The author of Classical Southern Cooking returns with a guide to regional Southern cuisine, serving up 160 recipes for everything from Baked Pecan-Crusted Goat Cheese with Warm Peach Chutney to Asparagus Shortcake, Green Tomato Gumbo, and Sweet Potato Ice Cream. 30,000 first printing. Rooted in the cuisines of North America, Europe, and Africa, Southern cooking is delicious, classic fare. But according to Damon Lee Fowler's New Southern Cooking , traditional dishes like fried chicken, gumbo, cornbread, and pecan pie aren't the whole story. Stating that Southern cooking as such makes sense only if we recognize it as the result of multiple interpretations over time, Fowler presents his versions of traditional dishes that also take into account today's busy, health-conscious world. His recipe for Grilled Pork Tenderloins with Bourbon Mustard Glaze, for example, honors the Southern passion for pork, but uses a lean cut of meat. The result of Fowler's approach is 160 easily made recipes that salute the old and the new delectably. In chapters that cover every course from appetizers and snacks to breads and desserts, Fowler finds innovative ways with quintessential Southern ingredients, offering the likes of Baked Pecan-Crusted Goat Cheese with Warm Peach Chutney, Green Tomato Gumbo, and even Sweet Potato Latkes with Homemade Applesauce and Crème Fraîche. He also offers polished examples of traditional fare, including Grilled Breaded Veal Chops, Scalloped Eggplant a la Creole, and, of course, Buttermilk Fried Chicken (touched unconventionally with garlic). Bread lovers will dote on Fowler's Cinnamon Pecan Drop Biscuits, while fans of dessert should swoon for the likes of Maryan's Chocolate Pound Cake, Lemon Pecan Pie, and Shortbread Banana Pudding. With menus and a useful list of ingredient sources, the book is an exciting addition to the Southern cookbook shelf. --Arthur Boehm Fowler, cookbook author (Classic Southern Cooking) and food historian, emphasizes that his "new Southern kitchen" does not mean fusion cuisine or contrived nouvelle-style recipes rather, it refers to creating Southern flavors in a modern kitchen, preserving classic dishes in the face of today's hectic lifestyle. In fact, many of Fowler's recipes are inspired by old cookbooks. Although some of the techniques have been streamlined, and dishes such as those traditionally made with a lot of cream have been lightened, the recipes remain mouthwatering and undeniably "Southern" (i.e., as Fowler points out, an amalgam of Native American, African, and European influences): Pork Tenderloin Biscuits with Chutney Butter, Shrimp and Green Tomato Gumbo, Bourbon Grilled Steak, and Lillie's Little Lemon Puddings. Thoughtful menu suggestions accompany most recipes. Highly recommended. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison award-winning authors of American Home Cooking, Smoke & Spice, and A Real American Breakfast Damon Lee Fowler's New Southern Kitchen combines the best of the region's old and new traditions. Through his opinionated, entertaining prose, you'll be transported to a kitchen table brimming with peaches and pork, pecans and sweet potatoes, hot breads, and happy endings. -- Review Damon Lee Fowler is the author of several cookbooks, including Classical Southern Cooking, which was nominated for both an IACP/Julia Child Cookbook Award and the James Beard Award. He is the feature food columnist for the Savannah Morning News, and his work has appeared in several publications, including Food & Wine and The Charlotte Observer. He lives in Savannah, Georgia.