 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Atlanta Serves up Southern Dishes in a Smorgasbord of Local Cookbooks Recently I conducted a completely unscientific survey of my friends, family and colleagues and .the results revealed that many of us are passionate cookbook collectors, even if we never actually do more than peruse the mouthwatering pictures and savor the text. Maybe that explains why about 25,000 cookbooks are published annually and cookbook sales increase as much as 10 percent annually. Along with the rise of “Food Network,” culinary-based Web sites, food memoirs and celebrity chefs, it seems that the appetite for cooking instruction is, well, insatiable. The South, with its rich food heritage — there’s even an organization, the Southern Foodways Alliance, dedicated to its preservation — has spawned a cornucopia of contemporary and classic tomes. And Atlanta has emerged as one of the regional epicenters of cookbook creation. We’ve rounded up our favorite local cookbooks that deliver the good(ies) whether you plan to try your hand at the easy-to-follow recipes or keep them on the coffee table, far from the heat of the kitchen. Title: “Atlanta Cooknotes” The Skinny: This old-school, spiral-bound collection of traditional favorites includes 20 recipes from The Junior League of Atlanta’s original cookbook, “The Cotton Blossom,” first published in 1947. Full of cooking basics, heart-smart recipes and a “cooking with Mom” section, it features lovely watercolor illustrations. “Cooknotes” was selected for the Tabasco Awards Hall of Fame. Perfect for: Newlyweds, first-time homeowners, college students and cookbook collectors. Fun Fact: According to Christen Chandler, the League’s 2007-2008 Cookbook Chair, last year, the organization sold more than 4,000 combined copies of its two cookbooks; proceeds support more than 50 community agencies.
The Skinny: Peacock, the chef at Watershed, wrote this volume with his friend and mentor, the late Edna Lewis, who was considered America’s foremost authority on traditional Southern cooking. The pair was separated by race, sexual orientation and more than five decades, yet this chronicle reveals a deep kinship. Recipes include old-fashioned creamy grits, country ham steak with red-eye gravy, cornbread-pecan dressing and apple cake. Perfect For: Fans of May-December friendships and Southern food enthusiasts. Fun Fact: Lewis and Peacock were roommates for years. Title: “True Grits” The Skinny: A collection of both haute and home-style recipes from well-known Atlanta chefs, restaurants and caterers such as Bacchnalia, Pano’s & Paul’s and the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead. It also includes engaging stories by some of the South’s most distinctive voices, including Lewis Grizzard, Anne Rivers Siddons, Stuart Woods and Johnetta Cole. Perfect For: Newcomers, hostesses and brides. Fun Fact: This beautifully illustrated and photographed hardcover volume is the winner of the 1996 James Beard Cookbook Award.
The Skinny: The prolific author’s latest is a focused follow-up to his James Beard Award-winning first book. In his down-to-earth, informative and entertaining style, he discusses key ingredients in the opening section called the “Parts Department” and demystifies food science concepts. Recipes include pizza dough, potato rolls and chocolate pound cake. Perfect For: Fans of the “Good Eats” TV show, science geeks and beginning, intermediate or expert bakers. Fun Fact: Brown’s kitchen love affair was born as a way to score college dates. Title: “Home Plate Cooking” The Skinny: The popular, bandana-wearing Chef Woods was the host of Turner South’s (now-defunct) high-energy TV show, “Home Plate Cooking.” Recipes include bourbon-baked ham, shrimp and grits casserole, bacon cornbread and easy peach cobbler. Perfect For: Rookies, time-pressed cooks, fans of the TV show and transplanted Northerners. Fun Fact: Woods grew up in New Jersey, but his love of Southern cooking was honed in his grandmother’s kitchen during summers spent in North Carolina. Title: “The Agnes & Muriel’s Cookbook” The Skinny: The kitschy Midtown eatery collected 100 comfort-food recipes including Carmen Miranda chicken salad, Catskill scramble and fried green tomatoes for its two-color, soft-cover cookbook. Autographed copies are available at the restaurant. Perfect For: Your favorite retro hipster, restaurant regulars and budding cooks. Fun Fact: Namesakes Agnes and Muriel, mothers of the restaurant’s two founders, offer helpful food preparation hints throughout the book. Title: “Atlanta at Table” The Skinny: Beautifully photographed by Dot Griffith, this cookbook’s wonderful table arrangements and dishes have been staged on the grounds of the Atlanta History Center’s Swan House. The book includes recipes from the Swan House Ball, such as salmon with lime and fennel, squash and zucchini timbale and fresh blackberry dacquoise, a heavenly nut, berry and meringue. Perfect For: Native Atlantans, history buffs and cookbook collectors. Fun Fact: The annual ball, first held in 1986, has raised thousands of dollars for the Atlanta Historical Society.
The Skinny: This ebullient hardcover is a fun-to-read and easy-to-use introduction to the bold flavors of this growing chain (14 are planned by 2008) of authentic, upscale Mexican restaurants — visit the Atlanta location at Atlantic Station. Gloriously photographed recipes include the famed guacamole, chorizo and turkey enchiladas, poblanos stuffed with spinach and goat cheese and Chile-spiked chocolate cakes. Perfect For: Hispanic friends, lovers of spicy food and restaurant fans. Fun Fact: Author Santibañez dubs the primer “food for mortals,” explaining the ease of technique and ease of locating or substituting ingredients. Title: “The South’s Legendary Frances Virginia Tea Room Cookbook 25th Anniversary Edition” The Skinny: This simple, straightforward black-and-white volume pays tribute to the tea room, founded in 1928 when women could not vote or eat in public dining rooms without an escort. Recipes include oyster bisque, maple pecan pie, deviled crab and several aspic variations. Perfect For: Native Atlantans, a favorite aunt, history buffs and cookbook collectors. Fun Fact: The petite Coleman, a self-proclaimed “herstorian,” dresses in ladylike white gloves and a pillbox hat during her appearances and lectures. Title: “Murphy’s: 25 Years of Recipes and Memories” The Skinny: Half-breezy reminisce, half cookbook, this charming and beautifully designed hardcover traces Murphy’s quarter-century evolution to neighborhood landmark and includes recipes from chefs Gerry Klaskala, Micheal Tuohy, Shaun Doty and Nick Oltarsh. It’s also full of advice on such topics as hiring talent and avoiding catering disasters. Recipes include Southwest frittata, Italian meatloaf with marinara sauce and the ever-popular Tollhouse pie. Perfect For: Intowners, would-be restaurateurs and longtime Murphy’s customers. Fun Fact: The beloved Virginia–Highland landmark began life as a basement deli.
The Skinny: Libby, a longtime, well-respected culinary public relations professional, amassed 125 contemporary recipes from the city’s top chefs (some are her clients; some are not) including Aria, Canoe, La Tavola Trattoria and SoHo. Recipes include pan-seared halibut with warm pommery mustard vinaigrette, rustic chicken bread salad and almond tart with fig preserves. Perfect For: Foodies, out-of-towners with an Atlanta connection and fans of the various restaurants or chefs seeking a souvenir. Fun Fact: The beautiful, full-color hardcover book was printed in China. Libby pulled all-nighters to proof pages in time for FedEx delivery.
The Skinny: An exhaustive collection of generations-old Southern recipes — more than 600 — from the “best small town restaurant in the South” according to Southern Living. Recipes from Southern First Ladies, cooks and the restaurant’s own archives include creamed peas, green tomato pie, chicken potpie and coconut cake. Perfect For: B&B devotees and friends and family members who hail from or dream of moving to small towns. Fun Fact: Social Circle, home to the Blue Willow Inn, is located about 50 miles east of Atlanta but shares the 770 area code. PN
Coming Soon: More Drool-Worthy Cookbooks Delia Champion, founder of the Flying Biscuit Café (which is expanding nationally), is said to be updating her paperback cookbook with a new volume which will teach readers how to make those famous biscuits, along with Southern, Southwestern and vegetarian dishes. Due out in Spring 2008, Virginia Willis’s “Bon Appétit Y’all” is a full-color hardcover with more than 225 recipes spanning three generations and 200 photographs. Says Willis, “The book consists of old-fashioned Southern recipes of my grandmother, Mama’s recipes influenced by watching Julia Child and reading Southern Living and my recipes, which are a blend of Southern ingredients and French technique which I refer to as ‘refined Southern cuisine.’ It’s not too fancy — these are recipes for the home cook, not restaurant-driven creations. Just simple delicious food.”? Cookbook Library Kevin Rathbun Steak, the red-hot new Inman Park eatery from the popular restaurateur, has a unique feature sure to help pass the inevitable wait for a table. The candle-lit cookbook library is located in a 100-year-old renovated cellar downstairs and features books from Chef Rathbun’s own personal home library. Guests can grab a chair and peruse any of the approximately 1,000 books.
|
 |
 |
 |
What’s Cooking? 
Title: “The Gift of Southern Cooking”
Title: “I’m Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heating = Baking”
Title: “Rosa’s New Mexican Table”
Title: “Atlanta Cooks at Home: Recipes for Entertaining From Atlanta’s Top Chefs”
Title: “The Blue Willow Inn Bible of Southern Cooking”