Craig Claiborne's Southern Cooking

The New York Times food columnist and veteran cookbook author offers a selection of Southern fare that runs the gamut from his mother's triple-tiered gelatin mold, circa 1930, to Paul Prudhomme's contemporary Cajun popcorn. Cheese-and-grits casserole, boiled pigs' feet, chicken-and-sausage gumbo, hush puppies and shrimp Creole offer glimpses of traditional cuisine. There's even a recipe for arm-wrenchingly authentic beaten biscuitswisely followed by a food-processor version. Although the collection emphasizes the Southeast, dishes like fajitas, chilies rellenos, pozole and pico de gallo introduce Tex-Mex and Southwestern flavors. Secure in his cooking skill and native Southernness, Claiborne also concocts Southern-style food, like catfish fillets in white-wine sauce. From the traditional to the original, these lucid, flavorful recipes will be welcomed by Claiborne's substantial following and by fans of regional American cooking. BOMC/Cooking & Crafts Club main selection; BOMC alternate. (September)