Bookshelf: The South, Far and Wide

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Bury your nose, whet your appetite

Covering fifteen states and their dozens of micro-regional cuisines is an ambitious task for a single book—especially one that strives to be not just a collection of recipes but an insight into the soul of the region. But United Tastes of the South: Authentic Dishes from Appalachia to the Bayou and Beyond does just that, documenting the distinct culinary landscapes of Appalachia, the Atlantic, the Gulf, the Delta, and the Southwest. Peppered in are recipes from each area’s distinctive chefs, from Vivian Howard’s fish stew in the Atlantic South to Gulf chef Vishwesh Bhatt’s lady pea-and-tomato salad. There’s no less than six barbecue sauce recipes to suit any geographical allegiance, be it Alabama white sauce or one of three Carolina varieties, and Tex-Mex favorites like rib-eye asado and smoked brisket alongside Lowcountry shrimp and grits encompass the diversity of Southern food.

Buttermilk & Bourbon

Page Street Publishing Co., 2019

The food of New Orleans is infectious. When Boston chef Jason Santos fell in love with the city, it sparked a passion project to bring a bit of NOLA back to Beantown. And so Buttermilk & Bourbon was born, bringing a taste of the Crescent City to the heart of Boston’s Back Bay. Now there’s Buttermilk & Bourbon: New Orleans Recipes with a Modern Flair, a compendium of favorites from the restaurant’s kitchen (think smoked gouda cornbread and barbecue shrimp with jalapeño grits) prime for whipping up at home when you need a Big Easy fix.

Kindness & Salt

Grand Central Publishing, 2018

The South gets its hospitability trope honestly; the innate need to nourish others is a hallmark of the region. Sprinkled with playful illustrations and vintage-inspired photography, Kindness & Salt: Recipes for the Care & Feeding of your Friends & Neighbors is all about the love language of hospitality. Buttermilk fried chicken with cheddar waffles offer a warm hug while chilled oysters and grapefruit mignonette stir up amorous feelings; a of beef-cooking basics precedes the instructions for whipping up a classic steak frites with maître d’hôtel butter—all of which are worth the labor of love.