A Culinary Island Adventure
St. Croix Food & Wine Experience
A trip to the island from your own kitchen
If you’re a foodie with dreams of beautiful island landscapes, pristine beaches, crisp blue skies and ocean waves then head to St. Croix. If you can’t make the trip then your next best alternative is to grab a copy of the St. Croix Food & Wine Experience – A Culinary Guide to the Island Featuring Recipes from Island and Celebrity Chefs.
The book is more than a cookbook. It’s a culinary island adventure that will allow readers to savor a taste of St. Croix from the comfort of their own kitchen. In addition while enjoying the keepsake style book as an afternoon read on the couch.
Content & Event: The authors combine local dishes from St. Croix chefs with those of visiting chefs during the annual St. Croix Food and Wine Experience. The St. Croix culinary event uses the setting of the Island and the attitude of island life as a base for the book and the competition. Don’t expect stuffy chef cook offs in industrial settings when you visit the St. Croix Food and Wine Experience. The competitors match culinary wits in competitions such as conch cracking, swimming and serious culinary trivia questions such as “What cut of meat did Lady Gaga wear?”
The weeklong event features dinners, competitions, tastings, sunset barbecues, classes for children, wine tastings and more. The book combines these events with the recipes from the chefs and plenty of information on the island, places to visit, places to dine and of course recipes to can make at home.
Layout: The book is filled with breathtaking photos combined with a clean and readable page design. It’s much more than just page after page of static recipes. Readers will enjoy looking over the pages for photos, insight on the island and more in addition to reading over the recipes. Look for the wine guide, island guide and sections which include beverages, appetizers, entrees, vegetarian, soups and stews and desserts.
Recipes & Ingredients: Each recipe in the book combines the feel of St. Croix with dishes can be prepared in any kitchen. Most of the recipes list ingredients that are common to many kitchens or that can be found in well stocked grocery stores and food retailers. In addition, the chef’s provide more than just a listing of ingredients and instructions. They offer directions in an easy to follow manner that allows for the reader to move through the cooking process in a comfortable way. Simply put… the chef’s reframe from becoming to “Chefy.” They make each recipe seem as if they had hand written it just for you.
Neat Sections: Look for the wine guide which was written by sommelier and restaurant owner Katherine Pugliese. Katherine, who has lived on St. Croix for more than 20 years and is one of the founders of the St. Croix Food & Wine Experience, pairs wines with tropical dishes.
St. Croix native and UncommonCaribbean.com editor Steve Bennett wrote the island guide, which is divided into four sections and provides historical and current information on culture, food, music and rum.
Select Recipes: There are over 100 recipes in the book from St. Croix Chefs and visiting Celebrity Chefs. Recipes include the Grilled Caribbean Rock Lobster Cakes by Chef Mathayon Vacharat of St. John Catering. Mathayon uses fresh local lobster with a very simple to prepare Lime vinaigrette. Another recipe is the Grilled Mahi-Mahi by Chef Patrick O. James of Galleon Restaurant on St. Croix. Patrick serves the Mahi-Mahi over a butternut squash base with lemon herb vinaigrette. Chef Govind Armstrong, owner of the 8oz Burger in Los Angeles, offers his recipe for Grilled Cheese & Pulled Short Rib Sandwich. Armstrong serves his sandwich up with sourdough bread. This dish by Chef Armstrong is said to be a favorite of Gail and Oprah Winfrey. Chef Kevin Rathbun, owner of several Atlanta restaurants, serves up his recipe for Cauliflower and Parmesan Soup with Cured Olive Crostini. Another wonderful dish is the Mango Rum Pulled Pork by Chef Betty Fraser of Grub Restaurant in Hollywood.
The St. Croix Food & Wine Experience – A Culinary Guide to the Island Featuring Recipes from Island and Celebrity Chefs would be a perfect addition to any culinary book collection. The crisp clean design, amazing photographs of the food, events, beach scenes and people make this book a visual feast… with a serving of Grilled Caribbean Rock Lobster.
Price: $19.99
Authors:
Jane Watkins (Author, Editor)
Katherine Pugliese (Author, Editor)
Steve Bennett (Author, Editor)
Photography by Ted Davis
Book Information:
Perfect Paperback: 120 pages Publisher: JWatkins Publishing; First edition (March 12, 2011) Language: English ISBN-10: 0983263701 ISBN-13: 978-0983263708 Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
Links:
http://www.watkinspr.com/Cookbook/
www.stcroixfoodandwine.com
