Cooking

In personal stories, evocative photographs, and recipes that are purposefully simple and designed for the home cook, Chef Kirsten Dixon and her family share fresh, rustic cuisine offering friendship, communicating passion, and bringing comfort and delight to the table.

This recipe collection represents the cuisine at Tutka Bay Lodge, the Dixons’ seaside lodge nestled within the curve of a quiet cove at the entrance to Tutka Bay, a deep seven-mile fjord in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. In old-world tradition, Kirsten Dixon’s family works together to craft a lifestyle that centers around three themes: the natural world, their culinary lives, and living a life of adventure.

Organized by sections for breakfast, lunch, appetizers, dinner, and the Cooking School at Tutka Bay, the cookbook includes one hundred recipes, including Brioche Doughnuts with Cider Black Currant Marmalade, Hot-Smoked Salmon Croquettes, Grilled Oysters with Salmon Bacon and Pernod, Braised Short Rib Ravioli, and Wild Berry Chocolate Shortcake.

“Seafood is the star of our cuisine here, as it should be. We certainly serve our share of ocean-caught salmon throughout the entire summer season. Halibut, cod, rockfish, shrimp, and crab also are served nearly daily. We are never too far from the garden in our cooking and many of our recipes include fresh-picked herbs or vegetables that grow well in Alaska. In addition, the wild berries, herbs, mushrooms, and sea vegetables inspire us to remember where on the Earth we live and how lucky we are,” Kirsten says.

With nearly 50 species of berries that grow wild in Alaska, this collection takes the more abundant and popular species and shares 200 tried-and-true berry recipes that have been Alaskan favorites for decades.

In this newly updated edition of The Alaska Wild Berry Cookbook, brightened with a fresh design and re-edited and modernized with an all-new foreword and glossary, you’ll find a range of berry recipes that go far beyond the usual limited sampling. Mouth-watering recipes include classic desserts, such as blueberry-lemon pie and strawberry mousse, to more unique ones, such as salmonberry cake, but there are also sections for berry-made breads, salads, meat dishes and marinades, preserves, candies, mincemeats, and even beverages. Also included are easy substitutions for berry lovers everywhere, foragers and grocery store shoppers alike, to customize and enjoy the dishes wherever they may live. From lowbush cranberry marmalade to raspberry cake to crowberry syrup, this classic berry cookbook covers it all.

Living Within the Wild features over 100 original recipes, accompanied by personal stories and stunning photographs, to illustrate the lives of one Alaska family that has learned to live well amidst the intense but scenic backcountry of Alaska.

James Beard Foundation Semifinalist, Outstanding Hospitality (for Tutka Bay Lodge, Homer, AK)

Finalist, 2022 IACP Cookbook Award, Culinary Travel

"When I stayed five nights at Winterlake Lodge in Alaska, I looked forward to my breakfast, lunch, and dinner to see what delicious creations chef Mandy Dixon would serve me and my crew. She did not disappoint and these dishes are all in her terrific new cookbook, Living Within the Wild. Some are so good, I just might steal them and put in my next cookbook. Don't worry, I'll give Mandy the credit."
—Nancy Silverton, James Beard Award–winning chef, author, co-owner of Pizzeria Mozza

The Dixons have been running award-winning adventure lodges in Alaska for over thirty years, celebrating the bounty that the land has to offer with guests from around the world. Their lodges and restaurants are known not just for the rare adventures and incredible views of the Alaskan wilderness, but also for appealing dishes created from the freshest local seafood and produce.

Chefs Kirsten and Mandy Dixon’s combined culinary experience has been recognized nationally and internationally, from cooking at the famed James Beard House in New York City to serving private dinners for National Geographic guests. In this book, mother and daughter offer their favorite recipes, featured on their menus at the lodges and café but specially recreated for the home chef’s kitchen. They also share their unique experiences of life at the lodges—from embracing entrepreneurial challenges to working with family, to sharing the deep purpose and meaning in living in the natural world and wilderness.

Chapters are organized thematically, weaving through stories about the seasonal shifts that make this women-run business unique. A final chapter honors the men in Kirsten and Mandy's lives by sharing quick profiles along with a favorite recipe.

From your own kitchen, learn to make delicious dishes such as Black Bean Reindeer Chili or King Salmon Bowl with Miso Dressing; snack on Dried Tomato Sesame Cookies, or dine on Smoked Caramel Blueberry Brownies. And along the way, experience a sense of backcountry Alaska through the flavors of seasonal and regional ingredients as the Dixons welcome you into their secret world in the remote wilderness.

Compiled by the editors of Alaska Northwest Books, The Alaska Homegrown Cookbook contains the best recipes from dozens of Alaska Northwest cookbooks published over the past forty years. It includes appetizers, salads and soups, native fruits and vegetables, baking and desserts, beef, poultry and of course, seafood. In addition there is a section on recipes for wild game as well as side dishes, and even beverages such as Alaska Cranberry Tea.

Here are over 200 of the best recipes from the Last Frontier with an introduction by Alaskan chef, Kirsten Dixon. Illustrated with line drawings and black and white photos. A must have for Native Alaskans and visitors alike.

With nearly 50 species of berries that grow wild in Alaska, this collection takes the more abundant and popular species and shares 200 tried-and-true berry recipes that have been Alaskan favorites for decades.

In this newly updated edition of The Alaska Wild Berry Cookbook, brightened with a fresh design and re-edited and modernized with an all-new foreword and glossary, you’ll find a range of berry recipes that go far beyond the usual limited sampling. Mouth-watering recipes include classic desserts, such as blueberry-lemon pie and strawberry mousse, to more unique ones, such as salmonberry cake, but there are also sections for berry-made breads, salads, meat dishes and marinades, preserves, candies, mincemeats, and even beverages. Also included are easy substitutions for berry lovers everywhere, foragers and grocery store shoppers alike, to customize and enjoy the dishes wherever they may live. From lowbush cranberry marmalade to raspberry cake to crowberry syrup, this classic berry cookbook covers it all.