"Southern Foodways Alliance Cookbook" a mix of old and new

These are just a few of the memory-steeped tales and recipes from “The Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook” ($24.95), written and compiled by the Oxford, Miss.-based group of Southern foodies and published this month by the University of Georgia Press.

An homage to the cherished spiral-bound cookbooks assembled by communities for generations — sometimes written by hand and mimeographed and always including the likes of Peanut Brittle, Deviled Eggs and Cheese Grits Casseroles, all reproduced here — the delightful collection of more than 170 recipes coincides with the alliance’s 13th symposium on Southern food, opening Friday on the Ole Miss campus. The topic of this year's meeting, which has been sold out for months, is "The Global South."

“Once we had established in the marketplace of ideas that the Southern Foodways Alliance was not a group of recipe collectors, then it was time to collect recipes,” cracks John T. Edge, the SFA director who passionately believes that food is a cultural artifact, a way of reflecting on history, race, politics and the changing world.

Accordingly, the cookbook is a tribute to standards of the Southern table, from Savannah author Damon Lee Fowler’s Classic Pound Cake to Tennessee pork purveyor extraordinaire Allan Benton’s Country Ham with Redeye Gravy. It is also a showcase for the delicious handiwork of such notable contemporary chefs as Linton Hopkins of Atlanta (Brown Butter Creamed Winter Greens), Susan Spicer of New Orleans (Eggplant, Oyster, and Tasso Gratin) and Frank Stitt of Birmingham (Collard Green and White Bean Gratin). And there’s delicious evidence of the immigrant population’s increasing influence on Southern cooking, and vice versa. (See Atlanta restaurateur Eddie Hernandez’s Refried Black-Eyed Peas and Vishwesh Bhatt’s Mississippi Madras Okra Gravy).

No cookbook that quotes Southern Gothic writers Carson McCullers or Eudora Welty would be complete without a recipe for Fried Squirrel with Gravy or Osso Buco of Frog Legs. “You got to go ‘round the bend once in while,” says Edge of the latter. While Southerners are known for loving their sweets, only a genius could come up with Sweet Tea Lemon Chess Pie (Mississippian Martha Foose) or Cheerwine Barbecue Chicken (Kentuckian Sarah Gibbs of Taylorsville).

And what of the old stereotype that the region is awash in fat, calorie-laden food? This book sure doesn’t try to disprove the theory.  So perhaps you’d like to indulge in Mary Beth Lasseter’s Pimento Cheese Hush Puppies or Kathy Cary’s Eggs Derby, a decadent Kentucky concoction of stuffed eggs baked with a mixture of sweet breads, morels, cream and bourbon and topped with almonds and Parmesan and Cheddar cheese. “They are insanely rich,” Edge says. “And insanely good.”

Book event

“The Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook”

7:15 p.m. Nov. 16. Featuring cookbook contributors Angie Mosier, Virginia Willis, Mike Klank and Hugh Acheson. Georgia Center for the Book, Decatur Public Library Auditorium, 215 Sycamore St. Decatur. 404-370-8450, extension 2225, www.georgiacenterforthebook.org

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Fried Dill Pickles with Comeback Sauce

Hands on: 15 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

Serves: 4-6

Submitted by Amy Crockett of Oxford, Miss., these salty, crunchy, sour, fried nibbles have been turning up at trendy barbecue and burger joints around Atlanta, so we thought readers might like to know how to make them at home. Tips: We found that canola oil yielded crispier chips than peanut oil; if  you don’t have  a thermometer for deep-frying, it’s worth the investment.

For the sauce:

2/3 cup mayonnaise

½ cup chili sauce

¼ cup canola oil

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

¾ teaspoon onion powder

2 ¼ teaspoons garlic powder

1 ½ teaspoons paprika

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

¾ teaspoon dry mustard

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

For the pickles:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons onion powder

1 ½ teaspoons ground cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons kosher salt

4 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper

1 tablespoon paprika

Peanut or canola oil, for frying

1 16-ounce jar sliced dill pickles

In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, chili sauce, canola oil, Worcestershire sauce, fresh lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, ground black pepper, dry mustard and kosher salt until well mixed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

In a medium pan or mixing bowl, stir together the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, ground cayenne pepper, kosher salt, ground black pepper and paprika. Pour into a small brown-paper bag.

Pour oil into a deep, heavy skillet or Dutch oven to a depth of 3 inches. Heat the oil to 350 degrees.

Drain the pickles. Toss them in the bag of seasoned flour and shake well to coat. Working in batches, put the coated pickles in a sieve and shake off as much excess coating as possible. Fry the pickles in the hot oil until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels. Serve hot, with comeback sauce for dipping.

Per serving, Fried Dill Pickles only, based on 4 servings: 370 calories (percent of calories from fat, 45), 6 grams protein, 45 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 19 grams fat (3 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 1,737 milligrams sodium. Comeback Sauce: Makes about 1-1/2 cups. Per 2-tablespoon serving: 135 calories (percent of calories from fat, 94), trace protein, 2 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 15 grams fat (2 grams saturated), 4 milligrams cholesterol, 155 milligrams sodium.

— From "The Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook," edited by Sara Roahen and John T. Edge (University of Georgia Press, $24.95).

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Atlanta Brisket

Hands on: 15 minutes

Total time: 4 hours, 15 minutes (plus marinating time overnight)

Serves: 8

“The Secret of Atlanta Brisket,” author Eli Evans’ little narrative in “The Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook,” confirms the old jingle, “Coke is it.” While many recipes call for putting Coca-Cola in the cooking liquid, the Evans family’s cooks apparently marinated the beef in the syrupy soft drink. We added a little to the cooking pan as well, and although you can skip the Coke and the ketchup if you like, this method yields a rich, deeply burnished gravy. The four-hour cook time results in meat that shreds upon slicing. Shorten the roasting time to about 2 to 2½ hours if you want sliced meat.

1 3-pound brisket

5 cups Coca-Cola, divided (four cups for marinade plus one cup for cooking liquid, if desired)

Kosher salt

Ground black pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 packet Lipton’s French onion soup mix

1 cup ketchup (optional)

2 onions, peeled and sliced

2 bay leaves

Place brisket in a dish, cover with four cups of the Coca-Cola and marinate, covered, in the refrigerator over night.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Drain brisket. Rub the meat all over with kosher salt and black pepper. Heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a heavy skillet or Dutch oven, and brown brisket on both sides, about 5 minutes per side.

In a small bowl, place the French onion soup mix, the remaining cup of Coca-Cola (if using), 1 cup of ketchup (if using) and 1 cup of water. (If omitting Coca-Cola and ketchup, use 3 cups of water). Stir until mixed well. Pour over brisket. Place onions around the brisket and toss in the two bay leaves. Cover with lid or tinfoil, and cook in oven for four hours, basting every hour and checking to make sure the meat is not sticking on bottom. Flip the meat once to make sure it cooks evenly. (As the sauce cooks down, you may need to add water, a half-cup at a time, to keep the meat wet and make the gravy.)

After four hours, the brisket should be fork tender. Remove from oven, allow the meat to rest until cooled, and slice against the grain. Arrange on platter and cover with sauce.

Per serving: 382 calories (percent of calories from fat, 39), 37 grams protein, 21 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 16 grams fat (5 grams saturated), 106 milligrams cholesterol, 931 milligrams sodium.

— Adapted from "The Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook," edited by Sara Roahen and John T. Edge (University of Georgia Press, $24.95).

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Bread Pudding with Bourbon Crème Anglaise

Submitted by New Orleans cook and caterer Diana Cottier, this is a wonderful dessert (or breakfast), with a custardlike crème anglais that drips into elegant puddles and tastes good with or without the bourbon.

Hands on: 1 hour

Total time: 1 hour, 40 minutes (plus overnight soak time)

Serves: 12

For the bread pudding:

1 loaf day old New Orleans French bread (about 1½ standard French baguettes)

½ cup raisins

½ cup chopped pecans

6 large eggs

1 ¾ cup granulated sugar, divided

4 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 cups whole milk

For the crème anglaise:

2 cups heavy cream

6 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided

8 egg yolks

¼ cup bourbon (or to taste) or ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Cut the bread on a slight diagonal into ¼-inch-thick slices to yield 8 to 9 cups. Arrange the slices in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, overlapping the slices and sprinkling raisins and pecans between each layer. Don’t worry if the top of the bread is slightly higher than the dish.

Whisk together the eggs and 1½ cups of the granulated sugar in a large bowl. Whisk in the vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, oil and milk. Mix well. Slowly pour or ladle the egg mixture over the bread, being sure to coat every piece, even the edges. Stop pouring intermittently to flatten the bread gently. Cover with aluminum foil and place in refrigerator to soak overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the foil and sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of sugar over the top. Cover again and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the top is brown and the custard is set, another 20-30 minutes. Test by inserting a thin knife into the center; it should come out moist but not wet and eggy.

While the pudding is baking, make the crème anglais. First, prepare an ice bath by placing 3 cups of ice and about ½ cup of water in a large mixing bowl. Place a smaller bowl in the ice water.

Stir together the cream and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a medium heavy saucepan. Bring to just below a simmer on medium low heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and the remaining 4 tablespoons of sugar until the mixture is thick and pale yellow. (You may do this by hand with a balloon whisk or use an electric mixer.) Ladle half the warm cream mixture into the eggs to temper, whisking constantly until smooth. Slowly whisk the egg mixture into the warm cream mixture. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, about 15 minutes. Carefully run your finger through the sauce that coats the spoon. If the sauce doesn’t run into the bare space created by your finger, the sauce is ready. Strain through a fine sieve into the chilled bowl sitting in the ice bath; stir until the sauce cools to room temperature. Stir in the bourbon or vanilla extract. Transfer the sauce into a glass or metal bowl and chill.

When bread pudding is done, slice into squares and serve warm, topped with the chilled crème anglais.

Per serving: 592 calories (percent of calories from fat, 45), 12 grams protein, 98 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 29 grams fat (13 grams saturated), 315 milligrams cholesterol, 323 milligrams sodium.

— From "The Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook," edited by Sara Roahen and John T. Edge (University of Georgia Press, $24.95).