American Taste: A Celebration Of Gastronomy Coast To Coast

by James Villas, James Beard (Foreword by)

Overview

“A landmark. [American Taste] encompasses an admirable range of thoughts on food ranging from fried chicken and barbecues to Bourbon to game and caviar. A banquet for your library.”—Craig Claiborne

“American Taste makes us savor the thought of good food, good living, and the joys of the good life. A delicious volume!”—James Beard

In his acclaimed American Taste, renowned food writer James Villas shares his passions for food and drink—both the humble and the sophisticated—in essays including “Understanding Fried Chicken,” “Upgrading Hash,” and “Cornflakes Be Damned!” From his homage to asparagus to his treatise on french fries, Villas regales us with tales of American gastronomy from the perspective of a respectful gourmand and hired palate. American Taste is a new American classic.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781599219288
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	03/23/2010
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

James Villas was the food & wine editor of Town & Country for twenty-seven years and is the author of more than a dozen cookbooks and books on food, two of them James Beard Award nominees. His work has appeared in Esquire, Food & Wine, Gourmet, Bon Appétit, Saveur, the New York Times and the Atlantic Monthly. He won a James Beard Award for journalism and received Bon Appétit’s Food Writer of the Year Award in 2003. 

Table of Contents

Foreword James Beard VII

Introduction X

I Whistling Dixie 1

Understanding Fried Chicken 2

Creole, Cajun, Choctaw 13

Star-Spangled Bourbon 29

My Pig Beats Your Cow 42

Goat-Roping Grub 50

II Confronting American Gourmania 67

America's Passion, America's Guilt 68

Burger Truth 73

Clawed King of the Deep 79

Stews, Ragoûts, Burgoos 88

Reinventing the Sandwich 98

Sour Milk with a College Education 109

Upgrading Hash 115

Rum's Back! 127

III Sharpening the Blade 137

Beyond Meat Loaf 138

Take a Leaf of Lettuce and 150

Some Like It Cold 160

The Summer Coolers 167

Vegetable Aristocrat 178

Dressing for Dinner 189

Dessert Cookies with a Pedigree 198

IV Serious Eating 205

Raw Elegance 206

American Caviar 214

Discovering Great American Cheeses 228

Mousse, Beautiful Mousse 236

Game Is the Name 244

Regal Roasts 259

Long Live The Coach House 269

V A Gourmand Fights Back 283

Cry, the Beloved Country Ham 284

I Made My Own Wine 292

Cornflakes Be Damned! 301

Blessed Are We Who Serve 309

When Lucullus Dines with Lucullus 323

Games Restaurants Play 330

Postscript: "But Why Aren't You Fat!" 338

Index of Recipes 343

Editorial Reviews

"A landmark.  It encompasses an admirable range of thoughts on food ranging from fried chicken and barbecues to Bourbon to game and caviar.  A banquet for your library."—Craig Claiborne
 
"Ameican Taste makes us savor the thought of good food, good living, and the joys of the good life.  A delicious volume!"—James Beard

From the Publisher