Maine Course Duo of new cookbooks explores unique Pine Tree State cuisine

Both Kyra Alex and Brooke Dojny have annual celebratory dinner parties. Alex’s is on Deer Isle in the spring and features homemade May wine. Dojny’s is in Sedgwick in the summer. She calls it a “mussel mania” and cooks pot after pot of food. If you receive an invitation to either, count your lucky foodie stars.

And if you don’t happen to be among the gustatorily privileged, there’s still hope – in the form of two new cookbooks by these Maine food experts. “Cooking in the Moment” is by Alex, owner of Lily’s Caf? in Stonington, where diners flock for wholesome meals. Dojny has written more than a dozen popular cookbooks, including the newly published “Dishing Up Maine: 165 Recipes that Capture Authentic Down East Flavors.”

The two will jointly talk about food and sign books 7 p.m. July 6 at George Stevens Academy in Blue Hill.

Expect to hear each woman’s tale about joining the ranks of the food industry. Alex, who spent summers on Deer Isle as a child, had a restaurant in Ohio, which she left nearly 10 years ago to open Lily’s (named after her aunt). Dojny’s expertise developed through recipe testing and writing, first in magazines and newspapers, then in cookbooks. A transplant from Connecticut, her particular specialty is New England fare.

You can also expect to hear a lot of laughter. In appearance, the women couldn’t be more unalike – Alex, 41, is earthy and homey and wears summer dresses with bold floral prints and clunky black shoes, Dojny, 62, fuses traditional and contemporary flavors and wears linen in muted colors and hiking sandals. And they delight in the differences, as well as in each other’s company and innovations. Get them going on a topic – the scuffle over Whole Foods markets banning lobster because of inhumane treatment or the proliferation of fast food or the costs of organic food – and even if they don’t agree, you can feel the friendship, passion and admiration.

“When I opened my restaurant in Cincinnati, I gathered all kinds of books, and one of them was Brooke’s ‘Let’s Eat In,'” said Alex, sitting in a sunlit room at Lily’s recently. “Then when I met her here at the farmers market, I was awestruck.”

“She’s over that now,” Dojny quickly added.

Alex’s cookbook is a personal testimony to her world outside the restaurant. She describes her life on the island through the seasons, through her friendships and experiences. It’s a personal narrative organized by recipes. Dojny’s book is an authoritative survey of the food industry and trends in Maine, with additional information about people and places that have created a buzz around food in the state.

Both agree that Maine has firmly established itself on the food map, with fine restaurateurs, cottage industries and niche farmers, all specializing in the treasures that come from the soil and sea.

While Dojny fully explores the traditions of Maine cooking, and Alex explains her home habits with food, both writers have developed new approaches to enhancing flavor.

Dojny’s Limed Lobster and Melon Skewers combines lobster chunks marinated in a zesty citrus sauce with cubes of honeydew melon. Her Yankee Pot Roast with a Fresh Face combines the meat and the vegetables only after each has cooked, so the vegetables retain vibrant colors.

“I’ve always loved the food in Maine,” said Dojny, who moved to the state full time about a year ago after spending summers on the coast for many years. “People think of New England food as heavy, boring, stodgy – and they think Maine is even more so that way. I wanted to show classic Maine dishes in a lightened up form.”

Alex’s book dives into the seasons, none more heartily than winter, the only time of year her cafe moves at a slightly slower pace.

“I’m not just Lily’s Caf?. I also have a life. It’s minimal, but it is inspired by food,” said Alex. “I love my life here. But it’s not all rosy posy, and I write about that. There’s nothing to eat in the middle of winter. To me, it sums up small-town life in Maine, how personalized everything is that we eat.”

Alex adds honeyed peaches and feta cheese to her Green Salad with Grilled Chicken and cream cheese frosting to her Blueberry Layer Cake. She also offers several sugar- and gluten-free recipes, such as Decadent Chocolate Brownie Cake, for those who are gluten intolerant. (She is.)

“What really strikes me about Kyra’s book is the personal tone, hearing her voice,” said Dojny. “A collection of recipes just doesn’t cut it anymore. People want stories. And Kyra’s recipes are so accessible, you want to cook them. I can tell by reading them that they work.”

Alex jumped in: “That’s why I always use your book. The recipes are reliable.”

When a painting of a pie on the wall caught both women’s attention, they eagerly admired the lighting, the brushstrokes, the deep colors. Then the cooks in them spoke up. “The filling’s a little thick,” said Dojny. (See Best Wild Blueberry Pie, page 242 of “Dishing.”) “The crust looks underdone,” added Alex. (See Rhubarb Custard Pie, page 64 in “Cooking in the Moment.”)

For these two cookbook writers and food specialists – and pie bakers – taste is important even for a painting of a pie.

Blue Hill Books will present Kyra Alex and Brooke Dojny speaking about their work and signing books 7 p.m. July 6 in the band room of George Stevens Academy in Blue Hill.