Regional American Classics

This latest California Culinary Academy title celebrates the richness and diversity of American cooking. Dividing the country into six regions, the authors analyze historical, cultural and geographic contributions and factors that make each of the 150 recipes representative of its area. The Heartland section includes recipes for Cornish pastries and Norwegian chocolate cake as well as Michigan sour-cherry pie; the New England section yields a clam pie, parsnip stew and a spirited discussion of grunts, slumps and proper chowders; and the Pacific States section abjures ""nouvelle California cuisine'' in favor of Cobb salad and chicken tetrazzini. As usual with this series, it's surprising how much information the authors manage to pack into a relatively small and inexpensive volume while keeping the recipes detailed, the explanations clear, the copy lively and the photographs enticing. (June)