The Tacky South

African American cooks were not strangers in the kitchens of the Old South, but white southerners often failed to acknowledge their contributions. One of the first exceptions was Kentucky socialite Minnie C. Fox, who recognized the significant influence and importance of the African American cooks and wrote The Blue Grass Cook Book, first published in 1904. From biscuits and hams to ice creams and puddings, this cookbook is a collection of over three hundred recipes from family and friends, including black cooks, near Minnie Fox's Bourbon County, Kentucky, family estate and her Big Stone Gap, Virginia, home. In Fox's time, the culinary history of black women in the South was usually characterized by demoralizing portraits of servants toiling in "big house" kitchens. In contrast, The Blue Grass Cook Book, with its photographs of African American cooks at work and a passionate introduction by Fox's brother, respected Kentucky novelist John Fox Jr., offers insight into the complex bond between well-to-do mistresses and their cooks at the turn of the century. Toni Tipton-Martin's new introduction provides in-depth commentary on the social, cultural, and historical context of this significant cookbook. She presents background information on the Fox family and their apparently uncommon appreciation for the African Americans of their time. She reveals the vital role of the black cooks in the preparation and service required in establishing the well-known Southern hospitality tradition.

If there's one thing we learned coming up on Daufuskie," remembers Sallie Ann Robinson, "it's the importance of good, home-cooked food." In this enchanting book, Robinson presents the delicious, robust dishes of her native Sea Islands and offers readers a taste of the unique, West African-influenced Gullah culture still found there. Living on a South Carolina island accessible only by boat, Daufuskie folk have traditionally relied on the bounty of fresh ingredients found on the land and in the waters that surround them. The one hundred home-style dishes presented here include salads and side dishes, seafood, meat and game, rice, quick meals, breads, and desserts. Gregory Wrenn Smith's photographs evoke the sights and tastes of Daufuskie. "Here are my family's recipes," writes Robinson, weaving warm memories of the people who made and loved these dishes and clear instructions for preparing them. She invites readers to share in the joys of Gullah home cooking the Daufuskie way, to make her family's recipes their own.

Recipes with spirit for every meal and every season: "A great resource and an essential for unlocking the flavors of bourbon in the kitchen." ―Tucson Citizen   Once thought to be only the tipple of southern gentlemen and the companion of confederate roughnecks, bourbon has gained a steady resurgence in popularity over the years with an ever-expanding and diverse audience. A beverage distilled almost exclusively in Kentucky, bourbon has attained prominence and appreciation for its complexity, history, and tradition.   In The Kentucky Bourbon Cookbook, Albert Schmid provides readers with the best recipes using the famous spirit of the Bluegrass. From classic Kentucky cocktails such as the Mint Julep, to bourbon-inspired desserts such as Bourbon-Pecan Crème Brulée with Chocolate Sauce, and more savory fare such as Steaks with Bourbon Ginger Sauce, this book supplies recipes for every course.   Schmid uses the four distinct seasons of the Bluegrass State to guide you through this rich collection of bourbon dishes and color photographs. In many ways a lesson on the flavor profiles that pair with and improve the flavor of bourbon, this book can be used by the home cook and the professional chef alike for inspiration to create new dishes--and also recounts bourbon lore, food traditions, and Kentucky history, for a full appreciation of America's native spirit.   "All the recipes are straightforward, are easy to prepare, and involve readily available ingredients. As with most good home cooking, the emphasis is not on the painstaking or the exotic but on easy prep and easy eating." ―The Wall Street Journal

From the influence of 1920s fashion on asparagus growers to an heirloom watermelon lost and found, Taste the State abounds with surprising stories from South Carolina's singularly rich food tradition. Here, Kevin Mitchell and David S. Shields present engaging profiles of eighty-two of the state's most distinctive ingredients, such as Carolina Gold rice, Sea Island White Flint corn, and the cone-shaped Charleston Wakefield cabbage, and signature dishes, such as shrimp and grits, chicken bog, okra soup, Frogmore stew, and crab rice. These portraits, illustrated with original photographs and historical drawings, provide origin stories and tales of kitchen creativity and agricultural innovation; historical "receipts" and modern recipes, including Chef Mitchell's distillation of traditions in Hoppin' John fritters, okra and crab stew, and more. Because Carolina cookery combines ingredients and cooking techniques of three greatly divergent cultural traditions, there is more than a little novelty and variety in the food. In Taste the State Mitchell and Shields celebrate the contributions of Native Americans (hominy grits, squashes, and beans), the Gullah Geechee (field peas, okra, guinea squash, rice, and sorghum), and European settlers (garden vegetables, grains, pigs, and cattle) in the mixture of ingredients and techniques that would become Carolina cooking. They also explore the specialties of every region-the famous rice and seafood dishes of the lowcountry; the Pee Dee's catfish and pinebark stews; the smothered cabbage, pumpkin chips, and mustard-based barbecue of the Dutch Fork and Orangeburg; the red chicken stew of the midlands; and the chestnuts, chinquapins, and corn bread recipes of mountain upstate. Taste the State presents the cultural histories of native ingredients and showcases the evolution of the dishes and the variety of preparations that have emerged. Here you will find true Carolina cooking in all of its cultural depth, historical vividness, and sumptuous splendor-from the plain home cooking of sweet potato pone to Lady Baltimore cake worthy of a Charleston society banquet.

James Beard Award-winning chef Bryant Terry's first cookbook, a vegan homage to Southern, African American, and Afro-Caribbean food One of the foremost voices in food activism and justice, Bryant Terry brings soul food back to its roots with plant-based, farm-to-table, real food recipes that leave out heavy salt and refined sugar, "bad" fats, and unhealthy cooking techniques, and leave in the down-home flavor. Vegan Soul Kitchen recipes use fresh, whole, healthy ingredients and cooking methods with a focus on local, seasonal, sustainably raised food. Bryant developed these vegan recipes through the prism of the African Diaspora-cutting, pasting, reworking, and remixing African, Caribbean, African-American, Native American, and European staples, cooking techniques, and distinctive dishes to create something familiar, comforting, and deliciously unique. Reinterpreting popular dishes from African and Caribbean countries as well as his favorite childhood dishes, Named one of the best vegetarian/vegan cookbooks of the last 25 years by Cooking Light Magazine, Vegan Soul Kitchen reinvents African-American and Southern cuisine -- capitalizing on the complex flavors of the tradition, without the animal products. With recipes for: Double Mustard Greens & Roasted Yam Soup; Cajun-Creole-Spiced Tempeh Pieces with Creamy Grits; Caramelized Grapefruit, Avocado, and Watercress Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette; and Sweet Cornmeal-Coconut Butter Drop Biscuits and many more.

A celebration of hospitality and leisurely meals in a historic country home. Step into the romance of country home living with 75 simple recipes by the author of Through the French Doorand A Romance with French Living. In her newest book, lifestyle designer and blogger Carolyn Westbrook shares menus, recipes, tablescapes, and other signature hospitality approaches alongside the picturesque backdrop of her Texas country home. Celebrate special occasions in every season, from a summer Fish Fry to a winter Night Before Christmas dinner; a spring Southern Brunch, to an Autumn Dinner Al Fresco. Sample recipes include:Spicy Stuff CornbreadScratch Buttermilk BiscuitsDown Home Chicken and DumplingsSouthern Salmon PattiesFencerow Blackberry PreservesSugar-Free Pecan PieStrawberry Layer Cake Those who have yearned to spend a season at a country house will love getting lost in the pages of Celebrations at the Country House.

"A French & European/Southern-fusion cookbook . . . a 150-page sensory delight" from the renowned Myrtle Beach chef Heidi Vukov (Grand Strand). "Bonjour, Y'All," the slogan for Heidi Vukov' Croissants Bistro and Bakery in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, perfectly encapsulates the popular restaurant's elegant and delicious pairing of two distinct culinary traditions--European cuisine and Southern home cooking. This book celebrates Croissants' diversity, featuring dozens of menu delights such as Crab Cakes, Angry Bulls Bay Clams, and Peach Pork Tenderloin, recipes that successfully combine the elegance and finesse of the French palate with the hospitality and warmth of the Southern kitchen. Also included among the more than fifty recipes are German- and Italian-inspired dishes, summer cocktails, and sumptuous confections such as Black Forest Torte from Croissants' award-winning European bakery.

Paul and Angela Knipple's culinary tour of the contemporary American South celebrates the flourishing of global food traditions "down home." Drawing on the authors' firsthand interviews and reportage from Richmond to Mobile and enriched by a cornucopia of photographs and original recipes, the book presents engaging, poignant profiles of a host of first-generation immigrants from all over the world who are cooking their way through life as professional chefs, food entrepreneurs and restaurateurs, and home cooks. Beginning the tour with an appreciation of the South's foundational food traditions--including Native American, Creole, African American, and Cajun--the Knipples tell the fascinating stories of more than forty immigrants who now call the South home. Not only do their stories trace the continuing evolution of southern foodways, they also show how food is central to the immigrant experience. For these skillful, hardworking immigrants, food provides the means for both connecting with the American dream and maintaining cherished ethnic traditions. Try Father Vien's Vietnamese-style pickled mustard greens, Don Felix's pork ribs, Elizabeth Kizito's Ugandan-style plantains in peanut sauce, or Uli Bennevitz's creamy beer soup and taste the world without stepping north of the Mason-Dixon line.

A comprehensive and delicious collection of crowd-pleasing recipes that will bring family and friends together for all kinds of occasions. Sharing a delicious meal is everyone's favorite way of bringing together friends and loved ones. In her new cookbook, Paula Deen & Friends: Living It Up, Southern Style, Paula Deen--author, restaurateur, and Food Network star--turns to her friends to share their stories, ideas for entertaining Southern style, and, most important, more than 150 of the prized recipes they serve to their family and friends. With the trademark Southern charm that has made her beloved by fans everywhere, Paula's new book features delicious, down-home entertaining menus, with recipes that are guaranteed to be instant crowd-pleasers. Whether you're planning an intimate family dinner, hosting an elegant cocktail party, or feeding a hungry crowd for lunch, these mouthwatering meals are the perfect way to share any occasion with good friends--and have fun doing it! From a tailgate picnic to a bridge supper, a christening to a camping trip, and a family dinner to an ice cream social, there are recipes to delight any gathering. Throw a down-home Birthday Bash with Beer-in-the-Rear Chicken, Bacon-Wrapped Grilled Corn on the Cob, and Buttermilk Pound Cake with Strawberries and Whipped Cream. Or host a casual Cookie Swap with friends and watch those Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes and Rolled Oatmeal Cookies disappear! An outdoor lunch wouldn't be complete without real Southern Fried Chicken and Buttermilk Corn Bread. And comfort foods like Quick Crab Stew, Shrimp and Wild Rice Casserole, and Black Bottom Pie are soul-satisfying dishes that warm the heart and soothe the spirit. There are also recipes for refreshing cocktails and beverages, from the Southern traditional favorites, like Plantation Iced Tea and Mint Juleps, to Lemonade and Hot Cranberry Cider. Entertaining Southern style is about much more than the food; it's about spending time with the people you care about. Paula and her friends are the experts when it comes to creating delightful meals that are easy to prepare, so you, too, can relax and enjoy the fun with your guests. Each chapter is filled with helpful tips and time-saving techniques, as well as the memorable cooking stories that inspired Paula and her friends to create these recipes. You'll be inspired to share memorable meals and occasions with family and friends, as Paula Deen & Friends invites you to live it up, Southern style.