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Jasper White shares his knowledge on seafood and traditional New England cooking in 50 Chowders. Jasper White has been cooking in Boston for many years and has 4 Summer Shack restaurants with one in Logan Airport.
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You will enjoy his exploration of chowders through the many stories and recipes in this book.
When most of us think of chowder, we think of New England Clam Chowder, the thick creamy white “soup” they serve in restaurants, or Manhattan Clam Chowder, a red, tomato based chowder. This book explores the diversity of home style chowders, with a great variety of ingredients, flavors and colors that can be incorporated. The book clearly demonstrates that there are more than just “two” types of chowders available.
Jasper takes you through the folklore and history of chowder beginning in 1700 when it was believed that chowder made its debut, maybe in France or maybe in England. The speculation is limitless, but perhaps it may have even come from fishermen from both countries in the fishing camps along the Newfoundland coast. Where ever it came from it has become a traditional New England fare.
Prior to getting to the recipes, there is ample information about the ingredients to use, which fish make a better chowder, how to fillet a fish, whether to use salt pork or bacon and much more. Even the types of potatoes, onions and vegetables used can make a difference in the outcome of your chowder. Broths and fish stocks are included to give you a basis for the many recipes.
Among the 50 Chowders, you can find traditional Clam, Fish or Corn Chowder, along side of some very interesting chowders like San Francisco Crab “Meatball” Chowder, Pheasant and Cabbage Chowder, or even Spring-Dug Parsnip Chowder. The recipes are easy to follow and each has an anecdotal story to go along with it. Jasper includes “Cook’s Notes” to carefully guide you through the recipes and to give additional tips as you go along. We recently made the New England Clam (Quahog) Chowder. This very flavorful chowder, made with hard shell clams, was quite easy to make. The outcome was a hearty dinner meal which we served with bread and salad. It reheats well and the leftovers made a great lunch the next day! This wasn’t your typical thick restaurant style chowder (there is a recipe for that, too!), but a nice cream broth with lots of clams, potatoes and spices.
This book will give you the essentials of chowder making. It is Jasper’s hope that you will master the art of making chowder by cooking many of his recipes and ultimately have chowder just “happen” in your kitchen – as it has in ours.
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| Summer Shack is an irreverant place - check out the gift shop and buy a book or perhaps a "Save a Cow" T shirt! |
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The Verdict: |
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| Highs: |
| Great chowder recipes, supplemented with cooking techniques and chowder ingredients. The recipes are easy to follow and guide you through the pots you should use and the foods to accompany them. |
| Lows: |
| I’m a picture lover and found there weren’t enough pictures, so I’ve decided make each of the recipes and have James photograph each one.
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Buy it? |
| Certainly a must have if you are from New England, or want to cook like you’ve lived here your whole life. A great assortment of chowder recipes! |
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Other Resources : |
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| Details of some of the restaurants mentioned in the book can be found here: |
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| The Facts: |
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Author: Jasper White |
256 pages, 50 chowder recipes, plus companion dishes and stock recipes, hardcover. |
Historical
information and folklore, detailed and easy to follow recipes, simple
illustrations and a few great glossy photos. |
Cover price $30.00 (as always, check out Amazon for the best price). |
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The Food: |
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The New England Clam Chowder was easy to make and chock full of clams. The light creamy broth had a nice rich flavor. A hearty soup for a cold winter’s day! |
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In 50 Chowders, you can find recipes for lobster chowder, several corn chowders, and any kind of shellfish chowder you can think of, as well as chicken or veal chowders. |
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Jasper White is recognized as an authority on seafood and traditional New England cooking. If you don’t feel like cooking, visit Jasper White’s Summer Shack and enjoy some of the best seafood around. |
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About The Author |
Jasper White is the acclaimed chef behind the renowned Jasper’s Restaurant, a Boston landmark famous for seafood and other New England specialties that opened in 1983 in a 19th century molasses warehouse on Boston’s waterfront. He closed the restaurant in 1995 and took time to write two more cookbooks, Lobster At Home and Fifty Chowders. He had published his first book, Jasper White’s Cooking From New England in 1989. In May 2000, Jasper White surprised people who thought he was inextricably linked with upscale cuisine with the opening of his new restaurant, Jasper White’s Summer Shack, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In less than three years, Summer Shack has become a mecca for all seafood lovers in New England. Its success spawned a second Summer Shack at Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino in Connecticut and a third location in Boston’s Back Bay. From its inception, Summer Shack has received enthusiastic reviews from local and national press, including the 2001 James Beard Award Nomination for Best New Restaurant (the only casual restaurant among the five nominees that year). |
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©The
Restaurant Review Cookbook Rating: |
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Many
cookbooks look terrific and read like novels, but
what happens when you take them into the kitchen
to actually use them as intended? The Restaurant
Review prepares items from the books that we review
and we now have a finely tuned sense for those that
work and those that don't. Below is our personal
criteria for a good, practical cookbook. |
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Clear helpful
description of each dish with serving suggestions |
9 |
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Clear, concise
description of how to make the recipes, presented
in logical order |
9 |
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Precise
list of ingredients with accurate amounts |
10 |
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Helpful
photographs and illustrations where needed |
8 |
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List of sources
for difficult to get ingredients or use of everyday produce |
10 |
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Accurate number
of servings produced by each recipe |
10 |
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Suitability for
survival in the kitchen (paper quality, grease resistant
ink, etc.) |
8 |
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Simple straightforward
instructions in plain, easy to read and understandable
English, with minimum page flipping required
to complete a recipe |
9 |
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A good range
and number of recipes covering the book's subject
effectively |
9 |
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Usable well
constructed, accurate index |
10 |
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Overall
rating out of 10 : |
9.2 |
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