Cooking New American : How to Cook the Food You Love to Eat at Chef2Chef

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.
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Reader 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.