Cookbook Review: Southern Living Southern Made Fresh
March 30, 2015, posted by Gina with asides by Michelle – Yesterday I found a new cookbook called Southern Made Fresh by Southern Living and authored by Tasia Malakasis. Southern Living magazines and books have long been a fabulous source for trusted and delicious recipes. Malakasis offers fresh twists on familiar Southern recipes by taking a lighter, healthier approach. I took a little time to peruse this book and I would like to highlight a few recipes tthat really appealed to me.
Green Beans with Gribiche Sauce
Perhaps Michelle from our office in France has tried this dish. This sauce is a mixture of mayonnaise, lots of fresh herbs, chopped eggs, capers and pickles and it sounds so decadent to me. Oh, and another nod to France, it calls for haricots verts, which is French for very thin, fresh green beans. [Michelle’s note: Well, I’ve seen green beans and gribiche on menus but never together; it sounds delicious though. You often see gribiche sauce served with tête de veau (calf’s head). I know, don’t freak out on me I just live here.]
Tomato Pie with Fresh Corn and Herbs
This just screams summer to me. I have made a tomato pie for so many years that I no longer need a recipe to prepare it. What caught my attention with this recipe is that it calls for fresh corn and herbs in the filling with heirloom tomatoes on top. What’s great about the corn is that it allows you to omit eggs and use less cheese, only 1 cup of parmesean, which makes for a healthier pie.
Rillettes
I will admit to never having read this word before opening this cookbook. Rillettes, as stated in the book, is French for pulled meat that’s combined with flavorful herbs, butter or lard. Did I read that right? Yep, it says lard. Upon further investigation, no lard is actually used in the making of this dish. Instead, butter or cheese are used as the binding agent. Perhaps our French office can weigh in on this little culinary treat. In the book, several different meats are used including chicken, sardines, and pork. [Michelle’s note: Ah yes, rillettes, a fairly common item on menus in Lyon. It’s a thick spread usually eaten with toast. I ate herring rillettes as an appetizer recently and, oddly, just before the writing of this post I ate at a restaurant that served sardine rillettes as an amuse bouche.]
If you were to ask me if you should purchase this book my answer would be yes. Besides having a great selection of delicious sounding and easy to follow recipes, the book is filled with beautiful pictures that will either make you want to cook, eat or have a garden of your own. Most of the recipes have photographs to accompany them. I will admit that I was not familiar with Tasia Malakasis, but she appears like a lovely host throughout the book sharing stories and inspiration. While she lets her readers know she is part Greek and part Southern to the core, she certainly has a range of influences woven throughout the book. The one downside is there are not many dessert recipes, though she admits to not having a sweet tooth, a trait I wish I could acquire. But what it lacks in deserts, it more than makes up for with its wide variety savory dishes that would appeal to just about any palette.
To read more about this cookbook and the author click HERE.
Bonus photos from Michelle:
An acquired taste: Tête de Veau with Gribiche sauce
Scallop Rillettes and Goose Rillettes at the French grocery store chain Monoprix
