table offers 75 recipes interlarded with personal stories, historical lore, and interesting asides such as "What's It Like in the Wintertime?" Rooted in old New England culinary tradition, the recipes also take a modern approach. Readers should enjoy making Almond French Toast with Caramelized Applesauce, Roasted Squash Risotto, and Grilled Turkey with Corn Bread and Oyster Stuffing, among Simon's many savory dishes. Arranged mainly by courses, the book also features chapters on holiday breakfasts, cocktail parties, and food gifts. Typically delightful recipes from these include Jimmy Gross's Christmas Day Crêpes, Root Vegetable Chips, and Green Tomato Preserves. Underscoring the island's diverse gastronomic character, Simon also presents cross-ethnic recipes such as Sweet Potato and Chorizo Frittata Squares, Caldo Verde, and Nantucket-Cuban-Connection Sandwich. Dessert formulas aren't neglected and include Cranberry Shortcakes, Pumpkin Caramel Pudding, and Spirited Gingerbread with Ginger Ice Cream. With 70 color illustrations, the book is both a useful source for special-occasion and everyday dishes and a tour of a deeply alluring American landscape. --Arthur Boehm
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