American Notes COOKING

For Clint Eastwood, the way to make your day is to sample his hearty apple pie. Eastwood, the actor turned mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif., fired off the recipe to The Mayors' Cookbook (Acropolis Books; $14.95), a collection of more than 300 city leaders' favorite dishes. The contents are not only eclectic but reflect a politically prudent regional loyalty: Ed Koch of New York City advocates pasta primavera and Kathryn Whitmire of Houston sings the merits of huevos con chorizo (eggs with sausage). But gourmets may balk when it comes to the Lone Star broccoli casserole, the preferred dish of Mayor Jerry V. Debo III of Grand Prairie, Texas. The ingredients: two boxes of frozen broccoli, one can of cream of celery soup, one cup of rice and one jar of Cheez Whiz.