Brooke Dojny

Had a tough time deciding a star rating on this one...it's a great book, visually and otherwise...but there were times that the author gave off this foodie snob vibe that got under my skin (like how slicing good old gingerbread in wedges is a nicer presentation than squares), AND she has the idea of a Maine Italian wrong. Now that shouldn't be a biggie in the grand scheme of a pretty great book but since a perfect Maine Italian is my personal favorite comfort food ever then I took it show more seriously! Lots of good tidbits about the food movements in Maine, the goodness of local and some great recipes (mixed with some that I'll never try). Also charming quotes from children's books about Maine food, and fabulous photos. show less

I have lived in New England for the past 30 years and we take our chowder very seriously. Lucky for us, we have a new book that gives us recipes for 57 chowders and seven stews. I really loved the layout of the book. The recipes were stated simply and each recipe contained everything you need to know about to cook that particular type of chowder including which type of clam to use, how to clean the fish, how to store it and side dishes, breads and salads to match. Intermittent bits of show more information about fish and chowders are woven throughout the book and it was fun to learn facts and folklore of chowder. The pictures were vibrant and nicely laid out. I made two of the chowders (sweet corn chowder and Manhattan corn chowder) and they were tasty and easy to make. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves chowder as much as I do, especially if you do not know where to begin. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this book for an honest opinion show less

I haven't historically been a big chowder fan. I'm not even sure whether I've ever had clam chowder. I know, I know. What kind of American has never even tried clam chowder??

But I'm a pesctarian. That means I eat a lot of fish and seafood, along with vegetarian. And how can you be pescatarian and not eat chowder? Even if I don't want to eat clam chowder, there are other kinds of chowder. Right?

Ummmm...what other kinds of chowder is there? Well, I knew about fish chowder, and then show more there's...

...

...

Hmmm.

Okay. I guess I really do need this book!

Well, I can tell you that the cover photo looks delicious! Upon opening this book, I found that it is really visually appealing. I liked the Table of Contents, which looks like an old hand-drawn map.

The author starts with a brief history of chowder, typical ingredients and what makes chowder "chowder". The next chapter has some typical chowder-type recipes. There are clear chowders, milky white chowders, red chowders. Next come seafood stews and bisque. Then tasty accompanying breads, salads and desserts.

I made the Smoked Fish and Corn Chowder for Floyd recipe from the book. I used smoked salmon rather than mackerel or trout as suggested in the recipe, and one or two other minor tweaks or substitutions. The salmon created a greasy orange film in the chowder, so it didn't look like a creamy white chowder, but ohhhhhh the flavor! It was pretty good the first day, but the second and third days? Oh so good! Red potatoes and corn with cream and smoked salmon. Yum!

My final word: Full of beautiful photos and chock full of flavor-packed chowder recipes, this book is for chowder-lovers and novices alike. There are a number of traditional clam chowders as well as lots of fish and seafood, chicken and veggies. There is even a "Day-After-Thanksgiving Chowder"! If your idea of a deliciously comforting meal is centered around a steaming pot of chowder, then this book is for you! show less

It turns out that I am looking for stew-land, because chowder is so often fished-based. Nonetheless, nicely laid out, nicely paired with salads and desserts, and many options for things other than fish provided.