Tropic Cooking – the new cuisine from Florida and the Islands of the Caribbean (Joyce LaFray Young) 

This 1987 cookbook, to quote Google, “represents an intermingling of African, Spanish, French, British, Indian, Dutch, and North American customs and techniques. The common ground is the raw materials -- fresh fruit, herbs, and vegetables; fresh seafood; and the spices and seasonings. Recipes were collected from native islanders, Florida "crackers," old and new restauranteurs, and supplied by the author.” The book follows the standard cookbook style of moving from appetizers to desserts. There are no food pictures and few others. Physically, it struck me as a great example of 10 Speed Press at that time – straightforward and stripped down. But once I started looking through the recipes, I was amazed. Some are more sophisticated than others, but all are approachable. And don’t miss the back of the book: Can Do, Tropical Glossary and Tropical Substitutions are terrific. I’m off to fix the Chilled Peach Soup Remy right now…….