Apple Pie

Starred review from October 15, 2004
Follow food writer Edge, whose work has been featured in Gourmet and Saveur magazines, as he eats his way across the United States in a charming new series that "celebrates America's iconic foods." Part travelog, part cookbook, part social history, and part lore, these first two entries explore the origins of fried chicken and apple pie and their importance in American culture. Through visits to local restaurants, festivals, and farm stands, Edge met cooks and bakers who shared their secrets and provided stories and recipes about these foods that are rich in American tradition. A Southerner, he looks past his region for an explanation of our connections to certain foods; in Fried Chicken, he examines traditional preparation while exploring the fried chicken that recent immigrants prepare, such as Italian American fried chicken courtesy of an Indian immigrant living in Chicago and Serbian American fried chicken prepared in Ohio. In Apple Pie, he travels across the country, collecting 15 recipes for pie along the way-all of which are included. Forthcoming titles in this series include Donuts, Hamburgers, and French Fries. Witty and entertaining, these two volumes are highly recommended.-Pauline Baughman, Multnomah Cty. Lib., Portland, OR

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