The New England Cookbook: 350 Recipies from Town and Country, Land and Sea, Hearth and Home [Paperback]

Brooke Dojny (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1999

In The New England Cookbook, Brooke Dojny picks up the strands of culinary influence and provides, in 350 recipes and plenteous anecdotes, a portrait of the way New Englanders cook today.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Apart from Native American cooking, the dishes of New England are our country's most venerable. Brooke Dojny's The New England Cookbook offers more than 350 recipes, including traditional favorites such as Boston Clam Chowder as well as unexpected pleasures such as Athena Diner Avgolemono. Many of these come from the immigrants who have made New England their home over the years. Because Dojny has cast her recipe net widely, the book is comprehensive; readers interested in a complete view of Northeast cooking, and those seeking simple recipes for good food--plain to reasonably fancy, old-fashioned to contemporary--will welcome the book.

In chapters devoted to dish types, from starters to desserts, Dojny reveals a compelling culinary repertoire. Among her selection, cooks will want to try Vermont Chicken and Leek Pie with Biscuit Crust, Rosemary Grilled Bluefish with Rosemary Lime Butter, and North Fork Crusty Pan-Seared Scallops. A chapter on sandwiches and pizzas includes such savory temptations as Portuguese Chourico, Peppers, and Onion Grinder and Famous New Haven White Clam Pizza; one of two bread-baking chapters offers breakfast specialties such as Berkshire Puffed Apple Skillet-Baked Pancake. Dojny's dessert recipes are particularly attractive, presenting the likes of Hester's Sour Lemon Pudding Cake, Hungarian Crêpes with Walnut Filling and Warm Chocolate Sauce, or the eloquently simple and good Best Maine Blueberry Pie.

With anecdotal sidebars and a list of sources for down-home ingredients, the book invites the solid, flavorful American cooking that is our principal culinary heritage. --Arthur Boehm

From Publishers Weekly

In this ambitious cookbook, Dojny (AMA Family Health Cookbook) mines her Norwalk, Conn., childhood to bring Americans a hearty dose of Yankee tradition. She emphasizes seafood from the coast, with heavy infusions of Hungarian, Italian and Greek cuisines and the occasional light departure (Laos-in-Vermont Crispy Raw Vegetable Spring Rolls). The narrative conjures a quaint atmosphere of roadside diners (Athena Diner Avgolemono), county fairs and clam shacks. Strong points include classic starches like Golden Corn Pudding and Classic Parker House Rolls, and the poultry and dessert (Lucetta Peabody's Baked Fudge Pudding Cake) sections. Some recipes, however, do not provide sufficient information about preparation times, storage and substitutions: for example, Narragansett Beer Battered Fish 'n' Chips, while scrumptious, may need water to lighten the batter when unforewarned cooks have no flat beer; and in most of the chowders (Thick and Creamy Boston Clam Chowder, Milky Maine Steamer Chowder, and Nor'easter Baked Fish Chowder) the author doesn't advise which stock is the best optionAclam broth, clam juice or fish stock. But Dojny's many homely dishes (Hungarian Beef Goulash, Vineyard Chicken and Corn Chowder) well suit a bleak day on Nantucket. Author tour. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Common Press (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155832139X
• ISBN-13: 978-1558321397
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #720,482 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brooke Dojny is an award-winning food journalist and cookbook author with a specialty in writing about New England food. Her recent books on the subject are The New England Cookbook (1999), The New England Clam Shack Cookbook (2003, revised 2008), Dishing Up Maine (2006), and New England Home Cooking (2011). Lobster! will be published by Storey Publishing in 2012.

Brooke began her career working as a chef-caterer for Martha Stewart, assisting with recipe development on Martha's first book, Entertaining. In the 1980s, she was hired by the original COOK'S Magazine as a recipe tester and developer, equipment tester, and assistant food stylist. Teaming up with Melanie Barnard, another COOK'S freelancer, the duo launched a syndicated newspaper column and, in 1985, published their first cookbook, Sunday Suppers, which was nominated for an IACP award. Several other titles followed, including Let's Eat In and Parties! (both nominated for James Beard awards), and The AMA Family Cookbook which was a James Beard Award winner in 1998. Brooke was also the winner of the Newman's Own/Good Housekeeping recipe contest in 1998 as an entrant in the food professional category. She has made numerous television and radio appearances around the country.

For many years, Brooke and Melanie co-wrote "Every Night Cooking," a regular monthly column in Bon Appetit Magazine. Brooke's work has appeared in Food & Wine, Saveur, and Cooking Light. She currently writes a weekly column in the Portland Press Herald and is a frequent contributor to Down East Magazine. Brooke lives on the Blue Hill peninsula in Maine.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must have" for every kitchen!, December 13, 1999

By 

K. Snedeker (FFLD, CT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New England Cookbook: 350 Recipies from Town and Country, Land and Sea, Hearth and Home (Paperback)

Not only is this book filled with the classic chowder, lobster and other Yankee fish recipies one would expect from a New England Cookbook, the book is filled with ethnic flavors and modern twists. Using these recipes, Thanksgiving dinner was the best I've ever had (No-Cook Cranberry Kumquat Relish is unbelievable). I've been using the book at least once a week (Maple-Mustard Pork Medallions were a big hit as were the Mini-Crab Cakes with Lime Pepper Sauce). The anecdotes are informative and entertaining and the recipies are easy to follow. I like the fact that most of them use ingredients that are easy to find. Additionally, for cooks who read cookbooks for inspiration, this is as good as it gets. I can't say enough about it, and for the price it's an absolute steal.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best in New England culinary history and recipes, February 17, 2000

By 

Ethnic food enthusiast (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New England Cookbook: 350 Recipes from Town and Country, Land and Sea, Hearth and Home (America Cooks) (Hardcover)

I admit, I am biased in favor of this book, having met the author, spent hours creating the index for the book, and being a New Englander. Bias aside, this is a wonderful book to own and I highly recommend it for a number of reasons. Not only is it packed with loads of history, anecdotes, and unusual culinary facts, but also has over 350 recipes gathered from both well-known and obscure dining establishments and locally famous home cooks throughout the six New England states. Nearly every page has side text ranging from Stephen King's favorite home recipe, to the origins of the Fluffernutter sandwich, to the dishes served at a typical New England Italian-American Christmas Eve celebration. I tested over a dozen recipes while indexing the book and all were well-presented, easy to follow, used easily accessible ingredients, and delicious. Sardine Pasta with Fresh Parsley was a knockout for bold, fresh flavor. Down East Bouillabaisse with Dried Cranberry Rouille was extravagant, yet, despite the long list of ingredients, was simple to prepare and impressive to serve. The Famous New Haven White Clam Pizza, made famous from the New Haven pizzeria, Pepe's, earned its "best in the world" reputation. This cookbook is a worthy addition to anyone's cookbook library.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The New Bible of New England Cooking, December 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The New England Cookbook: 350 Recipies from Town and Country, Land and Sea, Hearth and Home (Paperback)

This book is a 600+ page magical mystery tour through all facets of Yankee culinary traditions. It includes definitive recipes for such staples as Boston Clam Chowder and "Best Maine Blueberry Pie" -(which even rivals my mom's classic recipe.. don't tell...)- while also incorporating recipes which represent New England's international influences (Greek Moussaka, Hungarian Goulash, and a scrumptuous Jamaican Jerk Pork). This book is an essential purchase for both the serious "foodie" and those who are just learning their way around the kitchen. I myself appreciate the fact that the recipes are written in a clear manner without using an excess of confusing, slangy jargon (and without demanding that I purchase a bunch of fancy, hard-to-find ingredients). A true must-buy!