Notes from a Maine Kitchen: Seasonally Inspired Recipes

I recently heard Kathy Gunst being interviewed on NPR (Robin Young's Here & Now, I think.) She was discussing this book and recipes for Roasted Wild Mushroom Soup and Crusty Bread topped with Caramelized Apples & melted Gruyère Cheese. Doesn't that sound like the perfect lunch for a crisp fall day? I was hooked. The book contains so many seasonal meal ideas and while I probably won't be using the Lobster recipes very often, I will try them all during the coming year.

I have found this book to be a wonderful combination of memoir and cookbook. Having recently moved to Maine, I find the seasonal approach to preparing local foods sends be back to look and make seasonal dishes. I also enjoy the narrative that joins the seasons together into a year of food.

I don’t have easy access to most ingredients so this cookbook was not great for me. Maybe better for a very serious cook?

Loved this cookbook and Gunst's stories. Will definitely use this one. In great shape and arrived on time. Thank you.

I bought this book in response to hearing an interview with the author, Kathy Gunst, and appreciating her philosophy of buying local and eating seasonally.The recipes are simple, approachable, and elegant. Two of my favorites are the roasted wild mushroom soup (although I get my mushrooms from the grocery store), and the maple corn fritters. Both are easy to make but offer huge payoff! Most of the ingredients are widely available, but the recipes are usually flexible enough to allow for substitutes. Personally, I could do without the lengthy stories that open each chapter and I wish she had included pictures. Having said that, the book feels rustic like her recipes and her love for Maine shines through.

What a delicious book! It's fun just to see the recipes for Maine foods like smelt and ramps. I made the potato-leek soup and pumpkin-seed brittle for friends and now they think I can cook. But what really makes me love the book are the stories Kathy tells about living in Maine: fishing, hiking in the rain, and making blueberry pie in an isolated cabin. She is a lyrical writer, and I savored each account.

Kathy's done it again! She's made food come alive with her concise and informative recipes, and she's also captured the seasonal culinary life in Maine. Not only are the recipes delicious (creamed spinach with yogurt and nutmeg) but the stories surrounding them are a wonderful read. I can't wait for next spring when I will venture out looking for ramps--and then refer to Kathy's book in order to cook them. There are even canning tips for preserving the abundance of summer! This is truly a feast of ideas, stories, and recipes for the cookbook lover.

I live in Maine, and I love this book. But you don't need to live here to appreciate it. It has great recipes and wonderful stories about Maine foods, both cultivated and wild. It's a terrific way to learn the backstory on some of our best known foods like lobster, maple syrup and the elusive ramp. Since it's divided into 12 chapters corresponding to the 12 months of the year, some folks I know are savoring it by reading one chapter a month. But it's great no matter what order you follow.

I met Kathy in Italy a couple of weeks ago, while she was about in the middle (I guess..) of a journey in Italy to improve ('cause she had already a lot..) her knowledge on italian cooking. We were at a splendid Relais de Charme in low Tuscany, where the "mission" of the owners is to cook splendid meals for their guests. I realized that Kathy is a real expert whatching her asking for the recipes and testing them with joy.... and after the reading of this book I can swear that is a true passion that inspire her books. Bye, Kathy!!