The Flavors of the Florida Keys

October 18, 2010
A Sloppy Joe's sandwich is the last thing one might expect to qualify as a Florida Keys flavor, but Gassenheimer (Dinner in Minutes) tracks its origins to a Florida speakeasy frequented by Hemingway and provides a classic, ketchup-filled recipe. Of course, among her more than 200 other offerings there are plenty of exactly what one would expect, namely, seafood, Key limes, and rum. There are tempting ceviche appetizers as well as plenty of shrimp options, and several of the fish entrees probably taste better than they sound. Dottie Hill's Hog Snapper and tuna puttanesca both have a garlic and onion safety net, while snapper Rangoon has a touch of cinnamon. The limes show up not only in pies, but in cake, ice cream, fudge sauce, cookies, and cocktails, as well as a seafood pasta and even French toast. Rum fuels three different mojito options in addition to a piña colada and the Tiki John's rum runner, which calls for blackberry brandy and banana liqueur. Spoon some colada into a rum runner and you get what the locals call either a candy cane or, more appropriately for those who think it a crime, a Miami vice.

Starred review from September 15, 2010

After a brief history of the Florida Keys, James Beard Award winner Gassenheimer (Dinner in Minutes) credits originating restaurants for these recipes. As one would expect, there is an assortment of drinks, including Pina Colada, Key Lime Cosmopolitan, and Key Lime Martini. Seafood and desserts, such as Tropical Coffee Cake (made with key lime juice, pineapple, and coconut) and Key Lime Cookies, are also plentiful. Highly recommended for Gassenheimer's knowledge of the area and the well-written recipes.

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2010
In her second cookbook featuring Florida Keys cuisine (there are nine others), award-winning newspaper columnist Gassenheimer takes readers on a food journey along the 110-mile string of islands, capturing more than 200 recipes from resorts, eating shacks, and just plain folks. Except for indigenous ingredients like conch, stone crab, and hogfish (among a few others), most dishes are accessible to home cooks, calories be damned. In fact, this unique combination of Cuban, French, British, Caribbean, and American cuisines reads like a world trip. Start with sangria blanco and hogfish ceviche, chomp down on horseradish-crusted grouper and black bean and rice salad, and finish with your choice of at least nine different key lime-infused desserts (such as cake, ice cream, fudge sauce, cookies, pie, squares, and parfait). Great extras include tips about how to type and cook fish and information about the variety of Keys restaurants and resorts that lent their expertise to the recipes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)