The Arrows Cookbook is more than a collection of recipes. It is a celebration of food and the tradition of growing products for your own use. The idea of fresh, organic, locally grown foods is paramount to the authors’ conception of true cooking. Their cookbook reflects this in so much as the book contains a good amount of information on gardening and using products seasonally.
This book is the product of two great chefs, Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier, and their work together as owners of the celebrated Arrows Restaurant in Ogunquit, Maine. Clark and Mark worked several years for Jeremiah Towers in San Francisco before opening Arrows in 1988. Maine at the time was not the culinary destination it is today. If Arrows was to have fresh, high-quality produce, they were going to have to grow it themselves. Which is exactly what they did. Today, the garden on the restaurant’s property is nearly an acre in size and produces 270 varieties of vegetables, fruits, and herbs. The garden is as much of an attraction as the restaurant itself.
The sections of the cookbook are divided into spring, summer, fall and winter, which reflect the idea of cooking with the seasons. For food to be truly fresh, use and celebrate what is growing at the time. To expand on this idea even more, Clark and Mark have included several pages of commentary on building and maintaining your own garden.
The wonderful gourmet recipes found in the Arrows Cookbook reflect the elegant, fine-dining experience of the restaurant. Extraordinary photographs compliment the recipes. Some examples of recipes include:
- Poached Garlic Soup with Thyme and Red Pepper Creams
- Sugar Snap Pea and Rock Shrimp Salad
- Grilled Maine Bluefish Tuna with Tomatoes and Gremolata Aïoli
- Mushroom, Leek, and Potato Strudel
- Lemongrass and Lemon Roasted Chicken
- Pecan Pound Cake with Balsamic Sabayon and Strawberries
Published by Scribner (2003). ISBN 0-7432-3673-4.
