Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns, and Other Southern Specialties: An Entertaining Life with Recipes

By Julia Reed

Book Overview

Julia Reed spends a lot of time thinking about ham biscuits. And cornbread and casseroles and the surprisingly modern ease of donning a hostess gown for one's own party. In" Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns and Other Southern Specialties" Julia Reed collects her thoughts on good cooking and the lessons of gracious entertaining that pass from one woman to another, and takes the reader on a lively and very personal tour of the culinary--and social--South. In essays on everything from pork chops to the perfect picnic Julia Reed revels in the simple good qualities that make the Southern table the best possible place to pull up a chair. She expounds on: the Southerner's relentless penchant for using gelatin; why most things taste better with homemade mayonnaise; the necessity of a holiday milk punch (and, possibly, a Santa hat); how best to "cook for compliments" (at least one squash casserole and Lee Bailey's barbequed veal are key). She provides recipes for some of the region's best-loved dishes (cheese straws, red velvet cake, breakfast shrimp), along with her own variations on the classics, including Fried Oysters Rockefeller Salad and Creole Crab Soup. She also elaborates on worthwhile information every hostess would do well to learn: the icebreaking qualities of a Ramos gin fizz and a hot crabmeat canape, for example; the "wow factor" intrinsic in a platter of devilled eggs or a giant silver punchbowl filled with scoops of homemade ice cream. There is guidance on everything from the best possible way to "eat" your luck on New Year's Day to composing a menu in honor of someone you love. Grace and hilarity under gastronomic pressure suffuse these essays, along with remembrances of her gastronomic heroes including Richard Olney, Mary Cantwell, and M.F.K. Fisher. "Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns and Other Southern Specialties" is another great book about the South from Julia Reed, a writer who makes her experiences in--and out of--the kitchen a joy to read.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 031235956X
• ISBN13: 9780312359560
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 249 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Accidental Purchase Turns Into A Fave

When I bought this book, I was in a hurry. A big hurry. I needed entertainment and quick. I grabbed this book because it had an enticing cover and I saw "Mississippi" somewhere on the jacket. What I assumed was a little novel ala Candace Bushnell meets Dorthea Benton Frank,(maybe a Southern Sex in the City?), turned out to be a delightful little book that taught me oh-so-much. Thanks to this book I am fearless in the kitchen. For those of you who are truly cooks- you will not understand. But this book taught me how to trust myself. I have made the most amazing dinners since reading this. Not only the book's recipes, but my own. Julia explains that sometimes (most times) simple delicious food is best (eg: ham buscuits). It is better to make what is simply delicious rather than to cook to impress. I never had pimento cheese, even though my Mother was a Mississippi girl. So I made pimento cheese ( I blended two of the recipes in the book- Mary Bell's and Keith's) for a family party and it was devoured in no time. I also made from the picnic chapter Elizabeth Frink's Roasted Chicken, which I also do a bit differently. My extremely picky eater 6 year old boy wants to eat the whole chicken! Thanks to all of her writing I never would have blended recipes or mixed things up or left ingredients out. To me this book is an homage to the writer's Mother and all the cooks and teachers along the way that helped her learn. She credits each recipe from where/who it came and tells how each recipe came to be her stand-by. I purchased this book last summer and several times a month I will pull this out for a little guidance.

great recipes and find her books very entertaining

Julia Reeds books are among my favorites..Country Captain (made with fresh summer Heirloom tomatoes, served to a dinner party to rave reviews) recipe alone is worth buying this book. She has great style and writes with such wit. Armchair trip into deep south...House on First Street was a joy to read also. Do hope she has some new/yet to be published writings in the pipeline.

A Taste of the South

Julia Reed's breezy writing style and obvious love for her subject matter take this collection of essays and recipes from just interesting to fascinating. I love this book and am systematically working my way through the recipes as well. I am not from the south,but her first collection of essays gave me a much better understanding of this region, and this one increased my interest. This is a great essay collection from a great writer.

Tasty Tidbits

Greenville, Mississippi, native and former Manhattanite Julia Reed (now of New Orleans) compiled a collection of essays on Southern food and hospitality that are as amusing as they are informative. Recipes of classic Southern dishes supplement the book. Unfortunately there is no index. And sadly there are no illustrations or photographs. But the author manages to successfully describe colorful scenes with mouth-watering results. This book would be appreciated by fine Southern cooks and a great gift for those who aspire to be.

LOVE this book!!!

Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns, and Other Southern Specialties: An Entertaining Life (with Recipes) What a charming, lovely, and fun book! I received it yesterday, and devoured 100 pages the first night! The author has a wonderfully descripitive, humorous voice. The book is made up of short essays that include eveything from personal backround, to culinary history, to cocktail party how-to's, to lively charatcter descriptions. Each essay is then followed by a few delightful, often historical, recipes. I wish I could meet some of the eccentric characters from the author's childhood...hostess gowns, toast points, and fancy cigarette holders! This true-blue Bostonian highly recommends this charming book! Love it!!!