READ THIS: James Beard’s American Cookery Foreword by Tom Colicchio

This Read This critique is sponsored by Swifty's, Peachy Deegan's favorite restaurant! Read all about The Peachy Deegan: http://www.whomyouknow.com/2010/11/breaking-news-put-together-three-of.html

James Beard (1903—1985) is widely credited with the establishment of American gourmet cuisine. Called “the dean of American cookery” by the New York Times, he anticipated contemporary food trends as an early champion of local, seasonal cooking.  Contrary to many books we recommend in Read This, James Beard's American Cookery is not meant to be read cover to cover, and we highly recommend that you use it as a resource for all of your culinary visions.  

You know Peachy Deegan just loves to consume fine food, but does she like to make it?  Not really.  However, everyone that eats should know how to cook and this work of art is so delightfully inspiring even Peachy was motivated to do her best Stephen Attoe (which at best would be 10% of Stephen's talent).  James's Beard's American cookery is the best answer to a little kid hypothetically asking "Why" to everything-because this book has all the answers.

From something as simple as an omelette which can be refined to perfection under the written instruction of Mr. Beard to something complicated like chowder or difficult fish dishes where the instructions are clear as day, this work will solve all your culinary pursuits to a T!  It shows you how to make the ordinary extraordinary.

Beard put practically everything he knew about cooking into this single magnificent—now classic—cookbook, James Beard’s American Cookery [Little, Brown and Company; October 25, 2010; $35.00; Hardcover]. James Beard’s American Cookery is the definitive guide to American regional cuisine, with more than 1,500 of Beard’s favorite and most successful recipes, from every part of the country. In the book, Beard offers advice on dozens of cooking issues, from choosing meats and vegetables to preserving fruit and making real cheeseburgers.

More than a recipe collection, this must-have repackaged edition is a celebration of the roots of cooking in the American style, and a fascinating reference to the origins of how we eat. Beard’s charming mix of history and personal anecdotes makes James Beard’s American Cookery riveting reading. And the elegant line drawings, now with the color from the original edition restored, make it a sumptuous gift book as well.

This is the cookbook that best encompasses Beard’s extraordinary vision. With a foreword by famed chef Tom Colicchio, this timely edition introduces James Beard’s seminal work to a new generation of cooks. It is an essential kitchen reference—deserving of a place on the shelf next to Mastering the Art of French Cooking and The Joy of Cooking—as well as a lasting work of culinary literature.

James Beard was the most acclaimed American chef and food writer of his time. A true pioneer in cooking, he helped to lay the groundwork for American culinary practice as we know it today. Born in 1903 in Portland, Oregon, Beard played a major role in New York City’s food community. In 1955, he founded the legendary James Beard Cooking School, where he taught his signature principles of wholesome American food for thirty years. Beard wrote several critically acclaimed and bestselling cookbooks. James Beard’s American Cookery was his lasting statement on the country’s regional cooking.

Tom Colicchio made his New York cooking debut at such prominent restaurants as the Quilted Giraffe, Gotham Bar and Grill, Rakel, and Mondrian. He opened Gramercy Tavern with Danny Meyer in 1994 and followed that critical and popular success in 2001 with the equally well received Craft. Colicchio has expanded the Craft restaurant family to include Craftsteaks, Craftbars, and ’wichcraft sandwich shops around the country, and he has recently opened Colicchio & Sons in New York. He is also the author of three cookbooks. Since 2006, he has appeared as the head judge on Bravo’s hit reality series Top Chef. In 2010 Colicchio was named Outstanding Chef in America by the James Beard Foundation.

The James Beard Foundation was founded at Beard’s former home following his death in 1985, at the behest of Julia Child. Today, the Foundation continues to honor Beard’s legacy through a series of culinary events at the James Beard House and the annual James Beard Foundation Awards. For more information on the James Beard Foundation, visit www.jamesbeard.org.

James Beard was WAY before our time, so we are glad to include him in this way!

Whom You Know highly recommends James Beard's American Cookery!

“In the beginning, there was Beard.” —Julia Child

“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

“It is very satisfying to see this important new edition of James Beard’s great work—a hugely valuable statement of American food and a demonstration that, unlike many countries, we have no single national cuisine, that the American kitchen and table are a magnificent summation of our many regional styles. Beard’s fine book helped us immeasurably in defining our national taste.” —Nach Waxman, owner, Kitchen Arts & Letters, New York City


James Beard’s American Cookery

James Beard with foreword by Tom Colicchio

October 25, 2010

Little, Brown and Company

978-0-316-09868-7

$35.00 / Hardcover

896 Pages; 144 illustrations

www.HachetteBookGroup.com