cookbook showcases casino chefs

published on 1/19/2005 in food & dining � food & dining news

gary crowder knows plenty about food. he ought to. he's got 30 years of experience
in the business, is the senior vice president of food and beverage at mohegan sun,
and is a self-described foodie.
so when crowder recommends a new cookbook, even one that he helped to produce,
it's worth considering.
this is the kind of cookbook that people will actually use, says crowder of under
the mohegan sun: a celebration of cuisine and culture, just published by favorite
recipes press.
i have a lot of cookbooks, says crowder, and i look through a lot of them and say,
�ah, this is a nice recipe, i'll make this some day.' but then i put the book away
and i never pick it up again. but if you buy this book, expect to use it, to dog-
ear pages, and to have flour stains on it. that will happen, and for me, that will
be a badge of honor.
the 159-page, hardcover book showcases the culinary expertise of the casino's
cooking staff also honors the culture and traditions of the casino's owners, the
mohegan tribe. it sells for $30 and will be unveiled this weekend at sun winefest
2005, which features wine connoisseurs and tasting, cooking demonstrations,
seminars with and appearances by more than a dozen celebrity chefs, and a �fine
wine dine around to benefit the american heart association.
thousands of people converged on the casino last year for the first food and wine
festival, so it seems natural that mohegan sun would use sun winefest 2005 to
launch its new cookbook.
the recipes served at mohegan sun contain the ingredients that have sustained the
mohegan tribe for centuries,� says crowder, making mention of things like clams,
crabs, squash blossoms, and corn. the book includes historical information about
the mohegans, and recipes for traditional dishes, like succotash, three-bean
casserole and clam or mussel chowder.
it also salutes the tribe's aquaculture venture, which is raising oysters,
scallops and clams, and connecticut farmers, who are invited to participate in a
weekly farmer's market at the casino in the summer.
among the recipes in the book are those most requested by patrons at the casino's
eateries, says mohegan sun executive chef michael luboff, who oversees the
production of 30,000-plus dinners at the casino on busy nights.
the challenge, luboff says, was to get chefs who are accustomed to cooking for the
masses to develop recipes for at-home use. some things you have to dial back, he
says, explaining that all the revised recipes were tested.
there are simple dishes, like buttermilk pancakes and lemon-roasted broccolini,
and more elaborate fare like pad thai, remoulade, brulee, and rabbit confit with
goat cheese dumplings a representative sampling of dishes served at nine of the
casino-owned restaurants (some restaurants at mohegan sun, like bubba's and
michael jordan's, lease space from the casino.).
there are also recipes for the soups and chowders served daily, such as hunter
stew, wild mushroom soup, and chicken and corn chowder.
we are excited to share our culinary culture and passion, and at the same time,
celebrate the mohegan tribe's history, says crowder.
the book is being sold at the casino's retail outlets or online at
www.mohegansun.com. the following recipes are from under the mohegan sun: a
celebration of cuisine and culture.
http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=8eaaf8bc-8795-4804-9b80-0e65883733dc