Frank Stitt's Southern Table: Recipes and Gracious Traditions from Highlands Bar and Grill (Hardcover)

by Frank Stitt (Author), Christopher Hirsheimer (Photographer), Pat Conroy (Foreword)
Key Phrases: broil the onion slices, jumbo asparagus spears, dried hot chile pepper, Pinot Noir, South Carolina, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. "I have eaten at the Highlands Bar and Grill more than twenty times and have never had a single dish that was not superb," gushes novelist Conroy in his laudatory introduction to this sumptuous journey through one man's passion for fine food, dining pleasure and life's good stuff. The book bursts with mouthwatering recipes for Stitt's take on low country cooking seen through the lens of his Provençal training (he learned the latter at Alice Waters's legendary Chez Panisse in San Francisco). Throughout, Stitt, chef and owner of the Birmingham, Ala., eatery, preaches the gospel of using fresh ingredients. Exotic spices from Asia and the Middle East meet down home succotash and humble cornbread, bringing the food Stitt learned about at his mother's elbow firmly into the 21st century. Each main course recipe, from simple favorites (Flounder with Clam Chowder Sauce) to complex show stoppers (Quail Stuffed with Cornbread and Figs with Molasses Vinaigrette) is accompanied by a brief list of suitable accompanying wines. Christopher Hirshiemer's photos incite drooling, and the deluxe four-color printing throughout the book will beckon to the hungry. A restaurateur of estimable success, Stitt remains humble. He glories in nature's bounty and the talent of his mentors and employees, and generously shares it all in this marvelous book.
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Review
Starred Review. "I have eaten at the Highlands Bar and Grill more than twenty times and have never had a single dish that was not superb," gushes novelist Conroy in his laudatory introduction to this sumptuous journey through one man's passion for fine food, dining pleasure and life's good stuff. The book bursts with mouthwatering recipes for Stitt's take on low country cooking seen through the lens of his Provençal training (he learned the latter at Alice Waters's legendary Chez Panisse in San Francisco). Throughout, Stitt, chef and owner of the Birmingham, Ala., eatery, preaches the gospel of using fresh ingredients. Exotic spices from Asia and the Middle East meet down home succotash and humble cornbread, bringing the food Stitt learned about at his mother's elbow firmly into the 21st century. Each main course recipe, from simple favorites (Flounder with Clam Chowder Sauce) to complex show stoppers (Quail Stuffed with Cornbread and Figs with Molasses Vinaigrette) is accompanied by a brief list of suitable accompanying wines. Christopher Hirshiemer's photos incite drooling, and the deluxe four-color printing throughout the book will beckon to the hungry. A restaurateur of estimable success, Stitt remains humble. He glories in nature's bounty and the talent of his mentors and employees, and generously shares it all in this marvelous book.
(Publishers Weekly )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Artisan; First edition first printing. edition (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579652468
• ISBN-13: 978-1579652463
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #27,973 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb is understatement..., July 1, 2005

By	Caraleisa (West Chester, PA) - See all my reviews

I'm a Yankee who is a very good cook, specializing in French and Italian fare. I've married a Southerner whose mother is a superb Southern cook. My husband heard about this book and felt it would be a good blend for me... so I bought it and made several of the recipes in it for my mother-in-law, including some things which are her staples. (Took guts, that did... but it worked!)

She asked us to get her a copy of this book.

I made several recipes for an annual party we have - the stuffed pork roast, collard greens and white beans, ratatouille, etc. People couldn't stop raving about the food. There was barely a bite leftover, and I made more than enough for everyone to have seconds and thirds!

One other note - I tend to alter most recipes - tweak them a bit, make substitutions, change this or that. With this book I find that 1. I don't WANT to change anything, and 2. the recipes are perfect as written.

For anyone who loves great food, you will love this book. The 'coffee-table' size is no problem for me... and I love the added tidbits which give you an idea of who Frank Stitt, the person, is.

I'd give it ten stars if I could. It's my favorite cookbook out of about 150 or so that I own.

38 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superior Book about Superior Restaurant. Good Read., September 5, 2004

By	B. Marold "Bruce W. Marold" (Bethlehem, PA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

`Frank Stitt's Southern Table' is a coffee table cookbook published by Artisan with very much of the same style, size, and heft of their earlier books by Thomas Keller and Eric Rippert, with most of the same strengths and weaknesses of these two other celebrity chef show books.

The book begins with a highly personal Foreword by North Carolina novelist Pat Conroy who must have a more than casual eye for good food, as he just happened to run into Frank Stitt about 24 years ago across the aisle on an airplane as Conroy happened to see Stitt taking notes from what Conroy recognized as cookbooks by some very high end authors. Stitt was just on his way back to Birmingham, Alabama to open his own restaurant and confided to Conroy that he was a very, very good chef.

Stitt's introduction fills out his culinary pedigree, citing the fact that he apprenticed at `Chez Panisse' with Alice Waters, from whom he received an introduction to leading French food writer Richard Olney. Stitt became Olney's assistant and through him met Jeremiah Tower and leading English food writer Elizabeth David. When Stitt opened his own restaurant `Highlands' in Birmingham, he combined traditional Southern cooking with these heavy French and Provencal influences with superfresh ingredients to create a cuisine with a skill which has landed him near the head of the class of American chefs.

All this pedigree and all these paeans to fresh ingredients do not mean this is a good book. It only certifies that Stitt has in him what it takes to write a good book. The proof is in the reading, not in the reputation. For starters, he has to prove that he has added sufficient value to overcome book's drawback of being better suited for the coffee table than the kitchen counter. The book is too heavy and the typeface is too small to work well `in situ'.

The first chapter of recipes deals with classic Southern dishes such as fried green tomatoes, Hoppin John, baked grits, corn bread, cracklins, pimiento cheese, and mint tea. All the dishes are true to other Southern writers I've read including James Villas, Edna Lewis, and Paula Deen, with a few deluxe touches such as making the pimiento cheese with home roasted red bell peppers instead of canned pimientos.

The next chapter covers mixed drinks and bar food. While I consider mixed drink recipes in a cookbook to be not much better than filler, these do succeed in filling out part of the promise Conroy made in the Foreword that `Highlands' has some of the best mixed drinks. And I have learned from Jim Villas that mixed drinks are as much a part of the Southern culinary experience as wine is to French and Italian cuisine. This does not mean wine is ignored. The author includes one of his little essays to wine appreciation. Most of these three page bon mots deal with restaurant staff members and suppliers. The intro. to the bar food gives some conventional advice on cooking for entertaining.

The next chapter covers appetizers, soups, and salads. My appreciation for the author jumped a bit when I saw him present recipes for both classic Southern tomato salads with bacon AND the Italian Panzanella salad without confusing the two. He does confess to adapting the Panzanella to Southern tastes by using corn bread, but I really appreciate the appreciation of tradition shown here. All recipes show a subtle mixture of things in common between Provencal and Southern cuisines such as greens, peas, beans, tomatoes, pumpkin, and mint. I am beginning to like this book more and more.

The fish chapter continues the Southern / Provencal fusion with a little Yankee chowder thrown in for good measure. This chapter adds a new word to my vocabulary, `pirlau', a Carolina low country rice and protein stew that be made with the sweepings of leftovers from the icebox and the pantry. A mistake would be to try to duplicate this recipe exactly. It's the kind of thing where you want to internalize the spirit of the dish and make it `ad hoc' when the proper time arrives. There are some simple dishes here, which make the reader appreciate the fact that `haute cuisine' is not always about complicated preparations. Some simple flounder dishes alone may be worth the price of the book.

The poultry chapter covers both domestic and wild bird cooking with quail being the most popular winged protein in these recipes. Again, a fair number of recipes are pretty simple sautes with prominent French tastes. Most protein dish recipes include the recipe for a vegetable garnish. Very nice.

The meat chapter is evenly divided between lamb, beef, and pork recipes, with some French rabbit recipes thrown in to spice it up.

The rather long chapter of vegetable dishes continues the mix of Southern and Provencal with potatoes, corn, asparagus, peas, and greens in pirlaus, ratatouilles, and gratins. I always salivate over a new gratin recipe. The `old fashioned potato gratin' will never appear in Weight Watchers, but it looks delish. Note that the heavy cream is not just for taste, lighter dairy will quickly curdle in a hot gratin dish.

The desserts chapter is a grand mix of Southern, French, and Italian classics, with apples, peaches, strawberries, pecans, and Jack Daniels in starring roles. The blackberry cobbler, for example, is nicely done with some taste of lemon added in. Peaches and blueberries combine to make another great variation on a classic.

The last chapter is on pantry preparations. They are generally a waste of space except in teaching cookbooks and books meant to capture the cuisine of a specific place. True to Southern tradition, the author will make his own mayonnaise, but freely allow us to use Hellmans.

This book is a fine evocation of Stitt's restaurant experience and a source of good, interesting, and simple recipes. If you like Keller and Rippert, get this one too.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing cookbook, August 19, 2007

By	T. Cobb "T. Cobb" (Flower Mound, Tx) - See all my reviews

I'm just a regular mom who likes to plunk down with a really good cookbook and try new gourmet recipes to amaze and delight my family. Lets just say that my 3 year old toddler and husband look forward to dinner every night that I pull out Frank Stitt's cookbook. Some recipes make me crazy, especially when I have to flip through 3 different pages to get various related recipes such as sauces, but oh what heavenly delight if you persevere and see the recipe through to completion. I can't say enough good things about this book - makes one appreciate the time, effort and loving care that is evident in the recipes. The sauce gribiche is worth the price of admission. The book feels like an old friend, calling me every few days to try another recipe. What a fantastic chef. This cookbook rivals my other beloved and tattered cookbook " The French Recipe cookbook" by Clements and Wolf-Cohen. You will NOT be disappointed if you get this book. 5 star rating all the way.