Sara Foster’s love of Southern fare began in her Granny Foster’s Tennessee kitchen. There, the combination of down-home comfort, fresh-from-the-farm ingredients, and dedicated preparation hooked her for life. Now the award-winning cookbook author and restaurateur serves up nearly two hundred contemporary interpretations of classic dishes—Shrimp Jambalaya, Slow-Roasted Pulled Pork Butt, Cheesy Grits Casserole; refreshing drinks, including Mint Juleps and Sweet Tea; and such satisfying breakfasts as Country Ham and Hominy Hash. And a table wouldn’t be Southern without the sides—Skillet-Fried Corn, Creamy Potato Salad, and Arugula Pesto Snap Beans. Be sure, too, to save room for Molasses-Bourbon Pecan Pie and Freestyle Lemon Blackberry Tart.
From revealing the secret to fluffy buttermilk biscuits to giving us ideas for swapping out ingredients to accommodate any season, from providing tips for frying up chicken like a true Southerner to detailing barbecue fundamentals that put you on par with any pitmaster, Foster’s helpful sidebars ensure that your dishes will turn out perfect every time. You’ll also get expert tips on the essential equipment (cast-iron skillets, griddles, casserole dishes) and the ingredients no Southern pantry should be without (from stone-ground grits to Carolina Gold rice). As a bonus, Foster offers her “Sidetracked” feature, profiles of tried-and-true roadtrip destinations throughout the South where you can find the best fried catfish, barbecued brisket, big breakfast plates, and more. And finally, Foster’s lessons in pickling and canning guarantee that you can enjoy your favorite flavors all year round.
With its handy list of resources and Southern pantry essentials, and entertaining stories, Sara Foster’s Southern Kitchen is an all-inclusive collection of Southern cooking in which simple feasts meet artisanal ingredients, traditional tastes meet modern methods, and fantastic flavors make every bite a succulent mouthful of Southern comfort.
Praise for Sara Foster’s Southern Kitchen
“Sara Foster’s book on Southern cooking is absolutely stunning. She takes old-fashioned recipes like buttermilk biscuits and fried chicken and updates them for modern cooks. I can’t wait to work my way through this gorgeous book!”—Ina Garten
“From squash-threaded hush puppies to brûléed rice pudding, Sarah Foster is a keen synthesizer of Southern genres and geographies. My copy of her latest is already dog-eared and (red-eye) gravy splattered.”—John T. Edge, series editor of Cornbread Nation: The Best of Southern Food Writing
“Sara Foster is the quintessential Southern cook. On every page of Sara Foster’s Southern Kitchen there is ample evidence of the accuracy of its subtitle: ‘Soulful, Traditional, Seasonal.’ ” —Julia Reed, author of Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns, and Other Southern Specialties
“Sara Foster skillfully breaks through the boundaries of classic Southern cooking. The recipes and photographs are full of Southern soul and charm. I want to stick a fork right into the pages and devour them.”—Donald Link, chef and author of Real Cajun
“Some of the recipes in this book are traditional, others have been adapted to modern times. All will tempt people who love to cook.”—Bill Smith, chef and author of Seasoned in the South
