U.S.A. Cookbook
- Book Review,
by Sheila Lukins
Amazon.com
Sheila Lukins's USA Cookbook celebrates American cooking as seen through the enthusiastic eyes of one of the nation's most popular cooks and successful cookbook authors. The 600-plus recipes in this hefty book include exuberant versions of American classics like tomato soup and chocolate pudding, and updated takes on classics, inspired by dishes Lukins sampled at food festivals, restaurants, and in homes she visited all over the country. Lukins also shares recipes gathered from eateries whose specialties are the gold standard, including Sonny Bryan's Onion Rings from Kansas City, Missouri, Goode's BBQ Mop from Houston, and Blue Wally Pancakes from Al's Breakfast in Minneapolis, to name a few. Shaker Cranberry Brisket, Chili Chicken Salad, and Low Country Bread Pudding are more examples of Lukins in top form, adding her own creative yet comfortable and crowd-pleasing twists to classic regional dishes. Use this book when cooking for company and to add a lift to family meals. Without leaving you buried in the kitchen, whatever you make will add a soupcon of sophistication--and gain compliments for the cook.
Book Description
After traveling across the country for three years, Sheila Lukins, the co-author of The Silver Palate cookbooks and The New Basics Cookbook and author of All Around the World Cookbook, set to work tasting, interpreting, and making magic in over 600 recipes. Here are Mashed Yukon Golds, a Stovetop Clambake, Vegetable Jambalaya, Bing Cherry Chutney, Peachy Keen Pie. Quesadillas with duck and caramelized onions, a burger stuffed with Maytag blue cheese, gazpacho made with both fresh and roasted vegetables, crab cakes sumptuous with lobster meat, orange zest, and mace. It's a star-spangled celebration. 355,000 copies in print.
From the Back Cover
In a great, friendly, and indispensable book, Sheila Lukins, America's most trusted home cook and co-author of The Silver Palate Coocbook and The New Basics Cookbook, rediscovers, interprets, and transforms the best of American tastes and ingredients. Over 600 recipes, from Roasted and Fresh Vegetable Gazpacho to Smothered Beef Shanks, Super Bowl Clambake to Chocolate-Pecan Banana Cream Pie, combine the sophisticated and homespun to create pure culinary dazzle. Pride of place is given throughout to fresh and dried chiles, wild rice, Walla Walla onions, Western beef, cranberries, maple syrup, morels, and seafood right from our bays, rivers, and oceans. Featuring great American wines, beers, and cheese, plus regional and holiday specialties with a twist.
About the Author
Sheila Lukins is most recently author of All Around the World Cookbook, and serves as food editor for Parade magazine.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
LANCASTER APPLE BUTTER Until I spent a weekend in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, I had always thought of apple butter as one of those elusive foods that was sold in jars or served on relish trays at quaint country inns. But visiting with Mennonite and Amish families, I was treated to the most delicious, perfectly spiced apple butter imaginable. I knew the time had come for me to have a lesson in this all-American spread. To begin with, I learned that any old apple won't do. For the perfect consistency, it has to be a mealy-textured cooking apple, such as Gravenstein, McIntosh, or Rome Beauty. Cooked with cider, then baked with a touch of cinnamon and a splash of vinegar, this apple butter is thick, dark, and deeply aromatic. Although this recipe may be more work than a trip to the supermarket, it is eminently worthwhile, and the apple butter will keep for up to 3 weeks--if you don't eat it all with the first taste! 6 pounds mealy apples (Gravenstein, McIntosh, Rome Beauty) 1 cup apple cider 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1/4 cup cider vinegar 2 cups (packed) dark brown sugar 1. Peel and core the apples, then quarter them. Place the apples in a heavy ovenproof pot, add the cider, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the apples are soft, about 30 minutes. 2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 3. Press the apples, along with any liquid, through a strainer into a bowl. Return the mixture to the pot and add the cinnamon, vinegar, and brown sugar. Bake, uncovered, for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate, covered, for up to 3 weeks. Makes about 5 cups DEVILED LAMB CHOPS Wait till you taste these little devils. They're just nicely spiced, not searingly so, but they do pack a surprise because most folks, I've found, don't expect to have their lamb served with a little heat. Pile the chops on one half of a large platter with grilled corn piled on the other. If you're not in the mood for wine or beer, an icy pitcher of iced tea is the drink of choice. Wine: Sonoma County (CA) Cabernet Sauvignon Beer: Pennsylvania double bock Marinade 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic 1 1/2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce 1/2 teaspoon paprika Salt, to taste 8 rib lamb chops, cut 1 inch thick, bones frenched 1. Prepare the marinade: Combine all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. 2. Add the lamb chops and coat them well with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours, turning them occasionally. 3. Prepare a barbecue grill with medium-hot coals or preheat a broiler. 4. Grill or broil the lamb chops, 3 inches from the heat source, brushing them with the marinade, for 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare meat. Serves 3 to 4 FENNEL AND ACORN SQUASH WHIP Fennel and acorn squash have surprising affinity for each other. Although sugary winter squash is delicious on its own, the sweet licorice flavor of the fennel brightens the taste and makes for a more interesting side dish. 1 acorn squash (about 1 pound) 1 fennel bulb (about 1 1/2 pounds), ferns trimmed off, chopped into 1-to 2-inch pieces 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter 1/2 cup fresh orange juice Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives, chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, or slivered fresh basil leaves, for garnish 1. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. 2. Cut the acorn squash in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and then cut the squash into large chunks. Cook the squash in the boiling water until tender, 10 minutes. Drain. When the squash is cool enough to handle, remove the skin with a paring knife. Cut it into 1/2-inch cubes and set aside. 3. Meanwhile, bring another pot of water to a boil. Add the fennel and cook until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and set aside. 4. Melt the butter with the orange juice in a large skillet over medium-low heat, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the vegetables and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. 5. Transfer the vegetables to a food processor and puree until smooth. Serve warm, garnished with the chives. Serves 4 Excerpted from U.S.A. Cookbook. Copyright c 1997 Sheila Lukins Reprinted with permission by Workman Publishing.
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