Customer Reviews

Durgin-Park Cookbook: Classic Yankee Cooking in the Shadow of Faneuil Hall (Roadfood Cookbook)

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Every now and then you run across an exceptional cookbook. The Durgin-Park Cookbook is one example. It is beautifully laid out with good photos and interesting sidebars full of extra tidbits of history and anecdotes about this Boston institution.

Over the past weekend I made three recipes from this cookbook alone. The Corn Bread # 2 recipe was a real keeper. It had a light texture, was moist, and was crispy on the edges. I added my own twist by throwing in finely diced fresh chives and sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil (drained).

The chicken wings, marinated and basted with a garlic and ginger sauce, were also quite easy and tasty. As with any cookbook, I always analyze the ingredients and decide if they will be to my taste. For example, if ginger powder is called for, as in the chicken wings recipe in this book, I almost always use fresh ginger. Why not? I keep one-inch length pieces of ginger in the freezer and just take them out whenever a recipe calls for powder or fresh. It's all personal preference of course. I just happen to think ground ginger powder tastes harsh.

The Parmesan Potato Rounds recipe was also quite excellent. It is made much like a gratin, but without the heavy cream. Again, it was simple to make and tasted like it took much longer. If you like Parmigiano-Reggiano and potatoes, what's not to like about this recipe? It had a crispy crust on top and soft, perfectly cooked potatoes on the inside.

The Sterns have put together some excellent cookbooks over the years and I'd have to say that this is one of my favorites in the Roadfood series. There are recipes for entertaining as well as daily fare. Most of the ingredient lists for the recipes are easily managed without a lot of complicated chopping, dicing, measuring, etc.

Hmm, let's see, this weekend maybe I'll make the Stuffed Pork Chops and Onion Casserole or perhaps the Scalloped Tomatoes...

I have been going to Durgin Park for the past 40 years and it is always the same. Real down home Yankee Cooking. The food is always great and very fresh. I was told that everything is bought daily and it is obvious by the quality of the food. If you are ever in Fanuiel Hall Market Place in Boston, this is a must to go too. Also, buy the book as there are real great recipes to try and there is also the history of Durgin Park in it. You won't be sorry you did............. Enjoy

Chef Tommy Ryan has been referred by many friends, associates and competitors as truly "The Czar of Yankee Cooking." After reading the book and visiting Durgin Park (as I have many times in the last 20 years) the reader will clearly see Chef Tommy Ryan has a basic principle and that is you must start with quality ingredients. Everything from the meat, fish, poultry, vegetables and deserts comes from the purveyors who sell the very best. After the Chef and his team prepare your meal it's truly a culinary masterpiece and this book gives the reader the steps to success in his/her home kitchen.

Every recipe I've tried has turned out great except for one. Has anyone tried the Chicken Pot Pie recipe on page 119? Just wondering if there may have been a print error - the recipe calls for 6 tsp of celery salt and 6 tsp of white pepper. To me this didn't seem right but I followed it anyway and ended up having to throw it out, we just couldn't eat it.

Otherwise a great cookbook!

the Durgin-Park Cookbook is perhaps the most disappointing cookbook I have ever bought. It seems that the authors did not bother to test the recipes. Several recipes, if followed to the letter, simply do not work. The recipe for baked beans, one of the staples of Durgin-Park, is incomplete; it omits adding liquid (presumaly the reserved bean stock) to the baked beans, resulting in something more akin to charcoal bricks and a pot that is all but impossible to clean. Even if bean stock is added, following the temperature and time specified produces an inedible mess. My wife and I have tried a few other recipes from the book; the results were lackluster, at best, and bore little resemblance to the dishes at Durgin-Park. Based on this cookbook, the secrets of Durgin-Park's cookery, the best Yankee cooking in Boston, remain secret.

Apart from the recipes, the book is quite enjoyable, with many interesting sidebars and photographs about the history of Durgin-Park. The feature on "Laura the Waitress" is classic. Perhaps the authors should simply write a history of Durgin-Park, and forget the recipes; even if the food could be matched, the ambiance couldn't.

I grew up near Boston and since I was a teenager this was a favorite restaurant of mine. The stories and pictures are terrific. However, I was a bit disappointed that not all of the recipes were from Durgin-Park. A fun read even if you don't cook much.

Durgin-Park Cookbook: Classic Yankee Cooking in the Shadow of Faneuil Hall (Roadfood Cookbook)

Wonderful cookbook with authentic recipes; great condition; fast shipping; would order again

Cookbook is excellent, has same recipes that I was expecting, cover was intact and contained information about the author. The cook from Durgin Park authored this great book and now I can enjoy his food 1000 miles away. Only thing missing was the Shepard's Pie.