We Have a Winner… for “An Embarrassment of Mangoes”

Thanks to all of your culinary and writing efforts, our wonderful author and judge Ann Vanderhoof had a difficult time in choosing a winner for this selection of Cook the Books, “An Embarrassment of Mangoes.”

Here’s what Ann had to say direct from the Receta!

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Thank you so much for choosing An Embarrassment of Mangoes for your book club and, especially, for asking me to judge the entries. What a delicious opportunity for an author to get an intimate look at how readers respond to her book!

I got tremendous pleasure from reading all the entries, and seeing what the book inspired you to cook. But, hey, a winner must be picked, and Deb said it was up to me to set the criteria. I settled on two broad ones:

1. The writing had to capture something of the spirit of the book – whether that was the feeling of the Caribbean, or the hunger for escape, or the exploration of something different or new.

2. The entry had to make me hungry. For Caribbean food.

Fat lot of good this second one did me. All of you made me want to run immediately to my galley and cook. I loved the way you riffed on the meals in the book, and I wanted to taste everything. A couple of special mentions: Crispy Cook’s idea of using the lobster shells from Dingis’s Curried Lobster to make a base for Lobster Rice to accompany it was brilliant. I’m going to try it for sure (…next year; lobster is now out of season here). Ditto Kahakai Kitchen’s Pineapple Cream Cheese to go with my Papaya Banana Muffins. I could taste what a great pairing it would be. Foodycat’s Shark and Bake with Shadow Benny Sauce (and fried plantains on the side) was irresistible – how did she know that’s one of my favourites in food-obsessed Trinidad? (And my favourite place to eat it is Maracas Beach, not on Receta; frying bakes and fish and plantains in my tiny galley is a hot, challenging exercise.) And Can’tbelieveweate’s Lime and Coconut Pie…one look at that photo and I craved a piece. Maybe two.

But the winner is…Eliot’s Eats. I thought her Fish Taco Salad was a nifty spin on the classic fish taco, and mango salsa is a fabulous combo with fried fish. She’s right: Eating it al fresco, accompanied by a cold island beer, would be just the ticket – and I plan to try it in Receta’s cockpit (substituting a local fish like dorado for her tilapia, and a little sugar cane syrup for her agave nectar, which isn’t available in the Eastern Caribbean, where we are). That said, it was her lovely, evocative writing that tipped her into first place. I loved her use of dialogue and description (“And the stars. I wanted to lay out at night on watch and feel the vastness of space and sea envelop me”), and the way she used her adolescent reading to launch her story. She writes a mean photo caption, too.

“When do we dare to make our crazy dreams a reality and when are we prepared to just let them lie dormant and die?” she asked. “Can we really ever afford to say, ‘We’re really too old to do that’?” It gave me great pleasure to know that my book inspired her not just to cook something with Caribbean flavor, but also to think about questions like those. Eliot, I want to be a customer at your garden shop/bookstore/pottery studio/food truck.

Thanks again for allowing me to participate in your club.

warm wishes,

ann

aboard Receta, currently anchored in Deshaies, Guadeloupe

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Congratulations Eliot of Eliot’s Eats!

We will be sending your coveted Cook the Books winner’s badge shortly to display proudly on your blog and will be adding you to the list of esteemed CTB winners on our sidebar.

Much thanks to the talented Ann Vanderhoof for writing such a wonderful escape for us and for taking the time (and internet access) to judge while on her current adventures!

Hey Cook the Booksters–stay tuned for a post from Rachel, The Crispy Cook with the next three books that we will be reading and cooking along to, after our current selection “Lunch in Paris” by Elizabeth Bard, hosted by Johanna of Food Junkie Not Junk Food.

“An Embarrassment of Mangoes” the Cook the Books Roundup!

It seemed that everyone enjoyed “An Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude” and relished sailing away to the Caribbean on the Receta with Ann Vanderhoof and her husband Steve, soaking up a little island life–no matter what the weather in their location! Fun times were had cooking up some delicious Caribbean-inspired fare too. Our tour guide and author Ann will be reading through the posts and picking her favorite interpretation of the book, so let’s see the posts and dishes she will have to choose from.

Foodycat says, “March in Hertfordshire is worlds away from the Caribbean. Wrapped up in several thick layers of clothes, listening to the rain on the conservatory roof, it was almost impossible to imagine the blue sky and sunshine Ann Vanderhoof describes in the current Cook the Books book club selection, An Embarrassment of Mangoes.” Foodycat made a delicious meal, starting off with a Mango Daiquiri before some hearty “Shark and Bake” Sandwiches with “Shadow Benny Sauce”and a batch of Fried Plantains, making the best of local ingredients she can get in the not so tropical U.K. Foodycat says, “It may not look much like Trinidad outside, but we still had our little taste of the Caribbean.“

My CTB co-host Rachel, The Crispy Cook also found respite from the winter weather in the book and says, “Long distance sailing holds no appeal for my hobbity self, but I was glad to have this vicarious vacation in a dust jacket while foot upon foot of snow and other variants of frozen precipitation visited my home pretty much every couple of days these many long winter weeks. It was nice to imagine myself basking in sunshine, sipping a rum punch and bopping to soca, that combination of soul and calypso music that screams “party time!” Rachel chose the enticing Dingis’s Curried Lobster and she whipped up a batch, using the lobster shells for a flavorful Lobster Rice as a base and ending dinner with the tropical Mango Crisp which she says “had a great zing from some chopped crystallized ginger.”

Claudia at Honey From Rock enjoyed the book which reminded her of her own sailing away phase that didn’t quite pan out like Ann’s. Claudia says, “Adventures as well as fruit. What an inspiring, envy provoking, and darn good read!” Claudia also was enamored of Dingis’s Curried Lobster which she says was “Fresh and intensely flavored, almost salsa like, we liked it very much. In fact, planning for more as soon as possible. It was perfectly accompanied by my favorite blend of brown, wild and white basmati rice, along with some Island Breadfruit Salad, and Guava Chutney.“

About the book Glennis from Can’tbelieveweate Weblog says, “We follow the couple from one harbor to the next as they explore their ports, meet the locals and learn about the local foods.  Ann tells it like it is…there’s no sugar coating her trepidations, or rain on her delights.  I hadn’t gotten far into the book at all when I started craving conch.  Now, how I’m going to satisfy THAT yen, I have no idea!  LOL!” Instead she created a Caribbean dinner with Five Spice Roasted Chicken, Coconut Rice, and Tangy Pineapple Salad; “Everything came together very nicely.  The rice is so mildly seasoned!  A bit of onion, curry, and the unctuous smooth taste of coconut milk.  This was a perfect backdrop for the spiced chicken.  The glaze for the chicken was just about good enough to lick the plate over, and the rice helped soak up every drop” If that wasn’t enough she followed up with a tangy-sweet Lime and Coconut Pie to finish a wonderful meal. (BTW: She still wants conch!) 

Over at Kahakai Kitchen I was most taken by the recipe for Papaya-Banana Muffinsin the book because although papayas are plentiful year-round here, I rarely cook with them. I found the muffins extremely  moist, with great flavor–like a more complex banana bread. They were excellent on their own but even better with a spread of tangyPineapple Cream Cheese. Although I live on  an island  and was not suffering the effects of a cold winter, being a land-lubber (boats make me a bit claustraphobic and sea-sick), I enjoyed adventuring vicariously on the Recta through Ann’s descriptive prose from the comfort of my couch and kitchen!

Eliot from Eliot’s Eats recalled being swept away on another sailboat as an adolescent through a childhood favorite book “Dove” by Robin Lee Graham. Since that book made her want to escape, she was “worried” Vanderhoof’s book would do the same. Instead she was inspired to make an island-worthy Fish Taco Salad with Mango Salsa and says, “If nothing else,  Anne and Steve made use reevaluate a bit.  I don’t think we will be quitting our jobs anytime soon, but we are viewing things in a different light. And who knows, someday we may open that garden shop/bookstore/pottery studio/food truck combo!In the meantime, we will sit on our patio, dream our little dreams, and dine alfresco with a cold island beer.  Here is a little recipe that was inspired by the book (we developed it  from a fish taco dish). This is a great summer meal!“

Simona from briciole is more comfortable in the water than sailing on top of it, but she related to the book in her beautifully heartfelt post, through her diving trips to some of Vanderhoof’s ports of call saying, “Besides sailors, divers also enjoy visiting the Caribbean. A little piece of my heart is in that part of the world, on Little Cayman, the smallest of the Cayman Islands. We visited it the first time during our honeymoon and have returned every year ever since.” It inspired her to make a cool and creamy Mango Sorbet, “This is a really nice sorbetto, very easy to make and a with a clean, fresh flavor. I serve the sorbet fresh out of the ice cream machine and freeze what is left over.”

Jessica from The Literary Foodie was tempted by the book, saying “Besides the fact that I stuffed my life, cat and husband into the car to move across the country with no actual plan set up I am not normally an overly adventurous person.  I like security and plans.  So, the fact that Ann Vanderhoof’s memoir “An Embarrassment of Mangoes”, seriously had me contemplating the merits of learning how to sail just so Rob and I could go live on a sailboat all over the Caribbean is a pretty good testament to how inspired I was by this book.  If I had not already made my move, this probably would have pushed me over the edge.” Spying papaya at the market, she chose the Luperon Papaya Salsaand served it over Swordfish alongside Bahamian Peas ‘n’ Rice and washed it down with Steve’s ‘Ti Punch for a delicious Caribbean dinner.

Finally we have Natashya from Living in the Kitchen with Puppies liked how descriptive the book was and says, “Vanderhoof has a publishing background with Cottage Life Magazine, and chronicled their adventures wonderfully. From her own reluctance to being a full-time sailor, the trials and tribulations of life as first-time “cruisers” and the joy of discovery along the way, Ann includes us all. Reading the book is a mini-vacation in itself, and will have you longing for turquoise waters and pristine sands and, of course, an embarrassment of mangoes. For our bookclub dish I baked up a version of Ann’s Mango Crisp, and, if I close my eyes, I can pretend I am on a tropical island and not in minus 13 degree weather in Canadian so-called Spring.“

Thanks to everyone who joined in this round. I’ll be turning things over to our author, Ann Vanderhoof to choose her favorite post so  stay tuned this week to see who will win our coveted Cook the Books winners badge for this round. Not an easy decision with all these delicious dishes and wonderful posts! While you are waiting you might want to get started finding and reading our next selection, “Lunch in Paris: A Love Story with Recipes” by Elizabeth Bard, which will be hosted by Johanna of Food Junkie not Junk Food. I’ll be back soon with our results! 

(Exciting Update to:) Sailing Away for a Caribbean Interlude with “An Embarrassment of Mangoes”

“The market ladies sell spice necklaces–garlands of cloves, cinnamon bark, bay leaves, cocoa beans, mace, and nutmeg–that are irresistible. I now have them hanging all over the boat, making it smell spicy and delicious. Mangoes are in season, and literally falling off the trees–an embarrassment of mangoes, to someone from the north. We feel duty bound to try as many varieties as we can.”
–Journal Entry, July 1998, “An Embarrassment of Mangoes“

Winter weather got you down? It’s time to crank up the steel drum music, pour a tall rum cocktail, put up your feet and escape on an island adventure with “An Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude” by Ann Vanderhoof. This foodie travel book follows Vanderhoof, a former book editor and her husband as they give up their regular lives and set sail on their 42-foot sail boat from Toronto to tour the crystal blue waters and sun-drenched islands.  A lively adventure and a glimpse of the colorful food, people, history and culture of  the Caribbean. If you ever have dreamed of packing it all up for your own island adventure, or you just want to live vicariously through Vanderhoof’s descriptive verse, this book is sure to warm you up.

Once you’re done reading, cook up an island-inspired dish or meal that represents the book for you and post it by Friday, March 25th. Link back to this page and leave a comment here and/or email me at debinhawaii@gmail.com so I can be sure to add you to the round up. New to Cook the Books? We would love to have you join us–you can find all the details here.

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Exciting Update!

In my haste to get a post up about our current selection, I didn’t quite have all my ducks, (or maybe it’s mangoes?)  in a row yet, so I wanted to add some late-breaking exciting news. Although she and her husband are back living, traveling, and cooking on the Receta and  are currently anchored off the island of Carriacou in the Eastern Caribbean, author Ann Vanderhoof has graciously agreed to be our judge for this round of CTB and is very much looking forward to seeing your posts at the end of March.

It seems you all are enjoying the book and I also wanted to mention that in other Ann Vanderhoof news, her second book “The Spice Necklace: My Adventures in Caribbean Cooking, Eating and Island Life” is out in paperback this month and in case you want to see some great travel photos, see life on the boat and explore more delicious recipes, you can visit Ann’s website and blog here.

Happy reading & cooking!