The Arrows Cookbook    by Clark Frasier & Mark Gaier Order:  USA  Can Scribner, 2003 (2003) Hardcover      Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth After reading the Foreword to The Arrows Cookbook, I put this restaurant on the top of my list of places to eat. Now I just need to convince my significant other to join me on that long drive. Don't skip the Introduction. It details the metamorphosis of a Maine farmhouse into a premiere restaurant with an acre of gardens dedicated to growing its own ingredients. These are planted at the end of winter in cold frames - raised beds covered with Plexiglas. The owners have been known to garden in snowshoes! A tour of the gardens is not uncommon before entering the lovely restaurant. Recipes begin with Asparagus Soup with Lobster, Morels and Chervil and A Fresh Look at Lobster (tips a non-Mainer might not know) follows. I've often created Brown Butter but never used it over tiny green vegetables as suggested here. Peekytoe Crab Cakes are made just the way I like them - no fillers, just pure crabmeat. Most of the recipes (prepared with the freshest of ingredients) are prefaced with background and tips on the dishes suggested. I can't begin to mention each dish - too many. But some simply clamor for recognition. Like Polenta Lasagne! Wow. And Pecan Pound Cake with Basalmic Sabayon and Strawberries - I'm ready to head north right now. There's Pumpkin Soup with Curried Pumpkin Seeds. How about Pork Loin Confit as a change of pace from Duck Confit? Works for me. I love the idea of using toasted pine nuts with Green and Yellow Beans. For my dessert I want Zucchini Bread with Lemon Verbena Curd. It'll be worth the nine-hour drive. Can I change that order to Chocolate Carrot Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting? Or maybe Steamed Pumpkin Pudding with Vanilla Cr8me Anglaise? Tell you what. I think the best way would be to present yourself at Arrow and allow them to choose for you. Their simple, elegant foods are complemented by an extensive wine list and a selection of port. The lush flower arrangements enhance the 1765 farmhouse. Can't make the trip? Then get a copy of The Arrows Cookbook and treat yourself and yours to some very fine eating. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews