The Hay Day Country Market Cookbook

What started out in 1978 as a single farm stand in Westport, Conn., is now a 14-store chain that reaches into New York, Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Still very successful with its imaginative take-home food, Hay Day now reveals 250 of its most popular recipes that have captivated those indulging their increasingly cultured taste buds. Hors d'oeuvres include Tapenade and Chevre on Spears of Fresh Fennel and Belgian Endive with Smoked Trout Pate. Entree flavors can be intense as in Maple-Glazed Pork Chops with Roasted Corn Relish and Peppered Tuna with Port and Pears, and as comforting as the signature Puff Pastry-Topped Chicken Pies. An intriguing accent is added to Mediterranean Turkey Loaf, a low-fat meatloaf that includes a cup of ratatouille. Couscous Vegetable Lasagne replaces the usual sheets with the granular pasta. Another signature dish is Hay Day's Vegetable Pancakes, a fried melange of peppers, zucchini and onion bound with mashed beans and sweet potatoes. Three-Grain Salad is sturdy with wheat berries, pearl barley and millet seeds, and the repasts can be topped off with Bourbon Apple Walnut Pie or Belgian Chocolate Brownies. Not to be dismissed as simply yuppie fare, Hay Day's offerings are well-conceived and within the scope of most cooks. 50,000 first printing; 15-city author tour. (Oct.)