Customer Reviews

Chef Paul Prudhomme's Seasoned America

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This also was my first Prudhomme book I have tried many recipes from this book without failure. I leave the fat in and everyone goes home full. Paul makes you realize what spices are all about, from the "texas red" to the " iowa stuffed pork chops" Its great. Here in my Upstate NY home I get ready for the winter by breaking out his cookbook .Tomorrow is my father in laws b-day and his request is my "Chicken Reggies" which is Pauls "Chicago Chicken Ala King" over Rigatone pasta Great book! but be prepared to buy a lot of seasonings

In this book, a living national treasure has lovingly adapted specific regional recipes to his own singular way with food. He has indeed "Seasoned America" and transformed old-fashioned fare into something bright and irresistible. Imagine what Paul Prudhomme might do with meatloaf, beef noodle casserole, turkey hash, black bean soup! Elegance is here as well of course; the charm of this book is precisely the variety of tastes created in American kitchens.

I have four of Paul Prudhomme's cookbooks, but cannot seem to stop dipping into this one. So many crowd-pleasing sensations await the lucky diners who partake of these recipes. Concepts of Prudhomme's fascinating food philosophy will simmer into your own style before long, and improvization with these recipes is easy and natural -- take it from a "strictly by the book" cook. I will limit the recipes I mention to just a few, but there are over a dozen classics I would like to tell you about. "New England Butternut Bisque" layers classic American pumpkin-pie flavors in astonishing new form, and now several of my friends will not let at least one of the holidays go by without this soup on their table. His version of "Buffalo Chicken Wings" brought raves when I cooked them for a friend's wedding not for their heat, but for their *subtlty*. "Louisiana Fried Catfish with Crabmeat Topping" was probably my most memorable meal ever. Even a humble simple dish like "Southern Smothered Potatoes" can outshine its brothers and sisters on the plate and have people saying, 'You know what? Those potatoes were the best part of the meal!' His two-paragraph introductions to each recipe sparkle with his exciting personality and love for food, and the reader wishes they would go on and on. There is genius behind every recipe.

I must have 50 cookbooks, but this is my favorite. The recipes need to be followed precisely, however the directions are excellent. Every dish I've made from this book has been aromatic and full of flavor. Be careful, they are also full of salt and calories! But if you want to WOW your guests, select a few of these recipes and enjoy!

My favorite recipe is the Milwaukee Potato Soup. Be careful, it takes a full 90 minutes to prepare! And don't even THINK about trying to cook something else complicated at the same time. The New England Butternut Bisque introduced me to the wonders of squash and is much easier to make than the Potato Soup. The Mulacalong Chicken is flavorful, although I prefer to cut out the bell peppers. The Chicken Paprika is divine.

Every recipe I've tried from this book has been wonderful. Buy this and prepare for a treat!

I've used this book for years. Some people rely on stricly fresh ingredients, others like to cook with dried spices. Prudhomme's a big dried spice guy. Yes, garlic purists will be aghast that he uses garlic powder. But these recipes work, and he does a great job of coming up with recipes that people will actually use. The dishes are NEVER bland and the flavors are often very complex and comingle well. His technique is to use the same spice mixture in different ways- frying some in oil, adding some in the middle of the cooking, adding more just before serving, et al- and it really helps add complexity and richer flavor to a dish! Some of these recipes are clunkers, as are many in most cookbooks, but I return time and time again to a fair amount of these recipes. My biggest critique- his recipes are fairly straightforward, but they are sometimes unnecessarily complicated- Yyou can streamline them without poor results. For instance, use canned broth in the Tetrazini recipe and you will save yourself about three hours. Also, I really think that you can make his Kentucky Burgoo in less than two days, but that's actually what the recipe calls for! But you've already made many of the dishes in this book before, only without all the flavor. Paul was "kicking it up a notch" long before Emeril got to New Orleans. Buy a cheap used copy and tell me that it wasn't one of the best investments you've ever made after you've tried three of the recipes! My favorite recipe: Basque Chicken and Shrimp with Wine. Fantastic!

Seasoned America was my first Chef Paul book. A three year project for him, it is a three tiered tutorial for us. As director, mentor, and innovator to the reader, Chef Paul introduces us to caramelizing finely diced vegetables as the foundation of his recipe architecture. Larger cut vegetables combine with meats or seafood (or both) to complete the dinner dishes. The obligatory spices in his usually remarkable combinations make each recipe a distinctive statement. But there's more. Chef Paul fairly insists that the reader experiment, alter amounts, make substitutions. His ingredients (two cups of brewed black coffee in his "Cowboy Stew")might frighten the fainthearted, his "fried green tomatoes" are heart cloggers, and his reliance on heavy cream invites substitution. Yet, because of the overall upgrading of old favorites by spice and technique, nearly every recipe can be retrofitted to accomplish two paradoxical goals - heart health and marvelous taste. Last Thanksgiving, I made San Francisco Cioppino as an appetizer for a dozen guests. The turkey sat unnoticed and unwanted as I scambled for ingredients to "stretch" the Cioppino. All of last year's attendees are returning this year. When the tomato harvest reached its peak recently, Chef Paul's instruction to take the time to blanche, peel, and seed a peck of plum tomatoes for Cream of Tomato Soup kept me standing between pots of boiling water and ice water longer than I liked. The result, with skim milk added instead of cream, was more than worth every minute on my feet. This was my first of several Chef Paul books. It should be yours.

"Chef Paul's San Francisco Cioppino recipe is reason enough to buy this book" is what I wrote in November, 1998, as ABDissert.
Seasoned America was my first Chef Paul book, and my copy is simply worn out. "Last Thanksgiving (I said in 1998), I made San Francisco Cioppino as an appetizer for a dozen guests. The turkey sat unnoticed and unwanted as I scambled for ingredients to "stretch" the Cioppino. All of last year's attendees are returning this year." Actually, they have come back for the Cioppino every year since.
Seasoned America was a three year project for Chef Paul, but it is a three-tiered tutorial for us. As our director, mentor, and innovator, Chef Paul introduces us to caramelizing finely diced vegetables as the foundation of his recipe architecture. Later in the cooking, larger cut vegetables are combined with meats or seafood (or both) to complete the dinner dishes. I am a devotee of spicey foods and find the obligatory spices in his usually remarkable combinations make each recipe a distinctive statement.
In 1998, I wrote about some of my favorites then, but I've discovered more. With fat free cream cheese in place of (some of) the heavy cream, the West Coast Chicken (named for Luisa) Tetrazzini is a heart healthy, filling, and most satisfying dish. Texas Red Chili is a regular export from my kitchen. Chef Paul's Beef and Oyster Jambalaya, his Guacamole recipe, Texas Shrimp and Rice, and the Pasta Primavera make restaurant versions pale and poor.
(From my 1998 remarks), Chef Paul fairly insists that the reader experiment, alter amounts, make substitutions. His ingredients (two cups of brewed black coffee in his "Cowboy Stew") might frighten the fainthearted, his "fried green tomatoes" are heart cloggers, and his reliance on heavy cream invites substitution. Yet, because of the overall upgrading of old favorites by spice and technique, nearly every recipe can be retrofitted to accomplish two paradoxical goals - heart health and marvelous taste. When the tomato harvest reached its peak recently, Chef Paul's instruction to take the time to blanche, peel, and seed a peck of plum tomatoes for Cream of Tomato Soup kept me standing between pots of boiling water and ice water longer than I liked. The result, with skim milk added instead of cream, was more than worth every minute on my feet. This was my first of several Chef Paul books. It should be yours.

I've had this book since it came out and have used it to death. The recipes are very traditional in technique, but tend to have a little extra zing due to Prudhomme's spicing tendencies. I consider that a good thing as it rescues many of these traditional dishes from the mediocrity that cafeterias and timid home cooks have enforced upon them. I've run into a few recipes that are just "good" but many of them are homeruns. The pasta primavera, black bottom pie, Basque chicken and shrimp, San Francisco Cioppino, and Chicken a la King are all recipes that I've revisited many times.

A few reviewers appear to have issues with some of the recipes, but I simply have not experienced these problems. One of the critical things in Paul's recipes is often the browning stages and it requires a cook's attention to what's happening on the stove as opposed to slavishly watching the clock and hoping for cooking alchemy to happen. Especially when cooking on electric stoves, which have a greater risk to burn and scorch Prudhomme's flavorful pan-bottom crusts, I find I have to turn the heat down a little and be ready to add stock and scrape when the pan needs it, not a minute or two later.

As far as "over spicing", well everybody has their opinions, but I think Prudhomme typically nails it for my tastes. Texas shrimp and rice too hot? Not for me, but it most likely is for some. For foods that have too much spicey heat for more delicate palates, the cook needs to be willing to subsitute or cut back on the ground peppers. Paprika is a pretty easy substitute for New Mexico red chile. I've often done this when cooking for a more general crowd. Prudhomme often suggests that a cook make adjustments to suit their tastes, so one should not be afraid that the recipe police will show up if you make those changes.

Out of all of the cooking I've done, I've probably pointed more people to this cookbook than any other for that "knockout" dish that I brought to the table. I consider this cookbook essential and recommend it every chance I get.

Chef Paul has done it again! I absolutely love this cookbook. I have two copies! The first one so worn I had to purchase a second. Every dish I've made has been wounderful. You just can't go wrong with any of Prudhomme's recipes. The Buffalo Wings are the best I've ever had! Be sure to try the Black Bean Soup, Sopa de Albóndigas,Baked Stuffed Tomatoes,Indiana Dutch Cabbage Rolls,Chicken Paprika. These are just some of our favorites. You'll get the best results following the recipe exactly. Paul Prudhomme is my favorite chef, and soon he too will be yours. Don't pass up this great cookbook.

It is so good, this book. The meat loaf, the black bean soup, the Texas rice, all so full of surprising ingredients! The cooking method is unique and exciting, and very well described so you can't miss a trick. Unbelievable stuff in this book. I had to buy a new one I used it so much.

As a believer in real butter,cream,etc. This is my favorite cookbook of all time. Cooking with Chef Paul is almost ritual in the preparation of receipes. This book is not for people in a hurry, it is for people who love to lose themselves in chopping, stirring and tasting. The meatloaf and clam chowder are heaven and in the days of fast food, this book takes you back to a more genteel time when guests were treated to the best a kitchen was able to turn out. Long live cholesterol!!