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Wandering and Feasting: A Washington Cookbook
by Mary Houser Caditz
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Mary Houser Caditz's Wandering and Feasting: A Washington Cookbook is a very visual cookbook, reflecting the cultural and geographic origins of the people and food of the state, which makes it appealing to book lovers in or out of apron. The historic photographs are wonderful. One of my favorite pictures is that of two duffers standing on a Washington beach wearing huge grins and their clam digging best, shovels in hand, displaying an extremely large geoduck. On the facing page appears the recipe for "Sautéed Geoduck with Toasted Almonds and Homemade Tartar Sauce," along with a vignette about how these clams are promoted by the Pike Street fish mongers. Recipes are grouped according to each region and its native bounty or foods cultivated nearby. This style may be a bit more difficult for those who prefer to turn to the "chicken" or "salad" or "dessert" section. But this is not much of a deterrent, as there is a very complete index. Generally, the recipes are simple and straightforward. Very specific step-by-step directions should put amateur cooks at ease. However, the style and combinations of ingredients used are upscale enough to hold the interest of the more serious or innovative cook. Ms. Caditz is a believer in the generous use of butter, cream, and other delicious but naughty ingredients. For the sake of healthy and guilt-free dining, she has also included a "low fat suggestions" section with tips on how to convert the recipes to low fat. She also lists substitutions for ingredients that might be difficult to find, and in both cases, honestly describes how these substitutions will affect the taste of the finished product. The glossary is adequate and interesting, but the "basic recipes" are so few, they could have been incorporated into the main part of the cookbook. Personally, I like the use of ingredients in the majority of Ms. Caditz's recipes, but in many instances I would increase the quantities of spices, herbs, and other flavoring agents to produce a bit more "robust" finished product. And now for a little sampling: The "Tomato, Cucumber, and Gorgonzola Salad" from Grand Coulee is a nice variation on the Greek version. I would increase the lemon juice and double the amount of gorgonzola. Both the "Wheat Berry and Vegetable Salad" and the "Marinated Lentil Salad with Mint" from Pullman are quite good. The "Cougar Gold, Apple, and Onion Soup," also from Pullman, is a bit time consuming to make, but worth the effort. There is a delightfully simple recipe for "Asparagus Napoleons with Orange Hollandaise Sauce" from Dayton with directions for making the hollandaise with egg substitutes. There are some excellent seafood recipes from the coastal regions, such as "Broiled Steelhead Filets with Sesame Seed Butter" (salmon would work well, also), "Halibut with Macadamia Nut Crust," "Sole Parmesan with Sun-dried Tomato Sauce," "Baked Oysters in Garlic Butter and Blue Cheese," "Dungeness Crab Cakes with Red Pepper Sauce," "Hot Dungeness Crab and Shrimp Sandwiches," and a "Spinach, Raspberries, and Seared-Scallop Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette." Probably the shining items in Ms. Caditz's collection are the desserts. For instance, "Snow-capped Mount Rainier Pudding" from Enumclaw, "Sweet Cherry and White Chocolate Cream Cake" from Clarkston, "Wild Blackberry and Crème de Cassis Ice Cream" from Packwood, "Chocolate Glazed Meringues with Raspberries and Cream" from the Olympic Peninsula, and "High-in-the-Sky Apple Pie" from Wenatchee were some of my favorites. Mary Houser Caditz's "keen interest in cooking and love for the state of Washington," as she relates in her introduction, give Wandering and Feasting a liveliness and charm that would make it a welcome addition to anyone's collection.
Joan Swensen is the chef at Swilly's, a Pullman restaurant.
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