Here’s a simple question: what is American food? No, I really want to know more than “burger, fries, shakes — plus hot dogs and pizza.”
There really is an American cuisine, first established in those thirteen colonies and then honed over almost four centuries. Here’s a book that truly can be described as American. Consider this sample of a dozen recipes, from opening margarita to closing pecan pie:
Frozen Georgia Peach Margarita
Fall Harvest Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
Southwestern Turkey Clubs with Chipotle Mayo
Autumn Lasagna with Sage and Squash Puree
Bacon Cheddar Biscuits
Broccoli and Bacon Twice-Baked Potatoes
Buttermilk Oven-Fried Chicken
Cast-Iron Creamed Corn
Gingery Butternut Squash Bisque
Hearty Beef Stew with Roasted Parsnips and Potatoes
Peach and Blackberry Cobbler
Salted Caramel Pecan Pie with Pretzel Crust
Author Jamie Dean and his brother Bobby are restaurateurs, and TV personalities. Yes, they are the sons of Paula Deen, so they have literally grown up in lives of food. But Jamie, like his brother, has honed his own path.
In this, his first book, Jamie takes classic recipes and adds personal refinements. The result is a solid collection of recipes for soups, sandwiches, meat, seafood, pasta, sides, desserts, snacks and drinks. That’s the full spectrum and here you’ll find lovely ideas in every category.
That list of the Deen Dozen Dishes at the top is my intentional selection. It’s very American using maple syrup, squash, potatoes, parsnips and pecans. Those flavors are integrated into recipes that just happen to be perfect for right now, like the Autumn Lasagna or the Hearty Beef Stew. For November through March, this book can be your winter kitchen sidekick.
Jamie Deen’s Good Food is constructed for the American home cook. The single-page recipes are well written and easily followed. Departing a bit from his mom’s often very rich dishes, here Jamie does lighten up: less dairy and salt, more veggies and chicken stock. These are sensible recipes you can enjoy with far less guilt — and, look, sometimes we all need a little maple syrup in our salad dressing.
You’ll enjoy this book and so will the person you offer this to as a holiday present. You can even give more than one away.
There really is an American Cuisine and you’ll find it here in Jamie Deen’s Good Food.