Valerie Hart has incorporated Central Florida's natural resources into 300 recipes that highlight the region's fresh ingredients. Citrus, bananas, berries, mushrooms, pecans, corn, alligator, wild and domestic game, blue crab and local fish are prepared with step by step instructions. Key Lime Cheesecake, Pecan Flourless Chocolate Soufflés, Orange Crème Brûlée and Blender Crêpes with Citrus Sauce vie for attention with Banana Bourbon Bread Pudding and Pecan Pie. From the art of husking corn to freezing mushrooms and wrestling live crabs, the book is a learning experience. Humorous and sensitive descriptions of the natural habitat and its history combined with folklore raise this book to another dimension that implores the reader to focus on the preservation of farmlands, wildlife and natural resources. Don't miss: Author Valerie Hart, who teaches and speaks to groups about everything from edible flowers to the history of food will be at Barnes & Noble in Sarasota on August 17 at 11 a.m. for a booksigning, demonstration and sampling of some of her recipe including cheesecake and probably deviled crab
cakes. You may reach Valerie at Vhartcook@comcast.net.

Mixing elegance with an island attitude, Louie's Backyard is an award-winning Key West, Florida restaurant famous for its fine food and oceanfront ambience. Lunch regulars say the conch fritters are the best in Key West, and dinner regulars praise the conch chowder. Everything is homemade in the restaurant, from the tangy balsamic vinaigrette to Louie's famous Key Lime Pie. The entrées are an artist's creation with the finest ingredients, from the Jerk-Rubbed, Free-Range Chicken Breast with Black Beans and Papaya Salsa to the Sautéed Key West Shrimp with Bacon, Mushrooms, and Stone-Ground Grits. Louie's Backyard Cookbook not only contains the creative recipes of Executive Chef Doug Shook but also takes you to the edge of the sea with photos and stories that will make you feel the ocean's breeze.

Gulf Coast Cooking Virginia Elverson. Hardcover $34.95 Shearer Publishing; (September 1, 1991) ISBN: 0940672561

Gulf Coast Cooking gathers all the delicious bounty of the Gulf of Mexico into one coherent collection of 300 recipes from Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Mexico and the deep south. This is a lavish book—part cultural feast, travelogue, history guide and cookbook—made in the old tradition of cookbooks with gorgeous photography, premium paper stock and high resolution printing.Recipes are traditional but varied and include red snapper Veracruz, bourbon shrimp, Apalachicola oysters, crawfish etouffée, nachos, smoked mullet, oyster stew, fried grits and upsidedown cake. This older book (which we found on the web by going to www.shearerpublishing.com) may or may not be available in stores. But it's so beautiful, it's worth getting any way you can.

The Low-Carb Barbecue Book By Dana Carpendar (Fair Winds Press; May 2004; $17.95. paperback: ISBN 1-592233-055-X

Carpender has released her newest collection of low-carb recipes made especially for barbecuing. The Low-Carb Bar-becue Book has more than 200 recipes that will make barbe-cuing absolutely sizzle (in a low-carb way). Besides the wonderfully casual ambience, smells, sunshine, and camaraderie of good friends and family, it’s the fact that the food tastes better cooked on an open fire. Most people seem to think that barbe-cuing and grilling would be ideal for the low carbohydrate dieter. After all, the focus is on large quantities of meat, poultry or fish. But one glance at the label on that bottle of commercial barbecue sauce - or, for that matter, the usual recipes for home-made barbecue sauce - and the pitfalls are apparent. Simply put, barbecue sauces and marinades are loaded with sugar. Each chapter in The Low-Carb Barbecue Book focuses on a specific component of barbecue: marinades and sauces; side dishes; pork, poultry; beef and lamb; sea-food; and grilled vegetables. Recipes include: Memphis Rub, Peach-Orange Brined Pork Chops with Herb Rub, Tequila Citrus Game Hens, Bacon-Wrapped Grilled Trout, Sesame Slaw and Margarita No-Bake Cheesecake. Missed a book from last month? Go to our archives for past issues.