Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible: The New Classic Guide to Delicious Dishes with More than 300 Recipes

While there are many excellent volumes devoted to Southern cookery, there seems to be no limit to our fascination with down-home eats%E2%80%94and thus, no limit to the market for chicken-fried anything. This omnibus is celebrity Deen's answer to The Joy of Cooking, covering the wide swath of regional favorites from Creole jambalaya to Memphis dry-rub ribs, from Charleston shrimp and grits to the grilled turkey sandwich known as the Kentucky Hot Brown. Written, with Clark, in her trademark colloqu-y'all style with plenty of personal anecdotes and helpful tips, Deen's recipes are approachable and unintimidating. Simplified illustrations throughout demonstrate techniques such as dropping cookies onto a baking sheet, arranging coals on a grill and scoring a ham. Sprinkled in and among the definitive, reliable classics like chicken-fried steaks with cream gravy, and burgoo are some contemporary updates like baked brie with fig jam, praline french toast casserole, and a tortilla-crusted tilapia. Then there are Deen's extra-homey signature specialties like cheeseburger meatloaf with cream of mushroom sauce; maple bacon and hominy; and butterscotch pretzel pie. Although it's not quite as comprehensive as it could be, this is certainly an honorable addition to the field. Photos. (Oct.)