Fusion Food Cookbook - Hardcover

Carpenter, Hugh; Sandison, Teri

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1885183003 ISBN 13: 9781885183002

Publisher: Artisan Books, 1994

Synopsis

Celebrates new American cuisine in which distinctive seasonings and cooking styles from Asia, Mexico, the American Southwest, New Orleans, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean are incorporated into familiar home cooking.

About this title

From the Back Cover

What is "fusion cooking"? It's brushing skewers of beef tenderloin with a traditional Caribbean jerk barbecue sauce; matching spicy Southwest fried chicken with a sunny ginger-apricot sauce; or drizzling watermelon and sweet red onion salad with a raspberry vinaigrette.

Fusion Food Cookbook celebrates the new American cuisine, in which distinctive seasonings and cooking styles from Asia, Mexico, the American Southwest, New Orleans, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean are incorporated into familiar home cooking. Highlighting the vivid flavors of these diverse ethnic and regional traditions, author Hugh Carpenter and Teri Sandison define a major new trend in American cooking, showing us how to mix and match seasonings and cooking techniques and encouraging us to be more creative in our own cooking.

The 150 flavor-intense recipes in Fusion Rood Cookbook require no hard-to-find ingredients or special equipment. Recipe instructions are divided into "Advance Preparation" and "Last Minute Cooking," indicate whether the recipe is "easy," "moderate," or "challenging," and include suggested menus and entertainment ideas. More than 100 color photographs by acclaimed food and wine photographer Teri Sandison capture the vivid colors and cross-cultural style of the inspired recipes.

Fusion Food Cookbook celebrates the new American cuisine, in which distinctive seasonings and cooking styles from Asia, Mexico, the American Southwest, New Orleans, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean are incorporated into familiar home cooking. Highlighting the vivid flavors of these diverse ethnic and regional traditions, author Hugh Carpenter and Teri Sandison define a major new trend in American cooking, showing us how to mix and match seasonings and cooking techniques and encouraging us to be more creative in our own cooking.

The 150 flavor-intense recipes in Fusion Rood Cookbook require no hard-to-find ingredients or special equipment. Recipe instructions are divided into "Advance Preparation" and "Last Minute Cooking," indicate whether the recipe is "easy," "moderate," or "challenging," and include suggested menus and entertainment ideas. More than 100 color photographs by acclaimed food and wine photographer Teri Sandison capture the vivid colors and cross-cultural style of the inspired recipes.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Sauteed Filet of Sole with Champagne Herb Sauce

One of the most important goals when creating a new dish is achieving a balance of flavor: No seasoning, spice, or herb should overwhelm the other ingredients. In the following recipe, sauteed sole is topped with a sauce made with champagne, oyster sauce, shiitake mushrooms, fresh herbs, and pine nuts. With each bite you can distinguish the delicate flavor of the sole and a slight crispness from its browned exterior, the yeasty flavor from the champagne, low notes from the oyster sauce and mushrooms, and high notes from the herbs. All the flavors and textures harmonize.

-Easy

-Serves 4 as a main entree

8 pieces fresh filet of sole, about 1 1/2 pounds total

2 tablespoons dried herbes de provence

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup white flour

champagne herb sauce

3 cups dry champagne

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

2 teaspoons dark sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 cloves garlic, finely minces

1 red bell pepper

1/4 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms

1/4 cup pine nuts

2 tablespoons slivered fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup cooking oil

advance preparation

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Trim the sole of any ragged edges. In a small bowl, combine the herbes de provence, salt, and pepper. Set aside the flour. IN a small saucepan, combine the champagne, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and cornstarch, and place over high heat. Bring the sauce to a boil, then continue to boil until only 1 cup remains. Cool and refrigerate the sauce. Set aside the minced garlic. Cut the bell pepper into 1-inch-long slivers. Discard the mushroom stems. Overlap the caps and cut into 1/8-inch-thin slices. Toast the pine nuts on a baking sheet in the preheated oven until golden, about 8 minutes. The recipe to this point can be completed up to 8 hours in advance of last-minute cooking.

last-minute cooking

Set aside the basil and cilantro. Place a layer of newspaper or wax paper on the counter. Add the sole and sprinkle with the dry herb mixture. Dust each filet with flour, then shake off all the excess.

Place two 12-inch saute pans on 2 burners over high heat. When the saute pans become hot, add 2 tablespoons of the cooking oil to each one. Roll the oil around the bottom of the pans, then add the sole. Saute about 1 minute until golden on underside, then carefully turn over and cook about 1 minute more. The sole is done when it just begins to flake when prodded with a fork. Transfer the sole to 4 heated dinner plates.

Return 1 of the saute pans to high heat. Add the remaining oil, garlic, bell pepper, and mushrooms. Saute 15 seconds, the add the champagne sauce. Bring the sauce to a rapid boil and cook until the mushrooms soften, about 20 seconds. Stir in the basil, cilantro, and pine nuts. Spoon the sauce over the filets and serve at once.

menu ideas

Edition details

• Publisher: Artisan Books
• Publication date: 1994
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1885183003
• ISBN 13: 9781885183002
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 224