California

by Janet Fletcher, Chuck Williams

Williams-Sonoma "New American Cooking" is a six-volume series that chronicles contemporary regional fare from coast to coast. Perhaps more than any other place California captures the spirit of contemporary American cooking.

Genres: Cookbooks

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Janet Fletcher, a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, is the author of numerous books on food and wine. She lives in Napa Valley.

Reviews

[Stephen]

The State of California is the size of many nations: 250 miles wide and 770 miles long, covering ten degrees of latitude and ten degrees of longitude. The climate includes ocean coast, snowy mountains and desert. California produces more agricultural products than any other state in the Union. This variety, coupled with immigration of Hispanic, Italian, Asian and other groups, combine to produce distinctive foods known collectively as California Cuisine. The Lower Left Coast is a wonderland of winemakers, artisanal food makers and farmers' markets. Some of the most innovative restaurants in America are located here: Thomas Keller's French Laundry in Yountville, Alice Waters' Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Mark Peel's Campanile in Los Angeles and Wolfgang Puck's Spago in West Hollywood. Chef-author Janet Fletcher was tasked by series editor Chuck Williams to write a cookbook demonstrating California Cuisine. Any effort would be necessarily partial; hers is as well done as can be done in only 144 pages. In addition to recipes, she offers short articles on specific California foodstuffs and a glossary of California food terms.

[Melinda McLaughlin]

Lots of great, fresh-tasting recipes. I've especially enjoyed this since moving to CA, where I can readily access a lot of the featured ingredients (avocados, fava beans, etc.). Some exotic preparations and a lot of Asian-inspired dishes, prepared in traditional California fashion. Not great for watching the waistline, but a great one for impressive entertaining. I think I'm going to try and acquire more of the Williams-Sonoma collection of cookbooks.

[Erin]

Interesting, but in all honesty, there really aren't very many recipes that are useful to anyone outside California as much of the local produce can only be found there. Also, these aren't really meals, but mostly side dishes.