James Martin's American Adventure: 80 classic American recipes

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Focusing on the US through its cuisine though, rather than purely its culture, gives you a whole new perspective on the place. “Food is a great leveller,” says Martin.

To make the soup, put the butter into a large saucepan and place over a medium heat. Once the butter has melted and is foaming, stir in the onion, pepper and celery. Lower the heat slightly and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally and not letting the vegetables colour, then stir in the flour. Cook for a few more minutes to cook out the flour. Meanwhile, fry the chips. Heat the vegetable oil in a deep-fat fryer to 180C or in a deep heavy-based saucepan until a breadcrumb sizzles and browns when dropped into it. (Hot oil can be dangerous; do not leave it unattended.) It’s the culinary journey of a lifetime, sampling the very best food the States has to offer, and inside you’ll find all the recipes from the series, along with exclusive photography by Peter Cassidy from behind the scenes on James’s extraordinary food trip. The book sees James travel from coast to coast, cooking and eating everywhere from San Francisco to Dallas, Philadelphia to New Orleans, New York to Maine, and sampling the high life in The Hamptons. On the way he cooks with real cowboys at a ranch, caters at Reno air race, and explores Creole food in Baton Rouge. Food was our great love. He, like me, didn’t like pretentious cooks, he had no time for the stereotypical TV chef - he liked people who were passionate about their jobs. He said, ‘If you’re put on that step to talk to people and to teach people about food, have respect for it and understand your subject’. I admired that, and I learnt from it, and hopefully I’ll learn from it to this day - yes, you can have fun like he did, but don’t disrespect the food, because it takes an awful lot of time and hard work to produce.”Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, add a tablespoon of butter and once the butter has melted and is foaming, place three large spoonfuls of the batter into the pan, well-spaced apart. Cook for one to two minutes until golden brown, then flip over and cook for a further one to two minutes. Lift onto a plate and repeat three more times until all the batter has been used up and you’ve made 12 fritters. Line a 30 x 20cm baking tray with clingfilm. Place the grated cheese in a medium saucepan, pour in the bitter then add the Worcestershire sauce, mustard and Tabasco. Cook over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until the cheese melts.

Most poignant, though, ended up being a visit to an artichoke farm, where Martin made pasta with artichokes, cavolo nero and Parmesan, a dish his much-loved friend, the late Antonio Carluccio, once cooked for him. Fry the chips for four minutes, drain on kitchen paper and season with salt, then transfer them to a plate, grate parmesan over the top and serve with the burgers. With 80 recipes for hearty American classics, as well as James’s own take on the meals he tastes on the road, there is something for everyone! Enjoy a decadent Manhattan-style brunch of Lobster Newburg or Blueberry & Bourbon Pancakes. Sample street food classics like the Philly Cheesesteak and Ultimate Hot Dog. And of course there are plenty of inspiring ides for your next barbecue: impress guests with BBQ Tequila Salmon with Jalapeños or Pork Ribs with Apple and Fennel, finishing it all off with a Bourbon Pecan Tart. Place a large frying pan over a low to medium heat and add two tablespoons of butter. Dip the brioche into the egg mixture, and once the butter has melted, place the brioche into the hot pan. Cook for one minute on each side until golden brown. Transfer the pieces to a warm plate. Make the burgers. Put the meat into a bowl, season well, mix together and shape into six rounds. Rub a little oil over the sides of each burger. Heat a griddle pan. Fry for two minutes on each side.Following on from his triumphant TV show and book James Martin's French Adventure, our food hero takes on the United States in James Martin's American Adventure. The book sees James travel from coast to coast, cooking and eating everywhere from San Francisco to Dallas, Philadelphia to New Orleans, New York to Maine, and sampling the high life in The Hamptons. On the way he cooks with real cowboys at a ranch, caters at Reno air race, and explores Creole food in Baton Rouge. It's the culinary journey of a lifetime and here are all the recipes from the series, along with exclusive photography from behind the scenes on James's extraordinary food trip.