Lobster and Other Shellfish

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Any lingering perception that Maritime cooking consists of cod tongues
and ’tatters is firmly put to rest by this set of four cookbooks.

Upscale. Nouveau. Elegant verging on precious. The series presents
Maritime cooking as unique, yet equal to the best that’s available
from leading-edge gourmet hot-spots like New York.

The books are big on appearances. Fine-food presentation is an art, the
authors say, and the generous use of full-color photography throughout
the books reinforce their contention that presentation is one of the
main ingredients in a recipe’s desirability.

The recipe selection includes some traditional regional specialties
(lobster roll, blueberry grunt, apple dumplings, salmon loaf) but these
are outnumbered by recipes that reflect modern trends and international
influences. If you appreciate coulis, these books are for you. Perhaps
blueberry coulis can be excused as the result of too much enthusiasm or
too many blueberries, but red beet coulis?

Each of the four books contains approximately 40 to 50 recipes (of
which nearly half are illustrated by great photos), a brief introduction
to its subject (which includes a selection guide and nutritional
values), a practical index, and a list of restaurants that contributed
recipes. The books are beautiful—the coffee-table books of the
cookbook genre. The recipes are intriguing and despite the yuppie
pretensions, respect for the regional foods is unmistakable.