Maine Ingredients

As Junior League cookbooks go, I'm really impressed by this one. It's hardback and spiral bound, in the tradition of "Betty Crocker" cookbooks. And there are an absolute ton of recipes in this 309 page book... At least 400, which in any cookbook, is absolutely impressive. The variety of recipes is also pretty staggering, from the basics like Hot Chocolate and Lemon Lime Chicken and Vegetable Sautee and Tomato Soup to some more exotic and sophisticated recipes like Apple Rosemary Tea Bread, Appledore Scalloped Apples, Seafood Crepes, Venison Burgers, and Veal with Lobster Cream Sauce. This cookbook is a compilation of recipes submitted by a variety of home cooks, and as such, it suffers from the same things that many cookbooks in the same style do. Some of the recipes are not as clear as they could be, some of the recipes need to be tweaked a bit to correct under seasoned (or over seasoned) food, and a few others are just no good at all. Some of the foods, especially in the breads section, can be really hit-or-miss. However, the absolute flawlessness of the Desserts and Beverages section more than makes up for a few disasters in the bread section. The good outweighs the bad, and this is certainly a cookbook that has some very good, very unique, home-style recipes. For those of us who've been to Maine, this book is an extra treat as many of these recipes are decent clones of ones found at famous and/or popular eateries. And if you enjoy seafood, there are a ton of seafood recipes that you know come from real "Mainers" who know how to best serve their seafood. :D I'd have to say, I suggest this book to people who have been to Maine, seafood lovers, and all but the beginner of beginner cooks (only because like I said, a number of recipes need tweaking and one just starting to cook might not know how to tweak recipes or spot possible problems). There are some real hits in this book, and there are some real misses, but the hits far outweigh the misses in quantity and quality. I wish I could give it 3.5 stars, but 4 is good too. :) One tip: Research before prices buying this book. I saw it in Maine all over the place, so many might be tempted to buy it there. However, the prices vary a bit. I saw it for $15 in Portland, $15 in Bangor, $20 in Bar Harbor, $21 in Acadia Nat Park, and $30 in a gas station off the Interstate. I've also seen it for as little as $5 to as high as $40 online. I'd say price has a lot to do with the satisfaction of the book. I'd be delighted with it for $5 - $10, but for $40 I'd feel ripped off.