Saveur Cooks Authentic American: By the Editors of Saveur Magazine

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