The Lost Kitchen

Book excerpt: From the New York Times bestselling author and founder of the beloved restaurant The Lost Kitchen comes a stunning collection of 100 Maine recipes for every season. “A sensory joy . . . simple seasonal fare, creatively elevated and beautifully photographed . . . The recipes in The Lost Kitchen beckon you to keep returning for more.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer Erin French grew up in Freedom, Maine (population 719), helping her father at the griddle in his diner. An entirely self-taught cook who used cookbooks to form her culinary education, she founded her acclaimed restaurant, the Lost Kitchen, in the same town, creating meals that draws locals and visitors from around the world to a dining room that feels like an extension of her home. No one can bring small-town America to life better than a native, especially when it comes to Maine, one of the country’s most off-the-beaten-path states, with an abundant natural bounty that comes from its coastline, rivers, farms, fields, and woods—a cook’s dream. Inspired by her lush locale and classic American cooking, Erin crafts deliciously satisfying and easy-to-make recipes such as Whole-Roasted Trout with Parsnip and Herb Hash, Maine Shrimp Rolls, Ramp and Fiddlehead Fried Rice, and Rhubarb Spoon Cake. Erin’s food has been called “brilliant in its simplicity and honesty” by Food & Wine, and it is exactly this pure approach that makes her style of cooking so appealing—and so easy to embrace at home, wherever you live.