Cooking
When foreign students used to come stay at my parents house they always asked about American food. Defining American food is a challenge because the country is so large and diverse and founded by immigrants. What makes American food American anyway? Recipes with American ingredients? Recipes created in America? Dishes eaten by Americans? You've got to admit, it's a tough call. But author Joan Nathan really comes through in her latest cookbook, The New American Cooking.
"New" American cooking because unlike many other cookbooks, this one really focuses on our current cuisine. Nathan includes American recipes like Hoisin Roasted Chicken, Blue Cornmeal Pine Nut Pancakes and Fajitas because the ingredients are widely available, the cooking reflects regionality and because these are popular dishes now. You couldn't ask for a better representation of American cuisine.
For someone looking to learn about American food this is a great book. It would also make a great gift for someone living outside the United States. Nathan actually traversed the country seeking out restaurant chefs, farmers and home cooks to find out what they were cooking and to tell their stories. She offers up a huge range of articles, from Zingerman's Deli, Hawaiian chocolate, cooking Iraqi food in Virginia, chiles in Chimyo, Amish cooking, to the Slanted Door and the Edible Schoolyard.
There are 280 recipes in the book and for the most part, they are not very difficult to make and use ingredients from all over the country. Some recipes I plan on trying include Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Lasagna, Union Square Cafe's Tuna Burger and Memelitas (tortillas topped with refried beans and salsa)
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- 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...
- 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....
- Cuisine Cookbooks Sought
My cookbook library is well-stocked, should I wish to make any Western European or American dishes. But I often find myself scratching my head while hunting down Chinese, Japanese, and Indian recipes, not to mention a host of other national cuisines. I...
- Jeremiah Tower Reminder
Just a quick reminder that Jeremiah Tower will be at Cody's next Friday night. I've been lucky enough to flip through the cookbook a bit, and it looks great. Lots of recipes I wanted to try, and an interesting glimpse into the history of California...
Cooking
The New American Cooking: Cookbook Review
When foreign students used to come stay at my parents house they always asked about American food. Defining American food is a challenge because the country is so large and diverse and founded by immigrants. What makes American food American anyway? Recipes with American ingredients? Recipes created in America? Dishes eaten by Americans? You've got to admit, it's a tough call. But author Joan Nathan really comes through in her latest cookbook, The New American Cooking.
"New" American cooking because unlike many other cookbooks, this one really focuses on our current cuisine. Nathan includes American recipes like Hoisin Roasted Chicken, Blue Cornmeal Pine Nut Pancakes and Fajitas because the ingredients are widely available, the cooking reflects regionality and because these are popular dishes now. You couldn't ask for a better representation of American cuisine.
For someone looking to learn about American food this is a great book. It would also make a great gift for someone living outside the United States. Nathan actually traversed the country seeking out restaurant chefs, farmers and home cooks to find out what they were cooking and to tell their stories. She offers up a huge range of articles, from Zingerman's Deli, Hawaiian chocolate, cooking Iraqi food in Virginia, chiles in Chimyo, Amish cooking, to the Slanted Door and the Edible Schoolyard.
There are 280 recipes in the book and for the most part, they are not very difficult to make and use ingredients from all over the country. Some recipes I plan on trying include Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Lasagna, Union Square Cafe's Tuna Burger and Memelitas (tortillas topped with refried beans and salsa)
- I'm Dreaming Of Vietnamese Cuisine...
While the holidays are thoroughly captivating to many, I am filled with visions of Spring Rolls, not sugar plums, dancing through my head. The end of this month I will going to Vietnam and it will not be a whirlwind tour. I will be there for a whole...
- 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...
- 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....
- Cuisine Cookbooks Sought
My cookbook library is well-stocked, should I wish to make any Western European or American dishes. But I often find myself scratching my head while hunting down Chinese, Japanese, and Indian recipes, not to mention a host of other national cuisines. I...
- Jeremiah Tower Reminder
Just a quick reminder that Jeremiah Tower will be at Cody's next Friday night. I've been lucky enough to flip through the cookbook a bit, and it looks great. Lots of recipes I wanted to try, and an interesting glimpse into the history of California...