Book excerpt: The winner of MasterChef Season seven shares sixty-five recipes giving his take on modern American cuisine with international influences. Viewers fell in love with Shaun O’Neale on Season seven of MasterChef. In his debut cookbook, O’Neale presents his take on modern American cuisine with international influences. It’s experimental, it’s edgy, and it’s full of big flavors. This book is not your average home cook’s cookbook. O’Neale encourages you to push your own personal cooking boundaries and teaches you that home-cooked food can be elevated to fine-dining quality with ease. You will be inspired to try new recipes, new techniques, and new flavors, and you will learn that beautiful, high-end plating and presentation is never too complicated. My Modern American Table offers sixty-five mouthwatering recipes, including Bourbon Braised Short Rib Ravioli; Spicy Miso Black Cod with Fresh Herb Salad; Chicken Saltimbocca Sandwich; Charred Balsamic Brussels Sprouts; Crazy Cheese Truffle Mac; Candied Bacon Cheesecake; and more. The book also shares stories from the seventh season of MasterChef and O’Neale’s path to victory, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the exciting show. With O’Neale as your guide, this is the starting point in your own culinary journey, because the secrets in these pages won over the judges and earned O’Neale the title of Master Chef! With a foreword by Gordon Ramsey