Product Description

America – A country of many contrasts. For me, it presented the ultimate food trip to explore places, ingredients, food culture & traditions. I wanted to get to the heart of great American food, to get past the junk and super-sized portions. I set off on what I knew would be a completely inspiring trip. I wasn’t wrong. . . from New York to New Orleans, the energy of Los Angeles to the big skies of Wyoming, I found what I was looking for: some of the most diverse and delicious recipes I’ve ever come across! And with 120 of them in this book, I’ll show you the quick and easy way to put a little slice of America on your dinner table. What a trip!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31 in Books
• Published on: 2009-09-01
• Released on: 2009-09-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 360 pages

About the Author
Jamie Oliver started cooking at his parents’ pub, the Cricketers, in Clavering, Essex, at the age of eight, and has gone on to work with some of the world’s top chefs. He founded Fifteen restaurant in London and the associated charity, Fifteen Foundation, which continues to train disadvantaged young people to become chefs. There are now three other Fifteen restaurants in the world: Cornwall, Amsterdam and Melbourne. Jamie has also launched a chain of high street restaurants in the UK called Jamie’s Italian. In 2005 Jamie led a campaign to improve the quality of school dinners in the UK and, through the Feed Me Better movement, caused the government to substantially change its policy towards school food. Jamie continues to write for publications in the UK and around the world, including his own magazine, Jamie Magazine. He lives in London and Essex with his wife, Jools, and their daughters, Poppy, Daisy and Petal

Customer Reviews

Finally, A Mainstream American Cookbook...
Clearly, Jamie isn't going to cover the entire sphere of American cookery in one book, but to my knowledge, this is possibly the first mainstream high profile book on the subject, so well done Jamie.

I've had an interest in different American cuisines for quite some time, and as an immigrant country the cuisines are obviously as diverse as the origins of the population which makes American cuisines far more diverse than those of Europe.

The public and media perception of US cuisine is obviously skewed to what it is familiar with, deep pan pizza, mass produced tex mex, and the ubiquitous soggy hamburger and fries. These are the imports of high margin, aggressive multinationals. But there is so much more to American food....

The problem is finding out about it. The cuts of meat, the commercial sauces, the regional differences within the US, etc.

I was delighted to find that Jamie includes a recipe for Beer Can Chicken, something rarely seen this side of the pond, but now the ONLY way I roast chicken (but Jamie gets it slightly wrong, the rub should go under the skin, not on it - is this a transcription error?) - this can turn even the most boring mass produced chicken into something special.

I already cook a number of dishes that Jamie covers, and these are some of my favourites, so I think Jamie's selection of dishes is spot on.

As an introduction to the more exciting and tasty American foods, this is simply an excellent book and highly recommended. All I would say is that it still a bit of a starting point. There are plenty of internet resources for developing recipes, and seeing how other people do the same things, and some commercial products that would be used in the US aren't referred to in Jamie's book, but they CAN be obtained occasionally in the UK.

The very best, most delicious junk food in the whole world
Jamie says he wants to stick up for American food, which often gets pigeon-holed as pure junk; this book is his way of showing how delicious, funky, varied and outrageous it can be. The book's divided into six sections: New York, Louisiana, Arizona, Los Angeles, Georgia, Wild West. As always it is beautifully illustrated by David Loftus's photos and the text is entertaining, good travelogue by JO. The real treat of course is the recipes, so let's cut straight to them.

Selected Recipes:
New York
Burgers, Waldorf Salad My Way, Candied Bacon Green Salad, Deep Pan Pizza, My NYC Cheesecake, Fiery Dan Dan Noodles, Jewish Pencillin (chicken soup) , Potato Latke Breakfast, Veal Parmigiana, Killer Mac n Cheese

Lousiana
Southern Red Beans and Pork, Amazing Pork Cracklings, Jambalaya, Southern Sausage Stew, two different Gumbos, Cajun Blackened Fish, two different recipes for Alligator (you can use pork chicken or swordfish if for some reason you don't have any alligator handy), Sweet Potato Pie, Bourbon and Pecan Tart

Arizona
Mexican Breakfast (this one made me dribble on the page it looks so good, spicey eggs and tomato in a tortilla), Chilli Cheese Cornbread, Navajo Brekkie, Watermelon Salad, Epic Churro Lamb, Chicken Mole (ie with chocolate), Peach Cobbler, Hot Choccy and Churros (with chilli in it), Chilli Popcorn

Los Angeles
Breakfast Tortillas, La Brea Salad, Seven Seas Soup (the one they make for the christening in LA), Mexican Street Salad, Fiery Shrimp Cocktail, Gorditas with Salsa, Chicken on Chickpeas, Stuffed Tomato Tortillas, Tuna Tartare, Chocolate Mole Tart, Blood Orange Granita

Georgia
Venison and Creamy Beans, Southern Pecan and Apple Salad, Comforting Turkey Stew, Crab Balls, Old-Fashioned Peach Ice Cream, Rich Grits, Southern Fried Chicken, Ham Hock on Green Grits, Southern Style Pork and Slaw, Beer Butt Chicken, Five Star Pork Ribs, My Epic Barbecue Sauce

Wild West
Best Baked Beans, Trout and Salad, Mountain Meatballs, Cornish Cowboy Pasties (amazingly this one is genuinely a US recipe), Traybaked Chicken, Chilli con Jamie, Awesome Apple Pancakes, Cinammon Swirls, Appleberry Pie

As you can see from the list - less useful for the inexperienced cook, the lover of plain flavours, the dieter, the chilli-hater, and the vegetarian! But for those of us who absolutely love proper American food this book is GREAT and can be a source for recipes to remind me of many happy holidays driving across the map. A really fantastic book.

At Last..........
.......... a cookbook which deliciously debunks the myth of 'American' food.

Jamie's America offers a unique taste of the richness and diversity of this country's gastronomic fare. Brilliantly done, in his inimitable style, lots of fab recipes with tips and commentary along the way. I just love the way Jamie gives you a 'chat' as you go through his cookbooks, and this one is no exception.

Like his others, written to accompany the C4 series of the same name, there is something here for everyone. Tasty, beautifully illustrated, clever and interesting, but not preachy. Back to Jamie at his best!



EDIT:
To update my review, I've added the recipes tried and tested so far! Am very impressed how easy and tasty they are, and their adaptability. Have a look online (Daily Mail website in particular) if you want to 'try before you buy' this cookbook.

1. VELVET CUPCAKES - these were easy to make and very 'visual' (looked good displayed on a wire cupcake stand too). Not as vividly 'red' as the traditional Velvet Cake, but I used natural colouring. I cooked these for slightly less time than suggested and got a very soft and almost melting cake. Easy recipe to adapt for different occasions.
2. BROCCOLI SALAD - again a very easy recipes, quick and delicious. I preferred it slightly warm, so best to have everything prepared for the dressing in advance. A little fiddly preparing the Broccoli as directed, but worth it for the presentation. For Friday night tea, I just chopped up the Broccoli randomly (also a lot less waste!) Brilliant for veggies (add cheese of choice) or we had it with a simple steak.
3. STUFFED COURGETTE FLOWERS - similar to Valentine Warner's excellent recipe but with a different mix of cheeses. Added more Chilli to this and it was fab. Again easy to adapt to suit taste.
4. CHURROS - Not enough cinnamon for my lot in this but again easy to adapt. VERY tasty indeed. (Need to make a double batch next time).
5. BEER BUTT CHICKEN - if you have to try one recipe, try this. A revelation and simply delicious. Very easy, meltingly tender chicken. (Novel too - provoked more discussion here then Nigella's Ham in CocaCola!)
6. COMFORTING TURKEY STEW - this was actually Comforting Leftover BeerButt Chicken for us, but good nonetheless. Will probably omit the dumplings next time - good on its own or with rice / mash.

Enjoy!