A Taste of History Cookbook
The Flavors, Places, and People That Shaped American Cuisine
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
The delicious, informative, and entertaining cookbook tie-in to PBS's Emmy Award-winning series A Taste of History.
A TASTE OF HISTORY COOKBOOK provides a fascinating look into 18th and 19th century American history. Featuring over 150 elegant and approachable recipes featured in the Taste of History television series, paired with elegantly styled food photography, readers will want to recreate these dishes in their modern-day kitchens. Woven throughout the recipes are fascinating history lessons that introduce the people, places, and events that shaped our unique American democracy and cuisine. For instance, did you know that tofu has been a part of our culture's diet for centuries? Ben Franklin sung its praises in a letter written in 1770!
With recipes like West Indies Pepperpot Soup, which was served to George Washington's troops to nourish them during the long winter at Valley Forge to Cornmeal Fried Oysters, the greatest staple of the 18th century diet to Boston's eponymous Boston Cream Pie, A TASTE OF HISTORY COOKBOOK is a must-have for both cookbook and history enthusiasts alike.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this excellent, accessible companion to PBS's A Taste of History, Staib, chef of Philadelphia's City Tavern, offers up over 150 recipes of 18th-century recipes prepared with 21st-century tools and techniques. Appetizers may not have existed in George Washington's day, but Staib puts together a satisfying chapter of entrees that can pass as small plates, including pickled beef tongue salad and fried asparagus with herbed remoulade. Cooked vegetables were more a mainstay than fresh salads, so among the 20 side dishes there is fried celery and creamed kohlrabi. Chicken noodle soup has been a staple throughout the centuries, notes Staib, as has "pease" soup, prepared here with split peas, bacon, and chicken stock. Among the main dishes, lamb, chicken, rabbit, and even elk find their way as roasts and into hearty one-dish casseroles. Tofu, surprisingly, was known to Ben Franklin as early as 1770, and is employed in curried shrimp and tofu. A chapter dedicated to bread features Thomas Jefferson's sweet potato-pecan biscuits, a nod to the pecan trees that can still be found at Monticello. Desserts are surprisingly sophisticated, with options including apricot charlotte russe and chocolate sabayon with cognac. The flavors of America's earliest kitchens come alive in this charming and well-researched collection.
