For many, Thanksgiving is not only a time to whip up those tried-and-true family recipes; it’s also a time to experiment in the kitchen.
This year, Jamie Kornegay, proprietor of Turnrow Books, said there’s an abundant supply of great new Southern cookbooks.
“I think it’s a great gift to give, and I think a lot of people like to have a collection of cookbooks just to have — not necessarily to use them all the time. It’s the one certain area that I see people addicted to just collecting cookbooks, and we’re lucky to have some really good ones this season,” he said. “We have things from the previous part of the year, but there is a whole slate of new ones — a lot of good Southern cookbooks.”
Kornegay said one reason he thought cookbooks are so popular this time of year is that many people are pausing diets so they can just enjoy food, cooking and spending time with friends and family.
“People want to enjoy eating. It’s such an integral part of the holidays,” he said. “It’s a time where they can actually get in the kitchen and cook something new.”
Here Kornegay reviews the top three new cookbooks at Turnrow.
• “The Southerner's Cookbook,” by the editors of Garden & Gun Magazine
“The in-flavor this season, according to the influential Southern magazine Garden & Gun, may be sorghum. You'll find rustic sweetness in two stand-out recipes from this new cookbook, including a sweet potato casserole that uses sorghum in place of traditional marshmallows, and a delectable sorghum-bourbon pecan pie. Also worth attempting, cornbread oyster dressing and sweet potato candy, simple and delicious like peanut butter fudge.”
• “Foster's Market Favorites,” by Sara Foster
“First, the photos in this book are so beautiful. You'll be sniffing the pages. We didn't even flip past the opening chapter of breakfast dishes, before we had a list of great recipes to try, including chorizo sweet potato hash, ginger pumpkin bread and pecan sweet potato sticky buns. Also try the spicy pumpkin seeds, which can be tossed into a healthy seasonal salad with roasted root veggies and harissa yogurt sauce.”
• “The Crown of Southern Cooking,” by Evelyn Roughton
“If you're looking for more tried and true favorites with a Delta flair, you must have this collection by the founding chef of The Crown Restaurant in Indianola. In addition to many easy, delicious appetizers and regional specialties, you can really liven up the Thanksgiving dessert table with such Crown classics as plantation pie, Delta pecan tassies and Mississippi Delta fudge pie.”
• Contact Ruthie Robison at 581-7233 or rrobison@gwcommonwealth.com.
