Down South: A Cook Book

Down South is a cook book compiled by Donald Link. Link has created something that is so much more than recipes and how tos. Down South is a story of the south complete with pictures of food, people, and places.

He begins each section with memories and stories of life in and out of the kitchens of the south. Most of the recipes are also accompanied by an explanation, a memory, or suggestions for what to serve alongside of them. 

The recipes in this book have less of a "down home Grandma's kitchen" feel and more of a "cultured palate" feel. I expected things like biscuits, grits, fried chicken, country fried steak, beans, coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, collards, corn bread, sweet tea, banana pudding, and pecan pie. You will find of a few of those recipes in this book, but they'll call for things like gruyere cheese, creole mustard, and fish collars. You'll even find a recipe for frog legs!

I won't be making everything, but I've got quite a list of recipes to work my way through! Even though Link clearly doesn't cook like my Grandma, I trust that we do have some common ground.

Here's a list of a few of the recipes I'm eager to try out:

Uruguayan Spicy Baked Cheese (p.40)

Parmesan Bacon Gougeres (p.51)

Alabama White BBQ Sauce (p.71)

Grilled Ham Steak with Charred Blood Oranges (p.81)

Monday Red Beans and Rice (p.133)

Mississippi Mud Pie (p.242)

Grab your copy HERE and discover Link's version of southern cooking for yourself!

What are three (or some) of your favorite southern dishes?

P.S. Things are going to be a bit heavy on the books

over the next week or so. I guess I'm proving to myself

that my summer hobbies revolve around books & gardens.

Hopefully you don't mind too much! :)  

* I was provided with a review copy of this book by Blogging for Books. All thoughts are my own honest opinion.