THE FLAVORS OF THE FLORIDA KEYS

THE FLAVORS OF THE FLORIDA KEYS
by Linda Gassenheimer
Grove Atlantic
December 2010
$27.50
color photos
ISBN-13: 978-0802119537

Contact: Deb Seager
dseager@groveatlantic.com
(212) 614-7874

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 humble Bahamian Conch Chowder to the sophisticated Crab Cakes with Pommery Mustard Sauce. 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 Keys. 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 book by your side, and discover hidden treasures, like Coconut Candied Beet Salad. Use the book as a stove-side companion to bring the sunlight and spirit of the Keys to your own dining table.

About the Author

Linda Gassenheimer is a TV and Radio Personality, Syndicated Journalist and Best Selling Author. Her weekly National Public Radio program, Food News and Views, is heard on WLRN 91.3 FM and world-wide at wlrn.org. She has appeared many times on the Television Food Network and many other national TV shows. Her syndicated Dinner in Minutes column reaches over 6 million readers each week, and she writes regularly for several other national publications. Her other books include Mix N’ Match Meals in Minutes for People with Diabetes, The Portion Plan, Prevention’s Fit and Fast Meals in Minutes, Good-Carb Meals in Minutes, Good-Carb Diet for Life, and Low-Carb Meals in Minutes which reached number 1 on Amazon.com’s bestseller list for all books and number 2 on the L.A. Times Hot Books List. Visit Linda Gassenheimer on her website, www.DinnerInMinutes.com.

Sample Recipes

Sundowners’ Crab Cakes with Pommery Mustard Sauce

Arrive by boat or by car and enjoy a delicious lunch or dinner at this Key Largo treasure. When I tasted Sundowner’s crab cakes, I couldn’t believe how light and flavorful they were. These are loaded with crab meat just loosely held together by a mayonnaise-mustard mixture. Manager, Paul White, gave me the simple secret. They use the best quality, lump crab meat and very little filling.

Serves 4

1 egg
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 pound jumbo lump crab meat
2 tablespoons canola oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix egg, Worcestershire sauce, mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard butter, Old Bay seasoning and breadcrumbs together by hand in a large bowl. Mix in the crab meat.

Form into 4 crab cakes, about 3 to 4 inches in diameter.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the crab cakes. Sauté 1 minute. Turn and sauté 1 minute. Place in the oven for 2 minutes.

While crab cakes bake, mix sauce ingredients.

Pommery Mustard Sauce

1/4 cup whole grain or coarse grain mustard
6 tablespoons heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mix ingredients together. Spoon onto 4 plates and place crab cake over sauce.

MA’s Bahamian Conch Chowder

Mike Burgeen and Andy Putetti, the MA in their restaurant name, MA’s Fish Camp restaurant in Islamorada, are professional sport fishing guides who decided to open a restaurant. Now they fish and cook. Mike and Andy’s Bahamian Chowder is a specialty there. They infuse the chowder with habanera peppers. According to Andy, “they make hot taste sweet.” These are one of the hottest peppers known. He cautions, “remove the peppers after the vegetables are sautéed.”

Serves 4

1/2 pound conch
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup sliced onion
3/4 cup sliced carrots
3/4 cup sliced celery
1/2 habanera pepper, seeds and ribs removed (other hot peppers can be substituted)
4 cups fish broth
1/2 cup tomato paste
2 teaspoons dried thyme
3 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
2 cups Russet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Remove orange foot from conch and chop in a food processor.

Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add onion, carrots, celery and habanera pepper. Sauté until the vegetables begin to shrivel, about 5 minutes. Remove habanera pepper.

Add fish broth and tomato paste. Stir to combine paste with broth. Add thyme and Old Bay. Add potatoes and conch, bring to a simmer, cover and cook 25 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Key Lime Cream Pie

I think there are almost as many key lime pie recipes as there are inhabitants of the Keys. They all start with juice from the unique key lime, which has a distinct flavor than traditional Persian limes. As I thought about the desserts for this book, I decided to try a pie based on crème patissiere or pastry cream. The result was an instant success. The delicious custard easily takes on the distinct key lime flavor. The pastry cream gives the pie a more velvety texture with a delicious balance of sweet and tart. Try it and surprise your guests with this variation on the theme of a traditional key lime pie.

Serves 8 to 10

Graham Cracker Crust
1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 stick), melted

Filling
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1-1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons butter
1-1/2 cups sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup key lime juice
Place graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter into the crumbs and press mixture into a 9 or 10 inch pie plate. Place in the refrigerator until needed.
Beat egg yolks with electric mixer and slowly add the sugar. Continue to beat until the mixture is almost white and begins to form a ribbon. Lift the beaters and form a W.  If this remains, the ribbon stage has been reached. Beat in the cornstarch.

With mixer running slowly pour in the milk and vanilla. Pour mixture into a sauce pan and place over medium heat, stirring constantly. The sauce will become lumpy as it comes to a boil. Continue whisking to smooth limps. When a bubble forms the flour is cooked. Remove from the heat.

Whisk in the butter until it is melted. Mix sweetened condensed milk with the key lime juice. Stir into the sauce. Pour into prepared pie crust. Place in refrigerator for at least one hour.

These Recipes may be reproduced with the following credit:
Recipes from The Flavors of the Florida Keys by Linda Gassenheimer (Grove Atlantic; Fall 2010; $27.50)