Product Details
The Best American Recipes 2005-2006: The Year's Top Picks from Books, Magazines, Newspapers, and the Internet

The Best American Recipes 2005-2006: The Year's Top Picks from Books, Magazines, Newspapers, and the Internet
From Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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Product Description

Home cooks and professional chefs alike have come to rely on The Best American Recipes as an indispensable resource whenever they need dazzling results, brilliant simplicity, and can't-fail recipes. Compiled by two of the culinary world's most respected professionals, The Best American Recipes brings together coveted dishes and kitchen secrets from the widest possible range of food writers and luminaries, from Alice Waters to Marcella Hazan. To create this book, editors Fran McCullough and Molly Stevens did all the work for you, testing hundreds of recipes from sources as diverse as the season's most illustrious cookbook and the back of an herb packet, often trying dozens of possibilities to winnow out all but the very best. Nothing less would do. Among the recipes in this book that are certain to find their way into your permanent repertoire:

* La Brea Tar Pit Chicken Wings -- easy-on-the-host finger food that will be the talk of your party. * Cream of Cauliflower Soup -- kids at the private school where this soup was served for lunch actually begged their parents to get the recipe. * Spaghetti with Slow-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes -- a Boston chef's favorite at-home supper, terrific all year round. * Spiced Skirt Steak -- nothing easier, nothing better. * Bok Choy with Shiitakes -- you can make this in less time than it takes your guests to find their seats.
* Brown Sugar-Sour Cream Cheesecake -- if this isn't the best cheesecake you've ever tasted, we'll eat this book.

Fran McCullough has discovered, edited, and published many of the country's most distinguished cookbook writers. She is the author of the best-selling Low-Carb Cookbook and of Living Low-Carb, The Good Fat, and Great Food Without Fuss, which won a James Beard Award.

Molly Stevens is the James Beard and IACP Award-winning author of All About Braising, the coauthor of One Potato, Two Potato, and a contributing editor for Fine Cooking.

Mario Batali's award-winning restaurants include Babbo, Lupa, Esca, Casa Mono, Otto, and Bistro du Vent. He is the star of the Food Network's hit Iron Chef America. He also hosts two shows on the Food Network, Molto Mario and Ciao America with Mario Batali. His latest book is Molto Italiano: Simple Classic Italian Recipes to Cook at Home.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #107133 in Books
  • Published on: 2005-10-05
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Hardcover
  • 320 pages

Features

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
With recipes culled from world-class chefs and publications ranging from Ina Garten's prim Barefoot in Paris to Maya Angelou's rip-roaring Hallelujah! The Welcome Table to Harley and Davidson Family Recipes, editors McCullough and Stevens have compiled a daydream-inspiring yearbook of American cooking. Dedicated home chefs would do well to add at least one of the book's main dishes to their arsenal; with favorites like Tagliatelle with Crème Fraîche and Arugula and Scandanavian Salmon Stew with Mushrooms and Dill to choose from, it shouldn't be hard to shake up any family's evening lineup. Eyes might glaze over during the segment on side dishes (and a couple recipes -- Mushy Zucchini and Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts and Pecorino - offer new twists on standard fare, but may be too complex for rookie cooks), but the breads section, with such hearty fare as Bacon and Cheddar Scones and savory Egyptian Cheese Rolls, are sure to revive carb-craving cooks. The desserts chapter alone will make this a must-have for culinary enthusiasts. Decadent favorites such as Cowboy Cookies and Chocolate Chip Brownie Double-Deckers will keep the wagons circled, and no family barbeque would be complete without Maya Angelou's banana pudding. The recipes use ingredients available at any corner market, so even inexperienced cooks working in a sparsely equipped kitchen can turn out delicious, eye-catching dishes.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
With recipes culled from world-class chefs and publications ranging from Ina Garten's prim Barefoot in Paris to Maya Angelou's rip-roaring Hallelujah! The Welcome Table to Harley and Davidson Family Recipes, editors McCullough and Stevens have compiled a daydream-inspiring yearbook of American cooking. Dedicated home chefs would do well to add at least one of the book's main dishes to their arsenal; with favorites like Tagliatelle with Crème Fraîche and Arugula and Scandanavian Salmon Stew with Mushrooms and Dill to choose from, it shouldn't be hard to shake up any family's evening lineup. Eyes might glaze over during the segment on side dishes (and a couple recipes -- Mushy Zucchini and Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts and Pecorino - offer new twists on standard fare, but may be too complex for rookie cooks), but the breads section, with such hearty fare as Bacon and Cheddar Scones and savory Egyptian Cheese Rolls, are sure to revive carb-craving cooks. The desserts chapter alone will make this a must-have for culinary enthusiasts. Decadent favorites such as Cowboy Cookies and Chocolate Chip Brownie Double-Deckers will keep the wagons circled, and no family barbeque would be complete without Maya Angelou's banana pudding. The recipes use ingredients available at any corner market, so even inexperienced cooks working in a sparsely equipped kitchen can turn out delicious, eye-catching dishes. (Publishers Weekly )

About the Author
Mario Batali's award-winning restaurants include Babbo, Lupa, Esca, Casa Mono, Otto, and Bistro du Vent. He is the star of the Food Network's hit Iron Chef America. He also hosts two shows on the Food Network, Molto Mario and Ciao America with Mario Batali. His latest book is Molto Italiano: Simple Classic Italian Recipes to Cook at Home. 

Fran McCullough has been an editor at Harper and Row, Dial Press, and Bantam, where she discovered such major cookbook authors as Deborah Madison, Diana Kennedy, Paula Wolfert, Martha Rose Shulman, and Colman Andrews. She is a coauthor of Great Food Without Fuss, which won a James Beard Award, and the author of the best-selling Low-Carb Cookbook.

Molly Stevens a contributing editor to Fine Cooking, is the author of Williams-Sonoma New England and the coauthor of One Potato, Two Potato.

Customer Reviews

Fabulous!5
Rarely do I read a cookbook, and I read a lot of them, and think that every single recipe sounds fantastic--this is the exception. A yummy, easy to follow compilation of great recipes! The tips and notes from the authors/cooks after each recipe are practical and time-saving--helpful for both the novice and experienced cook. AND the authors picked their favorites from the favorites and listed them in the front for a no-fail pick if you are in a hurry. SMART. I haven't looked at previous "best of" books by these authors, probably the format is similar. I might have to buy them too! It's clear that they have made each and every one of these dishes. I have made three things out of this book--all wonderful. If you buy one cookbook this year, make it this one.

The name says it all!5
It has been a very long time since "American" food was limited to burgers, hot dogs, and apple pie. Today's Americans, no matter where they originally came from, enjoy the widest range of cuisines on the planet. This delightful book both acknowledges and celebrates the diversity of the American palate.

Contributed by some of the top chefs in the world, the recipes in this book are far from stuffy or overly complicated and instead manage to be well presented and easy to follow. The chefs also offer their personal tips for faster preparation or variations to adapt the recipes to taste. This is not a "for-special-occasions" cook book. While the food looks fantastic and provides real depth of flavor, each recipe slides easily into the normal rotation for the average cook. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook, this book is called "The Best" for a reason.

This series really derves its title of "Best"5
I own every book in this series, and each one of them is excellent. I have a huge cookbook collection, and this series accounts for 6 out of 12 of my "essential" category.

Each volume has several recipes that people rave about for weeks after I make them. I love the format--interesting write-ups, useful tips, and a nice re-cap of the year.

This isn't my favorite volume of the series (if I had to pick a favorite it would be 2000 or 2001-2002), but the yogurt cheese balls, the greek meatballs and the berry clafouti are some of the biggest winners in my repertoire.

The older volumes are practically free on Amazon Marketplace.