LI duo write series of cookbooks

Kathy Cromer’s mother, Irene Roarke, was known for her macaroni salad. Everywhere she went, she brought some.

It was a tradition that was passed down to Cromer, who now brings the signature dish to all family functions.

“And everyone always asks, ‘Is that Mommy’s recipe?’” said Cromer, 66, of Wantagh. “It’s nice to carry on the tradition.”

But as generations go by, family recipes — often passed down by handwritten note cards or word of mouth — can be forgotten.

Irene Roarke’s macaroni salad won’t be. The recipe and the story of the tradition that goes with it is one of hundreds included in the Country Comfort cookbook series — four books written by Cromer’s sister-in-law Mary Elizabeth Roarke, 56, of Blue Point, and Monica Musetti-Carlin, 58, of Sayville.

The idea for the cookbook started with Roarke, who years ago, started an email chain with coworkers to trade family recipes. It was a big hit, and she realized the power of such a project.

“Eating is so much more than just that,” she said. “It’s a visceral experience. When we eat we remember. People love that.”

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When Roarke, who is a clinical researcher for pharmaceutical companies, decided to write a book, she reached out to Musetti-Carlin, a writer she had befriended years earlier when they both commuted to jobs in Manhattan on the Long Island Rail Road.

Together, the women compiled recipes, traditions and other stories from family and friends and wrote a manuscript. The original concept was one book with four parts: recipes, traditions, how-tos and gift suggestions.

But in 2008, three weeks into their search for a publisher, they heard back from Hatherleigh Press and editors there honed in on the recipe section and suggested a series of cookbooks.

“They said, ‘Can you write me 100 recipes?’” Musetti-Carlin recalled. “And we said, ‘Yeah, yeah, we can do anything. You want us to tap dance? We can do it all.’”

Having exhausted the recipes of most people they knew, Musetti-Carlin and Roarke expanded their search. They reached out to culinary schools, restaurants, and bed and breakfasts, as well as local women.

One of their most memorable experiences, both women said, was in 2009, when they held “high tea” at Roarke’s house, and invited women to come write down their recipes and share their stories.

“People were laughing and crying and hugging,” Roarke said. “And that’s when we knew, this is something really special.”

The first of the books hit shelves in fall 2010 and three have been published since then. Three related to seasons  — Harvest, Holiday and Summer — and one focused on crockpot cooking. Each book includes recipes attributed to the person who submitted it and the memory she (or he, men also contributed) shared about that recipe.

Many of the recipes, of course, also come from the authors, who both have a love of the kitchen.

Roarke, who graduated from culinary school, and her daughter, who is a chef, are now working on “Cooking Across America,” which will focus on regional foods. Musetti-Carlin is also working on another cookbook, on casseroles, that will be included in the Country Comfort series.

Musetti-Carlin said the best part of the experience has been meeting so many local people and getting to know them through their recipes and their “heartfelt, emotional stories,” which through the series she and Roarke have helped to preserve.

“What’s really nice,” she said, “is we have now put recipes in our books that were just in someone’s memory. They’ll always have that.”

Both women are still interested in collecting recipes and stories for their books. So if you have a recipe you want to share, Roarke can be reached at CountryComfortCookbooks@gmail.com; and Musetti-Carlin can be reached at mmmjmc53@aol.com.