Essentials of Southern Cooking: Techniques and Flavors of a Classic American Cuisine

An authentic collection of recipes celebrating Southern traditions.

Southern cooking as most people think of it doesn’t exist. After all, there are as many ways to make real corn bread, gumbo or fried chicken as there are cooks. Instead of dwelling on conventional notions of authenticity, Essentials of Southern Cooking honors the spirit, the history, the people, and the taste of the classic Southern table by focusing on the essence of great Southern food and combining traditional ingredients in fresh ways. In this tempting collection of over 250 recipes, author Damon Lee Fowler balances the enduring appeal of rural Southern flavors with the modern sensibilities of today’s cook. It’s an engaging and informative look at the heritage of Southern cuisine.

Sampling of recipes:

Creamy Chicken Pot Pies

Sweet Potato Cobbler

Scalloped Oysters

Lowcountry Crab au Gratin

Baked Vidalia Sweet Onions with Ham

Bourbon-Grilled Flank Steak

Shrimp Étouffée

Pecan-Crusted Cat Fish

Butter-Bean and Okra Ragout

Old-Fashioned Southern Shortcake

Damon Lee Fowler is a culinary historian, food writer, and the author of a number of cookbooks, including Classical Southern Cooking, Fried Chicken: The World’s Best Recipes, Damon Lee Fowler’sNew Southern Kitchen, New Southern Baking, and The Savannah Cookbook. His work has appeared in a number of national publications, including Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, and Relish. He lives, eats, and writes in Savannah, Georgia, where he is the featured food writer for The Savannah Morning News