Miami Spice: The New Florida Cuisine
Author: Steven Raichlen
The new star of the culinary galaxy is South Florida, declares The New York Times. And no wonder. Out of America's tropical melting pot comes an inventive cuisine bursting with flavor--and now Steven Raichlen, an award-winning food writer, shares the best of it in Miami Spice. With 200 recipes and firsthand reports from around the state, Miami Spice captures the irresistible convergence of Latin, Caribbean, and Cuban influences with Florida's cornucopia of stone crabs, snapper, plantains, star fruit, and other exotic native ingredients (most of which can be found today in supermarkets around the country).
Main selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club's HomeStyle Books. Winner of a 1993 IACP/Julia Child Cookbook Award.
Publishers Weekly
In 10 years' time, says Raichlen, ``I've watched Miami blossom from a gastronomic backwater to a culinary hot spot.'' Here, Cuban, Nicaraguan, French Caribbean, Iberian, Chinese, Deep South and Jewish cuisines meet but remain distinct, each taking advantage of abundant and inexpensive tropical produce (and 12 months of barbecue weather a year), while avoiding others; Cuban and Nicaraguan kitchens, for instance, still ignore the ubiquitous seafood. Raichlen's lively immersion in this confusion of ethnic food introduces the traditional Caribbean starchy roots, such as yucca, yam and boniato, as well as the typical tropical fruits and recent exotic introductions, like the lychee nut. Also present: several formulas for preparing alligator--savory and healthy, but often tough--and even an address from which to mail-order the frozen meat. Raichlen's style is amiable and chatty, and procedures are detailed and sensitive (``gently simmer for 10 minutes, or until the oil begins to bead on the surface of the sauce. This indicates that the water has evaporated, concentrating the flavor of the sauce''). The thick volume conveys a sense of authenticity throughout, although the author sometimes reveals an ignorance of the historical development of Caribbean cuisines (i.e., the discussion of tamales reveals a Mexican bias). (Nov.)
Library Journal
Cooking teacher and author Raichlen's most recent book is High-Flavor, Low-Fat Cooking ( LJ 11/15/92); now he turns to the zesty, eclectic, evolving cuisine of southern Florida. The large Cuban and Latin American populations in the area have changed the region's food, and Miami's restaurant scene is hopping. Floridians have always enjoyed plentiful fish and seafood, and a wide array of exotic produce is increasingly available as well. Raichlen's fresh, flavorful, and lively recipes range from Yuca Fritters to West Indian Pumpkin Soup to Conch Chile to Coconut Souffle. Fun and unusual, this is recommended for most collections.
Table of Contents:
| Introduction: Hot! Hot! Hot! | IX |
| Thirst Quenchers | 1 |
| Starters, Snacks, and Fritters | 17 |
| Sunshine Soups | 49 |
| Salad Days | 67 |
| Breads, Spreads, and Sandwiches | 87 |
| Mojos, Sauces, and Salsas | 109 |
| A Fisherman's Paradise | 135 |
| From Conch to Stone Crabs | 155 |
| Birds of Paradise | 191 |
| The Meat of the Matter | 219 |
| On the Side: an Exotic Array | 237 |
| Happy Endings | 275 |
| Basic Recipes | 327 |
| Index | 339 |
New interesting book:
Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Tastes: Exciting Flavors from the State That Cooks
Author: Paul Prudhomm
The master of Louisiana cuisine invites everyone to taste the new flavors of Louisiana cooking
Chef Paul Prudhomme put Louisiana cooking on the map. Fifteen years have passed since the publication of his groundbreaking Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen. Now Chef Paul returns to his culinary roots to show us how Louisiana cooking has evolved.
Today, the culinary influences of Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and many other cuisines are being integrated into "traditional" Louisiana cooking. Chef Paul explores how Louisiana cooks have incorporated such newly available ingredients as lemongrass, fresh tamarind, and papaya into their dishes. As Chef Paul says, any Louisiana cook worth his or her salt will work with what's available -- familiar or not -- and turn it into something delicious. Andouille Spicy Rice gets its zing! from chipotle and pasilla chile peppers, and Roasted Lamb with Fire-Roasted Pepper Sauce is flavored with jalapeno peppers and fennel. Classic jambalaya, etouffee, and gumbo are reinvented with such far-flung ingredients as star anise, cilantro, yuca, plantain, and mango.
Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen is an exciting exploration of the new flavors that have made Louisiana cooking even better.
Chef Paul Prudhomme put Louisiana cooking on the map. Fifteen years have passed since the publication of his groundbreaking
Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen. Now Chef Paul returns to his culinary roots to show us how Louisiana cooking has evolved.
Today, the culinary influences of Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and many other cuisines are being integrated into "traditional" Louisianacooking. Chef Paul explores how Louisiana cooks have incorporated such newly available ingredients as lemongrass, fresh tamarind, and papaya into their dishes. As Chef Paul says, any Louisiana cook worth his or her salt will work with what's available -- familiar or not -- and turn it into something delicious. Andouille Spicy Rice gets its zing! from chipotle and pasilla chile peppers, and Roasted Lamb with Fire-Roasted Pepper Sauce is flavored with jalapeno peppers and fennel. Classic jambalaya, etouffee, and gumbo are reinvented with such far-flung ingredients as star anise, cilantro, yuca, plantain, and mango.
Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen. is an exciting exploration of the new flavors that have made Louisiana cooking even better.Chef Paul Prudhomme put Louisiana cooking on the map. Fifteen years have passed since the publication of his groundbreaking Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen. Now Chef Paul returns to his culinary roots to show us how Louisiana cooking has evolved.
Today, the culinary influences of Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and many other cuisines are being integrated into "traditional" Louisiana cooking. Chef Paul explores how Louisiana cooks have incorporated such newly available ingredients as lemongrass, fresh tamarind, and papaya into their dishes. As Chef Paul says, any Louisiana cook worth his or her salt will work with what's available--familiar or not--and turn it into something delicious. Andouille Spicy Rice gets its zing! from chipotle and pasilla chile peppers, and Roasted Lamb with Fire-Roasted Pepper Sauce is flavored with jalapeno peppers and fennel. Classic jambalaya, etouffee, and gumbo are reinvented with such far-flung ingredients as star anise, cilantro, yuca, plantain, and mango.
Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen. is an exciting exploration of the new flavors that have made Louisiana cooking even better.
Publishers Weekly
In the 15 years since Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen first appeared, even traditional Louisiana tastes and flavors have gracefully accepted international influences, as the recipes here attest. Now there are parsnips, banana peppers and poblano chiles in Chicken and Oyster Gumbo; a quarter-cup of sliced ginger adds a lively punch to Stuffed Sirloin Tip Roast; yuca is a key ingredient in Lamb Stew with Greens.Even so, just about every recipe here employs blends of garlic powder, cayenne, dried herbs and other flavors that preserve the ' Creole/Cajun heritage. Recipes are as simple and solid as Vegetables and Chicken Ole!, in which all ingredients are combined and baked in one pan, and as time-consuming as Stuffed Flounder, in which deboned fish are layered with smoked Cheddar cheese topped with pureed crawfish tails (or shrimp) and vegetables. Desserts include Sweet Potato Custard and Apple Pie with Chiles and Cheese, which is tailor-made for Prudhomme's spice-loving fans. Author tour. (Feb.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
It has been 15 years since Prudhomme's first cookbook was published (Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen), and his Cajun-Creole style of cooking (and, specifically, his blackened redfish) has become widely known and imitated. The recipes in his latest book use his familiar seasoning mixes (many of which are now marketed commercially), but they also incorporate ingredients that would have been unheard of in a Louisiana kitchen even a decade ago: Shrimp Mango Bisque, Veal-Stuffed Poblano Chiles, Penne with Lemongrass-Basil Pesto. The recipe instructions are very clear, with taste "guidepoints" (e.g., "...the caramelization brings out the natural sweetness of the onions...") italicized for emphasis. Prudhomme, who has several television cooking shows running concurrently, has a large following, and his new book is recommended for most libraries. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
