Cooking
Last night on one of the current crop of cooking reality shows, Bravo's Top Chef, the contestants were divided into two teams. Both were charged with coming up with a restaurant concept. One chose cutting edge Spanish cuisine and the other--updated home style American cooking. Even if you didn't catch that episode, you probably won't be surprised to learn that the American concept won out in customer satisfaction. Comfort and familiarity resonates with American diners.
Keeping that in mind, it's no wonder that there seems to be a new American cookbook being published every other day. Not that that's a bad thing. For the most part they each have their merits, and like true Americans, they offer up unique twists and individual contributions. One of the latest in this genre is David Burke's New American Classics. Even the format of this book is unique. Each recipe is presented in a classic version, a contemporary treatment and a second day option. An example? Classic--Smoked Salmon with Horseradish Mousse and Corn Blini. Contemporary--Pastrami Salmon and Smoked Salmon with Potato Pancakes, Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette, and Apple Salad. Second day dish--Smoked Salmon Lollipops. Some of the innovations are really out there--like Meatloaf Bundt Cake (made with croissant dough) but I bet they taste great. If you'd like to check out a sample of a set of recipes, you can see his trio of doughnut recipes here.
The notes with each recipe serve as introductions, telling stories, like the story behind Cobb salad, and explaining unusual techniques like poaching a rack of lamb. Not a comprehensive cookbook, it provides insight as to how a chef approaches dishes and ingredients. If you are already a fan of David Burke's cooking or if you're looking for new takes on basics like Caesar salad, roast chicken, meatloaf and cheesecake this would make a nice addition to your cookbook collection.
FOOD
- Top Cookbooks 2010: Basics & Behemoths
It's always tough to choose which cookbooks to recommend from the myriad published each year. Today I'm going to share with you the books I think are particularly worthwhile in two categories, basics and behemoths. Next I'll cover sweets and...
- Italian Cookbooks
When it comes to Italian food, the true measure of whether a recipe is authentic is whether it's the way your Italian mamma made it. It's hard to say whether a cookbook is ever truly authentic, unless of course your mamma wrote it. With Italian...
- Contest Winners
I thought this was going to be trickier, but I guess you're all too smart or too good at Google-ing. Congratulations to Shane, Occupant One and Michelle who each won a copy of David Burke's New American Classics. The correct answers were: 1....
- American Food Contest
It's time for another contest! This time, courtesy of Knopf, Cooking with Amy will be awarding three copies of David Burke's New American Classics. You can read my review of the book here. Only one entry per person, so choose carefully! Remember,...
- Fruity Yogurt Pancakes Recipe
What makes American food, American? I've been thinking about this recently. There are a few obvious answers--it's made in America, it uses American ingredients, the recipes were developed in America. There's also the whole "melting pot" thing....
Cooking
David Burke's New American Cookbook: Cookbook Review
Last night on one of the current crop of cooking reality shows, Bravo's Top Chef, the contestants were divided into two teams. Both were charged with coming up with a restaurant concept. One chose cutting edge Spanish cuisine and the other--updated home style American cooking. Even if you didn't catch that episode, you probably won't be surprised to learn that the American concept won out in customer satisfaction. Comfort and familiarity resonates with American diners.
Keeping that in mind, it's no wonder that there seems to be a new American cookbook being published every other day. Not that that's a bad thing. For the most part they each have their merits, and like true Americans, they offer up unique twists and individual contributions. One of the latest in this genre is David Burke's New American Classics. Even the format of this book is unique. Each recipe is presented in a classic version, a contemporary treatment and a second day option. An example? Classic--Smoked Salmon with Horseradish Mousse and Corn Blini. Contemporary--Pastrami Salmon and Smoked Salmon with Potato Pancakes, Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette, and Apple Salad. Second day dish--Smoked Salmon Lollipops. Some of the innovations are really out there--like Meatloaf Bundt Cake (made with croissant dough) but I bet they taste great. If you'd like to check out a sample of a set of recipes, you can see his trio of doughnut recipes here.
The notes with each recipe serve as introductions, telling stories, like the story behind Cobb salad, and explaining unusual techniques like poaching a rack of lamb. Not a comprehensive cookbook, it provides insight as to how a chef approaches dishes and ingredients. If you are already a fan of David Burke's cooking or if you're looking for new takes on basics like Caesar salad, roast chicken, meatloaf and cheesecake this would make a nice addition to your cookbook collection.
FOOD
- Top Cookbooks 2010: Basics & Behemoths
It's always tough to choose which cookbooks to recommend from the myriad published each year. Today I'm going to share with you the books I think are particularly worthwhile in two categories, basics and behemoths. Next I'll cover sweets and...
- Italian Cookbooks
When it comes to Italian food, the true measure of whether a recipe is authentic is whether it's the way your Italian mamma made it. It's hard to say whether a cookbook is ever truly authentic, unless of course your mamma wrote it. With Italian...
- Contest Winners
I thought this was going to be trickier, but I guess you're all too smart or too good at Google-ing. Congratulations to Shane, Occupant One and Michelle who each won a copy of David Burke's New American Classics. The correct answers were: 1....
- American Food Contest
It's time for another contest! This time, courtesy of Knopf, Cooking with Amy will be awarding three copies of David Burke's New American Classics. You can read my review of the book here. Only one entry per person, so choose carefully! Remember,...
- Fruity Yogurt Pancakes Recipe
What makes American food, American? I've been thinking about this recently. There are a few obvious answers--it's made in America, it uses American ingredients, the recipes were developed in America. There's also the whole "melting pot" thing....