American Regional Cuisine

596 Pages·2006·11.94 MB·English

by  The Art Institutes

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American
Regional Cuisine
S E C O N D E D I T I O N
T H E A R T I N S T I T U T E S
Michael F. Nenes, CEC, CCE
Photography by Joe Robbins
J O H N W I L E Y & S O N S , I N C .
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American
Regional Cuisine
S E C O N D E D I T I O N
T H E A R T I N S T I T U T E S
Michael F. Nenes, CEC, CCE
Photography by Joe Robbins
J O H N W I L E Y & S O N S , I N C .
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Copyright © 2007 by Education Management Corporation. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted
under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permis-
sion of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright
Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone], or on
the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the
Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax
[phone], e-mail:
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Contents
Foreword by Martin Yan v
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction ix
The Cuisine of New England 1
The Cuisine of the Mid-Atlantic States 43
The Cuisine of the South 91
Floribbean Cuisine 137
Cajun and Creole Cuisine 181
The Cuisine of the Central Plains 231
Texas and Tex-Mex Cuisine 283
The Cuisines of the Southwest and the Rocky Mountain Region 335
The Cuisine of California 385
The Cuisine of the Pacific Northwest 433
The Cuisine of Hawaii 475
Basic Recipes 531
Basic Culinary Vocabulary 547
References 555
Index 557
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Foreword
by Mar t in Yan
n my travels, I’ve crisscrossed the world, experiencing different cultures and tasting their dish-
es. And I must say that the United States is one of the most diverse nations with respect to
Iculture, people, history, and food. Some say the American national cuisine is a melting pot of
ethnic cuisines;others describe it as a mixed salad with distinct ingredients.Regardless of which
analogy you prefer, each American regional cuisine is a special treat, combining its unique local
history and culture with distinct regional ingredients. It’s not by chance that certain parts of
the country maintain a particular taste or flavor in their dishes. Regional cuisines reflect the
characteristics of the locale.
From one U.S. coast to the other, from ocean to mountain, valley to plain, I’ve noticed that
each region’s dishes tell a story and are like mirrors. A recipe evolves along with the commu-
nity and, with each adaptation, the dish absorbs and reflects much of the environment. For
example, the cuisine of New England is an adaptation of English cuisine, with local ingredients
such as turkey, lobster, and clams giving the region its well-known Boston brown bread, clam
chowder, and Maine boiled lobster. In the Great Plains, where wheat is the staff of life, you’ll find
wheat and honey buns, colaches, and wheat beer. You can actually taste the wet weather typi-
cal of the Pacific Northwest in its apples and berries. In the Southwest, you’ll find food flavored
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vi FO R E WO R D
by fiery spices because of their abundance in the region. Head over to my home state of
California and you’ll taste the freshness of the seasons and the experimental spirit of the
people, whose recipes use a wide range of readily available ingredients—asparagus, let-
tuce, artichoke, bok choy, lemongrass, tomato, and more.
I’ve had the pleasure of gaining an illuminating perspective on each region I’ve visit-
ed just from taking a bite of its food. The Cajun and Creole region, home of my good
friend Paul Prudhomme, is a marvelous blend of French, Spanish, Italian, German,
Native American, African, and West Indian traditions. For a taste of the Asian blends,
such as Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, Indian, and Thai, it’s back to California and
the Pacific Northwest. It’s an enjoyable journey for the mind and taste buds when trav-
eling the United States.
Travel among these pages—enjoy! What follows is insight into and details of what
makes each American culinary region unique. Each chapter contains not only recipes but
also historical and cultural information, as well as a guide to ingredients specific to that
region. And to top it off, once you prepare these dishes and take a bite, the flavors and
tastes will reinforce everything you read. It’s a history, anthropology, and cooking class
all in one!
M A R T I N Y A N is a master chef and corporate chef of Chef Martin Yan’s CreAsian. He
has written more than 24 cookbooks and is the host of Yan Can Cook on PBS. Chef Yan
is the founder of the Yan Can International Cooking School, located in the San Francisco
Bay area.
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Acknowledgments
he Art Institutes wish to thank the following contributors for their effort on behalf of
American Regional Cuisine:
T
Author Michael F. Nenes, CEC, CCE. The second edition of American Regional Cuisine
is the result of intensive cooperative effort by many people. Thanks to Lois Nenes,
M.Ed., who taught at the Art Institute of Houston for eight years. Lois is a relentless
and incredibly creative researcher, who had to become part explorer, part student and
teacher. She rewrote the manuscript, attempting to include only information that
could be supported by at least two documented sources. Lois was a supportive col-
league and we both had fun on the American Regional Cuisine adventure.
Photographer Joe Robbins of Joe Robbins Photography, Houston, Texas. Joe taught
at The Art Institute of Houston for over 15 years, helping to shape the careers of stu-
dents in the visual arts. This project gave Mr. Robbins the opportunity to influence
students in the field of culinary arts. Joe’s collaboration and outstanding photogra-
phy contribute to the effectiveness of this book.
Certified Master Chef Klaus Friedenreich, the Culinary Program Chair of The Art
Institute of Fort Lauderdale, contributed his tremendous talent for food styling for
the photographs. Chef Friedenreich supervised the preparation and purposely plated
the food in a style that students could duplicate. We also wish to thank Helene
Hatfield for her assistance and contributions to the organization and her preparation
of the food during the photography sessions.
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viii AC K N OW L E D G M E N T S
Chef Peter Lehr, CEC, CCE, and his spring 2004 and summer 2004 American
Regional Cuisine students merit special thanks for their outstanding work in testing
the recipes. Chef Lehr handled the detailed and demanding work of calculating the
weights and writing the measurements for each recipe.
In addition, we are grateful for the contributions of The Art Institutes’ Culinary
Programs across the country. Culinary Arts is offered at the following Art Institute loca-
tions:
The Art Institute of Atlanta
The Art Institute of California—Los Angeles
The Art Institute of California—Orange County
The Art Institute of California—San Diego
The Art Institute of Charlotte
The Art Institute of Colorado
The Art Institute of Dallas
The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale
The Art Institute of Houston
The Art Institute of Las Vegas
The Art Institute of New York City
The Art Institute of Philadelphia
The Art Institute of Phoenix
The Art Institute of Pittsburgh
The Art Institute of Seattle
The Art Institute of Tampa
The Art Institute of Vancouver—Dubrulle International Culinary Arts
The Art Institute of Washington
The Art Institutes International Minnesota
The Illinois Institute of Art—Chicago