Mmmmiami: Tempting Tropical Tastes for Home Cooks Everywhere [Hardcover]

Martin Kotkin (Author), Kathy Martin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 7, 1998

Caribbean food is the hot new sensation--here is what to do with mangoes in Minneapolis, papayas in Peoria. Miami chefs put the city on the culinary map in the 1980s by drawing on Cuban, Jamaican, Haitian, Peruvian, and Salvadoran cooking in a zippy fusion cooking style called New World Cuisine. Here two Miami food pros show how to incorporate these exotic produce and seasonings into everyday cooking and entertaining. Try Yuca Puffs or Coconut Shrimp in Island-Spiced Batter or main course entrees such as Roast Chicken with Savory Guava Glaze, Macho Steak, and Cashew Crusted Pompano. There are recipes for soups and stews, salads and dressings, side dishes, salsas, chutneys, and sauces, as well as twenty-eight tempting desserts including Free-Form Mango Tart, Carambola Upside-down Cake, and individual Chocolate-Cuban Coffee Souffles. The ingredient guide gives directions on buying, storing, and preparing tropical produce. Menu suggestions include wine choices.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

America's gateway to the Caribbean is one of the most diverse cities in the States, and has produced a delightful melange of foods to satisfy so many different palates. Fortunately for those of us living in colder climates, tropical and subtropical foods are increasingly common on grocery shelves, and Mmmmiami is our guide to turning those mangoes and Scotch-bonnet peppers into delicacies we could once only read about. Written by cooking teacher Carole Kotkin and Miami Herald food editor Kathy Martin, it provides clear, simple directions for 150 dishes, from the simple (good old Key Lime Pie) to the sublime (Coconut Mahi-Mahi with Passion Fruit Sauce). The wide array of flavors is especially wonderful and startling to those used to monocultural cooking; Miami cuisine is the product of many generations of interbreeding and hybrid vigor. Not to worry about tracking down the elusive pigeon peas, though--if the full range of tropical tidbits hasn't quite reached you yet, the authors kindly provide alternatives. Twenty-five menus round out this well-organized book, inspiring respectful salivation in the landlocked. --Rob Lightner

From Publishers Weekly

Cooking school teacher Kotkin and Martin, food editor of the Miami Herald, provide clear, flexible recipes (most of them of medium difficulty) perfectly suited to home cooking in this tribute to the foods of Miami. Miami's melting pot is influenced by many tropical cuisines?including those of Cuba, Jamaica and Haiti?and the authors fuse such Caribbean influences with fare from other parts of the world: Potato and Black Bean Pancakes with Cilantro-Goat Cheese Sauce were inspired by Hanukkah latkes. Clever, unfussy presentations abound (Black Bean and White Corn Soup is two soups presented in a single bowl). There are plenty of piquant dishes (Florida White Chili with white beans and chicken meat) and refreshing salads such as Baby Greens and Arugula with Fat-Free Papaya-Mint Dressing. Historical information (Arawaks, Caribbean natives of several centuries ago, were early Florida barbecuers) is presented with helpful tips on selecting, storing and handling ingredients. Variations are abundant and worthwhile. For example, a recipe for the ubiquitous Arroz con Pollo comes with eight suggestions, ranging from making a soupier dish to incorporating beer rather than wine. The chapter with salsa recipes is a standout. Agent, Jane Dystel.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.; 1st edition (October 7, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805056734
• ISBN-13: 978-0805056730
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #926,566 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delicious recipes/intriguing text give readers a taste of FL, April 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mmmmiami: Tempting Tropical Tastes for Home Cooks Everywhere (Hardcover)

As a former Miamian now living in Virginia, reading this wonderful new book was like taking a trip to my hometown. It has many delicious recipes that seem to me to capture the true essence of tropical cuisine. Try making the Hot and Tangy Black Bean Dip for an easy (and low fat) snack that will wake up your taste buds.I prepared the Calabazas and Sweet Potato Soup for company and received raves reviews from my guests.It's really simple to make and everyone will think you worked all day cooking it.Mmmmiami also offers the reade an interesting history of the growth of So. Florida and the influence that the influx of Latin tourists, businesspeople and immigrants have had on the culture.The book's witty and clever text explains why tropical cuisine is now the hottest food trend sweeping the country.I think this wonderful book should be a staple (like black beans and rice)in the house of any serious cook. I recommend Mmmmiami highly.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mmmmm Mmmmm Good, December 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Mmmmiami: Tempting Tropical Tastes for Home Cooks Everywhere (Hardcover)

Reading through MMMiami is almost as much fun as actually tasting the results. This readable collection of recipes showcases the best of Miami's tropical and latin cuisine with an emphasis on using only the freshest ingredients available. Sprinkled throughout with helpful hints, historical tidbits, and fun food facts, MMMiami is filled with easy to understand recipes that are sure crowd pleasers. The techniques and tips offer time-saving shortcuts that will help not only for the recipes contained here, but for all of your daily cooking tasks. The authors succeed in sharing their knowledge and love of Florida foods to the rest of us who (until now) have only dreamt of being able to concoct a coconut flan. The chocolate-pecan torte is worth the price of the book alone.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful book from a true food professional., January 23, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Attalla, AL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mmmmiami: Tempting Tropical Tastes for Home Cooks Everywhere (Hardcover)

A wonderful book if I still lived in Miami. The availability of some of the products might be limited to Florida and major metropolitan areas. I would love Carole to publish something from her early cooking classes. I rely on those recipes on a regular basis.