In The Sugar Mill Caribbean Cookbook, the Morgans show that you don't need to live in the Carribean to cook in the island style. In more than 250 recipes that use ingredients easy to find, and they demystify island cooking. They make Caribbean cuisine accessible to home cooks without sacrificing its authenticity or its subtle nuances. Caribbean food features intense flavours, lively spices, and delectable juxtapositions of coolness and heat, sweetness and tang.

Reviews

Columnists for Bon Appetit magazine, the Morgans also own the Sugar Mill resort in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, and so are no strangers to the Caribbean and its culinary delicacies. The 250 recipes gathered here come mainly from their restaurants' menus, which in turn draw from the region's cuisine and ingredients. Directions are friendly and straightforward yet detailed enough to help even a kitchen tyro succeed. Organized by meals ("Sunrise Specials") and main ingredients ("From the Fish Pot," "Sugar Island Sweets"), recipes range from Sweet-Potato Waffles with Orange Butter to such late-day libations as a Banana Daiquiri or Coffee Rumba. Salad specialties include Hearts of Palm Carnival, brightened with hot peppers; Green Papaya Salad with a mustard dressing; and Green Bananas simmered in milk and served with an olive vinaigrette. The fish and seafood recipes are understandably strong: Ginger-Lime Scallops with Toasted Walnuts; Coconut Shrimp with Vegetables; a variety of firm fresh fish fillets can be used in dishes like Fish with Tomato and Banana. Many of the recipes for beef and, especially, pork, use barbecue and grilling techniques. Such sauces as Major Morgan's Mango and other chutneys, sauces and salsas accompany many recipes. (Oct.)