The sun-drenched Florida Keys are a necklace of islands stretching more than 100 miles west from the tip of the state, where Caribbean, European, and American cultures meet. Linda Gassenheimer, South Florida local and nationally known food writer, has been visiting the Keys for decades and has seen them transform from a sleepy chain of islands to a sophisticated crossroads of culinary traditions. The islands' chefs have an unusually rich bounty of ingredients at hand from the Caribbean's array of seafood and the coconuts, pineapples, tomatoes, citrus and melons grown on the Upper and Middle Keys. In The Flavors of the Florida Keys, Linda Gassenheimer brings this distinctive corner of America to your kitchen with over two hundred recipes that range from the humble (Bahamian Conch Chowder) to the sophisticated (Crab Cakes with Pommery Mustard Sauce). In her quest for the best of the Keys' recipes, Gassenheimer has traveled everywhere from waterfront beach shacks to resort dining rooms. Along the way, she has collected the stories of the men and women behind the recipes the eccentric artists and writers, the local fishermen, and the bon vivants captured by the magical atmosphere of the Keys. Your dinner companions include chef Doug Shook from the acclaimed Louie's Backyard; Elena Spottswood, a member of one of the original Conch families, who shares her recipe for a perfect Cuban Mojito; and Wolfgang Birk, whose Ocean Bounty serves up an abundance of superlative seafood from the surrounding seas. Travel the Keys with Gassenheimer's book by your side, and discover its hidden treasures and its colorful history; keep a copy stove-side to bring the sunlight and spirit of the Keys to your dining table. It is hard to imagine more informed and entertaining dinner companions than Gassenheimer and the chefs and other characters from the Keys that she will introduce to you.
