Potluck at Midnight Farm: Celebrating Food, Family, and Friends on Martha's Vineyard (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "I have potlucks because they are fun..." (more)
Key Phrases: midnight farm, dessert party, tamari sauce, Martha's Vineyard, New York, Valentine's Day (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Everyone loves potluck parties. Recognizing this, Tamara Weiss offers Potluck at Midnight Farm, a collection of 130 potluck recipes contributed by her friends and neighbors in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. The island is home not only to Midnight Farm, the gift shop Weiss owns with Carly Simon, but also to cooks whose recipes strike just the right relaxed yet sophisticated note. Their dishes, from Lighthouse Lasagna and Grilled Striped Bass with Wasabi and Ginger to Roasted Pecan Coffee Cake and Diane Sawyer's Cherry Pie, are easy-to-do crowd pleasers. Cooks interested in recipes for a wide range of informal gatherings--from backyard dinners to bring-your-own picnics--will find the book a valuable culinary resource.

"I am an organizer," says Weiss, and to prove it she offers useful tips for successful potluck events. (Pick a main course to give to food-bringing guests; direction is an obvious but often overlooked example.) The recipes are arranged by season and include menus like the one featuring Coriander Chicken, Beetroot Salad, Grilled Striped Bass with Papaya-Lime Sauce, and Fresh Fruit Tart, among other dishes. Other menus are equally appealing. With 190 color photos of the gatherings in various island locales, tips, and a foreword by Carly Simon, the book is a can't-miss guide to informal entertaining. --Arthur Boehm

From Publishers Weekly

In a bid for the Barefoot Contessa audience, Weiss, co-owner with Simon of a home furnishings store on Martha's Vineyard, offers suggestions and recipes for casual potluck parties. These are reportedly culled from various thematic potlucks that Weiss herself has organized or attended, so a chapter on Indian Night includes Green Mango Chutney and Mango Lassi, and one on a Long Point Autumn Afternoon (held at the local wildlife refuge) offers Steak, Arugula and Parmesan Wraps, and Napa and Cilantro Salad with Spicy Peanuts. Each chapter bears a rather lengthy descriptive introduction extolling the natural wonders of the island. The result is something of a mishmash, and a few recipes do not even seem appropriate to the potluck format Herb and Garlic Roasted Chicken sounds delicious, but calls for deglazing the pan at the last minute to create a sauce. Ultimately, this is a collection of solid if unsurprising dishes appropriate for entertaining (such as Seared Tuna with Wasabi Aioli on Crispy Wontons and Fresh Fruit Tart), organized in a somewhat confusing manner. Each recipe is credited to a potluck guest, and since Martha's Vineyard is a resort where the elite like to summer, there are selections from famous names: Daphne's Fried Chicken from Bill Styron and Mary Steenburgen's Corn Spoon Pudding. (Apr.)Forecast: This is likely to sell best to those who love Martha's Vineyard and what's not to love? Those unfamiliar with the magical island, however, may not be quite as charmed by the chatty prose and familiar recipes.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter (April 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609609092
• ISBN-13: 978-0609609095
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #221,655 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Winner!, June 19, 2002

By	Heidi Pierce "Giaus Marius" (clarence center,, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I Loved this cookbook! I first made the Lighthouse Lasagne and everyone raved, then onto the corn spoon pudding at another occasion, did I mention the Roasted Herb and Garlic Chicken, Tooo Good! This is a great cookbook for ANYONE that gets invited (To be so Lucky )a potluck with their children. How wonderful it is to spend an evening with friends and you're children and have great family food and fellowship. This is not a celebrity cookbook as some have mentioned, but rather a wAY TO get together book.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than you think., June 12, 2002

By A Customer

Ignore the parochial carping and celebrity baiting found in the previous reviews. This is actually a handsome and useful book. Not all of recipes are keepers, but that's true of any cookbook. The good ones, though, are quite good (the fried chicken is sensational), and the entertaining tips are savvy and valuable. Well worth the [money].

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Glossy, fun, but......, July 1, 2002

By A Customer

Sure it's fun looking. Great pictures. But some of the recipes I tried were far from good and I AM a cook. In addition, once you look through it, you get a little tired of seeing all of these gorgeous faces in glamourous settings and long for something a bit more "real". I am not sure why I bought this- and I will get a little fun out of it, but I will be passing it on as it is not a keeper. Makes a decent GIFT, but for the serious cook- or even the not so serious cook- this will be like an afternoon with People Magazine. Not a lot worth remembering.