[.ca] Saveur Cooks Authentic American (ISBN 0811821609)

From Amazon.com:
What is American cooking? Fried chicken and apple pie are part of it--but what about sweet and sour pork or gnocchi with basil? Saveur Cooks Authentic American, created by the editors of the like-named food magazine, includes just such recipes, true examples of our all-embracing, melting-pot cuisine. Readers interested in exploring traditional and contemporary American food--from neighborhood Italian to Hawaiian fusion, from Louisiana Arcadian to California wine country, and more--will want the book. Organized by courses or food types, the book offers more than 150 accessible recipes, lavishly illustrated by over 400 color photos. Readers will find exemplary versions of favorite dishes, such as Carter Rochelle's Real Texas Chili, Aunt Gillie's Matzo Ball Soup, and a particularly tempting Lemon Meringue Pie from Alaska, but will also discover Warm Chanterelle and Pancetta Salad from the Napa Valley, Lamb's Neck Stew with Polenta, and chef Michael Robert's Corn Risotto. A chapter on breads offers such diverse specialties as New Mexican Corn Tortillas and Swedish Coffee Bread, a cardamom-flavored wonder. With notes on food traditions and techniques, and a final chapter devoted to that most American drink, the cocktail (recipes for drink-accompanying hors d'oeuvres are also provided), the book is a trove of good cooking American style, as well as a tribute to its enduring newness. --Arthur Boehm

More than a cookbook:
I was very disappointed by Jane's review of this book - it's more than just a cookbook, rather it's a celebration of the wide range of foods that we call "American". Really, how many recipies could you cover on this subject considering the range and diversity of the people and foods in the U.S.? For the recipies that are included (ranging from simple to complex), most come with a nice story...and it is the stories and history behind some of the people and food in this book that make it truly special. Yes, I agree, not a comprehensive "cookbook" so to speak, but a wonderful one to have in your kitchen (and on your coffee table, to boot) that does a good job of giving the reader a good sample (perhaps an appetizer to make one hungry enough to learn more about certain types of American cooking) of what we call "American Food".

It's just okay.:
I wasn't as crazy about this one as I was about Saveur's Authentic French book. The Authentic American book is more a melting pot of recipes. I was expecting well known, classic regional dishes. It was strange to see so many ethnic dishes. Yes, everyone in America is from somewhere, but there are dishes that are old and indigenous to the U.S. I would like to have seen more of those.

Great American Cooking:
This book has a wonderful diversity of recipes, all fairly easy to prepare with ingredients that are easy to get. It's certainly attractive enough for a coffee table book, and the pictures are enough to get anyone's appetite going. Because of the recipes, though, it lives in my kitchen, and more than one page has got stains on it from use. I recommend the macaroni and cheese!

Best Fried Chicken:
This is the best fried chicken recipe I have ever found. And I am from South Carolina, so I should know good fried chicken! I read this cookbook for fun, as the anecdotes along the side are so interesting and the pictures so mouthwatering. I highly recommend this cookbook to moderately advance cooks.

As good to eat as it is to look at!:
Hearing an interview with the authors, I bought this for a friends who love to cook and peeking at it before wrapping it up, I went back to Amazon and got another for myself and my wife. We have made about half the dishes and every one has been spectacular. Our friends said it is their favorite cookbook as well. (We sent the Saveur Cooks French the next year). This is a coffee table quality book. Oversized with photos that make you drool! Nothing is overly complicated either nor is it too spicy. Among our favorites - the Macroni and Cheese.