The Florida Keys Cookbook: Recipes and Foodways of Paradise

by Victoria Shearer

Book Overview

The Florida Keys Cookbook is a fascinating combination of food history, local lore, and over 175 mouth-watering recipes showcasing the Florida Keys' bounty from Keys restaurant chefs and home cooks.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0762735465
• ISBN13: 9780762735464
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Insiders' Guide (CT)
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 8.5" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Outstanding

Great book!!! The recipes are simple, easy to follow and delicious. No hard to find ingredients. It includes recipes from different Int'l cuisines. The prelude to the recipes, history, anecdotes, etc...was interesting to read as well. Highly recommended.

Delicious Taste of the Keys

How many cookbooks do you buy, look at them once or twice and then forget about them? This cookbook is packed with genuine Florida Keys recipes including my favorite, "Chardonnay Shrimp." Since most of the recipes come from Keys restaurants, the book also acts as a restaurant guide. Interspersed with old photos and the history of the area, the book gives new meaning to "flavor of the area." A must have for those who love food and the Florida Keys.

Combines history, culture and local lore in 175 recipes

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (7/06) Victoria Shearer is a travel and food journalist. In "the Florida Keys Cookbook" she combines history, culture and recipes. This book is as versatile as the variety of ethnic influences of the Keys. Mix "Afro-Caribbean and Cuban to Spanish, Asian, British, German, and Italian-and the result is a diverse and vibrant culinary scene." Ms. Shearer walks us through history beginning with the ice age and advancing to the 21st century. The residents in the 1800's had to be a tough lot. "They endured hurricanes, mosquitoes, sand fleas, extreme heat, isolation, no fresh water, no refrigeration, no electricity, no modern plumbing and no medical aide." They battled "large roaches, and ants." They did have "clean air, warm sunshine, and the riches of the sea." I found of particular interest the discussion of water. Water was a precious commodity. Cisterns were built and houses equipped with a method of collecting rainwater. The Keys' becoming a popular vacation spot in the 1980's, was instrumental in a change in cuisine. Floribbean, was "colorful, ethnic, and bursting with new flavors, it swept the nation." The new cuisine has unofficially been dubbed "Conchfusion", "takes advantage of the increased availability of unusual ingredients from around the globe, fusing them with the bounty of the sea and the tropical jewels of the dooryard garden." The recipe for "Pulled Pork Barbecue" intrigued me. I could hardly wait to give it a try. It was worth the wait. The recipe reminds me of southern barbecue. The taste is tangy and rich, well worth the effort. Of course no Florida Keys Cookbook would be complete without recipes containing key limes. "Key Lime Cheese Cake" is delicious. I plan to hang on to this one and use it for special occasions. "Key Lime Cake" is a winner with my family. Anyone that has dreamed of a warm tropical nights with a gourmet meal, a fruit drink and palm trees swaying in the breeze will want a copy of this book.

Try a Taste of the Keys

Tasty recipes are interspersed with tidbits about the ingredients (pineapple, crab, papaya seeds, etc.). Vintage photos of Key West and interesting bits of history round out the book. The Chef's Note at the end of each recipe offers substitutions for hard-to-find ingredients. Key West is a melting pot of Cuban, French, Spaniards, Bahamians, and many other cultures, so the cuisine in this book reflects that diversity. Here's the Table of Contents: Food Customs, Cultures, and Traditions of the Florida Keys Cocktails, Coolers, and Finger Food Soups, Bisques, and Chowders Salads and Vegetables Rice, Beans, Tubers, and Pasta Fish and Seafood Meat and Poultry Grand Finales Bread and Breakfast Stocking the Tropical Pantry