Fusion Food Cookbook [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Hugh Carpenter (Author), Terri Sandison (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 10, 1994

What is "fusion cooking"? It's brushing skewers of beef tenderloin with a traditional Caribbean jerk barbecue sauce; matching spicy Southwest fried chicken with a sunny ginger-apricot sauce; or drizzling watermelon and sweet red onion salad with a raspberry cabernet vinaigrette. In short, fusion cooking means combining ingredients and techniques from around the world to achieve exciting flavors.

Fusion Food Cookbook celebrates the new American cuisine, in which distinctive seasonings and cooking styles from Asia, Mexico, the American Southwest, New Orleans, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean are incorporated into familiar home cooking. Highlighting the vivid flavors of these diverse ethnic and regional traditions, authors Hugh Carpenter and Teri Sandison define a major trend in American cooking, showing us how to mix and match seasonings and cooking techniques and encouraging us to be more creative in our own cooking.

The 150 flavor-intense recipes in Fusion Food Cookbook require no hard-to-find ingredients or special equipment. More than 100 color photographs by acclaimed food and wine photographer Teri Sandison capture the vivid colors and cross-cultural style of the inspired recipes.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Glossy good looks aren't everything, but the color photography in this latest collaboration between husband/chef Carpenter and wife/photographer Sandison demonstrates the allure and appeal of fusion food. Colors and textures of a finished dish are so skillfully caught, one can almost smell the cilantro wafting up from their dumplings. Fusion food, so-called because it melds culinary techniques, ingredients and presentations from several cultures or countries in a single dish, is one of the few food trends of the '80s that is gathering momentum still. Some consumers may settle for comfort food-but get a glimpse of the Caribbean soup with grilled prawns, and they may steer clear of plain chicken noodle. Carpenter is an authority on Asian-Pacific Rim cuisine, and knows just how to add a dash of star anise or Chinese garlic chile paste to a scallop tostada to elevate its flavor and appeal. Recipes are detailed, with unusual or ethnic ingredients defined for beginners. Novices will also be reassured by the levels of difficulty indicated and complementary menu suggestions. The book could be cross-merchandised to armchair travelers as a culinary destination point that is both exotic and accessible.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Though this is the first cookbook to feature fusion cuisine, a harmonious blend of international ingredients, techniques, and presentation ideas, most of the 150 recipes will be beyond the reach of average reader-chefs. And though Carpenter and Sandison are to be commended for their exacting attention to detail, well-written notes, and exuberant color photographs, ingredients are simply not accessible to most residents of nonmetropolitan areas. Yet the recipes are entrancing, each identified by level of difficulty (easy, moderate, and challenging). Kudos to a pioneering couple. Barbara Jacobs

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: Artisan (January 10, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885183003
• ISBN-13: 978-1885183002
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #585,675 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Passes the test., February 22, 1999

By 

david milne (northeast, usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fusion Food Cookbook (Hardcover)

I use a simple test for every cookbook I consider for purchase. If the first four recipes are workable, I buy. If not, back on the shelf. This one is a keeper.

I have three other books by these authors. But this book features more daring recipes, and the effect is, overall, more stunning. It has a number of dumplings recipes, which are all great.

There are not many books featuring fusion, but if this is the future, I'm buying the ticket.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent fusion cooking book for food lovers, November 8, 1999

By 

Marc Dalmulder (Hamlyn Terrace, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fusion Food Cookbook (Hardcover)

This book will get good food lovers and amateur 'chefs' very excited. After a long search in local book stores, Amazon was the only one to offer a decent selection of Fusion Cooking books. The reviews for this book were outstanding, so the decision to buy was made quickly. The next day, after receiving the book, I invited a good friend. We prepared several of the dishes (Dim Sum and the Swordfish) for our wives. It was an instant hit! The ingredients are easy to find in local stores, so that's no problem at all. Instructions are very clear and the pictures tell it all.

There is only one conclusion: Fusion cooking rules and this is the book to buy!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything I've tried in this (lots) is A PLUS PLUS., August 10, 1999

By 

C. E Suharik (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fusion Food Cookbook (Hardcover)

Whenever I want to astound someone with food that is uniquely superb I reach for this book. My husband and I rate all recipes that we try and only the ones that get an A plus get repeated. All that we've tried in this book are A plus. A little bit of work required for most, actually a lot, but well worth it.