Book Review: "How to Cook a Moose: A Culinary Memoir"

I read this book as a follow-up to the author’s critically acclaimed autobiography, “Blue Plate Special,” which I found to be a richly-detailed, engrossing depiction of an unusual childhood coupled with the author’s lifetime love affair with a good meal.

This time around, Kate Christensen details her new life after her move from New York City to the wild and craggy coasts of Portland, Maine. Having reached a point in her life where her professional successes align with her personal happiness, Christensen falls head over heels for the hearty, self-sustaining “Mainers” and the life they eke out of the unique landscape.

In the vein of the growing “farm-to-table” restaurant movement, Christensen takes an informed look at how climate changes have affected the flora and fauna of her new beloved homeland. She tips her pen to the farmers, fishermen, hunters, and families, lauding their production of healthy, organic food and jumps into the thick of their lives, cheerily demanding for them to teach her their ways. Throughout the narrative, the author expresses with luscious writing the abundant joy in growing, picking, cooking, and eating food in a way that ultimately becomes a love letter to her new home.

As a tasty addition to her culinary odyssey, Christensen happily provides many recipes forged from the bounty of Portland’s kitchens and restaurants, each one more delicious-sounding than the next. I cannot predict when I next will be able to cook a sumptuous moose bourguignon or eat local, fresh-caught Belon oysters from the Browne Trading Company, but this one seemed too good to pass up after reading about Christensen’s foray into mushroom-picking:

Black Trumpet Mushrooms with Chicken Thighs and Mustard Sauce
In a large, shallow skillet, sauté two minced shallots and several minced garlic cloves in lots of butter and olive oil. When they are soft, push them to the side and brown four skinless, boneless chicken thighs well; while they brown, dust them with sea salt, black pepper, paprika, and Old Bay seasoning. Remove them from the pan and add the cleaned strips of mushrooms and cook them for a minute or two, then put the thighs back in and pour in a whisked-together sauce of one-third cup each half-and-half and chicken broth, plus 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Cover the skillet and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve over wild rice with a side of steamed, garlicky baby spinach. The mushrooms taste clean, faintly smoky, and very rich, and their texture is delicate and meaty. They are the best I’ve ever tasted. Serves two.
 
—Kate Christensen