Book Description

From Margaritas to Tropical Coffee Cake to Snapper Rangoon—more than 200 Florida Keys culinary delights from the James Beard Award winner. The sun-drenched Florida Keys are a unique crossroads where Caribbean, European, and American cultures and cuisines meet. In The Flavors of the Florida Keys, Linda Gassenheimer brings the islands to your kitchen with over two hundred recipes that range from the humble (Bahamian Conch Chowder) to the sophisticated (Crab Cakes with Pommery Mustard Sauce) to the comforting (Sweet Potato Bisque) to the unusual (Heavenly Hogfish). In her quest for the best of the Keys’ culinary traditions, Gassenheimer has been everywhere from waterfront beach shacks to resort dining rooms, while collecting the stories of the men and women behind the recipes—the eccentric artists and writers, the local fishermen, and the bon vivants captured by the magical atmosphere of the region. Your dinner companions include chef Doug Shook from acclaimed Louie’s Backyard, Elena Spottswood, a member of one of the original Conch families, who shares her recipe for a perfect Cuban Mojito, and Wolfgang Birk, whose Ocean Bounty serves up an abundance of superlative seafood from the surrounding seas. Travel the Keys with Gassenheimer’s “highly recommended” book by your side, and discover its hidden treasures—perfect as a stove-side companion for bringing the sunlight and spirit of the Keys to your own dining table, whether it be for cocktails, appetizers, entrees, side dishes, salads, sandwiches, soups, or desserts (Library Journal).