Offers variations on traditional American Southern recipes and step-by-step instructions for basic cooking techniques. - (Baker & Taylor)
Jennifer Brule is on a mission, southern style, to teach people to cook. Her method: master twenty-five classic southern dishes, and then--using similar ingredients or cooking techniques or both--make two variations, one contemporary and one inspired by international tastes. Brule's line-up of beloved southern dishes is irresistible in itself, but she aims to inspire enthusiasm and confidence to expand deliciously from there. The beauty of her approach is that it reflects how people really do learn to cook, resourcefully, creatively, and joyfully. Savor the Classic Chicken and Dumplings and next find yourself cooking Vegetarian Mushroom Stew with Sweet Potato Dumplings before whipping up Hungarian Chicken Paprikash with Dumplings.
Featuring step-by-step instructions designed to teach basic cooking techniques, Brule shows cooks how to whisk, chop, slice, simmer, saute, fry, bake, and roast their way to seventy-five wonderfully tasty dishes. The contemporary versions incorporate especially wholesome elements, such as unrefined grains and healthier fats, while the international versions offer popular global tastes. Color photographs of each dish illustrate the wide array of meats and fish, vegetables, side dishes, and desserts that can soon be on your table.
- (The University of North Carolina Press)
Booklist Reviews
*Starred Review* Everyone knows the timeless dishes that practically define the cooking of America's South: fried chicken, pimento cheese, grits, fried okra. Here, Brulé provides faithful recipes for each of these southern standards. Then, in a burst of creative imagination, she goes a step further by bringing them up-to-date for modern tastes by offering a trimmed-down version of every recipe that decreases calorie content without sacrificing the flavors that make them so beloved. This often means an oven-fried version that substantially cuts back on oil, not to mention making for easier cleanup. That done, Brulé boldly takes another step and presents the classic in guise of an exotic makeover. Thus, fried fish become Thai fish cakes. Grits gain an Italian accent as polenta with Gorgonzola. Macaroni and cheese translate into a Swiss dish of pasta, onions, and Gruyère. An ingenious cookbook that will appeal to cooks of all stripes. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.
Library Journal Reviews
Brulé, a food writer who studied recipe development at the Culinary Institute of America, here provides a classic recipe and two variations for each of 25 popular Southern dishes, including fried chicken, cheese grits, buttermilk biscuits, and red velvet cake. The book's contemporary variations are generally healthier. For instance, a variant on green beans swaps the traditional ham hock for a bright mix of garlic, lemon zest, and Parmesan cheese. International variations offer zestier takes on the classics, incorporating spices and condiments from the global pantry. VERDICT While some Southern cookbooks limit readers to one cooking style, this title offers novices the choice of trying several interpretations of a given dish.
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