At Blanchard's Table: A Trip to the Beach Cookbook
Author: Melinda Blanchard
The next best thing to actually living on an island paradise is being able to bring a bit of paradise home. Bob and Melinda Blanchard shared their own “paradise found” in their book A Trip to the Beach, the true story of the couple’s adventures as they escaped civilization to open a restaurant on the Caribbean island of Anguilla. Now in At Blanchard’s Table, the couple extends the celebrated warmth and hospitality of their acclaimed restaurant, and its delicious menu, to our homes. The happy result is a cookbook that’s as much a pleasure to read as it is enjoyable to follow.
Writing with the same humor and charm that made their first book such a success, Bob and Melinda share recipes drawn from their New England roots, their early years in the gourmet food business, and their life in the Caribbean. At Blanchard’s Table is a delectable collection of more than 160 recipes perfect for get-togethers of family and friends, illustrated with glorious photographs that reveal how lucky they are
to have homes in both Vermont and Anguilla.
Although the Blanchards’ restaurant gets rave reviews for the food, Melinda was never trained formally as a chef, so her recipes are for true homemade meals that are appealing and easy. Caribbean-influenced dishes like Calypso Chicken with Lime, Grilled Lobster Anguilla Style, and Jamaican Jerk Shrimp are complemented by New England–inspired fare such as Vermont Cheddar Soup, Balsamic-Glazed Veal Chops, and Vermont Picnic Ham Baked in Dark Beer.
Sections include Casual Starters, Soups, Salads and Dressings, Seafood, Meat, Pasta, Vegetables and Sides, Desserts, and Drinks.Throughout the book, there are dozens of mini-recipes that allow people in a hurry to toss together just a couple of ingredients for a quick and tasty dish. The Blanchards also offer expert cooking tips, as well as more delightful stories about some of their favorite Anguillians.
With simple, eclectic, and flavorful recipes—along with sound cooking advice, charming anecdotes, and the same warmth that made people fall in love with A Trip to the Beach—At Blanchard’s Table is truly a pleasure to cook from and nearly as enchanting as an actual trip to the beach.
Publishers Weekly
Peppering their volume of straightforward recipes with amusing stories and photographs of the goings-on at both their eponymous restaurant in the Caribbean and their life in Vermont ("we commute"), the Blanchards present a down-to-earth, personal cookbook that makes a nice follow up to A Trip to the Beach, which chronicled their experiences opening Blanchard's Restaurant on the tiny island of Anguilla. The recipes here, which represent no particular cuisine, are simple, homemade dishes from self-taught chef Blanchard and her staff at the restaurant, and will delight hungry palates and cooks who are interested in straightforward but pleasing recipes for friends and family alike. Half of the cookbook is devoted to colorful, casual starters and soups, and tasty salads and dressings with a zesty twist. Starters such as Crusty Grilled Shrimp with Soy-Sesame Sauce and Blanchard's Lobster Cakes with Tomato Tartar Sauce (popular with restaurant customers), and salads and dressings such as Spicy Vegetable Slaw and Potato Salad with Lime and Sun-Dried Tomatoes are all easy to prepare. Main dishes include seafood, meat and pasta dishes, from Coconut Curried Chicken to Vermont Picnic Ham Baked in Dark Beer to Calypso Chicken with Lime. The authors also include "In a Hurry" recipes to turn to when time is short supply, and the culinary tips from devoted workers of the restaurant make this charming volume practical as well. 50 full-color and 15 b&w photographs. (Mar.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
After developing several specialty food businesses, the Blanchards decided to get away from it all and open a restaurant on the small Caribbean island of Anguilla. They chronicled their adventures on their way to the now-successful Blanchard's Restaurant in A Trip to the Beach, which included descriptions of favorite dishes; here they provide the recipes. Though she lacks formal training, Melinda has always been the chef. She serves up the same sort of casual food that she likes to prepare for entertaining, adapting the recipes as necessary for the restaurant and the Caribbean lifestyle: Chicken and Green Bean Salad with Olive Dressing, B.L.T. Fusilli, and Grilled Salmon in Corn Cream. The recipes are uncomplicated, and most chapters also include ideas for dishes "In a Hurry." The authors have a nice style, and there are color photographs of the local scenery, along with dozens of snapshots of the loyal restaurant staff. For most collections. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
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