James Beard's American Cookery

Product Description The classic, must-have American cookbook from one of our greatest authorities on food.James Beard was the "dean of American cookery" (New York Times), and he put practically everything he learned about cooking into this single magnificent--now classic--cookbook. JAMES BEARD'S AMERICAN COOKERY includes more than fifteen hundred of his favorite and most successful recipes, as well as advice on dozens of cooking questions, from choosing meats and vegetables to preserving fruit and making real cheeseburgers. A celebration of the roots of cooking in the American style, this repackaged edition features the original text and color illustrations, and a new foreword by Tom Colicchio. Like Mastering the Art of French Cooking and The Joy of Cooking, it is a standard reference no kitchen is complete without. Review "The bible of American cooking by 'the king of gourmets'."―Time"...his chef d'oeuvre...should take a place on the narrow shelf reserved for major American culinary literature."―Washington Post"I felt a shiver as I unpacked the new edition of James Beard's American Cookery, this big, fat, generous book, so like Jim himself. I just held it for a few minutes, remembering times in his kitchen, his big hand guiding mine in the motion of making mayonnaise with a fork. . . . It strikes me as timely that chefs who know only his image on a medal hung round their neck have this chance to see what James was cooking before they were born." ―Gael Greene, Insatiable-critic.com"The beauty of this book is that it allows you . . . to experience firsthand what made James Beard special and unique. His voice can be heard through his no-nonsense recipes and the choices he made that celebrated even simple, humble dishes for what they were: good food." ―Tom Colicchio, 2010 James Beard Foundation Outstanding Chef and head judge on Top Chef, from the Foreword"The tome's enduring popularity is due to the fact that it does more than deliver superb recipes, it digs deep into the history of American cuisine."―Fox News About the Author Until his death in 1985, James Beard was the nation's most acclaimed chef and food writer. The founder and director of the celebrated cooking classes in New York that still bear his name, Beard wrote James Beard's New Fish Cookery, The James Beard Cookbook, Menus for Entertaining, Beard on Bread, Beard on Food, and other works on the gastronomic arts. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. James Beard's American CookeryBy Beard, JamesLittle, Brown and CompanyCopyright © 2010 Beard, JamesAll right reserved.ISBN: 9780316098687Cocktail FoodThe cocktail party grew out of the Prohibition era and out of the decline in entertaining with pomp and servants. At the same time new standards of living and a new tempo of living inspired informal, friendly gatherings of anywhere from ten to five hundred people for the purpose of sipping drinks and munching on small snacks. As we well know, these gatherings continue to this very day and have become so much a part of our lives that we take them for granted. Ironically enough, they can sometimes be as deadly as the most formal of gatherings. It takes imagination to throw a successful cocktail party, and part of the success depends on the quality of the food you offer.With the advent of the cocktail party a new style of food was created — what is known in the trade as “finger food”: quite simply, food that can be eaten with the fingers without dribbling over clothing, rugs, and furniture. Many of the snacks created for such occasions are excellent, and many of them are garbage. One owes it to his guests to know the difference. Some of the more evil items are commercial dips dreamed up by those who have a product to sell, and others are concoctions fabricated with pastry bag and tube on small bits of soggy bread or toast. These are to be avoided at all cost. Nevertheless, there are many good edibles in the realm of cocktail