Cookbook Review: Hall of Fame of Southern Recipes

I'm an avid cookbook collector. I've been one for years. I can't explain it, but I possess a certain affinity for them. When I purchased my copy of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I found myself poring over it for hours as if it were a novel. But I digress.

I decided that I would begin posting reviews of some of my favorite cookbooks, since so many of my friends are always looking for new ideas for culinary concoctions. I plan on featuring an assortment of titles, but I would also like to feature a few publications from Quail Ridge Press. They're a smaller local publisher (based in Brandon, MS), but they've churned out a massive number of titles, and I've become a devoted fan.

The first book I'd like to review is one of their more recent releases, Hall of Fame of Southern Recipes, compiled and edited by Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley. What I like most about this cookbook is that at its core, it's very similar to the typical Southern "church lady" cookbooks I perused in my youth -- except kicked up a notch. ("BAM!") All of the classic Southern staples are featured, as well as a few traditional favorites with a twist.

One aspect I appreciate the most about this cookbook is the variety of recipes. The Achilles heel of the aforementioned "church lady" cookbook is an excessive number of casserole recipes. Don't get me wrong -- I love a casserole as much as the next guy, but I also don't need twenty recipes for a conglomeration of canned goods and enough Velveeta to hold everything together. That's where Southern Recipes has "stepped up the game" of Southern cooking. You've got appetizers, beverages, breakfast creations, salads, seafood... I really could go on and on. Oh, and did I mention my favorite part? THREE chapters of desserts. Freakin' sweet (literally)! <-- That's satire, by the way.

Just to give you a general idea of the territory covered in this book, here are some of the recipes that can be found within: Going along the lines of tradition, you've got Pimento Cheese, Chicken Fried Steak, Kentucky Bourbon Balls, Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce, Buttermilk Cornbread, Fried Chicken, Red Velvet Cake, Seafood Gumbo (with okra -- AS IT SHOULD BE), Shrimp Etouffée, Peach Ice Cream, Buttermilk Pie, Barbecue Pulled Pork... and on and on and on... 

In regards to modern adaptations of Southern classics and newer Southern favorites, you have Chocolate Pecan Pie, "Make and Wait" Coconut Cake (which my mother has made for years and is AMAZING), Jalapeño Hush Puppies, Garlic Cheese Biscuits, Crawfish Fettuccine, Fried Green Tomato Casserole, Deep-Fried Turkey, Savannah Shrimp and Grits (I realize everyone on the Food Network reveres this as a "Southern classic," but having grown up in the South, I know that in most areas, the acceptance of this decadent concoction is a more of a recent development), Fried Pickles, and Baked Vidalia Onion Dip... and again, so on and so on...

A few weeks ago, I prepared one of these classic-with-a-twist recipes: Cajun Crawfish Cornbread. And yes, I can assure you, it is as delightful as it sounds. 

It's almost like more of a casserole than a bread, really. It contains crawfish, peppers, corn, eggs, and cheese, so if you serve this with a fresh green salad, you truly have a complete meal. The recipe is also very easy to adapt. If you'd rather have a more creamy consistency, substitute cooked grits for the cornmeal, and it becomes an actual casserole. If you can't get your hands on crawfish, shrimp can be just as easily substituted. Regardless, this recipe is a definite crowd-pleaser. 

So if you've been searching far and wide for that essential, comprehensive Southern cookbook, Hall of Fame of Southern Recipes is one of your best bets. If you decide to give it a try, I'd love to hear (or read, rather) your thoughts!