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26 of 27 found the following review helpful:
 MY American Table Nov 12, 2009
By subrosa
The recipes from this book are amazing! So Often i buy a cookbook for its gorgeous photography or the personality behind it, only to get it home and realize it's full of recipes I could have-- and would have--come up with myself. You know the type: that incredible photograph that turns out to be a recipe for linguine with mushrooms. Like you needed a book for that.
This book doesn't do any of that "window dressing" recipe writing. It's brimming with combinations I never would have thought of (but that seem so right) and ingredients I can't wait to try. Thankfully, these aren't all expensive, exotic ingredients-- more the scary looking tube of pepper paste from the bodega down the street that you never knew what to do with. Well, Samuelsson tells you to slather it over some shortribs that you'll marinate in soy sauce and beer. You know what? They were the best shortribs I've ever had, and I made them myself.
I cook a lot, and I expect a great deal from my cookbooks. New AMerican Table makes a pretty sexy coffee table book that your friends will pore over when they visit, but it's also a totally inspiring kitchen companion and gripping bed time reading. Pear Pumpkin Salad with Pumpkin Seed Vinaigrette? Homemade beef jerky? Miso Rubbed lamb? TELL ME MORE!
I made a double batch of the pretzels for a party and I had to hide one for myself, they were going so fast-- and people are still talking about them. These are dishes you'll remember for a long time. What a fantastic book.
13 of 14 found the following review helpful:
 Proof read ? Aug 30, 2010
By Jim Rad
I very much enjoy Chef Samuelsson's restaurants, his appearances on television and to a point, this cookbook. The book has many varied "tastes" and combinations to try, which in itself is exciting. But I have a problem because it seems as though no one really proofed it when it comes to quantities of ingredients. When I first get any cookbook, I always try to prepare the recipes as written to see how the chef/writer wants to have the flavors come across. So far I have tried 5 and in each one there have been some steps/quantities that seem to be incorrect. For the ones that I've tried, all have been for a Serving of Four. Now we are not big quantity eaters, but halving the recipes would not have been enough for dinner. Admittedly, I've served some as a main course which could explain this discrepancy.
The Grilled Lobster-noodle Salad was very very good, although the text was incorrect for the amount of olive oil to be used. The dish being fairly "strong" in flavors could just as successfully been served with giant shrimp, saving the cost of fresh lobster.
The mushroom risotto was good but was almost overwhelmed by the addition of the wine & port at the end of the cooking cycle. Usually wine is put in first.
The Caramelized Scallop Salad was again good but 4 sliced "bay scallops" per person ? I don't think you would be able to find them in the salad.
The Head-on Shrimp with Bacon Orzo will be, when served again, very good, bringing a new taste (chermoula) to our table. Now I love cooking with salt but give me a break. The salt called for on the shrimp was way too much but nothing compared to what was indicated for the ground pine nut powder that was to be sprinkled on top of the orzo. Thank goodness there was still some left in the pot without the pine nuts, because it was inedible with them. The bacon orzo was way too fatty, with the reduction of either the amount of bacon or butter or olive oil required.
The Sesame Fried Tilapia was somewhat ho-hum.
I still would recommend this book but I will have to be more careful as I go along because of the problems I have mentioned.
21 of 26 found the following review helpful:
Almost As Amazing As Marcus! Nov 05, 2009
By Nancy Spears
Marcus Samuelsson's New American Table is, like Marcus's cooking, a work of art. And like Marcus himself, his recipes are completely accessible and authentic.
New American Table is more than a cook book. It is an inspiration about how to follow your passion. In Marcus's case giving and cooking...in that order. His passion for cooking and his appreciation for America, its people is - well, almost tasted in every word. Seldom does a great chef share the humble details of his path, and what led him to become a world class, James Beard Award winner. In this book, Marcus's story is written eloquently and from the heart.
Although, truly a cookbook, New American Table is also autobiographical - a story of passion for loving what you do.. Eloquent and sometimes pithy stories are woven into the hundreds of recipes which add a special connection to the cooking experience. Stunning graphics, photography and shared experiences coast to coast make New American Table more than a cook book, it is an apprecaiton of the people and history of this great nation, fused together by culinary delights and the diverse ethnic cuisines found in America.
I am a foodie. I also collect good cook books and have had the privilege of meeting some of the greatest chef's at the annual Aspen Food and Wine Classic. Marcus Samuelsson's book is on the top of the stack of my favorite cook books for 2 reasons - Marcus is more than a chef, he is an amazing human being, and 2) I can actually cook with his recipes!
4 of 5 found the following review helpful:
A worldly approach to American regional foods Dec 12, 2009
By Lynn Harnett
Born in Ethiopia, raised in Sweden and now a U.S. citizen and co-owner of New York's Aquavit, James Beard-winner Samuelsson takes a true melting pot approach to food in this eye-popping, mouth-watering tour of his adopted country.
The attractive coffee-table design includes pictures of landscapes and people working, eating, and relaxing as well as luscious shots of ingredients and finished dishes. But the real showstopper is the food. A true multi-cultural, Samuelsson combines international and regional influences to produce complex flavors. It's not fusion so much as tweaking with flair.
A Caramelized Fruit Salad, for instance, with a hint of chili or Shrimp Falafel with fish sauce, soy and sesame oil. Or Cabbage Rolls with (homemade) Plum Sauce. Or Trout Pierogi (Homemade dough). His Beer-Braised Short Ribs include ginger, mirin and ketjap manis. His venison stew uses cream and Indian spices. His New Orleans Head-On Shrimp includes a dash of North African chermoula. His Traditional Chili carries a whiff of molé with its use of Mexican chocolate.
A condiments and sauces chapter starts things off with homemade BBQ sauce, Steak Sauce, Green Salsa, Basic Vinaigrette or hot, sweet sambal oelek and Argentinean Chimichurri.
Samuelsson then covers all the courses along with chapters for Everyday, Weekend, and Holiday. Lists of ingredients can be long, but most of the recipes are straightforward, without a lot of separate steps.
Even the "weekday" dishes, however, should not be tackled cold after a long day at work. Like all restaurant chefs, Samuelsson assumes a certain amount of organization and planning, and a well-stocked pantry.
Not an everyday cookbook, this invigorating collection is for cooks who like to spice things up.
2 of 3 found the following review helpful:
So Glad I Treated Myself to this Book! Mar 30, 2010
By Joyce L. Schuebel
I LOVE THIS BOOK! I bought it for the Apple Cake recipe, which you have to try... my kids loved it when I served "cake" for breakfast! Besides great recipes, it's filled with amazing photos of food and places you can almost smell just looking at them. The only downside with this book is that you might get so distracted reading the book and enjoying the photographs that you'll have to order take out!
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