Cooking New American : How to Cook the Food You Love to Eat (Hardcover)

~ Fine Cooking Magazine (Author) "More relaxed-both in the preparing and the eating-than a formal sit-down first course, "small bites" are quite versatile..." (more)
Key Phrases: crushed red chile flakes, canned chicken stock, kosher salt, Parmigiano Reggiano, White Bean, Yukon Gold (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The American palate changes constantly. Who would have guessed that salsa would replace ketchup as our condiment of choice? Even so, home cooking hasn't caught up with many of the "new" dishes we've come to enjoy. Addressing that gap, Cooking New American offers 200 recipes from Fine Cooking, a magazine devoted to telling cooks "how-to" as well as offering simple, tasty formulas. The book's recipes, which cover the full dish range from "small bites" through desserts, are the work of 75-plus food authorities, such as Alice Waters (Garden Lettuces with Baked Goat Cheese); Pam Anderson (Broiled Chicken Thighs with Coriander Rub); Norman Van Aken (Grilled Tuna with Mango and Habanero Sauce); and Gale Gand (Chocolate Terrine with Whipped Cream and Almond Brittle). Despite a few taste lapses (a recipe with rosemary-flavored blue-cheese sauce, for example), and at least one doubtfully edited formula (readers are advised to serve grilled red onions with optionally garnished Bermuda onion-topped flank-steak), the formulas are overwhelmingly attractive--traditional and modern fare that's easily prepared.

It is, however, the instructional asides that make the book so valuable. From "Cooking Right" tips (for example, to get the right vegetable thickness for a zucchini dish, "press down hard on a Y-shaped peeler") to sections like "Just What Is a Mojo?", the book abounds in genuinely useful advice. These tips benefit from color photos that show, for instance, the various stages of sugar-syrup caramelization. Ingredient and cooking-ahead pointers, as well as sub-recipes like those for quick pan sauces, further enhance this winning collection. --Arthur Boehm

From Publishers Weekly

A mere glance over the recipes and ingredients in this cookbook highlights how international American cooking has become. This volume brings together 200 dishes from Fine Cooking magazine, and covers everything from slight snacks to decadent desserts. The recipes, which are generally straightforward and accessible, emphasize the use of fresh, top-quality ingredients to bring out the flavor of simpler dishes like White Beans with Rosemary & Olive Oil and to anchor the taste of more exotic fare like Grilled Coffee-Brined Chicken Breasts. The Italian influence is big, as is evidenced by the book’s many elegant variations on bruschetta and pasta (some of which are standard, like Angel Hair with Mussels & Spicy Tomato Sauce, and others that are more inventive, like Squash Ravioli with Sherried Onion Sauce, Walnuts & Cranberries). The recipes also incorporate Chinese, Latin, Indian and Middle Eastern flavors. Though the dishes presented here are appetizing, the book is just as strong in what it offers by way of practical tips. Instructions on "Cooking Right" tell readers how to judge when a steak is seared properly and how to prepare lemongrass, and "Cook’s Choice" ideas explain key ingredients like ricotta salata and provide ideas for substitutions. Every page has one or more eye-catching photos that illuminate the process as well as the ingredients and the final product, which is always artfully plated. Although many cooks may have tried variations of these recipes before, this inspired collection will motivate many to revisit them.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Taunton Press; illustrated edition edition (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561587281
• ISBN-13: 978-1561587285
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #414,667 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fresh Ideas, December 20, 2004

By	Jennifer A. Wickes "Food Writer" - See all my reviews

Fine Cooking Magazine has released a new cookbook. Being a fan of Fine Cooking magazine myself, I am excited by their new innovative yet simple recipes that bring forth great meals and leave behind the boring meals of the past!

This new bestseller brings forth a new rage, the self-titled, Cooking New American. This book is not about America's past of meatloaf and dried pot roast, but new, creative meals. Lovely recipes such as Truffle-Scented Cornish Game Hens with Proscuitto and Wild Mushrooms, and Couscous with Ginger, Orange, Almonds and Herbs, are throughout this book.

This cookbook is beautifully photographed. The dishes look so tantalizing that one feels compelled to try some of these inspirational recipes! The recipes are easy-to-read and easy-to-prepare. Alongside any moderately-complicated recipe, there is a picture guide of what you are looking for whilst preparing your new meal.

If you are used to traditional American cuisine, and not ready for this new trend, then this book may come as a surprise with the ingredients. For me, it was refreshing to see ingredients such as porcini mushrooms, proscuitto, hazelnuts and more. But for others, it may be a deterrent.

For fresh, new ideas, pick up this cookbook. It would make a nice addition to your collection, as well as a wonderful gift.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fabulous Cookbook, July 24, 2005

By	Patricia O'connor "Patty O" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I received this cookbook as a present and have given it as a present to many people. I haven't had a failed recipe once. The instructions and quantities are clear and the sidebars with preparation tips are the best I've ever seen. I have committed to making at least one new dish a month. The risotto with corn, tomatoes & basil has become a staple at our house.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Cookbook Ever!, April 22, 2005

By	JenCen (Torrance, CA) - See all my reviews

My son gave me this cookbook for Christmas and I have probably used it at least weekly ever since! I love that most of the recipes are fairly short and whats great is that dishes are so good people assume they are much more difficult to prepare than they really are!