Sarah Leah Chase

This book was written by someone who is very upper middle-class to lower upper-class: someone who can afford a home in Cape Cod and a vacation home in Maine and went to a private boarding school. The author catered and had a gourmet foods store for the jet set when they vacationed in Cape Cod. The recipes reflect this. Not pretentious in that there's no molecular gastronomy, but she encourages the use of locally-produced ingredients that probably aren't cheap. At least half (and probably more) of the recipes are for fresh lobster, clams, oysters, crab, and/or scallops. If you don't like or can't afford seafood, you might want to skip this cookbook. I live near the beach, but I only have access to local crabs and shrimp. I enjoyed armchair traveling and I marked a number of delicious-looking recipes in case I make it to New England and have access to a kitchen. I really appreciate that she provided attributions/pedigrees for her recipes. She's not pretending that she came up with them out of thin air.… (more)

I cook and bake as a hobby. Food is my love-language, and I collect cookbooks of all kinds. I was very excited to check this one out.

This is a big, beautifully done book. There are 300 recipies, stunning photos, and a good deal of informative writing included. You may or may not like the addition of the writing. I do, so that's a plus for me. I'm a really visual person so the pictures and stories included paint a visual that elevates a cookbook. The author clearly knows her subject matter and it shows. There is a wide variety covered from drinks to salads, soups to clam bakes.

I did struggle with many of the recipies (for my taste) being overly complicated. When a recipe starts by telling me to get a good nights sleep, and lists a wheelbarrow and cinder blocks needed...well, you've probably lost me. I consider myself a decent cook. I cook from scratch, source from local farms, etc., but others certainly may feel differently. Not all recipes are as involved, but enough that I can't give this higher then three stars.

I received this cookbook from a goodreads.com giveaway, however all opinions and comments are my own.… (more)