For the Love of the South: Recipes and Stories from My Southern Kitchen - Hardcover

Wilson, Amber

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062460250 ISBN 13: 9780062460257

Publisher: Harper, 2018

Synopsis

Named by Garden & Gun as one of the best books of 2018, For the Love of the South captures the essence of Southern culture—a deep devotion to family, friends, and food—in a charming cookbook featuring delicious, comforting recipes, her recollections of growing up on the bayous of Louisiana, and more than 100 full-color and black-and-white photographs.

Amber Wilson’s popular blog, For the Love of the South, reflects the generosity, cordiality, and sense of tradition that are the heart of Southern culture. In her engaging posts, she shares personal, entertaining stories about her childhood in the deep South, pays tribute to her heritage, and presents mouthwatering recipes that showcase the best of the region’s cooking, accompanied by gorgeous photos.

In this first book, drawn from her popular website, she brings together 100 delectable, accessible, and easy-to-make recipes for Southern classics, and mixes them with delightful family anecdotes, which convey her love and respect for her roots. A terrific cook and captivating writer, Amber is also an accomplished photographer. For the Love of the South showcases 100 of her pictures—both black-and-white and color images of ingredient prep and finished dishes, as well as photos that evoke quintessential Southern life.

No matter where in the country you live, no matter if you’ve barely used a stove or are an old hand around the kitchen, Amber teaches you how to master a host of Southern dishes, from starters to desserts. The recipes use inexpensive, readily available ingredients and come with instructive, encouraging directions. Learn to make a roux, perfect the popover, fry okra, lattice a piecrust, and create irresistible gumbos and jambalayas like a true Southerner. From Pain Perdu, Pimento Hushpuppies, Corn Bisque, and Spicy Oven-Roasted Okra to Tomato and Bacon Sandwich with Chipotle Mayonnaise, Nashville Hot Chicken, Cajun Jambalaya, and Bacon-Latticed Apple Pie, there’s something tasty for everyone.

Amber offers a pantry-full of time- and money-saving kitchen tips—from storing and freezing bacon to prolonging fresh berries in the fridge, seasoning cast-iron skillets, and making vanilla extract—and provides helpful do-ahead and leftover-saving tips for many recipes as well.

Grab a chair, sit down for a spell, and enjoy a taste of Southern life and food with For the Love of the South.

About this title

About the Author

Amber Wilson is a self-taught home cook with an insatiable desire to honor the culinary culture of the South as well as to create new dishes. Once on a career path in science and offered a job at NASA, she decided to change course and start her blog, For the Love of the South. An homage to her Southern roots, the blog was a finalist in Saveur’s Best Food Blog Awards and was one of PBS’s Best Food Blogs. Wilson was one of Southern Living’s “30 Bloggers You Should Be Following.” She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband, Michael.

From the Back Cover

With 110 full-color photographs 

Amber Wilson, creator of the popular food blog For the Love of the South, beautifully evokes the joys and comforts of Southern food and life with this highly personal, accessible volume that includes more than 100 delicious recipes accompanied by entertaining recollections of her life growing up on the bayous of Louisiana, including time spent in the kitchen with her family. Her relaxed, encouraging voice will inspire home cooks to make a roux for gumbo, whip up homemade mayonnaise for a perfect chicken salad, and confidently create pie dough from scratch.

Interwoven with the recipes are engaging family anecdotes—Wilson’s first sip of chicory café au lait at the age of three with her grandmother; the spicy aromas, unmistakable sounds, and table-setting rituals for shrimp boils with her extended family; watching her grandparents effortlessly work together to make blackberry pie—all of which convey her love and respect for her roots. The recipes and anecdotes are accompanied by her intimate photographs of ingredient prep and finished dishes, as well as landscapes that depict Southern life.

Wilson makes it easy to master a host of Southern dishes, from starters to desserts, with clear, straightforward recipes; inexpensive, readily available ingredients; and techniques such as shallow pan-frying and oven-roasting that replace the more daunting deep-frying. She also offers a pantry full of kitchen tips—from storing and freezing bacon to prolonging the freshness of berries in the fridge, seasoning cast iron skillets, and making vanilla extract—and provides many helpful do-ahead and leftover-saving tips for many recipes. 

This delightful book reflects the generosity, hospitality, and sense of tradition that are the heart of Wilson’s beloved Southern culture. 

Edition details

• Publisher: Harper
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0062460250
• ISBN 13: 9780062460257
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256